The first of World Victory Road’s world-class judoka converts will take center stage tonight as 27-year-old Hiroshi Izumi makes his MMA debut against Kiwi kickboxer “Notorious” Antz Nansen in the main event of Sengoku 10. As always, BloodyElbow.com will be here to bring you live results and commentary for the event, beginning with the start of the HDNet broadcast at 3 AM ET / 12 AM PT.
Also on the slate is a welterweight bout between Dan Hornbuckle and Nick Thompson which Sherdog called the #3 “Tussle Worth Watching” for September, as well as a pair of lightweight bouts with potential title implications (Yokota-Schultz and Blanco-Yamada) and a heavyweight contest between former EliteXC champion Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and “Big” Jim York, the winner of which will likely face Josh Barnett in November.
UPDATED at 5:20 AM ET – Some big news from intermission: World Victory Road have officially announced that Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida will take place on New Year’s Eve, directly competing with FEG’s annual Dynamite!! card. It appears the show will also mark the end of Sengoku, and the beginning of the rebranded Sengoku Raiden Championship.
Michihiro Omigawa, Jorge Santiago and Akihiro Gono also appeared in the ring to address the crowd. All three will take part in Sengoku 11 on November 7th; Hatsu Hioki was announced as Omigawa’s opponent, the winner likely facing Masanori on 12/31.
Quick Results
Antz Nansen (1-0) def. Hiroshi Izumi (0-1) via TKO (Punches) at 2:56 of R1
Antonio Silva (13-1) def. “Big” Jim York (11-3) via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:51 of R1
Makoto Takimoto (6-5) def. Jae Sun Lee (2-4) via unanimous decision
Kazunori Yokota (10-2-3) def. Ryan Schultz (20-12-1) via KO (Punch) at 2:31 of R1
Fabio Silva (12-5) def. Ryo Kawamura (10-5-2) via TKO (Punches) at 2:28 of R1
Dan Hornbuckle (19-2) def. Nick Thompson (38-12-1) via TKO (Punches) at 1:30 of R2
Joe Doerksen (43-12) def. Takenori Sato (9-7-4) via KO (Punches) at 4:27 of R2
Maximo Blanco (4-2-1, 1 NC) def. Tetsuya Yamada (3-2) via TKO (Punches) at 1:12 of R2
Ikuo Usuda (6-0) vs. Woo Hyun Baek (1-1) via TKO (Punches) at 4:59 of R1
Shigeki Osawa (4-0) def. Ki Hyun Kim (0-1) via unanimous decision
Jae Hyun So (3-6) def. Ryosuke Komori (4-2) via unanimous decision
Full play-by-play after the jump.
LHW: Hiroshi Izumi (debut) vs. Antz Nansen (debut)
Round 1: Nansen comes in slugging with uppercuts and slashing leg kicks. Izumi presses forward winging less effective punches of his own as Nansen continues to throw vicious blows. Izumi lands a few grazing shots and ties Nansen up in the corner, but Nansen escapes and goes back to his barrage of punches. Nansen drops Izumi with a big left hook and pounces, but Izumi survives! And again! The ref giving Izumi every chance as he tries to take the back of Nansen. Back on the feet, Nansen lands one last left-right combo to the bloody grill of Izumi and it’s all over. After the fight, Nansen calls out Satoshi Ishii.
Antz Nansen (1-0) def. Hiroshi Izumi (0-1) via TKO (Punches) at 2:56 of R1
HW: Antonio Silva (12-1) vs. “Big” Jim York (11-2)
Round 1: Both men going with a steady diet of kicks in the first minute. York whiffs with a big right haymaker. Silva changes levels and puts York on his back, then plows him through the ropes. The ref restarts them on the feet and York goes back to the low kicks, now trying to mix in some jabs. One looks to catch Silva, who ties up against the ropes and takes York down again. Silva sends down some hard hammerfists as he tries to pass to the side. Now he does pass and locks up an arm-triangle on York… and it’s over.
Antonio Silva (13-1) def. “Big” Jim York (11-3) via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:51 of R1
WW: Makoto Takimoto (5-5) vs. Jae Sun Lee (2-3)
Round 1: Nice high kicks from Lee, which Takimoto counters with a flurry of uppercuts and a trip takedown. Takimoto trying to extract his right leg from the half guard of Lee, not doing much from the top as Lee keeps active from the bottom. Takimoto finally steps over and looks for a guillotine, but Lee scrambles and winds up in the judoka’s guard. Lee passes to the left side of Takimoto, then mounts. Takimoto gives up his back and stands. Lee looks for an armbar, but Takimoto extracts himself and theyre back to the feet. Takimoto pulls guard trying for a guillotine, but Lee passes to his right and briefly looks for a kimura. Ref stands them up with 30 seconds left and Takimoto puts Lee back down with a lovely nage waza. 10-9 Lee.
Round 2: Takimoto connects with a solid left and sweeps the legs from under Lee. The Korean fighter with some slapping body kicks. Takimoto snares the neck of Lee and pulls guard. Lee looks to pass, gets to half guard and extracts his neck. Passing to Takimoto’s right now, Lee uses his shoulder to shrug his man’s head into the canvas. Back to half guard, Lee lands a few nice shots, then stands and stomps the chest of Takimoto. The ref repositions them in the center of the ring and Lee takes side control again. Takimoto scrambles and escapes, connecting with a few well-placed uppercuts that don’t faze Lee much. Takimoto trips him down again and Lee quickly reverses, only to be reversed himself and wind up in north-south position eating knees to the head from Takimoto. 10-9 Takimoto.
Round 3: Takimoto trips Lee up and again falls into guard. Camera shows Dan Hornbuckle sitting ringside; he’s gonna eat one of these guys alive soon. Takimoto in half guard but not doing much. He stands and Lee latches on to his left leg, but Takimoto escapes. The two stand and Takimoto clinches, backing Lee into a turnbuckle with two minutes left. The referee restarts them in the center. Lee rushes in and Takimoto trips him again with ease. Takimoto keeping busy with hammerfists from side control as the round and fight ends. 10-9 Takimoto.
Bloody Elbow scores the bout 29-28 Takimoto.
Makoto Takimoto (6-5) def. Jae Sun Lee (2-4) via unanimous decision
LW: Kazunori Yokota (9-2-3) vs. Ryan Schultz (20-11-1)
Round 1: Lots of feeling out in the first 90 seconds. Yokota keeping distance with teep kicks as Schultz comes in a few times winging overhand rights. Schultz takes Yokota down in the corner, but Yokota grabs the ropes on the way. The ref stands them back up, issuing Yokota a warning. Yokota slugs Schultz with a devastating overhand right to the temple, laying the Lion out stiff. He follows with a few hammerfists but Schultz is already out cold. The camera shows the ringside doc trying to extract Schultz’s mouthpiece with the fighters eyes still closed. Michael Schiavello says he eventually left the ring without a stretcher.
Kazunori Yokota (10-2-3) def. Ryan Schultz (20-12-1) via KO (Punch) at 2:31 of R1
LHW: Ryo Kawamura (10-4-2) vs. Fabio Silva (11-5)
Round 1: Silva slaps away early with some leg kicks, and tags Ryo with a nice one-two as the King of Pancrase comes inside and hugs him against the ropes. The ref breaks them up and Silva rushes Kawamura with a Thai clinch and big (but glancing) knees. Kawamura pulls him to the mat. Silva takes the back of Kawamura, but Kawamura scrambles and stands, and Silva insteads begins punching away. Ryo’s back is to the ropes, nowhere to go with Silva’s big hooks coming at him, and he’s soon motionless on the mat with the ref stepping in to save him. Kawamura’s corner threw in the towel. Silva immediately leaves the ring and bows deeply to the WVR execs sitting ringside. Kawamura is on his back for a good 2 minutes after the end of the match, and the camera shows a concerned, surgically-masked Satoru Kitaoka looking in at his downed teammate.
Fabio Silva (12-5) def. Ryo Kawamura (10-5-2) via TKO (Punches) at 2:28 of R1
WW: Nick Thompson (38-11-1) vs. Dan Hornbuckle (18-2)
Round 1: Hornbuckle takes the back of Thompson standing as Nick controls his left arm. Finally lifting the Goat and slamming him to the mat, Hornbuckle finds himself in danger of a kimura or armbar. Hornbuckle takes the back of Thompson and looks for the RNC, but Nick reverses into Hornbuckle’s guard. Hornbuckle sweeps again and stands above Thompson until the ref stands them up. Hornbuckle connects with a thrusting right jab. Now a pair of solid lefts and Hornbuckle chases a retreating Thompson into the corner with a flying knee. 10-9 Hornbuckle.
Round 2: The fighters exchange with Hornbuckle getting the better, mixing up some jabs with body and front kicks. Thompson is bleeding from somewhere near his right eye, and the ref wants it checked by the ringside doc. They clean it up, the fight resumes, and both men go back to slugging away. Hornbuckle catches Thompson with a lovely straight left and follow-up right, and that’s the beginning of the end. Thompson wobbles around and Hornbuckle lands a few more punches, then a knee, and the ref jumps in. Great stuff from “The Handler.” Put this man in a title fight.
Dan Hornbuckle (19-2) def. Nick Thompson (38-12-1) via TKO (Punches) at 1:30 of R2
MW: Joe Doerksen (42-12) vs. Takenori Sato (9-6-4)
Round 1: Slapping high kick from Sato; Doerksen returns a few low. A three-punch combination from Doerksen puts the Sakuraba pupil on his rear, but Doerksen isn’t able to finish despite a flurry of hammerfists. Doerksen pulls guard and locks up a triangle, which Sato escapes by lifting the American up and wresting him against the ropes. Doerksen in the half guard of Sato. Sato stands and leans through the ropes to escape, and Doerksen drags him back down from behind. Sato in Doerksen’s guard now. They stand, and Doerksen reverses a nice takedown from Sato and takes Sato’s back. Doerksen pounding away as Sato turtles. Sato recovers at the very end of the round and snares a nice looking guillotine just as the bell rings. 10-9 Doerksen.
Round 2: Sato shoots for a leg from way out; Doerksen sprawls and connects with a few knees and punches. Sato pulls guard and tries another guillotine, flipping Doerksen over his head, but it’s not tight. Sato attempts to control position with the hold until he can reverse and get into the guard of Doerksen. He connects with a few shots but Doerksen soon reverses and goes back to punishing the body of Sato. Ref stands them and warns both fighters for stalling. Sato connects with a solid left, but Doerksen answers with three or four big shots in a row which put Sato down. Sato tries to shoot in, but Doerksen pounces and turns out the lights with a few more punches. Sato turned over and stopped moving before the ref could step in, but he’s up and about 30 seconds later.
Joe Doerksen (43-12) def. Takenori Sato (9-7-4) via KO (Punches) at 4:27 of R2
LW: Maximo Blanco (3-2-1, 1 NC) vs. Tetsuya Yamada (3-1)
Round 1: Yamada tries a back kick which Blanco rushes into and stuffs, sending Yamada into the corner. Blanco follows him to the ground, Yamada scrambles and takes his back. Maxi reverses into the guard of the Japanese fighter, who ties things up with his rubber guard. Blanco stands to try some offense, Yamada soon follows, but Maxi is soon back into the tight guard of Yamada. Yamada tries an armbar, but Maxi stacks him up and escapes. Blanco finishes out the round trying to punish from the guard, but Yamada is making it tough and staying busy. 10-9 Blanco.
Round 2: Yamada pulls guard and begins actively grabbing for submissions, and eats many punches and knees from Blanco for his trouble. One knee lands to the side or behind of Yamada and causes him to lean through the ropes, where Blanco lands a few body shots before the referee rushes in to stop the bout.
Maximo Blanco (4-2-1, 1 NC) def. Tetsuya Yamada (3-2) via TKO (Punches) at 1:12 of R2
Opening Fights (Not televised; results via Sherdog.)
LW: Ikuo Usuda (6-0) vs. Woo Hyun Baek (1-1) via TKO (Punches) at 4:59 of Round 1
FW: Shigeki Osawa (4-0) def. Ki Hyun Kim (0-1) via unanimous decision
BW: Jae Hyun So (3-6) def. Ryosuke Komori (4-2) via unanimous decision
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