Sengoku: Eighth Battle Recap & Review

The second round of the Featherweight tournament was featured with the 8th edition of the Japanese based, Sengoku. Featuring some of the top 145 lb fighters in the world as well as some solid non- tournament bouts, Sengoku: Eighth Battle lived up to its potential. Only two of the nine featured bouts where decided by the judges, four were TKO or KO, two fights ended with submissions and one was stopped due to a disqualification.

Akihiko Mori vs. Maximo Blanco – (Lightweight Bout)

Sengoku specializes in developing talented fighters from the lighter weight classes. Both Akihiko Mori and Maximo Blanco fall into that category. Blanco who was making his second start for Sengoku began the fight all over Sengoku rookie, Akihiko Mori.

Takedowns, submission attempts, and plenty of stand-up striking were all in Blanco’s favor. He almost had his opponent finished courtesy of a right hand, that dropped Mori for the second time in the match, but the Japanese fighter stayed strong. It was an illegal soccer kick that put an end to the fight 4:20 of the 1 st round. Mori was taken off the canvas with the help of a stretcher. The loss drops Blanco’s record to (2-2-1) where Mori’s victory improves his career mark to (7-6-1).

Mori over Blanco via illegal soccer kick @ 4:20 1st round

Travis Wiuff vs. Stanislav Nedkov – (Heavyweight Bout)

The American, Travis Wiuff came into his third Sengoku match trying to forget the loss to Mo Lawal in September 2008. Wiuff’s Bulgarian opponent, Stanislav Nedkov was appearing on his first Sengoku card after seeing action in Pancrase and Shooto events.

Round 1 began with Wiuff pressuring Nedkov into a corner then eventually into his clinch. While in the clinch, Nedkov began his assault with knees to the body of his much larger opponent. Nedkov was too aggressive with the knees, putting Wiuff down two times in the 1st with a knee to the groin.

After two red cards and two points deducted, Nedkov changed his strategy to be a little more passive. Wiuff initiated the contact by taking Nedkov to the ground and working some strikes from the top position. After some slow action, the referee restarted the fight from a standing position where Nedkov preceded to drop his opponent with a hard right hand. Again, he was unable to finish the fight or even keep the pace up so another restart was in order. The second round ended with a sloppy guillotine choke from Wiuff, not nearly tight enough to make Nedkov quit.

The third round was short and sweet. Soon after the bell to begin the round, Nedkov, who was very inaccurate and wild in the previous two rounds, connected with a straight right hand that knocked his 220 LB opponent to the ground. Nedkov then jumped on Wiuff and put the fight away with some “ground and pound.” Nedkov improves to (6-0) and “Diesel” drops his 13th career fight (54-13).

Nedkov over Wiuff via 3rd round TKO (punches) @ 0:42

Michael Costa vs. Makoto Takimoto – (Welterweight Bout)

Both fighters were trying to earn their first Sengoku victory, Costa making his second appearance and Takimoto winless in two previous fights for the promotion. Costa, who trains at Chute Boxe in Brazil, is known to be a very aggressive fighter no matter where the fight goes. Judo specialist Takimoto, who only sported a 4-5 record beforehand, has been in the cage with veterans Frank Trigg, Gegard Mousasi and Evangelista Santos.

Costa started the fight in typical Chute Boxe fashion by trying to force his Japanese opponent into making a mistake. Knees and low kicks were his weapon of choice to start the fight. Acting in defense, Takimoto caught a knee from Costa and dumped him onto his back. When the fight hit the ground it was a scramble to see who could execute the best submission the quickest. It turned out to be Takimoto who made Michael Costa tap out less than four minutes into the fight. Takimoto evened his record to (5-5) while Costa dropped to (9-5) with the loss.

Takimoto over Costa via 1st round submission (heel hook) @ 3:31

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Nick Denis vs. Marlon Sandro – (Featherweight Quarterfinal Bout)

The first of the night’s featherweight tournament bouts was an excellent match-up if you look at it on paper. The Canadian, Denis, and the Brazilian, Sandro, were undefeated coming into the fight. Denis has finished all 7 of his fights by either a submission or TKO. Sandro was just coming off a 2nd round submission over Matt Jaggers in the opening round.

