thefireballkid93 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 The Japanese organization, Shooto, have recently announced their next event: Vale Tudo Japan 2011. In a nod to the events from the mid-late 90s, Shooto has decided to once again put on their, at one time, annual VTJ event. Once one of the biggest MMA promotions in the world, Shooto has been the home of many fighters who would one day become stars. Takanori Gomi, Hayato Sakurai, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki, all fighters who would one day hold titles in promotions such as Pride FC and DREAM. Shooto founder Satoru Sayama, a once prominent pro-wrestler, stated that he felt the promotion was still going strong since it's inception in 1985. Even so, it is hard to deny that Shooto is no longer at the top of the heap in the world of MMA. With many of their best fighters having moved over to bigger promotions like DREAM and even the UFC, Shooto has made it a point to sign many new fighters. Some of the new additions to their roster includes notables such as former Elite XC lightweight champion KJ Noons (11-4-0), former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton (16-14-0), Sengoku veteran Antonio Braga Neto (7-1-1 1NC), UFC and Pride veteran Denis Kang (34-15-2 2NC), UFC veteran David Loiseau (20-10-0), UFC veteran Drew McFedries (10-6-0), and rising prospect Hacran Dias (19-1-1). Here is the card for the upcoming event, Shooto: VTJ 2011. <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> MAIN EVENT Middleweight (168lb) Bout Hayato Sakurai (35-12-2) vs Hirosumi Sugiura (6-6-2) CO-MAIN EVENT Lightweight (148lb) Bout Rumina Sato (26-15-2) vs Taiki Tsuchiya (9-3-0) UNDERCARD Bantamweight (123lb) Bout Mamoru Yamaguchi (26-6-3) vs Yuki Shojo (11-6-2) Flyweight (115lb) Bout Shinichi Kojima (11-4-5) vs Fumihiro Kitihara (9-2-1) Lightweight (148lb) Bout Akiyo Nishiura (11-7-1) vs Issei Tamura (6-1-0) Middleweight (168lb) Bout Xavier Lucas (8-2-1) vs Yusaku Inoue (8-0-0) Welterweight (154lb) Bout Yusuke Endo (14-4-2) vs Paulo Milano (11-5-1) Light Heavyweight (183lb) Bout Leandro Silva (16-6-0) vs Seung Bae Whi (7-3-0) </td></tr></tbody></table> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Hey guys, Cameron Leve here with Shooto middleweight, Hirosumi Sugiura, talking to him about his upcoming fight with MMA legend, Hayato Sakurai. Cameron: Your MMA career got off to a rocky start. You're now on a 4 fight undefeated streak. How do you feel coming into this fight with such a big name opponent? Sugiura: When you're a fighter, you can't look at opponents the way the media or the fans do. It's just another fighter, just like you. When it comes down to it, anyone can be defeated. We're all human. Cameron: Good way of putting it. Some analysts have said that Sakurai should retire, as he's riding a 4 fight losing streak. What are your thoughts? Sugiura: I don't think anyone has the right to tell any fighter to retire. For a fighter, the decision to continue or retire is one of the most sacred things they have. At the end of the day, it's their choice and no one else's. Cameron: Recently, you stated that you feel that the best fighters in MMA are in the UFC, and that you'd like to one day fight along side them. Do you have any favorite fighters in the UFC? Sugiura: Mostly the smaller weight classes. Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, I think they're the best in the UFC. Cameron: Alright, well I know you're busy, anything else you'd like to add before this interview ends? Sugiura: Thank you to my family and all of my friends, I wouldn't be here without your support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Jonathon Hall: "Hey guys, I'm Jonathon Hall, here with my partner Ted Gray. You're tuning into Blurcat's live stream of Shooto's Vale Tudo Japan 2011 fight card." Ted Gray: "Yes, we will be giving you guys an English commentary to go along with these great fights we have tonight." Jonathon: "Tonight we have a card full of veterans and budding prospects, legends of the sport and the future legends, the old... versus the new. Obviously, the best example of this is our main card, the legend, Hayato Sakurai, taking on up and coming prospect, Hirosumi Sugiura." Ted: "Plus, our co-main