OctoberRaven Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Blurcat.com Big Cat Show Dec 10. 2011 "Hey everyone, Mark Lavin here welcoming you all to the Big Cat Show. We're going to talk about all the big news this week on our countdown to GAMMA 143, but I wanted to announce the start of a new volume of our MMA Retrospective column. I recently acquired a rare collection of every show of the Ring of War MMA promotion, which was one of the last 'Outlaw' MMA promotions of the 90s. Where the sport was starting to become more regulated, there was a market for fans who were against this change and wanted to see more no-holds-barred fighting like what was prevalent in the earlier parts of the decade. Ring of War started on this very premise and became popular with tape traders in the native Japan and in the US as well. I'm going to start reviewing the promotion from the beginning, where the promotion featured fighters like Juro Nakazawa and Bob Dozier as well as early female competitors like Viv Yoman. Moving on now to the weigh-ins of GAMMA 143..." Ring of War Rules and Format Ring of War events are tournament-structured, with a sixty minute time limit to each fight. A single judge will determine the winner of all matches that end in time limit. The only illegal maneuvers are low blows, biting, headbutts, and eye gouges. Fights can only be stopped by the referee due to excessive illegal tactics, knockout, or submission. There no weight limits, though there are divisions strictly on gender lines. The events will alternate between men and women tournaments. The winners of the first tournaments (1 and 2) will be the first champions of Ring of War. Their first challengers will be determined in the next tournaments (3 and 4) and the champions will face previous tournament champions from there on out. All tournaments are random draw. Ring of War 1 Card "Bulldozier" Bob Dozier (GBR, Wall and Stall, 12-8) vs Najib Sri Aziz bin Zai (MAL, Muay Thai, 38-10-2) "Iron Man" Juro Fukazawa (JPN, Kickboxing, 11-5) vs "The Hungry Hungarian" Zsolt Hargitay (HUN, Wrestling, 3-0) "The Dark Lord" Beau LuPone (CAN, Kickboxing, 1-0) vs Tan Su (CHI, Brawling, 8-6) "Red Fury" Pavel Radulov (RUS, Combat Sambo, 3-0) vs Ryota "Ronin" Sugimoto (JPN, Wrestling, 3-0) Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2 Winner of Q3 vs Winner of Q4 Winner of S1 vs Winner of S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OctoberRaven Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Ring of War 1 Review by Mark Lavin Like many of Ring of War's early events, the event took place in a gymnasium in Saitama, Japan, to a small crowd short of triple digits. A graphic would show the tournament bracket with fighter names (in Japanese writing with weight and nationalities), and what I assume is the ruleset before going to the first fight. "The Bulldozer" Bob Dozier vs Najib Sri Aziz bin Zai Dozier is enjoying a massive 127 pound weight advantage and a seven inch reach advantage to boot. Dozier is eating strikes from Aziz (the better of the two in standup by far) but landing some shots of his own. Dozier looking for a clinch but bin Zai wisely keeping his distance, looking for an opening. Najib pressing his advantage but Dozier manages to counterpunch him, but Najib quickly answers with a nice combination of his own. Najib backs up a bit, making Dozier think about his next move. Najib throwing some strikes to keep Dozier from getting a clinch. A nice low kick by Najib causes Dozier to try to throw some strikes but Najib darts out of range. Najib continuing to frustrate Dozier by using his agility to evade the big man. Exchange of jabs but nothing dealing damage. Thirteen minuites in and both men are showing signs of fatigue. Najib looks for the knockout but Dozier is just out of range and hits a body blow. Dozier with a nice series of jabs keeping Najib from answering by using his reach. Najib's finally cornered by Dozier who pins him against the ropes. Dozier with amazing control, keeping Najib pinned for a long time. Najib looks exhausted from getting out of the grapple and can barely hold his hands up. Najib lands a jab but Dozier gets a hold on him for some dirty boxing, a risky move given Najib's Thai boxing credentials. Big shot to the head by Dozier as we reach the twenty minuite mark. Dozier looking to end it but Najib breaks free. Najib with a nice flurry of jabs but doesn't seem willing to look for the finishing blow. Najib gets caught again by Dozier who knees him twice in the ribs. Najib gets out and presses some offense as we're halfway done. Nice back and forth exchange with Najib hitting a solid looping right hand. Dozier looking to tie up again but Najib still being elusive. Najib not even bothering keeping his hands up, his hit and run strategy taking a toll on his stamina. Dozier gets a hold of him and pins him into the ropes for a while, content with landing solid blows. Najib manages to get away but can't answer with shots of his own. Less than twenty minuites to go and the first match of the promotion is looking to go to the judge. More of Najib keeping just out of clinch range, but Dozier manages to land a solid punch as we near the 45-minute mark. Dozier gets a hold of Najib and clobbers him with a big shot! He tries to finish but Najib manages to weather the storm of hammerfists. Dozier in side mount, laying and praying. Both men are tired and neither man manage to progress much at all here. Dozier gets up at the fifty minute mark. More striking nobody dealing much damage. Najib with a nice looping punch but doesn't phase the big man. Dozier chasing Najib again as we're five minutes to the judgement. Najib swinging for the fences but not successfully. Dozier gets a hole him, but no solid blows. Najib looking for a Superman punch but misses... and Dozier catches him clean with a huge right, and Najib collapses! He's out before he hits the ground! Winner: Dozier in 58:01 by KO (Punch). Rating: Average Juro Fukazawa vs Zsolt Hargitay Nearly a hundred pounds and five inches of reach in this fight, Zsolt's not having nearly as much of a size discrepancy as Dozier did but a comfortable one. But we don't even get to see how much size comes into play as we get a one punch knockout by the Hungarian! Winner: Hargitay in :24 by KO (Punch). Rating: Good Beau LuPone vs Tan Su This match is a bit more even as they are of equal size with Tan Su only having a two inch reach advantage. The real advantage though is experience; this is Tan Su's 15th MMA fight and Beau's second. LuPone throws a feint, Tan Su steps in and LuPone evades a flurry and kicks Tan Su in the leg. LuPone looking for a big spinkick but Tan Su counters with some nice shots. LuPone manages to hit a bonecrunching spinning back kick to the ribs. Tan tries to answer but LuPone retreats. Tan Su with some nice shots in the pocket now. LuPone looking for a body kick but Tan counterpunches. LuPone with a jab... but when he goes for a low kick Tan Su nails him with a big right, down goes LuPone! LuPone recovers quickly and scrambles to his feet. Tan Su looking to finish but LuPone with a body kick. Low kick and Tan Su counters it again. LuPone evades the follow up but Su presses forward. Nice body shot by Tan Su, setting up a nice 4-5 and down goes LuPone again! Tan Su with a series of punishing hammerfists but LuPone manages to survive. Tan Su may have punched himself out, laying there in side control. LuPone apparently the better wrestler, managing to end up in guard now. Looking for a guillotine... but no joy as Su frees his head. Su landing some shots... and LuPone manages to push free with his legs. Su looks to get back on the ground but this a big mistake, LuPone in side control! LuPone looking to finish, can't mount and settles for a knee to the ribs. LuPone looking for the arm triangle but Su defends it wisely. A frustrated LuPone gets back to his feet and looks to see if he can score the knockout. Nice leg kick by LuPone, and a solid left that sets up a nice combination ending in another leg kick. Su is exhausted as LuPone hits him with a 1-2 and a body kick. Another vicious leg kick by the Canadian. Forty minuites in and LuPone is finding a home for those leg kicks, Su is visibily wincing. LuPone is just using Tan Su as a punching bag now, landing unanswered cominations with ease. They clinch but nothing comes out of it. LuPone again working the leg kick, Su has no answer for these repeated shots. LuPone doesn't even seem worried about finishing, confident that he can just out-kickbox Tan Su, a questionable tactic given that it's still the first round of the tournament... one of those kicks goes a bit too high and Su is hit in the groin, a warning from the referee. LuPone avoiding Su's attacks ending with another violent leg kick. Past the halfway mark and LuPone is still teeing off. Why he isn't looking to end this is a mystery as he is landing at will. Another leg kick on Tan Su and it's amazing that he's even walking. Another leg kick and Tan ends up favoring the leg out of instinct, and LuPone pounces! Knocks Su down with a huge shot! In side mount, working him over and looking for an opening it seems... but Su manages to scramble to his feet, looking for a big punch but LuPone evades and counterpunches. Trading jabs and Su is backpedaling bet he can on one leg. Nearly forty minuites on the clock now... and another leg kick rides up high! Another warning for LuPone. LuPone pressing the advantage with jabs... but Su with an uppercut and LuPone crumbles! His methodical pace becomes his undoing, but what a great display from the Canadian! Winner: Tan Su in 41:47 via KO (Punch). Rating: Great Pavel Radulov vs Ryota Sugimoto Only 25 pounds seperate the two fighters, but more telling is the reach: Pavel has five inches of reach on Sugimoto. Sugimoto using strikes to set up a takedown attempt early, but Radulov with his sambo background reverses it and Ryota is the one who ends up on his back! Radulov easily passing guard and hammers away at Ryota, and with the Japanese fighter offering no defense the match ends in TKO! Winner: Pavel Radulov in 2:35 via TKO (Strikes). Rating: Great SEMIFINAL: Zsolt Hargitay vs Bob Dozier The big men evenly matched in this one, though Zsolt is obviously the fresher of the two. The big men clinch and jockey for position. Hargitay takes control but seperates to strike but nothing lands. Dozier managing to counterpunch the Hungarian. But a nice right hand from Zsolt lands, Dozier backs off! Another big shot, down goes Dozier! The referee's seen enough, and Hargitay wins by TKO! Winner: Zsolt Hargitay in 4:30 via TKO (Strikes). Rating: Good SEMIFINAL: Pavel Radulov vs Tan Su Radulov enjoying a size advantage but not a notable reach differential. Radulov the fresher man pressing the advantage first, Su manages to counterpunch. Radulov looks to grapple but Su evades and lands some good shots. Radulov answers with some solid boxing. Radulov goes under an uppercut and takes Su down where he has a clear advantage. He grabs an arm and applies an Americana... and Su taps out! Winner: Pavel Radulov in 5:04 via Submission (Americana). Rating: Great FINALS FOR THE RING OF WAR MEN'S DIVISION TITLE: Pavel Radulov vs Zsolt Hargitay Four inches of reach and a heavy weight advantage favors Zsolt as both men are looking to clinch the gold. Radulov the aggressor with some nice solid strikes. Hargitay looks to answer but Radulov blocks his shots. Nice exchange, Radulov backs up and tries again. Radulov looking for the knockout but Hargitary evades it. Another furious exchange and Radulov retreats again. Hargitay looking to press advantage but Pavel counterpunches. Radulov with a nice body blow, pressing forward but to no avail. Hartigay clinches him and bullies him against the ropes. Zsolt backs off and they exchange again but nothing lands clean. A nice 1-2 by Radulov. Hartigay feeling Radulov's shots, and the Russian is smelling blood. Radulov unloads on the big man who doesn't go down. Radulov is just teeing off and Zsolt is on the ropes hoping Radulov will punch himself out, but that doesn't happen as Radulov clobbers him with a right hook and the big man falls! Pavel Radulov is champion! WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: "RED FURY" PAVEL RADULOV in 19:52 via KO (Punches). Rating: Great Overall Thoughts: A solid debut for the promotion, despite the incredibly slow start from the opening bout. The LuPone/Su match also suffered for being way too long for it's own good but benefited from LuPone putting on a kickboxing clinic. Hargity put on a dominant monster performance and looked like he was going to win it all but Radulov, the most well rounded fighter of the bunch, managed to carry the day. Best Fight: Radulov/Hartigay Worst Fight: Dozier/bin Zai Ring of War 2 Card: Cindy Dumas (USA, Wrestling, 1-0) vs Rose Nessa (GBR, Boxing, 1-0) Katarzyna "Killer" Wojciechowska (POL, Kickboxing, 1-0) vs Natassia Potocnik (RUS, Ground and Pound, 1-0) Kaoru Nanami (JPN, Brawling, 2-1) vs "The Wicked Bitch of the West" Honey Due (USA, Kickboxing, 1-0) Hanae Maehata (JPN, Taekwondo, 2-0) vs Viv Yoman (USA, Brawling, 4-2) Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2 Winner of Q3 vs Winner of Q4 Winner of S1 vs Winner of S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjizzle38 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Go Pavel! I've had a couple game where I built him up... looks good so far. I've never played a game with the women or I'd attempt some picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OctoberRaven Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Ring of War 2 Review by Mark Lavin Nearly double the audience tonight with over 150 paid in Saitama for this one. Same graphics as last time before we go to the first match of the night. Cindy Dumas vs Rose Nessa Dumas is the larger of the two, with five pounds and two inches of reach over the Brit. Dumas moves in at the bell, Rose slips a right, BIG counterstrikes by Rose! Rose teeing off on Cindy, who is being backed up into the ropes, Dumas offering no defense at all against Nessa's striking skills. Nessa spends the next five minutes using Dumas as a punching bag until Cindy manages to make some space... she shoots in, but Rose clocks her with a sick right to the chops! Nessa can finish of Dumas at any time, but seems to be dragging this out and showboating which as we've seen with Beau LuPone can lead to disaster. Dumas tries a couple more takedowns but Nessa doesn't let Dumas come close, using her striking to keep her at bay. Nessa keeps jabbing away, not doing much damage to Dumas. Dumas shoots in but Nessa clocks her again, making her back off. Nessa keeps hammering Dumas with light jabs, but when Dumas shoots in for yet another time, Nessa's counterpunch misses and Dumas gets her down! Dumas trying to finish Nessa with elbows, but Nessa defends herself well. After a few minutes she makes it to half guard. Looking for an arm triangle but no joy. Dumas works her over with body shots and elbows, but Nessa gets out from under it. Dumas tries to take it back down but Nessa won't let it happen. Dumas instead gets her into a belly to belly throw, and Nessa has no answer to it! Luckily Dumas is back in half guard, and she can't pass to side mount. Nessa manages to scramble and we're back to square one past the halfway mark. Dumas uses punches to set up for another takedown, and this time she gets it, stuck in guard. Nessa looking for a triangle but not getting it. Nothing happens until Nessa manages to scramble free. Dumas goes for another takedown with twenty minutes to go... Nessa catches her with a brutal shot and drops her! Nessa pounding away but can't finish! Dumas manages to scramble and end up over a turtled up Nessa... knees to the head! Dumas teeing off and Nessa rolls onto her back... vicious knees by Dumas to the ribs. Dumas tries to mount but Nessa manages to get free and back to her feet. Nessa tees off on Dumas but doesn't go for kill. Dumas tries a takedown but no success. Dumas firing off as well, sensing urgency with less than ten minutes on the clock. Dumas manages to clinch and slam her, but Nessa keeps her in guard. Nessa goes for the triangle, but all it accomplishes is getting them back to standing. Dumas shooting in with a minute to go, Nessa catches her AGAIN, can she finish before the bell... nope. The two of them separate and wait for the judge's decision... he holds up a green card, which apparently means Nessa wins! WINNER: Rose Nessa by Decision. Rating: Average. Katarzyna Wojciechowska vs Natassia Potocnik The two women are virtually identical in this one except for a three inch height difference with Killer. Killer uses a body kick to set up a nice combination with her hands to dominate early on. Potocnik with a takedown but Killer blocks it. Ending up in the clinch now, Natassa backs Killer up into the ropes, body blows and foot stomps. Killer gets out of it and we're back to square one. Nice series of jabs from Killer, but Potocnik with a sudden takedown! In half guard, Potocnik looking for an arm triangle but no luck. Killer makes her way out of the bad spot and back to her feet. Potocnik looks for another grapple but Killer keeps her at bay with strikes. Killer looks tired though. Exchange of strikes but nothing lands... Potocnik shoots under a hook and takes it back down to the ground, but nothing comes of it and Killer manages to scramble to her feet. They exchange again... Potocnik catches Killer with a nice right, down goes Killer! Potocnik in side control, looking to finish. A pair of knees to the ribs sets up an arm triangle... and there's the submission! WINNER: Natassia Potocnik in 21:54 via Submission (Arm Triangle). Rating: Poor Kaoru Nanami vs Honey Due Due is giving up fifteen pounds and three inches of reach in this match. Due fakes a takedown to deliver a body blow. They exchange but nothing comes out of it. Due gets a half plum and works over Nanami with some dirty boxing. Nanami breaks free but is still eating strikes from Honey Due. Sick leg kick by Due but Nanami in the driver's seat now with a solid combination. Nice exchange but nothing lands except another Due leg kick. Due looks to follow up with a right but Nanami counters with a shot of her own, down goes Due! Hammering away with some big shots to the face, and the ref pulls her off! WINNER: Kaoru Nanami in 10:49 via TKO (Strikes).Rating: EXCELLENT! *Air guitar riff* Hanae Maehata vs Viv Yoman Viv is giving up ten pounds and a massive six inches of reach to Hanae, but has the experience edge. The two tee off against each other but nothing comes of it. Yoman dodges some blows and clinches but Hanae breaks free. Another exchange and nothing from it as they stand off. Maehata taking control with a nice combo ending in a leg kick. Back to a stand off, the crowd deathly quiet. Fifteen minutes in and Yoman gets Hanae and bullies her against the ropes. Nice elbows by Yoman, and Hanae is busted open. Yoman keeps teeing off but Hanae reverses the clinch. Hanae breaks off and there's a nice leg kick. They circle and end up with Yoman back in the clinch, backing Hanae up against the ropes. Maehata is being totally battered by Yoman with knees and elbows, but she manages to get out of trouble. Another unchecked leg kick on Yoman who is limping now. Maehata now dictating the pace with her kicks. Yoman avoids a leg kick and hits a nice 3-4! Yoman follows up but Maehata throws some nasty shots of her own. Halfway point of the fight and both woman are exhausted. Back and forth exchange ends in a clinch. Vicious elbows by Viv make Hanae's cut worse, she is gushing now. Maehata breaks free but doesn't get to capitalize. More solid shots by Yoman. Forty minuites in and Maehata reels from a big combo. Yoman goes NUTS and just brutalizes Maehata! Hanae goes down and it's finally over! WINNER: Viv Yoman in 41:03 via TKO (Strikes). Rating; Average SEMIFINAL: Natassa Potocnik vs Rose Nessa Only five pounds weight difference in the Russian's favor. Nessa opens up with a nice combo... Potocnik reels... NICE HIGH KICK KNOCKDOWN BY NESSA! But Potocnik isn't out! Nessa not wanting to grapple with the Russian, back to vertical base. Potocnik looking for the takedown but no luck. They exchange but nothing comes out of it. They back off and Potocnik moves in but gets hit with a big left hook! Potocnik drops down and eats another hook! But Potocnik not too fazed as she clinches Nessa and hurls her to the floor HARD! In Nessa's guard now, makes it to half and looks for the arm but no submission yet. After trying an arm triangle, Potocnik is unable to stop Nessa from making it back to her feet. Potocnik committed to the takedown but can't get it. Potocnik keeps chasing Nessa until she finally gets her to the canvas. Elbows open up half guard for Potocnik. Arm triangle... she might have it... NO! Nessa barely frees herself! Potocnik tries again but still can't free herself to go around the clock to put in enough pressure to finish. Nessa manages to scramble to her feet but Potocnik gets right back down with a single leg, but does nothing with the advantage and Nessa gets free again. They square off and exchange, Potocnik gets yet another takedown as we near the halfway point. Again does nothing with it, she's too exhausted to pass and Nessa finds her way out. Nessa drops Potochnik again but it's not a KO, and Nessa doesn't look to finish. They exchange jabs for a while. Potochnik gets a Greco-Roman clinch, holding onto it for a while before throwing her to the canvas and in side mount. Looking for an armbar forty-five minuites in, no dice. Nessa is back on her feet and a lethargic exchange as both of them are tired. Potocnik again gets her to the canvas, in guard. Potochik takes forever to get to half guard, looks for a kimura but Rose's arm slips free. No luck with the arm triangle either. Nessa gets free and they trade blows again. Potocnik with ANOTHER successful takedown, in half guard. But she can do nothing with it and just lays there for the remaining three minutes. The judge renders his decision... Nessa wins?! The hell? Winner: Rose Nessa by Decision. Rating: Poor SEMI-FINAL: Viv Yoman vs Kaoru Nanami Ten pounds and SEVEN inches of reach in Nanami's favor. The two trade blows with a wild exchange early on. They both seem to be in no rush, probably figuring Nessa is totally gassed. Very defensive so far as neither of them land a major blow. This is an insanely uneventful fight as they stand off, exchange, land some jabs, and stand off for the first thirty minutes straight. They clinch but nothing comes of it. Another LONG stalemate until Nanami finally gets her arms around Yoman and bullies her against the cage, and CLOBBERS her with a sick right! She pounds Yoman mercilessly for a good finish to an otherwise dull fight. WINNER: Kaoru Nanmi in 42:38 via TKO (Strikes) Rating: Poor RING OF WAR 2 FINAL FOR THE WOMEN'S DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP: Kaoru Nanami vs Rose Nessa The biggest stat here is that Rose has been fighting for a full hour more than Nanami in this tournament. Nanami spends no time using this, grabbing Nessa and putting her against the ropes and battering her with elbows. She separates, the two exchange with a wild flurry but nothing big lands. The two of them continue to circle and briefly exchange and even the patient Saitama crowd is getting restless. Nanami with a clinch and some strikes but nothing does real damage. They continue to trade jabs but nothing does damage. More boring stalemate past the 30th minute and Nanami gets another clinch and keeps Nessa on the ropes FOREVER, until Nessa breaks off and Nanami starts throwing wildly! Nessa counterpunches and hammers away at Nanami! Back to a stalemate, but they exchange once more and Nessa misses a big shot and gets clobbered by Nanami! Nanami presses forward but nothing lands. Nessa with a looping right but lacks oomph. They continue to swing at each other but nothing lands with any force until the fight ends. Nessa landed a lot more strikes than Nanami did, even though Nanami did a lot more damage... but the ref decides quantity over quality and Nessa takes it. WINNER AND RING OF WAR WOMEN'S CHAMPION: ROSE NESSA by decision. Rating: Poor. Overall Thoughts: Wow. That was an ordeal to go through. Questionable decisions aside, the long fights really should have been edited. It's no surprise that they made rule modifications shortly after this event. ------ RULE MODIFICATIONS FOR RING OF WAR 3 AND 4 -Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are now fifteen minutes long -Final round matches will be twelve rounds of five minutes. -Matches will be judged by three officials (with a 10-Must System for the final bout) RING OF WAR 3: "Bulldozier" Bob Dozier (GBR, Wall and Stall, 13-9) vs Tan Su (CHI, Brawling, 9-7) "The Hungry Hungarian" Zsolt Hargitay (HUN, Wrestling, 5-1) vs "The Dallas Cowboy" Sam Hoynes (USA, Wrestling, 1-0) Najib Sri Aziz bin Zai (MAL, Muay Thai, 38-11-2) vs "Iron Man" Juro Fukazawa (JPN, Kickboxing, 11-6) "The Roughneck" Cal Hillson (USA, Brawling, 0-0) vs Ryota "Ronin" Sugimoto (JPN, Wrestling, 3-1) Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2 Winner of Q3 vs Winner of Q4 Winner of S1 vs Winner of S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OctoberRaven Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Ring of War 3 Review by Mark Lavin It was at Ring of War 3 that they started translating tapes to English, and they also included fighter profiles like this one: http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4317/zsolthargitay.gif "The Hungry Hungarian" Zsolt Hargitay Age: 23 Height: 6'2'' Weight: 265 Pounds Record: 5-1 Fighting Out Of: Budapest, Hungary Style: Wrestling Theme Music: "Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult Strengths: Massive Size, Knockout Power, Takedown Defense Weaknesses: Poor Cardio, Undisciplined Striker, Takes Unnecessary Punishment Before the fights started, they noted Chiyo Yanagimoto, who had been signed to the promotion earlier in the month, in the crowd. Bob Dozier vs Tan Su Both men come out swinging with Tan Su getting the upper hand quickly with two nice clean shots, but eats a nice 1-2. Dozier looks to impose his will for the clinch but Tan Su keeps his distance. Dozier counterpunching with a nice left to set up the Greco-Roman clinch. Dozier uses the cling to bring Tan Su down to half guard. Dozier with some glancing elbows. Trying to pass but Su keeps him from doing so. Dozier now just laying on Tan Su, delivering some shots that aren't doing much except keeping Tan Su from escaping. Dozier pretty much just keeps his position for a full nine minutes, allowing Dozier to win the judges decision by advantage alone. WINNER: Bob Dozier by Unanimous Decision. Rating: Very Poor Zsolt Hargitay vs Sam Hoynes Hoynes is a big heavyweight like Hargitay, but a bit leaner and probably stronger too. Opening with strikes, Hargitay getting the upper hand by counterpunching. Hoynes trying to take it to the ground, but Zsolt with the sprawl. Hargitay unloading on Hoynes with shots to the head. It looks like the ref might stop it... no, Hoynes manages to get back to his feet! Hargitay clinches but Hoynes breaks free. They lock up again, Hoynes has underhooks, looking for the sweep but Hargitay blocks it. They jockey for position but break free. They circle and Hoynes locks up with Hargitay, geting the Greco-Roman and pinning Zsolt to the ropes. Underhooks again... and he gets him down this time! Hoynes in half guard, Americana... no Hargitay defends it well. Hoynes trying to make an opening with strikes. Looking for an arm triangle, but Hargitay was ready for it. Hoynes settles for freeing his leg and getting side mount, and then manages to get full mount! Armbar... and Zsolt taps before his arm snaps! Hoynes took the more experienced grappler to school on the mat! WINNER: Sam Hoynes in 10:43 via Submission (Armbar). Rating. Very Good Najib Sri Aziz bin Zai vs Juro Fukazawa Juro comes out quick with a jab, Aziz looking to answer but gets counterpunched. Aziz looking for a head kick but Juro evades it and tags his chin with a jab. They clinch but quickly separate. Aziz with a leg kick. Juro looking to close the distance but Aziz keeps on the outside of his jab range... until he pounces and gets a Thai plum! SICK knee to the body! And another! A third one! Fukazawa gets free before Aziz can finish him off. Now they're both swinging for the fences with reckless abandon! Fukazawa with a liver shot and backs off. Najib slips a jab, looking for a body kick but Juro counters with a nice left hook. Juro counters a leg kick with two nice jabs. Aziz misses some strikes and gets a 1-2 for his efforts. More nice jabs by Juro. Exchanging shots now... JURO WITH A SOLID RIGHT! DOWN GOES BIN ZAI! Fukazawa looking to finish... but settles for side mount. Working the body now is Juro. Fukazawa looking for the mount, but no luck. With three minutes on the clock and not wanting to risk a last-second KO, Juro keeps bin Zai down for the decision win instead. WINNER: Juro Fukazawa by Unanimous Decision. Rating: Good Cal Hillson vs Ryota Sugimoto. This is the big Texan's debut, and he has a good 60 pounds on the Japanese fighter as well as a massive eight inch reach advantage. Hillson looking to clobber Ryota, who evades the strikes and chops at the tree with a solid leg kick. Sugimoto rides out more strikes and shoots in, but Cal with the sprawl. Cal teeing off on Ryota's head and body, Sugimoto may have made a huge mistake here! Sugimoto gets free but took a ton of punishment. Another takedown, Cal looking to catch him with a shot but ends up on his back. Sugimoto in half guard, Cal tries to sweep but to no avail. Sugimoto looking for the ground and pound but ends up in full guard. Ryota manages to get free though and passes right to side mount! Tries to get mount but Cal puts him back in the guard. Ryota tries to pass guard again... but Cal with a nice reversal and now Ryota is the one on his back! Hillson trying to drop bombs, Ryota pulled him in for a choke but Hillson popped his head right out of it. Hillson pounding away but not doing much damage. Ryota looking for the triangle but Cal stops it and manages to keep Ryota down with strikes until the end of the time limit. The first judge holds up a green card for Sugimoto. The second a red card for Hillson. The third one... holds up red! Hillson with a narrow debut victory, still impressive despite being a massive underdog! WINNER: Cal Hillson by Split Decision. Rating: Decent SEMIFINAL: Sam Hoynes vs Bob Dozier Dozier moves in to strike first but Hoynes counterstriking well. Dozier getting the clinch and backing up Hoynes. Dozier keeps him against the ropes, hoping his 20-pound weight difference will keep Hoynes from getting free. It works for a couple minutes but Hoynes reverses it. Hoynes with an uppercut to set up a takedown but doesn't get it. Instead he clobbers Dozier again and down goes the big man! Hoynes on top and looking to pound away a finish! And the referee stops it! WINNER: Sam Hoynes in 4:44 via TKO (Strikes). Rating: Average SEMIFINAL: Cal Hillson vs Juro Fukazawa Juro moves in for a body kick but the big man with a jab to the cheek. Juro answers with a solid right of his own. Hillson answering with a jab of his own. A nice jab and leg kick combo from Fukazawa. Hillson moves in and gets a half plum. Striking drives Fukazawa into the ropes. Hillson pushed off and eats a series of strikes but answers with a 3-4 that blasts Fukazawa, and down he goes! Raining down hammerfists... and it's over! Cal Hillson wins in impressive fashion! WINNER: Cal Hillson in 4:31 via TKO (Strikes) Rating; Good RING OF WAR 3 FINAL: Cal Hillson vs Sam Hoynes Probably the least expected outcome to this tournament as we're down to the two young Texas competitors. ROUND ONE: Hillson opens up with a series of solid lefts. Hoynes slips a jab and gets a takedown. Hoynes in half guard but can't pass further. Hoynes pounds away but can't get free. They continue to jockey for position but with no advance either way. Mark's Scorecard: 10-9 Hillson ROUND TWO: Hillson's second telling him to counterstrike but he ends up being the one caught in the counter by Hoynes. Hoynes looking to grapple but Hillson keeps his distance. Hoynes shoots in... and gets Cal in guard. Hoynes with strikes but inexplicably gets out of the guard and goes to his feet. Hoynes eats an up-kick... and looks like he's trying to throw a bomb to knock Cal out. Hoynes settles for getting side mount instead... and starts throwing hammerfist with Cal having no answer! Referee seperates the two and it's over! WINNER OF RING OF WAR 3 TOURNAMENT: "THE DALLAS COWBOY" SAM HOYNES in R2 4:28 via TKO (Strikes). Rating: Average Overall Thoughts: Really fun show with unpredictable twists and turns. The reduced time format fits the men like a glove. Cal Hillson nearly making a miracle run by going 3-0 in his debut only to fall short to another up and comer was an interesting story to the show too. Unfortunately this would be the end of the runs for several of Ring of War's talent: Najib Sri Aziz bin Zai and Ryota Sugimoto are no surprises due to their consecutive first round losses. Tan Su also got the boot as well as Bob Dozier. RING OF WAR 4 CARD: Hanae Maehata (JPN, Tae Kwon Do, 2-1) vs Kaoru Nanami (JPN, Brawling, 4-2) Jessica "Angel Eyes" Herbig (USA, Submission Wrestling, 2-0) vs Viv Yoman (USA, Brawling, 5-3) Chiyo "The Scorpion" Yanagimoto (JPN, Kick Boxing, 7-2, #19 PFP) vs Natassia Potocnik (RUS, Ground And Pound, 2-1) Katarzyna "Killer" Wojciechowska (POL, Kickboxing, 1-1) vs "The Wicked Bitch of the West" Honey Due (USA, Kick Boxing, 1-1) Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2 Winner of Q3 vs Winner of Q4 Winner of S1 vs Winner of S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.