“Lion” Takeshi Inoue (16-3) def. Rumina Sato (24-14-2) via TKO (Punches) at 4:41 of Round 1
Takanori Gomi (30-5) def. Takashi Nakakura (11-3-1) via TKO (Punches) at 4:42 of Round 2
Willamy Chiquerim (13-1) def. Yusuke Endo (12-3-2) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 5:00 of Round 1
Mizuto Hirota (11-3-1) def. Mitsuhiro Ishida (18-5-1) via TKO (Punches) at 1:33 of Round 1
Kenichiro Togashi (9-6-5) def. Tetsuji Kato (19-9) via Majority Decision (30-28, 29-29, 29-28)
Kotetsu Boku (14-5-2) def. Yutaka Ueda (6-2-1) via TKO (Punches) at 4:56 of Round 1
“Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura (10-4-1) def. Takumi Ota (4-3-1) via Unanimous Decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-17)
Megumi Fujii (17-0) def. Choi Em Bun (0-1) via Submission (Arm Lock) at 0:52 of Round 1
Takesuke Kume (4-1-2) vs. Bo Kyung Sol (2-2) – canceled due to Sol not making weight
Notes
– During one intermission, the ring was filled with about 40 Shooto veterans and champions for a 20th Anniversary commemoration ceremony. Fighters included “KID” Yamamoto, Kenji Kawaguchi, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Ensen Inoue, Shinya Aoki, Hideki Kadowaki, Masakatsu Ueda, Hayato Sakurai, Miku Matsumoto, Takuya Wada, and lots of others. Akitoshi Tamura said that although he is in WEC now, he always carries the pride of Shooto in his heart, and that he’d like to fight for Shooto again “once upon a time.”
– Mizuto Hirota cracked Mitsuhiro Ishida with a big right hand up the middle which flash KO’d the “Endless Fighter” and sent him backward into a ring post. As he leaned forward to shoot, Ishida ate more punches from Hirota, and the ref stepped in to call a halt to the action. Ishida stormed out of the ring and appeared to disagree with the stoppage, but the replay showed it was justified.
– Shooto Brazil lightweight champ “Chiquerinho” warded off Yusuke Endo’s attacks on the feet and escaped a leglock attempt, eventually snaring Endo in a tight full guard guillotine for the final 20-30 seconds of the round. Chiquerim elicited a tap just as the bell rang to end the opening frame.
– In their co-main event bout, Takashi Nakakura and Takanori Gomi slugged it out in the first round, with Gomi landing the bigger shots, along with some punishing body blows. Gomi’s hand speed looked good again in the second, often beating a tentative Nakakura to the punch with right hooks and overhand lefts. Gomi finally detonated Nakakura with a three-punch combo which sent the Shooto champ sprawling through the ropes, where the former PRIDE ace unloaded with more punches until the ref had seen enough. After the fight, as promised, Nakakura laid his belt on the mat in front of the judges.
– Rumina Sato got inside and beat up on Takeshi Inoue early, even attempting some flashy spinning backfists and axe kicks, but it was all “Lion” in the end as the champion recovered from a scary knockdown and blasted the “Moon Wolf” en route to a TKO victory. Sato – whose left leg was taped up to the knee – left the ring without speaking, but one has to think the end is near for the 35-year-old, who has now lost six of his last seven.
UPDATED: Forgot to mention that during the Samurai TV broadcast, there was a commercial for “Vale Tudo Japan 2009.” Shooto hasn’t held a VTJ event since 1999.
Videos after the jump.
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue vs. Rumina Sato
Takanori Gomi vs. Takashi Nakakura
Kotetsu Boku vs. Yutaka Ueda
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Mizuto Hirota
Willamy Chiquerim vs. Yusuke Endo
Megumi Fujii vs. Choi Em Bun