Earlier this week, Jordan Breen reasoned his preference for Sengoku’s Featherweight Grand Prix over DREAM’s in the Sherdog piece “Coming-Out Party vs. Predictable Coronation.” As the title would suggest, Breen cites DREAM’s unabashed favoritism of Norifumi Yamamoto and the awkward “KID”-chosen 63kg weight limit – among other factors – as strikes against the name-loaded tourney. But praise was also in order for World Victory Road’s relatively unheralded product, which upon closer inspection, is looking like an international featherweight youth movement. To wit:
Sengoku has been a venue in which excellent but underexposed fighters can earn quality purses and face quality opposition. Using a deserving talent like Hatsu Hioki as the domestic poster boy and incorporating outstanding international prospects that have had few opportunities to face top talent thus far — such as Marlon Sandro, L.C. Davis, Nick Denis and Ronnie Mann — is masterful. What is also engrossing about the lineup is that any — or many — of these prospects may soon be primetime players in the division when you consider the youthful exuberance of the tournament.
. . .
The average age of a Dream featherweight tournament competitor is 27.33 years old. For Sengoku’s 16-man field, it’s 25.5 years, and if you remove the four mid 30s reps — Hideki Kadowaki, Jong Man Kim, Michihiro Omigawa and Sandro — the average age of the remaining 12 is a fresh-faced 23.25 years old. Nine of Sengoku’s entrants are 25 years of age or under; it would have been 10 if Nam Phan had not turned 26 on March 13. Dream’s filicidal bracket only had four fighters under 25, and three of them have already been eliminated.
The build-up to DREAM.7 was fantastic; the event, perhaps predictibly, failed to fully deliver on the hype. But I believe the inverse should prove true for Sengoku’s “Seventh Battle,” which arrives this Friday (HDNet, 3AM ET) with far less fanfare than its FEG-produced doppelganger, but with just as much talent and matchmaking even better suited to create enduring scraps.
BloodyElbow.com will have live play-by-play, commentary and discussion of Sengoku VII on Friday morning, so if you’re calling in sick to school or work in exchange for six hours of MMA make sure to join us.
My picks for the full card after the jump; feel free to post yours in the comments. There are no fancy jpeg belts, but locking in your picks now = getting to brag later.
Muhammed Lawal > Ryo Kawamura via TKO, round 1
Jim York > James Thompson via TKO, round 1
Hatsu Hioki > Chris Manuel via decision
Hideki Kadowaki > Nam Phan via TKO, round 2
Marlon Sandro > Matt Jaggers via decision
L.C. Davis > Michihiro Omigawa via decision
Chan Sung Jung > Shintaro Ishiwatari via TKO, round 2
Masanori Kanehara > Jong Man Kim via submission, round 2
Seiya Kawahara > Nick Denis via decision
Tetsuya Yamada > Ronnie Mann via submission, round 1