Head Kick Legend

DREAM.13: Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen's Second Chance

2010-03-22T01:05:21Z

Hellboy makes his way to the DREAM Featherweight Division.

Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen is known as one of the most exciting fighters in the world and has been for years. Long a favorite for MMA fans, Joachim Hansen tonight has a shot at holding his second DREAM title in a second division, a feat that has not been seen in a major Japanese organization since Dan Henderson was the PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion (granted, at the same time).

In DREAM's Lightweight tournament, Hansen was eliminated by current Bellator kingpin, Eddie Alvarez, apparently ending his dream's of becoming the first DREAM Lightweight Champion. Everything seemed ho-hum when Hansen dispatched Kultar Gill in the DREAM Lightweight Reserve bout. On that same night, Eddie Alvarez went on to dash the hopes of another tournament favorite, Tatsuya Kawajiri. The only problem was he could not continue on to the finals that night, as he suffered an eye injury. So Shinya Aoki was now set to meet the reserve fighter, Joachim Hansen in the finals.

Of course, against the submission expert Shinya Aoki, there weren't many pulling for Hansen, until Hansen went in and annihilated Aoki, being crowned the first champion. At DREAM.13, Hansen finds himself in a similar position, against a truly talented grappler in Bibiano Fernandes. What people tend to forget is just how well-rounded Hansen is. While his last bout with Aoki didn't end favorable for Hansen, as he was out-grappled by a star grappler, Hansen is a very decorated grappler in his own right, he just happens to have incredible kickboxing on top of that. If Georges St. Pierre is the prototype for the future Mixed Martial Artist in the United States; the strong wrestler with solid jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, Hansen is the early beta of what to look for in the Japanese fight industry; the exciting grappler with explosive kickboxing who isn't afraid to take risks.

At DREAM.13 Hansen is dropping in weight, taking a shot at the Featherweight belt, finally giving in to dropping in weight and seeing how he fares at Featherweight. If he was a force at Lightweight, one would have to think that dropping down to Featherweight he could very well be unstoppable. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few months fans are calling for dream matches between Hansen and the likes of Brown, Aldo and Faber.

DREAM.13 is live on HDNet at 3am Eastern/12am Pacific on Monday the 22nd.

SBN coverage of DREAM.13

K-1 MAX West Europe GP Results

2010-03-22T00:56:24Z

West Europe GP Winner Mootje Khamal (right)

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More MAX results from a busy weekend - this time we shift gears to the much more widely publicized West Europe GP, held earlier today in Utrecht, Holland. In the qualifying tournament it was Holland's own Mootje "Mo" Khamal winning the event and earning his spot in the MAX Final 16.

A Muay Thai fighter, Khamal's last high profile fight was a big win over renowned fighter Anuwat at Slamm 6 in November. At that event he competed at his normal weight of 62 kg. Highly popular, many pegged Khamal as a favorite to win this tournament, despite the size disadvantage of moving up a weight class. On his way to the finals, Khamal defeated Chris van Venrooij and Robin van Roosmalen. In the finals, Khamal faced our early pick to win the tournament, It's Showtime fighter Harut Grigorian, ending Grigorian's night via TKO in round 2.

The show also featured last year's tournament winner Leroy Kaestner in non-tournament action. Kaestner has had some tough loses in the past year against stiff competition, including Andy Souwer, Yasuhiro Kido, and Nieky Holzken. Here, Kaestner was able to get back in the winner's column, defeating Menno Dijkstra via decision.

Full results after the jump.

1. Rene van den Belt vs Fernando Goodings WOP
2. Marlon Gron vs Raz Sarkisyan WKO round 1
3. Joey Kaptijn vs Jason Wilnis WOP
4. Saro Presti vs Hafid El Boustati WOP

Tournament quarter final
5. Mootje Khamal vs Chris van Venrooij WOP
6. Henri van Opstal vs Robin van Roosmalen WOP
7. Anthony Kane vs Marvin Sansaar TKO round 1
8. Bruno Carvalho vs Harut Grigorian WOP

9. Khalid Chabrani -74kg vs Lhoucine Ougni WOP
10. Jafhar Wilnis Jairzinho Rozenstruik DRAWW
11. Ricardo van der Bos vs Brian Douwes WOP
12. Masoud Rahmini vs Michael Smit WOP

Tournament semi final
13. Mootje Khamal vs Robin van Roosmalen WKO round 1
14. Anthony Kane vs Harut Grigorian WOP

15. Goran Radonjic vs Ismael Londt DRAWW
16. Leroy Kaestner VS Menno Dijkstra WOP

Tournament final
17. Mootje Khamal vs Harut Grigorian WKO round 2 Tournement champion and goes to the final 16 in japan.

