Sengoku: Ninth Battle Results & Fight Reviews

The action at Sengoku: Ninth Battle was anything but predictable. Many upsets, as usual were witnessed, including the crowning of a new lightweight champion, as Mizuto Hirota stopped former champ, Satoru Kitaoka with a 4 th round TKO. The surprises didn’t stop there as the featherweight grand prix finished up with an improbable champion. Masanori Kanehara, dispite losing his semifinal bout to Hatsu Hioki, advanced when Hioki couldn’t continue due to injury. From there, Kanehara did enough damage to sway the judge’s decision his way, defeating another surprising candidate, Michihiro Omigawa.

Other winners included Sambo champion, Blagoi Ivanov, who earned a split decision victory over Japanese wresltling legend, Kazuyuki Fujita. Dan Hornbuckle also made waves, delivering one of the year’s best KO wins by almost kicking Akihiro Gono out of the entire riing. Kaz Misaki, Eiji Mitsuoka, and Yoshihiro Nakao also earned W’s for their efforts last night.

Below is a look at the results of Sengoku 9:

Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Choi Mu Be – Non Tournament 205+ pound Bout

Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao (8-2), best known as the man who got knocked out after planting one on Heath Herring in PRIDE, bullied Korean, Choi Mu Bae (9-4) for three rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Early in the bout, Nakao scored with takedowns and controlled his opponent by smothering him so he could not spark any offense. Choi Mu Bae didn’t do much better with the fight in a stand up position, as Nakao controlled that aspect with heavy punch combinations. As the fight grew older, both fighters began to breathe heavy, therefore the fight basically remained as a grappling match. Late in the bout, Nakao sealed the decision with several unanswered knees to the head.

Nakao has now won three of his last four, bouncing back after his January loss to Antonio Silva at Sengoku: No Ran 2009. Choi Mu Bae had his two fight win streak stopped, marking his second Sengoku loss in three attempts.

Masanori Kanehara vs. Hatsu Hioki – Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal Bout

In the first of two featherweight semifinal bouts, Hatsu Hioki (20-3-2) outlasted Masanori Kanehara (14-6-5) in an exciting bout, allowing Hioki the opportunity to advance into the finals. However, it was reported that Hioki may have suffered from a concussion, knocking him out of the final and paving the way for Kanehara to take his place.

Hioki owned the 1st round, getting as far as mounting Kanehara mid way through the frame. Kanehara powered out and transitioned momentarily back to his feet before Hioki drug him back down and into side mount. Hioki finished the round on top position peppering Kanehara with punches to the body.

The 2nd round was almost a mirror image of the previous round, beginning with Hioki converting on his first takedown attempt. Hioki transitioned into mount twice and side control another time with Kanehara escaping each time. To finish up the round, Hioki took the back of Kanehara, almost finishing him with a rear naked choke.

Kanehara came out on fire, connecting on a punch/kick combination to start the final frame. Hioki answered with his own combination before landing in the clinch with his opponent. Kanehara eventually took top position but Hioki was the busier fighter from the bottom position. The bout ended with Kanehara throwing wild, looping punches, catching nothing but air.

The lopsided unanimous decision victory marked the fifth consecutive win for Hioki, the last three for Sengoku. In fact, Hioki hasn’t lost in nine straight, dating back to October 2007. Kanehara, who advanced into the final by default, lost for the first time in three bouts.

Marlon Sandro vs. Michihiro Omigawa – Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal Bout

Michihiro Omigawa (7-8-1) continued his surprising run through the tournament, this time surprising Brazilian favorite, Marlon Sandro (14-1) by squeaking out a tight split decision victory.

Neither fighter wanted anything to do with a ground game early on, both exchanging punches right out of the gate. Sandro had the early edge, getting the better of the striking, throughout the first round. Omigawa connected on a couple of strikes but more or less only utilized the clinch as a defensive technique.

The 2nd round also looked to be owned by the Brazilian, by beating his opponent with quickness, technique and brute strength. Omigawa did manage a little offense, catching Sandro with some straight right hands, doing very little damage. The 2nd ended with Sandro on his opponent’s back, trying to finish with a guillotine choke.

Finally, Omigawa was the aggressor, pushing Sandro up against the ropes, catching him with strikes and getting a takedown. Sandro defended as best as he could, but couldn’t get anything going offensively. When the 3rd round bell sounded, Omigawa was on top, pounding on Sandro’s head.

The controversial loss snapped a fourteen fight win streak for Sandro, of which, the last two wins with Sengoku. Omigawa defeated Sandro, marking his third straight win, all coming for Sengoku. With the win he advances into the final bout, taking on Masanori Kanehara, who lost but advanced when Hatsu Hioki couldn’t physically advance.

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Matt Jaggers vs. Chang Sung Jung – Sengoku Featherweight GP Reserve Bout

South Korean, Chang Sung Jung (7-1) survived a 1 st round scare by American, Matt Jaggers (14-7), submitting him early in the 2 nd round with a triangle choke.

Chang Sung Jung was quick off the bell, catching Jaggers with strikes then getting a double leg takedown within seconds. The Korean continued his assault with ground and pound from top position. The action stalled causing the referee to stand up the fighters and give Jaggers a tongue lashing for inactivity. The next time the fight goes to the ground, Jaggers is on top, sending unanswered punch after punch into Jung.

Jagger immediately took Jung to the ground, but was unable to stay busy; instead Jung scored more from the bottom position with strikes. As Jaggers attempted to get back to his feet, Jung transitioned into a triangle choke, wasting no time at all. Jaggers didn’t put up much of an attempt to get 0ut, tapping moments after Jung secured the choke.

“Jagger Bomb” has lost both of his Sengoku bouts, tapping each time due to triangle choke. He has probably seen his last Sengoku bout. “The Korean Zombie” rebounded from his only career loss last May, now carrying a 2-1 promotional debut.

Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Clay French – 154 pound Non Tournament Bout

Eiji Mitsuoka (16-6-2) wasted little time in providing the fans something to cheer about, submitting H.I.T. Squad fighter, Clay French (17-6)only 1:51 into the 1 st round.

Mitsuoka clinched off the bell with French, who lacks significant striking skills, and immediately drops him with a takedown. French didn’t put up much defense, allowing his neck to be vulnerable, which Mitsuoka took advantage with a guillotine. French did try and stand up with Mitsuoka on his back but tapped out as he was trying to slam him to the mat.

French continues his downward spiral, losing four out of his last five bouts, including both of his Sengoku bouts. Japan’s Eiji Mitsuoka wins his second straight and fifth out of his last six. He is now an impressive 4-1 with Sengoku, the only loss to former lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka last November.

Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hornbuckle – 167 pound Non Tournament Bout

Dan Hornbuckle (18-2), who many believed was a “gimmie” fight for Akihiro Gono (29-15-7), instead delivered a “KO of the Year” candidate type kick to finish the “Japanese Sensation” midway through the 3 rd round.

Akihiro Gono got the action started by trying to chop down his American opponent, who returned with some kicks of his own. Hornbuckle decided to switch to knees, connecting with several to the body of Gono. The stand up action came to a stop, and both found themselves on the canvas. Not much time was spent on the ground, as the two returned to their feet to finish the 1 st round.

Hornbuckle continued to use his length and reach, connecting on some early 2 nd round strikes. He followed the strikes with a single leg takedown, to take mount on the ground. He ran out of time in the round, as he was pounding Gono with strikes from the top as the bell sounded.

The third round started differently than the first two rounds, Gono scoring on a big right hand that stunned Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle fought back with some nice leg kicks, including one that saw his shin connect flush with the nose of Gono. Gono lay unconscious for several minutes before he woke and was taken off on a stretcher. Preliminary reports suggested that it may be a concussion or possibly neck injury.

With his most significant win in his career, Hornbuckle evens his Sengoku record at 1-1. He has now won three in a row, since losing in his first Sengoku appearance to Mike Pyle. Gono has now lost three straight, two UFC and one Sengoku bout. Depending on his injury, his career may be in jeopardy.

Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Blagoi Ivanov – 205+ pound Non Tournament Bout

Blagoi Ivanov (2-0, 1 NC), known as the man that defeated Fedor in Sambo action, won a tight split decision over Japanese veteran, Kazuyuki Fujita (15-8).

When the 1st round action hit the ground, Ivanov went for the guillotine choke. Fujita survived the choke, and took top position for seconds as both fighters got back to their feet. Fujita connects with a hard right hand that didn’t seem to do much to Ivanov, other than get him to counter.

In the 2nd round Fujita quickly found himself on top position but did very little, forcing the referee to stand them back up. Fujita began to consistently land his left hand, causing Ivanvov to sloppily counter. Fujita then pushed a very tired Ivanov up against the ropes, where he unleashed some uppercuts. Ivanov finished the round in the middle of a flurry of combinations.

The 3rd and final round was slow to start out, as both fighters were visibly gasping for air. Ivanov finally caught enough breath to deliver a big right kick to the body of Fujita. The tiring fighters found themselves on the ground with Fujita on top position, however not doing much damage.

Ivanov is now two for two in his career with one no contest, but looks to be a solid fighter in training. He didn’t take the easy route, facing a fighter with the experience of Fujita is no easy task. Fujita has lost two in a row and three of his last four bouts, including two of three for Sengoku.

Kazuo Misaki vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura – 183 pound Non Tournament Bout

Kazuo Misaki (22-9-2) finally has something go his way, submitting UFC veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-10) only 3:03 into the 1 st round.

The bout began very slowly, as the middleweights slowly crept into action. Misaki was the first to engage, delivering kicks that didn’t seem to do much. Nakamura countered with a big, hard right hand that put Misaki on his heels. Action was stopped late in the 1st round, when Nakamura caught Misaki with a low blow. Misaki recovered and slapped a guillotine choke on Nakamura to end the fight.

Nakamura has gone down in two straight and five out of his last seven bouts. He falls to 2-2 in Sengoku. His opponent, Kazuo Misaki, has won four of his most recent five fights, including three out of the four Sengoku bouts.

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Masanori Kanehara – Featherweight Grand Prix Final Bout

Masanori Kanehara (14-6-5) took an unlikely path through the tourney on his way to the championship, defeating Michihiro Omigawa (7-8-1)in the final via split decision.

Kanehara was the more aggressive of the two when the fight began, taking Omigawa to the ground and transitioning to take his back. Already securing the dominant position, Kanehara began to pepper Omigawa with short punches to his head. Omigawa used his strength to stand up, with Kanehara still attached, and was able to shake his opponent off. The fight hit the mat one more time as Omigawa was going for the armbar when the 1 st round bell sounded.

Kanehara again landed several punches at the beginning of the 2nd round. The fight moved to the ground within a minute, where Omigawa started to utilize his knees to the side of Kanehara’s head. Omigawa then moved to top position then back to side mount, attempting to connect on a guillotine choke. The two fighters, still full of energy, moved back to their feet, trading punches when the 2nd frame ended.

The 3 rd round saw both fighters swing wildly, until Omigawa took his opponent to the mat and into side control. Not much happened with Omigawa in side control, just some light punches to the body. Kanehara escaped and got back to his feet, where he landed several strikes. Omigawa countered with some strikes of his own. With about thirty seconds remaining, both fighters gave it all they had left, in an effort to finish the fight. Kanehara won a well deserved split decision victory.

Kanehara has now won four of his last five bouts overall, three wins coming while fighting in the Sengoku featherweight tourney. All three of his promotional wins have gone the distance. Omigawa had his solid three fight win streak snapped with the loss. The DEEP, UFC, and PRIDE vet is now 3-1 in his new fight home, World Victory Road’s Sengoku.

Satoru Kitaoka vs. Mizuto Hirota – Lightweight Title Bout

Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1) fought hard and earned a tough 4 th round TKO victory, wrestling the Sengoku lightweight belt away from now former champion, Satoru Kitaoka (25-9-9).

The two strikers each took one of the first two rounds, Kitoaka securing the 1st round 10-9, and Hirota winning the 2 nd round 10-9. The 3 rd round is when the action started to get deep. Kitoaka immediately secured a takedown and started pounding out hammer fists on his opponent’s face. As Kitoaka got to his feet, he used an old PRIDE technique, by stomping on Hirota’s head. When the fight finally found a comfortable position, Hirota connected on a couple of high leg kicks to end the 3rd frame.

As the decisive 4th round approached, Hirota knew that he was down on the scorecards, meaning he had to be a little more aggressive. Kitaoko came out as usual, attempting a takedown. He didn’t get the takedown but the fight eventually hit the ground, with Hirota on top position. Hirota quickly began to throw several heavy knees to Kitaoka’s body. The knees proved to be influential, winning by 4th round TKO via knees.

The new champion has been victorious in his last two bouts, fighting for Shooto and Sengoku. Overall he is 2-1 for Sengoku, defeating IFL’s Ryan Schultz and Kitoaka and losing to Kazunori Yokota. The former champ had his six fight win streak stopped and his undefeated Sengoku streak stopped as well. The loss marks only the second time in his nine year career that he has been stopped.

Full Sengoku 9 Results:

• Mizuto Hirota def. Satoru Kitaoka via TKO (strikes) - Round 4, 2:50 (for Sengoku lightweight title)
• Masanori Kanehara def. Michihiro Omigawa via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29 "Must Decision: Omigawa" (grand prix final)
• Kazuo Misaki def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:03
• Blagoi Ivanov def. Kazuyuki Fujita via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-29 "Must Decision: Ivanov"
• Dan Hornbuckle def. Akihiro Gono via knockout (kick) - Round 3, 2:50
• Eiji Mitsuoka def. Clay French via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 1:51
• Yoshihiro Nakao def. Mu Bae Choi via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-29)

FEATHERWEIGHT GRAND PRIX RESERVE BOUT

• Chan Sung Jung def. Matt Jaggers via submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 1:25

FEATHERWEIGHT GRAND PRIX SEMIFINALS

• Michihiro Omigawa def. Marlon Sandro via split decision (29-30, 30-30 "Must Decision: Omigawa," 30-30 "Must Decision: Omigawa"
• Hatsu Hioki def. Masanori Kanehara via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-28)

"GOLD RUSH" FINALS

• Ikuo Usuda def. Koji Ando via unanimous decision (20-19, 20-20 "Must Decision: Usuda, 20-19)
• Shigeki Osawa def. Toru Harai via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:24
• Ryosuke Komori def. Takeshi Numajiri via TKO (punch) - Round 1, 3:25

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer