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DREAM 10 Results: DREAM 10 Results, Recap & Review

On Monday morning June 20th, DREAM crowned an unlikely fighter as the welterweight grand prix winner. Lithuanian born, Marius Zaromskis upset tournament favorite, Hayato Sakurai with strikes then stopped the other finalist Jason High with a highlight reel head kick that knocked him unconscious for moments afterward to become the very first DREAM WW GP champion.

Shinya Aoki got back on track after being upset in April, as did Paulo Filho in defeating heavy handed striker Melvin Manhoef. Jesse Taylor came out of his bout with Dong Sik Yoon unscathed after the Korean injured his ankle early in the 1st round. DEEP lightweight champion, Katsunori Kikuno won for only the second time outside of his usual fight home in impressive fashion, stopping Andre “Dida” Amade with punches.

The final winner was Belgium submission specialist, Tarec Saffiedine who used a dominating 2nd round to pull away from Seichi Ikemoto in the tournament’s reserve bout. For all of the official DREAM 10 results, click or scroll to the bottom of the page.

Hayato Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis – 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal

This welterweight grand prix semifinal bout fell right in accord with the previous tournament bouts as Lithuanian, Marius Zaromskis (11-2), was able to pull a huge upset over Hayato Sakurai (35-9-2) to move into the tournament finals.

The Japanese legend moved in quickly and landed some effective strikes on his opponent but Zaromskis didn’t fall back, instead stepping right into the face of Sakurai. After trading some strikes, Sakurai took the London Shootfighter teammate to the mat and gained dominant position in side control. The fight didn’t remain on the ground for long but when it did reset Zaromskis disrupted the flow by cutting “Mach” above the left eye. Although the cut was severe, Sakurai continued on until a huge left head kick put him on his back once again. This time Sakurai was dazed and by the time e realized what was going on, Zaromskis had ended the fight with several unanswered punches.

Before the fight there weren’t too many DREAM followers that believed Zaromskis could accomplish such a feat. The win, his third consecutive, would advance him into the DREAM welterweight final that is held later in the night. With the loss, Sakurai has his three fight win streak stopped, giving him a 3-1 record with DREAM.

Result: Zaromskis over Sakurai – 1st round TKO (strikes) 4:03

> Check out the DREAM 11 fight card for the October 6 event and the October 25 DREAM 12 fight card here at Pro Fighting Fans!

Andre Galvao vs. Jason High – 2009 DREAM 10 Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal

Before the bout began, many believed that this fight didn’t have a great deal of potential to be an exciting fight. It turned out to be full of action and complete with a controversial conclusion as the lone American, Jason High (8-2) earned a tight split decision victory over a dejected, Andre Galvao (3-1) to vault him into the tournament final opposite of Marius Zaromskis.

Jason High got the action started with a predicable takedown 33 seconds in, however neither fighter could mount an attack, so the fight shortly made it back to a standing position. High continued his accurate striking when he dropped the Brazilian with a left hand. Galvao may have went down but was definitely not out as he attempted submission after submission, almost converting a heel hook and toe hold within a 45 second span. At the end of a very close 1st round, Galvao had held High on his back for close to 6 of the 10 minutes. High, on the other hand, had pushed the pace and dropped Galvao with a hard left hand.

The second frame began with High continuing his striking dominance until Galvao surprised him with an overhand right that visibly hut the American. Showing his resilience, Jason High fought back by connecting on two perfectly positioned punches to the liver of Galvao. As the fight ended both fighters were trading wild and somewhat ineffective punches.

The decision had Galvao and his team in stitches, however High had initiated enough offense to warrant the outcome. The win completed the final bracket of the 2009 WW tournament, matching High against Marius Zaromskis for the championship. Galvao suffered his first loss in his first year of competition.

Result: High over Galvao – split decision

Marius Zaromskis vs. Jason High – 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix Final

Coming into the bout, Jason High (8-2) had just completed a 15 minute battle with Andre Galvao where Marius Zaromskis (11-2) fought only a little more than 4 minutes before knocking out Sakurai with punches. Not certain as to whether or not conditioning had a factor in the outcome but Zaromskis looked to be the fresher of the two when he connected flush with a head kick on High, who had his hands near waist level.

Zaromskis initiated contact with a jumping knee that barely grazed the body of his opponent. High responded with a takedown, one that he had worked on for roughly a minute, but was unable to gain appropriate positioning. As Zaromskis made it back to his feet, he was able to return the favor and put High on his back with a takedown. High was dropped for a second time with a picture perfect roundhouse right head kick followed by a left hand. The fight ended with the kick but the attention quickly turned to the health of High, who lay motionless for nearly a minute, before regaining consciousness.

Marius Zaromskis, one of the least likely candidates to win the first DREAM welterweight grand prix, has aggressively bullied his way through the bracket to become the champion. Also, while this championship doesn’t instantly put his name alongside the best 170 pound fighters, it did gain him some much needed credibility. Zaromskis has now won four straight and eight of his last nine. High compiled a 2-1 record in the tournament and as also gained some respect as more than a glorified wrestler.

Result: Zaromskis over High – KO (kick) 1st round 2:22

Katsunori Kikuno vs. Andre Amade

Once one of the most highly sought after free agents in MMA, Andre “Dida” Amade (6-4-1) will probably have to fight his way back up through the small organizations after not living up to expectations since entering the DREAM ranks. Katsunori Kikuno (12-1-1), an upcoming superstar for DREAM, fought back after being dropped by “Dida” to earn a TKO victory only 3:47 into the 1st round.

Amade showed his desperation early on, dropping the DEEP lightweight champ with a right hook. Kikuno was able to gather himself and get back to his feet taking his unorthodox stance where he holds his hands below his chin. After the initial exchange, the action slowed to a standstill, before the referee warned both fighters for inactivity. Shorty after the verbal warning, Kikuno shot, and completed a takedown, moved into mount and began to work an aggressive ground attack.

The victory marks the ninth straight triumph for Kikuno and only his second win outside of the DEEP promotion. He has finished eight of the twelve opponents that he earned victories against, seven of them coming by way of TKO or KO. Amade now hasn’t defeated an opponent in three straight bouts dating back to his September 2007 unanimous decision win over Caol Uno at K-1 Hero’s.

Result: Kikuno over Amade – TKO (punches) 1st round 3:47

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Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho

Even with the welterweight finals taking place, the fight that most fans looked forward to was this light heavyweight bout between two very skilled fighters. Melvin Manhoef (23-6-1) came into the match with above average skills in all areas of his game, except for one area, armbar submissions. Paulo Filho (17-1) took a beating from Manhoef when standing, but knew his opponents weakness well and waited patiently for the opportunity. He took advantage of a grounded Manhoef then submitted him early in the 1st round.

Filho knew early on that he did not want to stand with his Dutch opponent, trying for a takedown seconds into the 1st round. He failed on the takedown and was tagged with a flurry of punches that put his into trouble on two occasions. Filho actually was dropped with a combination of punches then almost was finished with some ground and pound strikes. Filho again outlasted the flurry and was allowed to stand again. This time he took advantage by taking Manhoef to the ground, gaining immediate dominant position. From that point, Filho grabbed an arm and worked the armbar for less than 30 seconds before Manhoef tapped out.

The victory is the first in 18 months for Filho, who was back in usual form, after a lackluster performance losing to Chael Sonnen at WEC 36. He should again be considered a top middleweight fighter no matter what organization he is fighting for. Manhoef has now dropped two of his last four fights, both losses coming via submissions. He still has knockout power and should be considered dangerous at anytime.

Result: Filho over Manhoef – submission (armbar) 1st round 2:36

Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor Ribeiro

Shinya Aoki (21-4) played it safe and kept the fight, for the most part, in a standing position, picking away at his opponent, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-3). Ribeiro played right into Aoki’s strategy, allowing him to methodically break him down for 15 minutes thus earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Aoki began his assault in the 1st round with several low leg kicks that Ribeiro had a difficult time avoiding. Ribeiro did manage to connect on a couple of hard right hands but quickly found himself backed into a corner, unable to score with his strikes. Much of the 1 st round saw Aoki scoring with a punch here and a kick there. Ribeiro, knowing that he was losing in all aspects of the 1st round, attempted a takedown but failed to score any points when Aoki defended with perfect technique.

The 2nd round had a little faster pace to it, beginning with “Shaolin” connecting on a left jab that seemed to throw Aoki off a little. Aoki, similar to the 1 st round, peppered his Brazilian opponent with several low leg kicks. Aoki also used a muay-thai clinch to score with elbows and short punches. Ribeiro did manage a double leg takedown late in the round, as a desperate measure to try and finish the fight. He worked his position by marking Aoki with small punches. Aoki used the rubber guard defense then transitioned to trying to lock in a triangle choke. The choke attempt was very ineffective and “Shaolin” finished the 2nd round on top punching from every angle, trying to make up for much of the 1st round.

With the win, Aoki’s DREAM record stands at 6-2 with 1 no contest. He also comes out of the fight basically in mint condition and in shape to defend his WAMMA lightweight title belt in the very near future. Ribeiro, who won nine in a row from 2005 through 2007, has now lost two of his last three bouts. This was the first time that he was taken the distance and came out on the losing end.

Result: Aoki over Ribeiro – unanimous decision

Jesse Taylor vs. Dong Sik Yoon

Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (13-3) improves his stock by disposing of an injured Dong Sik Yoon (4-7) in a little over a minute for the TKO victory.

Taylor rushed the South Korean an immediately converted on a double leg takedown. As the two fighters hit the ground Taylor’s weight came down on his opponents’ ankle and into side control. Taylor continued to fight transitioning to take the back of Yoon then dropped a couple of punches to the head. Recognizing that something was wrong, Taylor stopped his punching so that the referee could check out the injury. Ringside doctors had initially called the injury a dislocated ankle.

Since his UFC debacle last summer, Taylor has won seven straight fights. He has finished five opponents by submission, one by TKO and one by decision in that span. With this latest victory he should get a return call to DREAM or a trip to one of the big time promotions. His opponent, Dong Sik Yoon, will not be getting into the ring or cage anytime soon with his injury. The hard luck PRIDE, K-1, and DREAM vet has lost his last three fights, bringing his DREAM record to a less than impressive 1-3.

Result: Taylor over Dong Sik Yoon – TKO (injury) 1st round 1:02

Tarec Saffiedine vs. Seichi Ikemoto – 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

Seichi Ikemoto’s (18-16-5) unorthodox striking style was not enough to upend Belgium submission specialist Tarec Saffiedine (7-1) in the tournament’s reserve bout. Saffiedine, a two year veteran, used a dominating 2nd round to outscore his Japanese counterpart for the unanimous decision, making his the first Belgium fighter to win a fight in Japan.

Ikemoto began the fight, as usual, with a unique but ineffective, double hammerfist. Saffiedine responded by clinching and pressing his opponent against the ropes. In the clinch, Ikemoto demonstrated his superior close striking skills, connecting with several knees and short punches. Ikemoto scored the first takedown of the match and followed it up with some punches from his opponents’ full guard. Saffiedine managed to get to his feet and do some damage before the end of the 1st round. He first connected on a knee to the face of Ikemoto, followed it with a kick and finished with a right hook. Ikemoto, though hurt, didn’t break from the final flurry of punches to end the round.

The 1st round was a fairly close round to score, the 2nd proved to be anything but tight as Saffiedine pulled away from his opponent with his striking skills. He scored early on with a combination of punches, including two overhand rights that slightly hurt Ikemoto. Both fighters found themselves on the floor but again, it was Saffiedine as the aggressor. He dropped elbows, hammerfists and other punches from the top while working his dominant position. With 55 seconds remaining, Saffiedine sloppily mounted Ikemoto, who would immediately go for the heel hook. He didn’t get the submission but did finish the fight on top delivering blow after blow when the bell sounded.

Saffiedine used a one sided 2nd round to pull away from the hardnosed Ikemoto. His debut win for DREAM is his sixth in a row and seventh overall. The loss is Ikemoto’s second straight with both coming in a period of three months, both for DREAM. Since there was no injury to any of the tournament participants, Saffiedine was not used as a replacement.

Result: Saffiedine over Ikemoto – unanimous decision

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer

Main DREAM 10 Fights:

• Marius Zaromskis over Hayato Sakurai – TKO 1st round 4:03 - 2009 DREAM Grand Prix Semifinals

• Jason High over Andre Galvao – split decision - 2009 DREAM Grand Prix Semifinals

• Marius Zaromskis over Jason High – KO 1st round 2:22 - 2009 DREAM Grand Prix Finals
  

Non-Tournament DREAM 10 Fights:

• Tarec Saffiedine over Seichi Ikemoto – unanimous decision - 2009 DREAM Grand Prix reserve bout

• Shinya Aoki over Vitor Ribeiro – unanimous decision

• Jesse Taylor over Dong Sik Yoon – TKO 1st round 1:02

• Paulo Filho over Melvin Manhoef – submission 1st round 2:36

• Katsunori Kikuno over Andre Amade – TKO 1st round 3:47