The fight didn’t live up to expectations as Sandro pressured Denis by aggressively coming at him. Sandro finally threw a couple of wild punches that put Denis in a defensive mode, with his hands held high. Sandro recognized this and caught Denis with a right hand uppercut followed by a left hook that made him fall to the mat. Six hammer fists went unanswered, causing the referee to stop the fight and making Marlon Sandro (14-0) the first fighter to qualify for the 145 lb. tournament semi-finals. Denis is now (7-1) after his first career loss.

Sandro over Denis via 1st round KO (punches) @ 0:19

Masanori Kanehara vs. Chan Sung Jung – (Featherweight Quarterfinal Bout)

Chan Sung Jung put his kickboxing style up against Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Masanori Kanehara. Twenty-two year old Chan Sung Jung came into the fight winning all 6 of his previous fights including a submission in the opening round of the Sengoku Featherweight Tournament. Kanehara is riding a two fight win streak including a unanimous decision in the opening round.

Kanehara turned the tables on his South Korean opponent by getting the better of the stand up game early in the 1st round. He also recorded two takedowns in the round as well as utilizing his ground and pound strategy. The only damage he took came in the form of up-kicks from “The Korean Zombie.” Chan Sung Jung also received a warning for stalling during the round.

The second round was fairly even with Jung executing better striking, connecting on punches and knees. Kanehara kept his strategy by getting Jung to the ground one more time but couldn’t do much from the top. The real threat came when Jung reversed position and put Kanehara on his back. Kanehara almost finished the fight at the end of the second but his tight heel hook was interrupted when the second round bell rang.

The third round was another close round which featured excellent striking and positioning by Kanehara. The action slowed somewhat in the middle of the final frame and was stood back up. Jung showed some precise striking at the very end of the third as well as a knee that put Kanehara to the ground. It was too little and too late as Kanehara showed enough in the first two rounds to earn the unanimous decision over Chan Sung Jung. Kanehara improved his record to (13-5-5) while “The Korean Zombie” loses his first in seven career bouts (6-1).

Kanehara over Jung via unanimous decision

Alexandre Ribeiro vs. Kei Yamamiya – (Middleweight Bout)

In a non-tournament fight, Alexandre Ribeiro makes only his 2nd career start in an MMA fight, having previously competed in and earning multiple world Jiu-Jitsu championships, will face off against Japanese veteran Kei Yamamiya. Yamamiya holds the advantage in experience with over 65 career fights, many against some of the sports legends. Ribeiro’s strategy is to come out in an aggressive fashion where Yamamiya likes to try and make the fight longer, evidence of his 43 fights having gone the distance.

The 1st round began slowly with two minutes lapsed before any significant action took place. A hard right hand thrown by Ribeiro connected to the head of Yamamiya. The shot gave Ribeiro enough time to secure a double leg takedown and mount his opponent. He was not able to finish Yamamiya as the 1st round bell ended his assault.

The second round showcased Ribeiro executing his patient game plan with some solid standup fighting and another takedown. As the round got longer Yamamiya developed more confidence shaking off a high kick to attempt a flying knee. He missed on the knee and was immediately taken down. The bell saved Yamamiya from taking anymore damage in the second round.

The final frame started with both fighters swinging at an frantic pace. Yamamiya needing the KO continued to move forward as he threw his punches. As Yamamiya continued to come at his opponent, Ribeiro connected on a right hook that knocked Yamamiya out. He added two hard punches for good measure before the referee stepped in stopping the fight.

Alexandre Ribeiro increased his career mark to (2-0) with another win over a very experienced fighter. The loss gives Yamamiya a (34-24-9) career mark and a two fight losing streak for the first time since 2006.

Ribeiro over Yamamiya via 3rd round KO (punch) @ 0:51

Kazunori Yokota vs. Leonardo Santos – (Lightweight Bout)

This lightweight bout showcased two up and coming fighters. Yokota, the former lightweight champ in the DEEP promotion, is 2-1 for Sengoku. Six of his eight career wins have come by decision. He is trying to rebound from his previous fight against Satoru Kitaoka in which he lost by unanimous decision. Leonardo Santos is a Nova Uniao fighter that has a 5 fight win streak including defeating Danilo Noronha by 1st round submission less than 3 months ago.

The lanky Santos tried to use his reach advantage against the 5’8” Yokota by taking him down, putting the body triangle on his opponent and delivering punches from the top. Each time it looked as if he was going to finish the fight, Yokota reversed position to his advantage. Yokota finished the 1 st round on top landing several punches from a standing position.

The 2nd round had Yokota initiating the action by taking the 6’2” Santos to the ground. Yokota, while in side mount, started connecting with knees to the body of Santos. The grappling continued throughout the round with Yokota constantly working and Santos just holding on. Once again Yokota finished the round on top when the bell rang.

The final round saw Santos put Yokota in the corner then to the clinch. The two lightweights eventually found themselves fighting from the mat again. Santos had the advantage when the fight hit the ground, but Yokota, for the third consecutive round reversed position to his advantage when the bell sounded.

The judges saw enough to award Yokota his 7th decision win with scores of 30-28 Yokota, 29-28 Santos, 30-29 Yokota. The Team Grabaka fighter improves to (9-2-3) overall and Leonardo Santos falls to (6-3).

Yokota over Santos via split decision

Nam Phan vs. Michihiro Omigawa – (Featherweight Quarterfinal Bout)

This tournament bout featured two fighters on the rise in the featherweight division. Phan, from MA DU Academy in California, came into the fight on the momentum of a 1st round TKO in the opening round of the Featherweight tournament in March. Omigawa, who fought two fights for the UFC, is also confident after his upset win over L.C. Davis in March.

Omigawa used his Judo background to dominate from the start of the 1st round. He took Phan to the ground and put him into a guillotine choke and delivered knees to his head all within the first minute of the fight. Phan spent a great deal of energy to finally get out of the choke and back to his feet. Omigawa began to pick Phan apart on their feet before taking him back to the mat. He finished Phan off with some heavy bombs from a standing position. The referee ruled that Phan was not protecting himself and stepped in to stop any more damage to the American.

Omigawa moves onto the semi-final round of the Featherweight tournament. His record improves to (6-7-1) with the TKO. Phan drops his second fight in his last three starts; his record falls to (15-6). It is only the second time that Phan has lost via TKO in his 7½ year career.

Omigawa over Phan via 1st round TKO (punches) @ 4:52

Ronnie Mann vs. Hatsu Hioki – (Featherweight Quarterfinal Bout)

The main event featured English fighter, Ronnie Mann, and Japanese resident, Hatsu Hioki. Mann won in the opening round of the Sengoku FW tournament via unanimous decision over Tetsuya Yamada. He was riding a 5 fight win streak coming into the fight. Hatsu Hioki beat Chris Manuel via 1st round submission in March to advance to this point.

The fight started with Hioki attempting to take Ronnie Mann to the ground. Mann made Hioki work but he eventually executed the takedown. As the fight hit the ground, Mann immediately was flustered and recklessly tried to reverse position. Hioki controlled Mann, mounted him, loosened him up with strikes then slipped in a triangle choke. Mann tried but was unsuccessful in getting out of the tight choke from Hioki.

Ronnie Mann had his five fight win streak stopped with the loss. His fight record drops to (17-2-1) and marks the first time in his career that he has been finished. Hioki continues on his way up the ranks in the featherweight division. His 10 th submission win improves his overall record to (19-3-2). He now has not lost in his last 8 fights, dating back to October of 2007.

Hioki over Mann via 1st round submission (triangle choke) @ 3:09

Featherweight GP Quarterfinals:

• Hatsu Hioki (19-3-2) defeated Ronnie Mann (17-2-1) by triangle choke (3:09-R1)
• Michihiro Omigawa (6-7-1) defeated Nam Phan (15-6) by TKO (4:52-R1)
• Masanori Kanehara (13-5-5) defeated Chan Sung Jung (6-1) via unanimous decision
• Marlon Sandro (14-0) defeated Nick Denis (7-1) by KO (0:19-R1)

Non-tournament bouts:

• Kazunori Yokota (9-2-3) defeated Leonardo Santos (6-3) via split decision
• Alexandre Ribeiro (2-0) defeated Keiichiro Yamamiya (34-24-9) by TKO (0:51-R3)
• Makoto Takimoto (5-5) defeated Michael Costa (9-5) by heel hook (3:31-R1)
• Stanislav Nedkov (6-0) defeated Travis Wiuff (54-13) by TKO (0:42-R3)
• Akihiko Mori (7-6-1) defeated Maximo Blanco (2-2-1) by disqualification (4:20-R1)

Preliminary Card:

• Shigeki Osawa (2-0) defeated Kota Ishibashi (0-4) via unanimous decision
• Hirotoshi Sato (3-1-1) vs. Yoshitaka Abe (2-3-1) by armbar (2:52-R1)

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer