New Year’s Eve has provided mixed martial arts fans the perfect late Christmas present for a number of years. Japan has historically produced some of the biggest events of the year in combative sports during this time, mixing the popularity of kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and entertainment into one super event. In latter years, that popularity has dwindled on the tiny archipelago, but the spirit of New Year’s Eve remains ingrained in the mixed martial arts scene.
This year’s festivities will give MMA fans an almost insurmountable amount of action to watch. The UFC’s entry this year is mainly luck of the weekend falling on a Saturday, but it adds the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion to the mix of an already action-packed scene in Japan. First on the docket is World Victory Road’s Sengoku: Soul of Fight card. The event will be an all-day extravaganza with the evening being highlighted by a 28-bout fight card that will be headlined by one of the most relevant featherweight showdowns of the year in Hatsu Hioki vs. Marlon Sandro. Check out all of the action in our full, in-depth preview.
Main Event: Marlon Sandro (17-1) vs. Hatsu Hioki (22-4-2): It isn’t often that we see relevant battles take place outside of North America these days as Strikeforce, Bellator, and the UFC have a stranglehold on most of the upper echelon talent throughout the world, but Japan still has some significant fighters in the depths of their featherweight division. With that said, the Sengoku featherweight title showdown between Marlon Sandro and Hatsu Hioki may be one of the most significant match-ups that Japan has produced in the last few years, and it ranks high on the list of must-see bouts in 2010.
Two years ago, there was some concern that Sandro may have trouble ascending through the ranks due to his inability to finish. In his first thirteen career bouts, he went to decision seven times, winning all of those bouts, but leaving doubt in the minds of fans as to whether he was truly one of the next great featherweight talents. In an effort to prove his doubters wrong, Sandro tore through four of his last five opponents, knocking out Nick Denis, Yuji Hoshino, Tomonari Kanomata, and title holder Masanori Kanehara. He spent a total of three minutes and thirty-nine seconds in the ring in those four bouts, and his only blemish came in what many consider to be a gift decision win for Michihiro Omigawa.
Sandro will have his work cut out for him, however, as he’ll battle Hatsu Hioki. Hioki is considered by many to be one of the best featherweights in the world, and his lengthy frame in combination with his grappling prowess make him a tough customer on the ground. While there are fighters who may be better equipped to deal with Hioki’s acumen on the ground, his 5’11” frame in the 145 pound weight class makes it difficult for opponents to stop his guard passing and top control tactics.
Sandro’s explosive power should be the difference maker in this fight, and while Omigawa was able to avoid any downing blows in their encounter back in August of last year — Hioki has a tendency to wade in too deeply and get caught. The difference here is that Sandro’s knockout power will crush Hioki if that happens. I’ll take Sandro via TKO, further solidifying him as one of the best featherweights in the world behind his teammate, Jose Aldo.
Middleweight: Kazuo Misaki (22-11-2) vs. Mike Seal (13-13-1): Misaki could sure use a break after the unbelievable turn of events at SRC XIV back in August. Ahead on the scorecards heading into the fifth and final round, Misaki’s corner threw in the towel with roughly thirty seconds remaining, giving Santiago the win in what has been dubbed one of the best mixed martial arts fights of 2010. The damage inflicted by both fighters was legendary, and this match-up is more than likely a showcase fight for Misaki to win spectacularly for his fans.
I won’t bore you with the details on Mike Seal as I don’t think he stands much of a chance against the quickness and striking of Misaki. Look for Misaki to pepper Seal with distance shots, eventually blasting him with a heavy-handed strike that ends the fight quickly.
Kickboxing (70 kg): Buakaw Por Pramuk vs. Hiroki Nakajima: Buakaw is undefeated in 2010, winning the 2010 Shoot Boxing World Tournament last month with a finals victory over Bellator veteran Toby Imada. He’s probably more recognizable for his accomplishments in the K-1 MAX circuit as he is a two-time MAX champion, and he’s normally involved in the K-1 MAX Final 8 every year.
The bigger story with this match-up is that it is taking place under the Sengoku banner. Think about that for a second. Why is a K-1 MAX champion fighting a K-1 up-and-comer on a rival promotion’s card? Things aren’t as great as they seem in the land of FEG, and Buakaw’s power struggle with FEG’s brass finally came to a close when he wasn’t invited to this year’s tournament.
Nakajima has a bit of hype surrounding him, but he doesn’t have the experience that Buakaw has on the world stage. Buakaw will likely win this fight via decision, but it should be worth a viewing to see how Nakajima performs under the pressure of a champion fighter like Buakaw.
SBN coverage of Sengoku 16: Soul of Fight
Women’s: Megumi Fujii (22-1) vs. Emi Fujino (9-4): Megumi’s long standing undefeated streak ended with her loss to Zoila Frausto at Bellator 34 back in October, but she has vowed to learn from the fight and get back to her usual winning ways. The start to that rebirth begins on New Year’s Eve as she battles Valkyrie veteran Emi Fujino.
Fujino has lost four out of her last five fights, and she lacks the finishing ability to beat Fujii at any point in this fight. Fujii, on the other hand, has finished nineteen opponents in her twenty-three fight career. She also happens to be one of the most skilled grapplers in women’s MMA. A true David vs. Goliath showdown, but the ending won’t follow history. Fujii via submission.
Featherweight: Masanori Kanehara (16-8-5) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (27-9-2): When this fight was announced, I was excited. After all, both Kanehara and Maeda can bring a level of excitement to a fight that some fighters struggle to produce on a consistent basis. Both men have had their lumps this year as Kanehara lost his title to Marlon Sandro in only 0:38 seconds while Maeda dropped bouts to Cole Escovedo and Kenji Osawa before redeeming himself with a majority decision victory over Takafumi Otsuka at DEEP 50, but they’ve been able to remain dangerous in any fight put in front of them.
Kanehara is the likely pick here as he’s faced stiffer competition in the last couple of years while also showcasing his relentless cardio and wrestling in the ring. Maeda hasn’t faired so well, but Kanehara isn’t a considerable knockout threat. Unfortunately, I think Kanehara’s tried-and-tested strategy of assaulting opponents with a high energy pace will pay off here.
Welterweight: Ryo Chonan (18-11) vs. Taisuke Okuno (10-5-2): I may have been the only fan on the face of the Earth who got excited when Dan Hornbuckle was substituted by Taisuke Okuno. Nothing against Hornbuckle, but Okuno’s style is a guilty pleasure that I can’t get enough of. While I spend countless hours per week breaking down fights, watching video, and monitoring regional prospects, much of my focus is solely on the technical prowess of one’s skills. Okuno, on the other hand, isn’t highly technical, but he “brings the pain” whenever he steps into the cage. Just ask Nick Thompson.
Chonan is a fighter I don’t find particularly intriguing in the slightest, and his style doesn’t garner a lot of edge-of-your-seat action. He’s effective in utilizing ground and pound and striking skills to defeat opponents, but he’s never truly done it with any sort of superior technical mastery or sense of urgency. Okuno won’t rock your socks off with Anderson Silva reflexes or power, but he’s going to run at Chonan with a huge smile that his dentist would be proud of while laughing off every single blow Chonan throws at him. For that, I’m picking Okuno!
Lightweight: Maximo Blanco (7-2-1) vs. Won Sik Park (9-2-1): A lot of fans wrote Parky off when this fight was first announced, and that seems to be holding strong as we head into the final days before the event. Maxi’s knockouts of Kiuma Kunioku, Rodrigo Damm, Chang Hyun Kim, Tetsuya Yamada, and Katsuya Inoue only further solidify that thought, and while Parky does present some challenges for Blanco — I believe Blanco’s foundation in wrestling and incredible power will be way too much for Parky to handle. Blanco brutalizes the South Korean in this contest, making a strong case that he needs a major bump up the ladder.
SRC Welterweight GP Final: Keita Nakamura (20-4-2) vs. Yasubey Enomoto (6-1): Enomoto’s performance in the semifinals was respectable considering the circumstances. He was fighting the always-entertaining Taisuke Okuno, who isn’t exactly worried about being the most technical fighter on the planet. That ideology played into Enomoto’s strength as he battered Okuno over the course of three rounds, extending his winning streak to three.
Nakamura’s victory was much more decisive as he pummeled Takuya Wada with punches, causing him to tap at the 3:30 mark of the first round. The battle was mostly one-sided with Nakamura showcasing his grappling skills and catching Wada off guard numerous times. Much of the same is in store for Enomoto. I fully expect Nakamura’s experience and superior grappling to overwhelm Enomoto before he has a chance to settle in and batter Nakamura with strikes from the feet. His takedown defense is respectable, but Nakamura has shown creativity in his takedown game. I’ll bank on those skills effectively neutralizing Enomoto’s fists. Nakamura via submission.
Lightweight: Kazunori Yokota (11-4-3) vs. Jadamba Narantungalag (3-2): Call me crazy, but this may be one of the more interesting battles on the Soul of Fight card, mainly due to the fact that Narantungalag is a much more skilled striker than Yokota. Yokota has a solid grappling game, but Narantungalag has an extensive background in multiple disciplines that include Judo and some wrestling. That should help him maintain his feet while he goes to work on Yokota’s limited defense to strikes. I’ll go with Narantungalag in the upset.
Middleweight: Yuki Sasaki (22-18-1) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-4-2): I really can’t take anyone seriously who lost to Sean Salmon within the last couple of years, and to add insult to injury – Sasaki has lost four straight and five out of his last six fights. He somehow managed to finish off Yuki Kondo at Sengoku V, but I’m not holding out much hope in him giving Khalidov a challenge. Khalidov is coming off a surprising draw to Ryuta Sakurai, but I imagine he’ll bounce back from the six month layoff with something to prove.
Heavyweight: Yoshihiro Nakao (9-2) vs. Dave Herman (19-2): I wonder if WVR is going to try to spin this using MMA Math. Mu Bae Choi beat Herman, but Nakao beat Mu Bae Choi. Oh, I’m just filled with excitement in trying to solve that equation. On paper, Herman should win, and the fact that’s he’s 6’5″ to Nakao’s 5’11” only helps his case. Nakao isn’t exactly a huge heavyweight either, and Herman should enjoy a weight advantage as well. All the cards are stacked against Nakao in this one.
Quick Picks
Women’s: Roxanne Modafferi (15-6) vs. Hitomi Akano (16-8): After watching Akano fight Tate and Santos, it’s hard for me to see her working over Modafferi on the ground, but this is a dangerous fight for her. I’ll go with Modafferi though as she has a bit more size on Akano. Modafferi via decision.
Women’s: Rin Nakai (9-0) vs. Mika “Hari” Harigai (6-23-1): Only in Japan, and maybe Alabama does this fight get approved. Rin is going to pummel Harigai. Rin Nakai via TKO.
Women’s: Amy Davis (1-1) vs. Misaki Takimoto (12-11-4): Misaki Takimoto via submission
SRC Bantamweight Asia Tournament: Akitoshi Tamura (15-9-2) vs. Taiyo Nakahara (11-6): Tamura via decision
SRC Bantamweight Asia Tournament: Manabu Inoue (11-5-1) vs. Shunichi Shimizu (18-6-9): Inoue via decision