Nippon Weekly: Strikeforce Considering Heavyweight GP Event in Japan

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, K1, Sengoku, News, JapanThere are still no significant fights on the horizon, but there have been some big moves this week in Japan.

In this edition of Nippon Weekly, Strikeforce is considering holding its second quart…

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There are still no significant fights on the horizon, but there have been some big moves this week in Japan.

In this edition of Nippon Weekly, Strikeforce is considering holding its second quarterfinal round of their Heavyweight GP in Japan, UFC is planning its own Japanese events in 2011 and DREAM co-promoter Real Entertainment and Strikeforce are possibly planning a lightweight tournament sans-FEG.

Isao Kobayashi Chokes Out Artur Oumakhanov at Pancrase Passion Tour

Filed under: News, JapanIsao Kobayashi was one of the few fighters able to make an impression on Wednesday as he choked out 2007 Cage Force GP Champ Artur Oumakhanov in the first round at Pancrase Passion Tour 10. Kobayashi avoided an early kneebar att…

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Isao Kobayashi was one of the few fighters able to make an impression on Wednesday as he choked out 2007 Cage Force GP Champ Artur Oumakhanov in the first round at Pancrase Passion Tour 10. Kobayashi avoided an early kneebar attempt to get his a takedown into guard where he rained in punches to badly daze the Russian and from there, the guilliotine choke that left Oumakhanov unconscious came easily.

Aside from the Kobayashi result, the event was unfortunately largely indecisive as the highly anticipated bouts featuring Sengoku training player Shigeki Osawa, Masanori Kanehara senior Tomonari Kanomata, Masahiro Toryu and Tetsuya Yamada all ended in draws and the the planed semi-main event between Kei Yamamiya and Gadzhi Zaypullaev was cancelled after Zaypullaev was not cleared by doctors to fight due to an injury sustained in training.

Building a Road to the Future for Japanese MMA

Filed under: DREAM, K1, Sengoku, JapanWhen K-1 and DREAM promoter FEG announced the potential $230 million partnership with PUJI Capital and laid out a plan for global domination Sengoku Director Taro Mukai responded, “We’ll always take the slow and st…

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When K-1 and DREAM promoter FEG announced the potential $230 million partnership with PUJI Capital and laid out a plan for global domination Sengoku Director Taro Mukai responded, “We’ll always take the slow and steady route.”

“Slow and steady” may be good words to use to describe the growth of World Victory Road’s Sengoku Raiden Championship up until this point. Attendance numbers are solid but not great, some interesting talent has come in and some has left, the quality of the event is getting better and they have slowly become a profitable venture.

That is what the public see though. First under the direction of Takahiro Kokuho and now under Mukai, Sengoku and has been signing some of the biggest prospects in Japan, creating a development program, building gyms, holding tournaments and setting up the potential for growth that is anything but “slow and steady”.

Sengoku 13: Comments and Conclusions

Filed under: Sengoku, JapanSengoku Raiden Championship 13 is in the bag and although American audiences haven’t seen it yet, do we have a new No. 2 featherweight in the world?

It took Marlon Sandro 38 seconds to capture the Sengoku featherweight title…

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Sengoku Raiden Championship 13 is in the bag and although American audiences haven’t seen it yet, do we have a new No. 2 featherweight in the world?

It took Marlon Sandro 38 seconds to capture the Sengoku featherweight title, but where does he go from here? Masanori Kanehara seemed to do everything right for this fight, but he still lost his belt in brutal fashion. How does Kanehara recover from this?

Maximo Blanco, Yasubey Enomoto, Shigeki Osawa, Hiroshi Izumi and Doo Ho Choi all picked up wins, but what can we take away from those fights and what does the future hold for these young fighters?

After the break, I attempt to answer all the questions from Sengoku 13, analyze the winners and losers and see what comes next.