K-1 MAX East Europe GP Results

2010-03-21T23:08:54Z

2010 K-1 MAX East Europe GP Champion Vitaly Hurkou

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There was not a lot of press going in, but this weekend marked the official kick-off to the 2010 K-1 season as K-1 MAX presented the East Europe GP in Minsk, Belarus. The GP tournament was won by local fighter Vitaly Hurkou. Hurkou is a Muay Thai fighter out of Belarus's Patriot Gym and a gold medalist in the 2009 IFMA World Muay Thai Championships in Bangkok. This was his K-1 debut. In the tournament final he defeated Zamen Guseinov, Enriko Gogokhiia in the semis, and Lukasz Szul in the quarter finals, all via decision. This earns Hurkou a spot in the MAX Final 16.

Also on the card, 2009 Final 16 competitor Zabit Samedov took on Rodney Glunder from Holland. Samedov defeated Glunder via KO in round 3 with a left hook - only his 3rd KO victory in 12 fights in K-1. Shaky footage of the final round is online here.

Full results after the jump.

Roman Mailov def Sergei Bokhanou (3R KO)

Ramil Novruzov def Ignas Barysas (WOP 3R)

Elmar Mursalov def Henadzi Thacenka (WOP 3R)

Tournament Quarter Final:

Vitaly Hurkou def Lukasz Szul (WOP 3R)
Enriko Gogokhiia def Daulet Otarbayev (2R KO)
Zamin Guseinov def Ivan Grygoryev (WOP 3R)
Todas Jonkus def. Konstantin Tutu (WOP 3R)

Superfight:

Ihar Buhaenka def Slavo Polugic (WOP 3R)

Tournament Semi Final:

Vitaly Hurkou def Enriko Gogokhiia (WOP 4R)
Zamin Guseinov def Tadas Jonkus (WOP 3R)

Superfights:

Dzianis Hancharonak def Boy Boy Martin (1R KO)
Zabit Samedov def Rodney Glunder (3R KO)

Tournament Final:

Vitaly Hurkou def Zamin Guseinov (WOP 3R)

Barnett vs. Mo - PreFight Interviews

2010-03-21T06:42:59Z

DREAM.13 pre-fight interviews with Josh Barnett (24-5) and Mighty Mo (3-1).

March Independent World MMA Rankings -- Women

2010-03-20T16:25:11Z

March 19, 2010: We are proud to announce the launch of the Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites, as well aswww.IndependentWorldMMARankings.com.

Much like the Men’s Independent World MMA Rankings, which were launched last June, the Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings are based purely on the votes of the members of the voting panel, with nobody’s vote counting more than anybody else’s vote, and no computerized voting.

The rankings will be tabulated and published on a monthly basis, with fighters receiving ten points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, and so on.

According to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the official names of the weight classes in women’s MMA are Middleweight for the 145-pound division, Welterweight for the 135-pound division, Lightweight for the 125-pound division, and Featherweight for the 115-pound division.

The members of our voting panel are instructed to vote primarily based on fighters’ actual accomplishments in the cage/ring (the quality of opposition that they’ve actually beaten), not based on a broad, subjective perception of which fighters would theoretically win hypothetical match-ups.

Inactivity: Fighters who have not fought in the past 12 months are not eligible to be ranked, and will regain their eligibility the next time they fight.

Disciplinary Suspensions: Fighters who are currently serving disciplinary suspensions, or who have been denied a license for drug test or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to be ranked.

Changing Weight Classes: When a fighter announces that she is leaving one weight class in order to fight in another weight class, the fighter is not eligible to be ranked in the new weight class until she has her first fight in the new weight class.

Catch Weight Fights: When fights are contested at weights that are in between the limits of the various weight classes, they are considered to be in the higher weight class. The weight limits for each weight class are listed at the top of the rankings for each weight class.

The members of the voting panel for the Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter,MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Yael Grauer (MMA HQ); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); and Ivan Trembow (Freelance).

Special thanks to Eric Kamander, Joshua Stein, and Yael Grauer for their invaluable help with this project, and special thanks to Garrett Bailey for designing our logo.

March 2010 Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings
Ballots collected on March 16, 2010

Middleweight Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (9-1)
2. Erin Toughill (10-2-1)
3. Marloes Coenen (17-4)
4. Gina Carano (7-1)
5. Yuko “Hiroko” Yamanaka (7-1-1)
6. Shana Olsen (3-0)
7. Cindy Dandois (2-0)
8. Malissa Sherwood (3-1)
9. Amanda Nunes (5-1)
10. Jamie Seaton (2-1)

Welterweight Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Sarah Kaufman (11-0)
2. Tara LaRosa (18-1)
3. Roxanne Modafferi (14-5)
4. Takayo Hashi (12-2)
5. Hitomi Akano (15-6)
6. Shayna Baszler (10-6)
7. Miesha Tate (8-2)
8. Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins (17-2)
9. Vanessa Porto (10-4)
10. Jennifer Tate (6-1)

Lightweight Rankings (116 to 125 lbs.)
1. Rosi Sexton (10-1)
2. Aisling Daly (9-0)
3. Tara LaRosa (18-1)
4. Emi Fujino (8-3)
5. Sally Krumdiack (7-3)
6. Lynn Alvarez (5-1)
7. Rin Nakai (6-0)
8. Lena Ovchynnikova (6-0)
9. Monica Lovato (4-1)
10. Matsumi Kasai (4-0)

Featherweight Rankings (106 to 115 lbs.)
1. Megumi Fujii (19-0)
2. Yuka Tsuji (22-2)
3. Lisa Ward (12-5)
4. Mei “V Hajime” Yamaguchi (6-2)
5. Jessica Pene (7-0)
6. Jessica Aguilar (7-3)
7. Kyoko Takabayashi (10-4)
8. Angela Magana (8-4)
9. Elena Reid (4-0)
10. Saori Ishioka (8-4)

Karaev Drops out of Le Banner Fight; Spong Steps in as Replacement

2010-03-20T14:05:07Z

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More changes to big fights at K-1: Ruslan Karaev has dropped out of his April 3 fight with Jerome Le Banner at the K-1 Yokohama show. In his place will be Tyrone Spong, stepping in to face JLB. No word yet on why Karaev dropped out.

While Spong v. Le Banner is not a bad match-up, this still does come as a disappointment. Stylistically, Karaev v. Le Banner was a good pairing, with two heavy hitters, both in a low point in their careers, trying to get some redemption from recent performances. It was intriguing to see where both men stood, particularly Karaev, who has been a very frustrating fighter to follow in recent years.

Once considered one of the next top fighter in K-1, Karaev's last few years have seen extensive lay-offs, and some less than stellar performances. This was capped by his loss to Hesdy Gerges last October, a fighter who has since shown that he is not at that top level of competition just yet. Karaev has a lot of fans, who still look back on his wins over Hari and Leko as proof of his skill, but with the exception of a 2009 victory of Kyotaro, Karaev simply has not demonstrated that he is a top-tier fighter recently. This was a good opportunity to reassert his position, and it is a shame to see him on the shelf yet again.

Spong was rumored to face Singh Jaideep on this card, though that fight was not yet announced.

DEEP 47 Annoucements

2010-03-19T16:49:07Z

DEEP LHW GP Participants Ryuta Noji, Yoshiyuki Nakanishi & Shunsuke Inoue

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DEEP made some announcements today at Korakuen Hall in regards to the upcoming DEEP 47 Impact show which takes place April 17th. Already announced is the special Memorial Retirement Exhibition between Miku Matsumoto (23-4) and Megumi Fujii (19-0).

The brackets for the DEEP Light-Heavyweight GP semi-final round were set. Ryuta Noji (9-5-0) will meet Shunsuke Inoue (7-4-2) and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (6-1-0) will face Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (15-2-1). In a LHW GP Reserve match, Bernard Ackah (4-3-0) returns to meet Minoru Kato (2-9-3). .

Other fights announced include DEEP Bantamweight champion Masakazu Imanari (18-7-2) going up against Isao Terada (8-9-4) in a non-title match. Heavyweight Kazuhisa Tazawa (4-1-1) takes on Spike 22's Roque Martinez (5-2-0), Yasuhiro Kawasaki (4-1-1) meets Tomoya Kato (8-1-1) and Hirohide Fujinuma (7-4-2) will take on former Sumo Yoichi "Wakashoyo" Babaguchi (1-4-1).

DEEP 47 IMPACT
April 17th, 2010
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Memorial Exhibition Match ~ MIKU Retirement
Miku Matsumoto (23-4)
VS
Megumi Fujii (19-0)

DEEP LHW Champion Tournament Semi Finals:
Ryuta Noji (9-5-0)
VS
Shunsuke Inoue (7-4-2)

DEEP LHW Champion Tournament Semi Finals:
Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (6-1-0)
VS
Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (15-2-1)

DEEP LHW Champion Tournament Reserve Fight:
Bernard Ackah (4-3-0)
VS
Minoru Kato (2-9-3)

Masakazu Imanari (18-7-2)
VS
Isao Terada (8-9-4)

Kazuhisa Tazawa (4-1-1)
VS
Roque Martinez (5-2-0)

Yasuhiro Kawasaki (4-1-1)
VS
Tomoya Kato (8-1-1)

Hirohide Fujinuma (7-4-2)
VS
Yoichi "Wakashoyo" Babaguchi (1-4-1)

4-time K-1 Japan tournament champion and recently retired Musashi headed to the Dragon Dojo and met...

2010-03-19T08:33:47Z

4-time K-1 Japan tournament champion and recently retired Musashi headed to the Dragon Dojo and met up with K-1 Heavyweight Champion Kyotaro who prepares for his upcoming match with Peter Aerts.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hidehiko Yoshida at ASTRA? Stranger Things Have Happened

2010-03-19T04:24:14Z

Remember when we said M-1 could possibly be looking into other partners beyond Strikeforce and people quickly dismissed it? Well, not so fast. Apparently in the next issue of Nikkan Sports which is dropping today in Japan they bluntly say, "Retirement match against Fedor, world's strongest man" for Yoshida's retirement bout. Here is a translation from our good friend Zeus at MiddleEasy;

An article in tomorrow's Nikkan Sports newspaper says that Yoshida's retirement fight in ASTRA will most likely be against Fedor. The exact quote is "Retirement match against Fedor, world's strongest man". According to the newspaper, Fedor's camp got in contact with Yoshida when he announced his retirement fight somewhere around February 8th and both parties have been negotiating ever since. There is a final meeting that will be held in Japan at Dream 13 which should finalize the negotiations. If nothing pans out after Dream 13, then they apparently have other fighters readily available to fight Yoshida.

As always, a grain of sand, possibly salt when it comes to rumors like this, especially from a dirtsheet like Nikkan Sports. They can be incredibly accurate or they can grasp at straws for strong headlines to peddle their wares. Until we get something official, consider this a rumor.

Petrosyan Drops Out of Sato Fight Due to Injury

2010-03-19T02:56:12Z

MAX champ Giorgio Petrosyan

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Huge and unfortunate news regarding the MAX Japan event - it appears MAX champion Giorgio Petrosyan has dropped out of his March 27 fight with #5 ranked fighter Yoshihiro Sato. It's Showtime, who handles Petrosyan's management, announced the news at Dutch forum mixfight.nl, stating that the champion needed time off to have surgery on his hand. This is the same hand injury that Petrosyan aggravated at the MAX finals last year and that forced him out of the big Masato fight at Dynamite. Reports are that Petrosyan reinjured the hand last weekend against Khem Sitsongpeenong in Milan.

Although K-1 has not yet made the announcement official, It's Showtime is indeed an official representative of Petrosyan, so it looks like this is not simply a rumor.

This is, without a doubt, very unfortunate news. You hate to see any fighter injured, and this in particular was a very compelling and much anticipated fight. For K-1, this has to be very difficult, as Petrosyan has yet to fight for the organization since winning the MAX crown. As a newcomer to the company, they are no doubt looking to build him up to fans, and this was a good opportunity to do just that, while also potentially building up a new Japanese ace to replace Masato. With Masato gone, they also need all the star power they can get, and the loss of the main event is no help in that area.

Some fans are now questioning the prudence of Petrosyan taking two big fights just two weeks apart (against Khem and Sato). Always a busy fighter, Petrosyan has a very full schedule this spring, and with a full schedule, these sort of injuries can indeed happen. Moving forward, while I appreciate his hard work and would love to see him fight again soon, let's hope he takes the time needed to let this injury properly heal, and prevent it from becoming an ongoing issue.

Aoki/Melendez Comment on Upcoming Strikeforce Match

2010-03-18T15:58:52Z

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Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez:

I don’t think you’ll be seeing 20-hit combos like me and Josh (Thomson) going out there but you’ll see some hard hitting, probably see a little more technical. This is probably going to be a lot more technical. It’s unbelievable that he’s coming to the U.S. to fight me. It says something about him, and he’s the biggest star in Japan. That shows some confidence. I’m happy about it.

"Aoki is the No. 2 fighter in the world and I think he’s an amazing mixed martial artist. I’m excited to fight the guy. That’s what he has on everybody — his ground game and submission. Am I prepared for it? I believe so. I have to be prepared for all his submissions.

"My biggest advantage in this fight is my stand up and my patience. I’ve been fortunate enough to see the Aoki style. I’m just going to be patient and let it happen. I think I can knock this guy out in two rounds.

"I’m really happy to have this fight on CBS. Millions of people will be watching and, yeah, it definitely makes a difference. To me it’s a coming out party to display my skills to the world."

DREAM Champion and Challenger Shinya Aoki:

"This fight is nothing special. I will fight as usual. I feel I’m representing DREAM and also Japan."

"He’s a very aggressive fighter. He’s a good fighter representing the United States. It’s going to be a very quick fight, a quick submission or a quick knockout, but either way it’s going to be a personal fight.

"He’s a top-ranked fighter in the United States but I can take his pressure and I’m going to beat him and take back two world title belts to Japan."

K-1 MAX Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Yoshihiro Sato Preview Vid

2010-03-18T15:23:36Z

Yet another K-1 MAX film, an awesome preview of a Superfight between Petrosyan and Sato, really playing up what Sato has on the line here, with overtones of his "mediocre" career and this being a road to redemption.

Pancrase Passion Tour 2 - 3/22

2010-03-18T14:19:59Z

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This Monday is a big day for Japanese MMA as DREAM debut's their first show of 2010, Shooto holds an event at Korakuen Hall and Pancrase run's the Pancrase - Passion Tour 2 from Azelea Taisho Hall in Osaka. It will the Pancrase organizations third show of 2010.

The main event will see a Welterweight re-match between Takada Dojo's Tomoyoshi Iwamiya (6-10) and Kiichi Kunimoto (8-3). It was back in October 2008 at Pancrase - Shining 8 when Iwamiya beat Kunimoto by decision. Tomoyoshi Iwamiya struggled last year loosing in all three of his outings. But, looking back to 2008 he was an impressive 4-1. Kunimoto went through 2009 undefeated and is riding a three fight winning streak coming into this match. Interestingly enough, his last loss came at the hands of Tomoyoshi Iwamiya.

In the semi-main, PANCRASEism Welterweight Masahiro Toryu (7-4-4) will meet Yu Shiori (8-2). Masahiro Toryu has only lost once in seven outings, with notable wins over Kosei Kubota and Tomoyoshi Iwamiya. Yu Shiori will be a strong challenger and he's unbeaten in his last three fights and was 2-0 last year.

Another interesting match will see the winner of the DEEP - Future Kings Tournament 2009 Motonobu Tezuka (11-3-3) face Nobuhiro Yoshitake (3-6-2). Tezuka was put together a four fight winning streak and is unbeaten in his last 7 fights.

You can checkout the full card after the jump.

Pancrase - Passion Tour 2
March 22, 2010 (Mon)
Azelea Taisho Hall, Osaka

▼ Welterweight - 5min x 3R
Tomoyoshi Iwamiya (6-10-0) (Takada Dojo)
VS
Kiichi Kunimoto (8-3-0) (Freestyle Academy)

▼ Welterweight - 5min x 2R
Masahiro Toryu (7-4-4) (PANCRASEism)
VS
Yu Shiori (8-2) (Team VAMOS)

▼ Featherweight - 5min x 2R
Soyu Tanabe (4-3-2) (Renshi Juku)
VS
Hiroyuki Tsuzuk

▼ Welterweight - 5min x 2R
Yuta Nakamura (8-8-2) (Wajutsu Keishukai Fukuoka / T-Rex Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
VS
Yoshifumi Dougaki (Kakogawa Paraesutora)

▼ Welterweight - 5min x 2R
Yu Kitada (0-1-0) Wajutsu Keishukai Toyama
VS
YUBU (Yoshida Dojo)

▼ Flyweight - 5min x 2R
Nobuhiro Yoshitake (3-6-2) (Pancrase Inagakigumi)
VS
Motonobu Tezuka (11-3-3) (Cobra Kai)

▼ Bantamweight - 5min x 2R
Sho Nonaka (2-0-0) (P's Lab Osaka)
VS
Yuki Ueshima (8-3-0) (Wajutsu Keishukai Hyogo)

▼ Flyweight - 5min x 2R
Daichi Hokuho (2-0-0) (P's Lab Osaka)
VS
Yuya Ono (1-1-0) (Angura)

▼ Lightweight - 5min x 2R
Shingen Morita (1-2-0) (KFN)
VS
KENGO

▼ Lightweight - 5min x 2R
Hideki Miyatani (2-2-0) (Modern Bushido Yamato)
VS
Ryo Oyama (1-1-) (Wajutsu Keishukai Hyogo)

Saenchai, Kaoklai Win in California Event

2010-03-18T02:14:51Z

This past weekend saw two of Muay Thai's biggest international stars competin on American soil as Saenchai sor Kingstar and Kaoklai Kaennorsing both took part in a Muay Thai event in El Monte, California. Both Thai fighters emerged victorious, with Kaoklai scoring a 3rd round knockout via elbows over Magnum Sakai, while Saenchai had a spectacular highlight reel KO in round 1 against Tetsuya Yamato. Saenchai's full fight can be seen below.

Also of note, Kaoklai mentioned a desire to move to Los Angeles to work as a trainer, which certainly would be a moost to the US Muay Thai scene.

Full results after the jump, with comments courtesy of K-1Fans.

#fight 1: Justin Nguyen vs Antonio de la Cruz (130lbs) 3x2
Justin by KO (punch) at 1:45 of round 1.

#fight 2: Roy Corona vs William ? - he was a last minute replacement (150lbs)
Roy by three round unanimous decision.

#fight 3: Yamato Miura vs Tony Juan (135lbs) 3X2
Yamato by TKO (Corner stop/towel) at 1:24 of round 2. a good fight by local japanese guy. tons of knees in the clinch and the corner throws in the towel..

#fight 4: Prudencio Portillo vs Bounthong Syvanthong (155lbs) 3x2
Syvanthong by three round split decision. very even fight. laotian guy landed more clean kicks.

#fight 5: David Huerta (East LA) vs Jason Andrada (Master Toddy's)
Huerta by five round unanimous decision. Wins MTAA US Natioanal title (135lbs).

#fight 6: Kristin Shepard (Riverside, CA) vs Malia Spynol (San Fra, CA)
Kristin by 5 round unanimous decision. Wins (130lbs) MTAA US National title.

#fight 7: Saenchai Sor Kingstar vs Tetsuya Yamato
Saenchai by KO (left high kick) round 1. Wins MTAA Lightweight (135lbs) World title. pretty scary KO, Yamato straight to hospital.

#fight 8: Magnum Sakai vs Kaoklai Kaennorsing
Kaoklai by KO (left uppercut elbow) round 3. Wins WBC Muaythai Light-heavyweight World title (175lbs). I thought both counts came in 2nd. Magnum got spliced up bad by elbows. Nokweed was a referee and let the fight continue. Magnum was tough and landed some good punches. never expected such a elbow fest by Kaoklai. the whole house was rockin.

#fight 9: Andy Lazarit vs Mike Ellison (165lbs)
Lazarit by split decision. Personally thought Ellison won. very even fight.

Sengoku 12 Online

2010-03-17T15:03:04Z

Of course, it didn't take long for this to surface and now you can watch the entire HDNet broadcast of Sengoku 12 which took place March 7th. The video is hosted on the Chinese youku.com site.

Jerome Le Banner training with Thom Harinck at Chakuriki Gym. Check out the full gallery at...

2010-03-17T02:31:48Z

Jerome Le Banner training with Thom Harinck at Chakuriki Gym.

Check out the full gallery at FightTalk.nl for tons of great shots, including Le Banner sparing with Peter Aerts.

Badr Hari: 2012 Olympian?

2010-03-17T02:25:14Z

Will Hari compete at the 2012 Olympics?

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K-1's Golden Boy Badr Hari is apparently considering an interesting move. Sources indicate that Hari has been approached to represent Morocco as a boxer in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. According to Simon Rutz, Hari's manager and the head of It's Showtime, Badr is considering accepting the offer and views it as a great honor.

Hari himself alluded to this idea a few months ago in an interview before his fight with Mourad Bouzidi:

Is boxing your cup of tea? Because it was said that you have plans to represent Morocco at the Olympic Summer Games in London (2012) in amateur boxing. Is that true?

Yes, we're working on it but it's not easy to realize this dream of mine. Negotiations are still going on.

But the qualifications for the Olympics already start at the beginning of next year.

Yes, but that's no problem. First of all, the Commission has to agree with me being an amateur boxer. We already had several conversations with the Olympic Committee and they will decide if I will be in consideration for it.

At this point, it looks like the door is open for Hari and it's his choice - if he wants the spot, it seems to be his. This brings up two obvious questions: How would he do? And is this a good choice?

To be honest, I am not sure about that first one. Hari is a good puncher, and clearly one of the best kickboxers in the world, but boxing and kickboxing are two different beasts. Some kickboxers almost solely rely on their hands, but Hari is not one of those - he uses kicks in his arsenal and he uses them well. Take those away, and it's a different sport, one that Hari has virtually no experience in. Is two years enough time to focus his boxing to get to an Olympic level?

Which bring up the second question: Even if he can try to compete, should he? Should he take the time to train in boxing instead of kickboxing and focus all his energies on this Olympic opportunity? When considering this, the name that I keep hearing in my head is Kid Yamamoto, a cautionary tale against pursuing your Olympic dreams if ever there was one. At the end of 2006, Kid was considered one of the top P4P MMA fighters in the world. Then he stepped away to try and gain an Olympic bid. He didn't make it, and upon his return, the "old" Kid was gone. In his stead was a less dynamic fighter, who has lost his last 3 pro fights. Kid took a break from top level MMA at the height of his skills, only to see nothing come of it except the permanent loss of his P4P status. That's not to say this is exactly what will happen to Hari, but you have to recognize that it's a possibility.

From a business standpoint, Hari would be taking a calculated risk if he accepts. If he does well, his stock will go through the roof. But if he fails, and fails spectacularly, he will loss precious time at the peak of his career, and potentially permanently tarnish his reputation as a top-level fighter. It's undoubtedly a very hard decision to make, no doubt made tougher by personal feelings of patriotism and pride in your heritage. Also potentially making the decision difficult - any influence by K-1, as whatever financial risk Hari takes here, K-1 also takes. You have to think they will have some thoughts about how one of their most popular stars handles such a major decision.

Thinking about it myself, perhaps it's selfish, but as a Hari fan, I want to see him competing in the sport he excels at, against the best in the world. Not putting those Grand Prix chances on pause in order to fight as an amateur boxer. If it truly is his dream, I would certainly not begrudge him pursuing it, and would root for him to take home the gold. But I would also be nervous about the possible long-term impact on the legacy of the definitive K-1 fighter of this era.

Poll

Should Hari accept?

Yamato Damashii -- The Return of Enson Inoue at ASTRA

2010-03-16T13:00:28Z

Enson Inoue to make his return to action at ASTRA, Yoshida's retirement event

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News for the upcoming ASTRA event is slow-coming, but continues to trickle in. At a presser held in Japan, some more news was released in regards to this show, one a return and another another retirement. Makoto Takimoto, one of Hidehiko Yoshida's training partners and former PRIDE and Sengoku fighter has announced that he will not be fighting in the ASTRA event or any event for that matter. he has grown impatient waiting for big fights to come together and has grown tired of the fight game altogether.

The return, of course, will be the living Yamato Damashii himself, Enson Inoue. Inoue has had some legal issues over the past few years, including serving jail time for drug possession in Hawaii. He resides in Japan and of course has a few of his PUREBRED gyms across the world but this will be his first time in a ring competing since 2004. Fans last saw him on a big stage in PRIDE in 2002 where he was submitted by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via triangle choke.

His competition is New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen, best known for defeating Hiroshi Izumi at Sengoku 10. The bout will be contested at Light Heavyweight. Still no opponent set for Yoshida.

K-1 MAX Japan Tournament 2010 TRAILER

2010-03-15T18:52:56Z

On Monday, Kuniyoshi Hironaka held an open training session and spoke to the press about his...

2010-03-15T17:51:40Z

On Monday, Kuniyoshi Hironaka held an open training session and spoke to the press about his upcoming DREAM.13 match against Katsunori Kikuno.