Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 [B][I]WORLD VICTORY ROAD PRESENTS, ~SENGOKU~[/I][/B] [b]Pre-game History:[/b] World Victory Road was formed in October of 2007 following the purchase of the PRIDE Fighting Championships by Zuffa in an attempt to restablize the sport in Japan. Many had predicted that WVR would become the natural successor of PRIDE. However, the company immediately made their stance clear in that their ideal was completely different from PRIDE, and would attempt to boost the credibility of Mixed Martial Arts in Japan with the eventual hope of getting the sport into the Olympic Games. The company's initial roster included many top level fighters in Japan, including Hidehiko Yoshida, Takanori Gomi, Kazuo Misaki and Kazyuki Fujita, along with gaijin fighters such as Josh Barnett and Kevin Randleman. World Victory Road held "Sengoku 1 in March of 2008. The match would help establish Josh Barnett, who would eventually earn the title as "Ace of Sengoku." [b]WVR presents, Sengoku ~First Battle~ March 05, 2008 Tokyo - Yoyogi National Gymnasium 15,523 Fans[/b] 1. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Kazuyuki Fujita beat Peter Graham [b](1R 1:23)[/b] by submission with a north/south choke. 2. [b]Middleweight Match:[/b] Ryo Kawamura beat Antonio Brago Neto [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. 3. [b]Welterweight Match:[/b] Nick Thompson beat Fabricio Moneiro [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. 4. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] Evangelista Cyborg beat Makoto Takimoto [b](1R 4:51)[/b] by submission with an achilles tendon hold. 5. [b]Middleweight Match:[/b] Kazuo Misaki beat Siyar Bahadurzada [b](2R 2:02)[/b] by submission with a guillotine choke. 6. [b]Lightweight Match:[/b] Takanori Gomi beat Duane Ludwig [b](1R 2:28)[/b] by TKO as a result of cut. 7. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Josh Barnett beat Hidehiko Yoshida [b](3R 3:23)[/b] by submission with a heel hook. [b]Rules of Sengoku:[/b] - Fights shall be contested under three five-minute rounds. In the event that the fight goes past the three rounds, a winner will be rendered via judgement. - Soccer kicks of any kind are ILLEGAL. - Knees on the ground to an opponent on his stomach are LEGAL. - However, knees on the ground to an opponent on his back are ILLEGAL. - Similarly, stomps to an opponent on his back are LEGAL, - But stomps to an opponent on his stomach are ILLEGAL. - Suplexes and throws with the intention of "spiking" an opponent are LEGAL. - Finally, elbow strikes are deemed ILLEGAL. [b]Weight Classes:[/b] [b]Bantamweight:[/b] 132lbs - Under [b]Featherweight:[/b] 133lbs - 143lbs [b]Lightweight:[/b] 144lbs - 155lbs [b]Welterweight:[/b] 156lbs - 167lbs [b]Middleweight:[/b] 168lbs - 182lbs [b]Light Heavyweight:[/b] 183lbs - 205lbs [b]Heavyweight:[/b] 206lbs - Over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]The Grand Opening of SENGOKU-FANS.com![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Monday - Week 1, 2008[/i] Welcome to SENGOKU-FANS.com! The official English speaking support page for WORLD VICTORY ROAD and Sengoku! While we are not directly affiliated with World Victory Road, we will be working with their cooperation to provide detailed coverage for the Sengoku events in Japan. We hope you look forward to over extended coverage! As I said, our goal is to provide the most comprehensive coverage of Sengoku, including news (obviously,) fight previews, and interviews. With that out of the way, there is actually news to cover. WVR President Naoya Kino****a held a press conference to announce that WVR would hold "Sengoku ~2nd Battle~" on Friday - Week 4, 2008 in Osaka. Nothing more was really announced, other than hinting that there may be some new signings in the coming days. Stay tuned to SENGOKU-FANS.com as we continue following this story! [b]Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ Friday - Week 4, 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] - Matches TBA. [b]EDIT:[/b] I CAN'T SAY KINOS-H-I-T-A!? SERIOUSLY!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]Dream Match set for Sengoku ~2nd Battle~![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Sunday - Week 1, 2008[/i] Today from Osaka, WVR Director Takahiro Kuniyasu announced that Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ would be headlined by an incredible dream match to determine the very first WVR Lightweight Champion as the final PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi faces former WEC Lightweight and current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez! "Our vision is to showcase the greatest fighters on the planet, regardless of boundries set by each organization." stated Mr. Kuriyasu. "Many fans recognize Gomi and Gilbert as the two beat pound-for-pound fighters in the world. And at ~2nd Battle~, we will crown an absolute #1!" The match will be for the first sanctioned championship in the Sengoku ring, as the company will crown its first Lightweight champion. WVR is planning on creating championship titles for all seven recognized weight classes, but Mr. Kuriyasu said that they would take their time in determine champions for each weight division. However, immediate plans are set to crown champions in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight division this year. Mr. Kuriyasu speculated a bit in regards to a potential Heavyweight title match, saying that he may arrange a mini-tournament involving Josh Barnett, Kazuyuki Fujita, Yoshihiro Nakao and an undetermined person. He admitted that fans would like to see Hidehiko Yoshida in the title picture, but stated that Yoshida would need to raise his stock in the fans eyes by earning a win after three consecutive losses. [b]Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ Friday - Week 4, 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] 1. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi vs. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]Naoya Ogawa departs...[/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Tuesday - Week 2, 2008[/i] Heavyweight Pro-Wrestler Naoya Ogawa has reportedly left the company after signing with Japanese rival organization, DREAM. No details on the offer Ogawa received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]WVR inks international PPV deal![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on Friday - [i]Week 2, 2008[/i] There a press release put out through Sherdog.com, WVR has signed a distribution deal with several pay-per-view companies that would allow their shows to air in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and parts of Asia. In addition, the company is close to putting together deals for pay-per-views in Australia and the United Kingdom. Stay tuned to the site for more news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]New matches announced for ~2nd Battle~![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on Saturday - Week 2, 2008[/i] New matches have been made for the upcoming event. The show's co-main event will feature the "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki facing the exciting and dangerous Jorge Santiago in a match that could determine one of the two men who will fight for the WVR Light Heavyweight title. Japanese Ace Hidehiko Yoshida will also attempt to rehab his career after suffering three consecutive losses, as he faces the always popular and charismatic Kevin "The Monster" Randleman! He too is coming off a loss in his last match, and will hold nothing back against the 1992 Olympic Games Medalist! In a somewhat noteworthy announcement, WVR has signed Shooto pioneer and submission master Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato, who will debut at ~2nd Battle~ against the 8-1 Abel Cullum. More fights are expected to be made in the next two weeks! [b]Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ Friday - Week 4, 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] 1. [b]Featherweight Match:[/b] "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato vs. "The Silent Assassin" Abel Cullum 2. [b]Bantamweight Match:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda vs. Nat McIntyre 3. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kevin "The Monster" Randleman 4. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago 5. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi vs. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]Don Frye vs. Naoya Ogawa booked for ~2nd Battle~![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Saturday - Week 3, 2008[/i] In something of a surprise, WVR announced that Naoya Ogawa vs. Don Frye has been added to ~2nd Battle~ next week. The news comes as a surprise as Naoya Ogawa had announced he was signing with DREAM. However, that still appears to be the case, and this bout with Frye will be Ogawa's final (and first...) fight in the Sengoku ring. [b]Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ Friday - Week 4, 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] 1. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Naoya Ogawa vs. Don "The Predator" Frye 2. [b]Featherweight Match:[/b] "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato vs. "The Silent Assassin" Abel Cullum 3. [b]Bantamweight Match:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda vs. Nat McIntyre 4. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kevin "The Monster" Randleman 5. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago 6. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi vs. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]Sengoku ready for ~2nd Battle~![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Wednesday - Week 4, May 2008[/i] With just two days before ~2nd Battle~, the company has released the full card for the pay-per-view event with two more matches to round out the card. Grabaka ace Sanae Kikuta will face the talented Hawaiian, Kala Kolohe Hose, who knocked out Phil Baroni back in March. Along with that, a Lightweight match has been added with undefeated Korean Kwang Hee Lee facing EliteXC's Muhsin Corbbrey. Come back on Friday night as we'll give our full thoughts on the card, along with live coverage from Osaka! [b]Sengoku ~2nd Battle~ Friday - Week 4, May 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] 1. [b]Lightweight Match:[/b] Kwang Hee Lee vs. Muhsin Corbbrey 2. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] Sanae Kikuta vs. Kala Kolohe Hose 3. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Naoya Ogawa vs. Don "The Predator" Frye 4. [b]Featherweight Match:[/b] "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato vs. "The Silent Assassin" Abel Cullum 5. [b]Bantamweight Match:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda vs. Nat McIntyre 6. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kevin "The Monster" Randleman 7. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago 8. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi vs. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACCBiggz Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Like how this is taking shape, just some criticism from my end: I'm not fond of the small 2 line updates like post #4 and #5. Maybe that's just me, but would like to see them combined or something of that nature. But I like the set-up to this and how you are giving each card some build up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [QUOTE=ACCBiggz;450801]Like how this is taking shape, just some criticism from my end: I'm not fond of the small 2 line updates like post #4 and #5. Maybe that's just me, but would like to see them combined or something of that nature. But I like the set-up to this and how you are giving each card some build up.[/QUOTE] I understand and accept that bit of criticism. The reason for those small posts is because I'm trying to convey the feel of a website, rather than just a message forum... Although I do suppose I could "combine" posts to include multiple days rather than a post for each. I'll probably do that from here on. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 [b]SENGOKU ~2nd BATTLE~ RESULTS![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on Friday - Week 4, May 2008[/i] [b]World Victory Road presents, SENGOKU ~2nd BATTLE~ Friday - Week 4, May 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[/b] We're live here in Osaka. The building, which holds about 6,200 people only seems to be about half full at the start of the show. But it could pick up after the first couple of matches. The opening ceremony is starting now... Takanori Gomi by far received the biggest ovation from the crowd, with Melendez even earning from boos. Misaki also got a sizable reaction. Don Frye also got a nice nostalgic ovation. Surprisingly, Yoshida didn't get much from the fans, which might be due to his recent performances... We're now heading into the first match. The videos, as always, are spectacular. The folks in the US really should take a page from Japan, because watching this video, I know everything I need to know about this match... 1. [b]Lightweight Match:[/b] Kwang Hee Lee vs. Muhsin Corbbrey [b]Round 1:[/b] Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Corbbrey throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Lee's jaw, but it is parried. Lee steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Corbbrey moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Lee put a lot of weight behind it. Corbbrey hits a nice jab, then clinches. Lee hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Corbbrey hits a low kick to the leg. Lee bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Corbbrey goes down! Good shot from Lee! He tries to follow up and pound on Corbbrey, but Corbbrey is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Lee, sensing that Corbbrey is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Corbbrey ends up backed up against the ropes. Lee gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Corbbrey, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Lee has in his hands is really posing Corbbrey some problems. The clinch drags on, with Lee unable to break free, and the round ends like that. End of round 1. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-8 to Lee. [b]Round 2:[/b] Lee and Corbbrey circle to start. Corbbrey throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Lee sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Corbbrey comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Lee to slip a nice jab in, catching Corbbrey just underneath the right eye. Lee comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Corbbrey misses with a right cross, then backs off. Lee stalks him, forcing Corbbrey back up against the ropes. Lee doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Corbbrey throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Lee pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Corbbrey covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the ropes, Lee in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Lee throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Corbbrey comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Lee parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Lee's favour. The second round is over. SENGOKU-FANS.com gives that one to Lee by 10-9. [b]Round 3:[/b] Slow start. Corbbrey lunges in to hit a punch, but finds nothing. He left himself wide open with that attempt, Lee should have done better and punished him. Both fighters circle. Corbbrey looks like he is still feeling the effects of earlier, like he is still a little rocked. Lee hits a nice series of straight rights, one seemed to get through the guard and catch Corbbrey by surprise. Corbbrey returns fire with a forearm blow, but a follow up right hook misses. Lee is looking the slightly more fit of the two fighters. They end up clinched, which seems to go on forever. Indeed, the time runs down to the extent that there's only a few seconds left by the time they are parted. The round ends. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Lee. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 30-26 to Kwang Hee Lee. [b]Result:[/b] Kwang Hee Lee (6-0) beat Muhsin Corbbrey (6-3) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. 2. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] Sanae Kikuta vs. Kala Kolohe Hose The pre-match video for this fight equated it to the classic "Striker vs. Grappler" match, with both men excelling in their particular fighting art. To hype up Hose, they played his knockout victory over Baroni about half a dozen times. The Japanese fans seem to be taking him very seriously. [b]Round 1:[/b] Hose starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Kikuta. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Kikuta goes for a single leg and puts Hose on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Kikuta from getting on top. Hose definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Kikuta hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Hose again. This time Hose isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Kikuta will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Hose defends. Kikuta tries to slip past to get side control, but Hose just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Kikuta has the side. Two big elbows land, and Hose seems in trouble. Kikuta goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The 1st round ends. SENGOKU-FANS.com gives that one to Kikuta by 10-9. [b]Round 2:[/b] Kikuta starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Hose checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Kikuta doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Kikuta cleverly head-fakes, allowing him the time and angle that he needed to catch Hose with a beauty of a right hook. Hose stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Kikuta presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Hose clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Hose scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Kikuta in the gut. Kikuta uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Kikuta gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Hose reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Kikuta has his left arm straightened out, fortunately Hose has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Kikuta from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Kikuta tries to step over and fully apply it, but Hose breaks free and gets him to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Kikuta steps back and motions for him to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Hose hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Kikuta will probably get that round on points, he hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. End of the round. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Kikuta. [b]Round 3:[/b] Kikuta throws a nice series of straight rights from the start, bobbing and weaving to keep Hose from landing anything in return. None of the punches got through though, Hose parried them away. Nice crisp start to the round though. Hose steps back, and Kikuta comes after him , sensing an opening. Hose suddenly puts the brakes on and swings for the fences, driving a right hand to the chin. Kikuta couldn't get out of the way in time and takes it full force. He goes down like a puppet with his strings cut, he is out cold. Hose goes to follow up to be sure, but the referee cuts him off, calling a halt to the match. The crowd applauded both guys, especially Hose who seemed to genuinely impress them tonight. He spoke a little in the microphone, even speaking some simple Japanese phrases. He said he would come back soon. [b]Result:[/b] Kala Kolohe Hose (7-1) knocked out Sanae Kikuta (26-7-3) [b](3R 1:21)[/b] with a straight right hand. 3. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Naoya Ogawa vs. Don "The Predator" Frye People who think Pro-Wrestling and MMA are two completely different things really don't have a clue, because the build up for this fight was taken straight out of a professional wrestling storyline. Naoya Ogawa, who's leaving Sengoku after this fight to join rival organization DREAM, cut what most would consider to be a heel (bad guy) promo, and basically said he was moving onto bigger things without outright mentioning DREAM, and added that Sengoku could no longer afford his price... The video then cut to Don Frye, who basically claimed he'd gladly fight for "beer and steak." Ogawa was booed heavily upon coming out, while Don Frye received a huge ovation as being a legend in this country. [b]Round 1:[/b] Hardly the most exciting start to the round, as within thirty seconds, and without a single decent strike being thrown, the two competitors end up clinched near the ropes. Ogawa hits a jab, landing just above the left eye. Frye drops and locks his arms around the waist, and manages to scoop up and take down Ogawa. Good move. Frye fires off a couple of tentative punches, testing out the guard of Ogawa. Frye tries to pass the guard, but can't, Ogawa isn't going to let him get a better position, as he knows that Frye will start raining down punches. Frye tries a big right hand, but it's easily defended. Ogawa gets a punch of his own in, but it didn't connect properly. Frye again tries to get past the guard, but again is foiled. It's turned into a bit of a stalemate, although the referee probably won't stand them up as long as the punches continue to flow. Frye fakes an elbow before trying to pass the guard for a third time, and briefly has side mount, but Ogawa fought it hard and gets back to guard within seconds. Butterfly guard by Ogawa, and Frye is having trouble generating any attacking threat. He'll probably win the round as he has been more aggressive, but Ogawa has defended the danger well. End of round 1. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Frye. [b]Round 2:[/b] An exchange of strikes in the center starts the round, both fighters hit nice jabs amongst the flurry of punches. They end up clinched. Ogawa hits a punch to the ribs, and takes one back in return. Frye pushes forward and the rush causes Ogawa to stumble and get taken down, pulling guard as they hit the ground. Frye looks to pound out a victory, throwing some big punches. Ogawa's guard prevents him from getting his body behind the shots though, and none of them have enough power to really trouble Ogawa. A couple do get through and hit home though. Ogawa reaches up and smothers Frye into a clinch. He fights free, with some difficulty, and starts punching away again. Ogawa parries the shots away. Unfortunately the round enters a lull, with Frye unable to pass guard and so being content just to throw punches from there, while Ogawa is unwilling to risk letting Frye pass guard. We enter the final thirty seconds of the round before Frye gets a breakthrough, managing to power through the guard and mount Ogawa! Ogawa covers up and tries to buck and roll his hips to desperately try and dislodge Frye. It doesn't work, but it does unbalance him enough to reduce the amount of punches being thrown. Some do come raining down though, and Ogawa is probably relieved when the round ends with him not having taken too much damage. That's the end of the round. SENGOKU-FANS.com has it down as 10-9 Frye. [b]Round 3:[/b] Ogawa throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Frye throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Ogawa steps back, throwing a right hand as he does to buy himself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Frye hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Ogawa. They struggle all the way back, with Ogawa ending up backed up against the ropes. Frye hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Ogawa stomps downward onto his foot. Ogawa manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Frye gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Ogawa ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Ogawa tries a high kick to start, but Frye saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Frye who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Ogawa on the nose. Ogawa hits a straight right, enough to stop Frye from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. End of the round. SENGOKU-FANS.com has it down as 10-9 Frye. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Don Frye. Interesting scene after the match. Frye received another huge ovation for winning. Ogawa spoke afterwards, and basically admitted he was playing a character before, and thanked the Sengoku staff for their work. He said while he was going to DREAM, he would like to return to the Sengoku ring in the future. Frye also spoke, asking for the beer he was promised... He also thanked the Sengoku staff, and jokingly said, "As long as you pay me, I'll keep fighting here in Japan." [b]Result:[/b] Don Frye (19-6-1) beat Naoya Ogawa (7-3) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. 4. [b]Featherweight Match:[/b] "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato vs. "The Silent Assassin" Abel Cullum [b]Round 1:[/b] Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Cullum works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Sato backed up against the ropes. Cullum gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Sato, who uses his legs well to defend. Cullum pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Sato gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Cullum follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Cullum hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Sato tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Sato leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The first round is over. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Cullum. [b]Round 2:[/b] Cullum goes to the center, and immediately throws some jabs, looking to engage in a striking battle. Sato doesn't commit though, instead circling and looking for an angle. Sato comes in, ducks a right hand, then unleashes a flurry of punches. Cullum covers up at first, then throws a scathing right hand, but Sato is already out of range. Sato repeats the trick, working a new angle, darting in, then firing off strikes while keeping out of the way of any counter punches. It happens a third time, and Cullum is beginning to look frustrated. Sato's footwork and general movement is looking good, Cullum is being made to look very slow and lumbering in comparison. Furthermore, Sato is being able to launch multiple short bursts of offense without really being in any danger, Cullum has yet to hit any sort of meaningful punch, simply because Sato is too quick. Cullum finally gets in close enough to grapple with Sato, clinching up. Cullum scores a nice body punch, then steps back and goes for a vicious right hand, but Sato bobs out of the way and hits a right hook of his own. Time is ticking away, and Cullum is well behind in this round, he needs to do something special. Cullum swings for the fences, but Sato has no problem avoiding it. The round peters out. The round ends. SENGOKU-FANS.com scores it 10-9 for Sato. [b]Round 3:[/b] The two fighters circle. Cullum flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventional looping right hand. Sato easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Cullum could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Sato moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Cullum is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Cullum forces Sato back up against the ropes, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Sato in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Cullum does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Sato saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Cullum turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Cullum is up quickly, causing Sato, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Cullum was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Cullum throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Sato to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. The round ends. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Sato. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Rumina Sato. [b]Result:[/b] Rumina Sato (25-11-2) beat Abel Cullum (8-2) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. 5. [b]Bantamweight Match:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda vs. Nat McIntyre [b]Round 1:[/b] Right hand from McIntyre was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Ueda. McIntyre follows up by coming in close, but Ueda is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. McIntyre makes Ueda back up against the ropes by throwing some looping punches. He comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. McIntyre throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Ueda lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches McIntyre by surprise, putting him down! Ueda follows up and starts raining down right hands. McIntyre covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Ueda off, the match is over. [b]Result:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda (9-0-1) beat Nat McIntyre (6-2) [b](1R 1:50)[/b] by TKO. We've got intermission now... Towards the end, WVR Director Takahiro Kuniyasu unveiled the WVR Heavyweight title, and formally announced a "mini GP" to determine the first champion. He announced the four men who will compete for the title by calling them out one by one. First came something of a surprise, as former IFL star BEN ROTHWELL appeared. Next was YOSHIHIRO "KISS" NAKAO, who received quite the mixed reaction. Third was "Ace of Sengoku," JOSH BARNETT, who received a huge ovation. The fourth and final participant was KAZUYUKI FUJITA, who also got a big response from the crowd. To determine the matches, they used a wacky gimmick where all four grabbed ends of a two tangled ropes, with the two men grabbing one rope facing each other. After the rope was untangled, the match ups were revealed. Josh Barnett will face Ben Rothwell, and Kazuyuki Fujita will meet Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao! Both matches will take place next month at Sengoku ~3rd Battle~ in Tokyo, with the winners facing off at a date yet to be determined. 6. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kevin "The Monster" Randleman Another incredible job by the production staff on the videos. It played up Yoshida's three previous losses, saying that Yoshida had to win tonight to remain a hero in the eyes of the Japanese fans. [b]Round 1:[/b] Yoshida hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Randleman to back up against the ropes, where they clinch. Yoshida hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Randleman tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Yoshida having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Randleman. Randleman hits a solid left, then a right. Yoshida felt both of them, and backs off a little. Randleman charges right in to follow up though, and unleashes a powerful right hook, and Yoshida took it flush on the chin! Randleman doesn't even bother following up on that, because Yoshida was out cold from the instant that that hit. Incredible punch. Randleman wins via 1st round knock out with the official time being 4:40. [b]Result:[/b] Kevin Randleman (17-12) knocked out Hidehiko Yoshida (7-7-1) [b](1R 4:40)[/b] with a right hook. Very disappointing performance for Yoshida. While the crowd didn't appear to have much faith in Yoshida, they still seemed crushed by his loss. Randleman was interviewed after the match, and was obviously ecstatic. Yoshida refused to leave the ring, and was finally given the microphone. He apologized to the fans while bowing repeatedly. He said that his fighting spirit would never die as long as he had the support of the fans, which earned some sympathy applause. 7. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago Very interesting fight coming up. The pre-fight videos basically built Misaki up as the "New Hope of Japan," and showed photographs from his New Years Eve fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama. They also built Santiago up nicely, showing photos of his Strikeforce tournament win from November of 2007. [b]Round 1:[/b] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Santiago puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Misaki defended well. Straight right from Misaki in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Santiago probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Misaki gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Santiago. That's the end of the round. SENGOKU-FANS.com gives that one to Santiago by 10-9. [b]Round 2:[/b] Santiago and Misaki circle to start. Misaki throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Santiago sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Misaki comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Santiago to slip a nice jab in, catching Misaki just underneath the right eye. Santiago comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Misaki misses with a right cross, then backs off. Santiago stalks him, forcing Misaki back up against the ropes. Santiago doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Misaki throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Santiago pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Misaki covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the ropes, Santiago in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Santiago throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Misaki comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Santiago parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Santiago's favour. The round is over. SENGOKU-FANS.com gives that one to Santiago by 10-9. [b]Round 3:[/b] They come together, both throwing punches. Misaki gets a nice clean shot in, and Santiago stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Misaki is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Regardless, Misaki is celebrating this come-from-behind victory. The Japanese fans are ecstatic. Misaki spoke to the live crowd, and basically said he wanted to fight for the Light Heavyweight title, and wants to face the strongest opponent possible... [b]Result:[/b] Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) beat Jorge Santiago (16-8) [b](3R 0:32)[/b] by TKO. 8. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi vs. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez The big one is next. The hardcore fans are really into Gomi, and are already very vocal. Another great piece of work by the production crew. They called Melendez the strongest pound-for-pound fighter in the US, which may or may not be true... In more Japanese wackiness, they whether or not "El Nino" could extinguish the flame of Takanori Gomi. I guess we'll see. [b]Round 1:[/b] Gomi starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Melendez. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Melendez goes for a single leg and puts Gomi on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Melendez from getting on top. Gomi definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Melendez hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Gomi again. This time Gomi isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Melendez will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Gomi defends. Melendez tries to slip past to get side control, but Gomi just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Melendez has the side. Two big elbows land, and Gomi seems in trouble. Melendez goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The round is over. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Melendez. [b]Round 2:[/b] A couple of straight lefts from Gomi start the round, but neither got past the gloves of Melendez. They clinch, with Melendez looking like he initiated it. They struggle for supremacy. Gomi gets taken down, but traps Melendez in guard. The fight falls into a lull as a pattern develops; Melendez punctuating attempts to pass guard with some sharp punches to the body and face, while Gomi parries away any big blows and puts all of his effort into making sure Melendez doesn't get a better position. Things heat up as Melendez manages to break the guard and get through into a half mount. Gomi hits a nice clean right hand in response. Melendez throws a couple of hard punches to the stomach. He has one leg trapped, and is trying to pull that free so that he can move further up the body and really start pounding away. Gomi knows that having the leg trapped is his key to not ending up in huge trouble, and so has it locked up tight. Melendez tries a half-hearted attempt at a kimura, but Gomi defends it well. The round ends with Melendez still unable to transition into side control, although he has landed enough shots to have lit up Gomi's upper body with red marks, and definitely won the round on points. End of the round. SENGOKU-FANS.com has it down as 10-9 Melendez. [b]Round 3:[/b] They circle to begin the round. Gomi throws two short jabs, then a long-range looping right hand. Melendez had to be on his toes to get out of the way, and does. Gomi goes to follow up, and narrowly avoids walking right into a right cross. He bobs underneath it, then comes in fast with a right hand. Melendez parries it with his gloves, then shoots in and scores with a nice takedown. Gomi tries to sprawl, but was too late and can only pull guard as he crash-lands to the ground. Melendez tries to work free from the guard, but can't. Gomi reaches up to try and bring Melendez down into a clinch, but the attempt gets swatted away. Melendez fires off a couple of punches, leaning forward to get some leverage, and Gomi is forced to cover up. Melendez switches and starts firing off some rapid-fire shots to the chest, Gomi deals with it by pulling the guard tighter and punching upward. Melendez looks like he is happy to sit there and throw punches at his leisure, with no real effort to pass guard. Gomi occasionally tries to roll his hips to get free, but it may be that he has realized that this round is beyond saving, and is just making sure that he doesn't put himself into a position to be knocked out or submitted by trying to escape. Indeed, time ticks away with nothing breaking the pattern of occasional strikes and defensive positioning. The 3rd round ends. SENGOKU-FANS.com sees it 10-9 to Melendez. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Gilbert Melendez. Hard fight for Gomi, but he gave his all. Melendez was awarded the championship title, and they announced him as a Double Crown Champion. Gomi apologized for the loss afterwards, but said he'd pursue a rematch after his next fight. Melendez called Gomi a strong fighter, and said he would like to fight him again. [b]Result:[/b] Gilbert Melendez (15-1) beat Takanori Gomi (28-4) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision to become the first WVR Lightweight Champion. [b][U]Show Summary:[/U][/b] [b]World Victory Road presents, SENGOKU ~2nd BATTLE~ Friday - Week 4, May 2008 Osaka - Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium 4,363 Fans - No Vacancy ($538,850 gate)[/b] 1. [b]Lightweight Match:[/b] Kwang Hee Lee (6-0) beat Muhsin Corbbrey (6-3) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. [*] 2. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] Kala Kolohe Hose (7-1) knocked out Sanae Kikuta (26-7-3) [b](3R 1:21)[/b] with a straight right hand. [**] 3. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Don Frye (19-6-1) beat Naoya Ogawa (7-3) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. [***] 4. [b]Featherweight Match:[/b] Rumina Sato (25-11-2) beat Abel Cullum (8-2) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision. [*] 5. [b]Bantamweight Match:[/b] Masakatsu Ueda (9-0-1) beat Nat McIntyre (6-2) [b](1R 1:50)[/b] by TKO. [*] 6. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Kevin Randleman (17-12) knocked out Hidehiko Yoshida (7-7-1) [b](1R 4:40)[/b] with a right hook. [***] 7. [b]Light Heavyweight Match:[/b] Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) beat Jorge Santiago (16-8) [b](3R 0:32)[/b] by TKO. [**] 8. [b]WVR Lightweight Title Match:[/b] Gilbert Melendez (15-1) beat Takanori Gomi (28-4) [b](3R)[/b] by unanimous decision to become the first champion. [***] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share Posted June 28, 2008 [b]Talent Influx![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Saturday, Week 1, June 2008[/i] Coming a little over a week since Sengoku's ~2nd Battle~ event, the company has announced major additions to the company's talent roster! The company's two biggest acquisitions are something of a retaliation after DREAM signed away Naoya Ogawa, as Sengoku has signed Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai! Sakurai will prove to be a big addition, as Sengoku has determined that he and American fighter Nick Thompson will compete in the main event of ~3rd Battle~ later this month to decide the first WVR Middleweight Champion! In addition, as Director Kuniyasu announced during intermission, a mini tournament will be held to determine the first Heavyweight champion, as Kazuyuki Fujita will face Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao, while "Ace of Sengoku" Josh Barnett will face Ben Rothwell. The winners of each match will face off at a later date to crown the first champion. Finally, another title match has been added to the event, as two unannounced competitors will fight to determine the first WVR Featherweight champion! The two fighters are expected to be announced within the next week. [b]World Victory Road presents, SENGOKU ~3rd BATTLE~ Saturday, Week 4, June 2008 Tokyo - Ota Ward Gymnasium (5,000)[/b] 1. [b]WVR Featherweight Title Match:[/b] TBA 2. [b]WVR Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Finals:[/b] Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao 3. [b]WVR Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Finals:[/b] "Sengoku no Ace" Josh Barnett vs. Ben Rothwell 4. [b]WVR Middleweight Title Match:[/b] Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Nick "The GOAT" Thompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviec2k8 Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share Posted June 28, 2008 [b]Featherweight title match set! + Gaijin Dream Match![/b] - posted by [b]Stevie[/b] on [i]Saturday, Week 2, June 2008[/i] With two weeks of preparation, "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato will step into the ring once again to face Hatsu Hioki to determine the first WVR Featherweight champion! Sengoku's official Japanese homepage held a fan voting to determine the top two featherweights among a list of over 50 fighters, with Sato and Hioki being ranked 1st and 2nd respectively. Mr. Kuniyasu was hesitant to offer Sato the match, as Sato was still recovering from his ~2nd Battle~ victory over Abel Cullum. However, to Mr. Kuniyasu's surprise, Sato took the fight without hesitation, and was exciting about the idea of facing Hioki. In addition, Sengoku announced a match that is sure to capture the attention of fans across Japan. like Sato, Don Frye will return to the ring with little preparation to face BOB "THE BEAST" SAPP! At one time, Don Frye was considered to be the toughest foreigner in Japan, until Bob Sapp stole the crown earlier in the decade after Bob Sapp became something of a pop cultural phenomenon. It will certainly be an interesting match! [b]World Victory Road presents, SENGOKU ~3rd BATTLE~ Saturday, Week 4, June 2008 Tokyo - Ota Ward Gymnasium (5,000)[/b] 1. [b]WVR Featherweight Title Match:[/b] Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato vs. Hatsu Hioki 2. [b]Heavyweight Match:[/b] Don "The Predator" Frye vs. Bob "The Beast" Sapp 3. [b]WVR Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Finals:[/b] Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao 4. [b]WVR Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Finals:[/b] "Sengoku no Ace" Josh Barnett vs. Ben Rothwell 5. [b]WVR Middleweight Title Match:[/b] Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Nick "The GOAT" Thompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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