event, featuring another legend of the sport, Rumina Sato. I've got to say, as a fan, I'm excited, Jon." Jonathon: "As am I, Ted, if you're a Japanese MMA fan, I hope you're tuning in right now for these fights." "Let's get right into it. For those of you who aren't familiar of Shooto's ruleset, the fights will consist of three, five minute rounds. Now, normally, kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent would be illegal, but this event is vale tudo style, so kicks, knees and stomps to the head of a grounded opponent are legal. Also keeping in tradition of the original VTJ rules, a knocked down fighter is given a 10 count to respond." Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Leandro "Batata" Silva Age: 32 Style: Muay Thai Height: 6'0" Weight: 183lbs Fighting Out Of: Curitiba, Brazil Key Skills: Good striking, heavy hands Notable Victories: N/A vs Seung Bae Whi Age: 34 Style: Judo Height: 6'0" Weight: 183lbs Fighting Out Of: Seoul, South Korea Key Skills: Heavy hands, good chin, takedowns Notable Victories: Denis Kang (TKO) </td></tr></tbody></table> The ring announcer screams out their names before the bell is rung. Jonathon: "Here we go!" ROUND ONE! FIGHT! Bae Whi throws a jab, but misses, as Silva counters with a body kick. Both throw some strikes, but neither do much damage. Whi shoots in for a takedown. Silva throws a counter right, but misses, resulting in him having to pull guard. Whi smothers his opponent on the ground, letting time pass as the usual knockout artist uses his ground skills to keep Silva from doing anything. With no progress being made, however, the referee stands the fighters back up. Silva wastes no time, throwing a flurry of strikes, though Whi evades them. Whi evades a few more strikes from Silva, and is able to grab a hold of the Brazilian. He pushes Silva up against the ropes before the bell sounds, signifying the end of the first round. Whi spent much of the round controlling Silva with his superior grappling, the round is most likely scored 10-9 for Whi. Round 2 begins. Silva is able to land a counter left, but misses with a body shot. He attempts to use feints to draw Whi in, but Whi does not buy it. Silva continues to throw some weak strikes, all evaded by Whi, feinting every so often. Whi moves into the pocket, looking like he wants to trade with Silva. Silva throws a big right, but Whi ducks under and gets a big double leg takedown. Silva pulls guard, holding tight and preventing Whi from moving into side control. Silva throws some weak elbows and punches from the bottom, as Whi continues to try to advance position. The round ends. Once again, Whi is able to control on the ground, but Silva was able to keep push the pace in the stand up. Silva's corner has told him to try to land more counters. The final round begins. Silva throws a nice body kick, but Whi catches it and trips up Silva, landing in his guard. Whi spends a good amount of time smothering Silva, but not for long as Silva uses the butterfly guard to push Whi off of him. Lucky for Whi, though, he is able to use this to move into side control. Seung Bae Whi spends the rest of this round unsuccessfully trying to move to mount, and throwing small strikes from the top. The round ends. All three judges score the fight 30-27, in favor of Seung Bae Whi. A very lack luster fight, the fans were bored by the lack of striking from the end of Seung Bae Whi, in a fight that seemed to promise a knockout finish. Moving on the to the second fight. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Yusuke Endo Age: 28 Style: Shooto Height: 5'8" Weight: 154lbs Fighting Out Of: Tokyo, Japan Key Skills: Grappling, submissions Notable Victories: Clay Guida (Sub) vs Paulo Milano Age: 32 Style: Submission Grappling Height: 5'9" Weight: 154lbs Fighting Out Of: Rome, Italy Key Skills: Grappling, submissions Notable Victories: N/A </td></tr></tbody></table> The bell rings and the first round begins. Endo counters a left jab with one of his own. Milano pumps out another jab, and once again it is countered by Endo with his own jab. Endo throws a jab and then shoots in on his opponent, but Milano is able to avoid the takedown. Endo dictates the stand up, countering a series of strikes with a stiff jab, using his superior stand up to out strike Milano. Endo lands a combination after Milano misses with a hook. Endo lands yet another counter jab, the story of this fight so far is all about the jab. Endo spends much of the fight countering with the jab, Milano's face already beginning to swell as he has taken numerous jabs to the face. He attempts to draw Endo into the pocket. Endo does so, but spoils Milano's plan by shooting in for a takedown as he gets into range, forcing Milano to pull guard. With that comes the end of the first round. Endo used his patient, counter-oriented style of striking to dictate the stand up, but he's probably going to want to take Milano down and submit him. Milano's corner instructs him to avoid the takedown. Round 2 begins. Starting where he left off, Endo once again begins to counter Milano and land his jab. Endo happily lets Milano circle, showing no respect for Milano's stand up abilities. Endo shoots in for a takedown once again, but Milano is able to avoid it. Milano bobs and weaves, once again circling the unimpressed Endo. The round ends after an uneventful round. Endo knows he is ahead in points, and is happy to let Milano continue to run into his jab. Milano's corner frantically tries to give him advice, but he looks very unmotivated. Milano throws a big right, but Endo is able to counter it once again. Endo shoots in for a takedown, but Milano avoids it. In the least eventful round, Endo continues to stick and move, landing his jab on a very frustrated Milano. The round ends. The judges score the fight 29-27 and 30-27, all in favor of Yusuke Endo. The third fight is coming up next. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Xavier "X-Man" Lucas Age: 31 Style: Boxing Height: 5'9" Weight: 167lbs Fighting Out Of: Perth, Australia Key Skills: Boxing, heavy hands, underrated grappling Notable Victories: N/A vs Yusaku Inoue Age: 23 Style: Shooto Height: 5'10" Weight: 167lbs Fighting Out Of: Sumida, Tokyo Key Skills: Striking, grappling, well rounded Notable Victories: N/A </td></tr></tbody></table> The fight begins. Almost immediately, Inoue shoots in for a double leg takedown. Lucas stuff it. Inoue slips a jab. He tries to move in to grapple with Lucas, but is unable to as Lucas keeps out of range with strikes. Inoue throws a big flurry of punches and tries to shoot in, but once again he is stuffed by Lucas. Inoue catches a body kick and tries to trip Lucas, but is unable to. Relentless in his attack, Inoue shoots in for another takedown, but is easily brushed off by Lucas. Inoue throws a right hand, but is countered by a strong leg kick. The first round ends. Inoue was unable to score any takedowns, and was brushed off by Lucas easily. He needs to switch up his gameplan. Lucas looks very calm in his corner. Round two begins. Inoue steps in but catches a jab, forcing him to step back. Lucas moves into land some strikes, slipping a wayward right hand from Inoue and landing a body kick of his own. Lucas slips a jab and lands a left hook. Lucas wants to stand and trade, but Inoue realizes this and utilizes movement to keep out of range. The round ends as the two fighters circle each other, at a stalemate. Inoue is unable to stand with his opponent, but cannot get him to the ground. His loss seems imminent. Lucas is ahead in points, but could probably end the fight with his superior boxing if he tried. The final round begins. Both fighters meet in the center of the ring, but neither is able to land anything significant. Inoue shoots in on Lucas, but Lucas is able to defend seemingly without even trying. Inoue counters a body kick with a jab. Lucas misses with an inside leg kick. Inoue shoots in for a takedown, but is countered by a big right hand! The referee begins the count, but Inoue is up as quickly as he was knocked down. Lucas lands another jab. The round ends. Lucas was unable to capitalize on the knockdown, differing from his normal killer instinct. The judges score the bout 30-27, for the obvious winner, Xavier Lucas. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura Age: 28 Style: Kickboxing Height: 5'8" Weight: 142lbs Fighting Out Of: Osaka, Japan Key Skills: Killer instinct, heavy hands Notable Victories: Hideo Tokoro (TKO) vs Issei Tamura Age: 27 Style: Wrestling Height: 5'5" Weight: 143lbs Fighting Out Of: Tokyo, Japan Key Skills: Takedowns, grappling Notable Victories: N/A </td></tr></tbody></table> The fourth fight begins! Tamura avoids a leg kick from Nishiura, but is caught with a series of left hands. Tamura moves into the pocket, but Nishiura moves out of range. Nishiura shoots for a takedown, but is unsuccessful. Nishiura counters a jab and lands a big left hook, rocking Tamura! He lands two more hooks, wobbling the Tokyo native. Tamura backs up but is clearly hurt, but is able to slip a big right hand from Nishiura. Nishiura shoots in for the takedown, but only manages to get Tamura up against the ropes. A visibly hurt Tamura is able to defend a trip from Nishiura, but just barely. The round ends. Tamura was hurt badly in that round and still looks glassy eyed. Nishiura did well in the stand up, and should focus less on the takedown. The second round begins. Tamura throws a body kick, but Nishiura is able to evade it and clinch with Tamura. Nishiura attempts to pick up Tamura for a slam, but Tamura is able to defend it. They break the clinch. Nishiura throws a leg kick and Tamura is able to counter with a big combination, dazing Nishiura. Tamura uses head movement to avoid big hooks from the wild Nishiura. Nishiura throws a leg kick, and is once again counter by big punches from Tamura! Nishiura covers up against the ropes, but Tamura rocked him badly. He drops to the ground, Tamura still pounding away. The referee pulls Tamura off, Nishura is unconscious! What a fight, Tamura showing off his stand up abilities, knocking out a very dangerous striker in Akiyo Nishiura. The winner, by TKO at 4:45 of round 2, Issei Tamura! The next fight is about to begin. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Shinichi Kojima Age: 32 Style: Wrestling Height: 5'4" Weight: 123lbs Fighting Out Of: Yokohama, Japan Key Skills: Striking, grappling, submissions Notable Victories: Mamoru Yamaguchi 2x (Sub) vs Fumihiro Kitahara Age: 27 Style: Shooto Height: 5'5" Weight: 123lbs Fighting Out Of: Sapporo, Japan Key Skills: Grappling, submissions Notable Victories: Masaaki Sugawara (Dec) </td></tr></tbody></table> The fight begins. Kitahara lands a counter jab after Kojima misses a leg kick. Kojima slips some strikes, landing a jab of his own. Kojima shoots in, but Kitahara avoids the takedown. Kojima ducks under some punches and shoots in for a double leg, forcing Kitahara to pull half guard. Kitahara tries to lock in a guillotine, but is Kojima fights it off. Kojima throws some punches, but the round ends before he can do any damage. Kojima looked good in that round, he will probably look to take the fight to the ground early in the next round. The next round begins. Kitahara sticks and moves, landing a leg kick and a jab. Kojima shoots in for a takedown, but Kitahara is able to avoid it. He looks motivated coming into this round. Kojima misses with a jab. Kitahara lands a counter jab. Kojima shoots in for another takedown, but is unsuccessful once again. Kitahara uses his strikes to prevent Kojima from getting in close to grapple. Kojima shoots in for one more takedown, but Kitahara defends it as the round ends. A big shift in the fight, Kitahara using his speed and striking to dictate the stand up. Kojima is unable to get any takedowns in this round, severely limiting his skill set. The final round begins. Whoever takes this round will most likely win the fight. Kojima moves in to grapple, but Kitahara is successful in avoiding him. Kojima manages to get a hold of his opponent, wrestling him against the ropes. Kojima uses dirty boxing to the body and head of Kitahara, pinning him against the ropes for a good amount of time. Kitahara looks frustrated, and knows he will lose this fight if he doesn't win this round. Kojima is breathing heavily, he looks tired. Out of nowhere, Kitahara is able to jump up and get a guillotine and brings Kojima down to the mat! Kitahara squeezes as tight as he possibly can. Kojima stands up to slam Kitahara, but falls back and is stuck in a mounted guillotine! He's forced to tap out! In one of the biggest upsets of the year, Fumihiro Kitahara is able to defeat the #4 flyweight in the world. Kitahara is ecstatic, and will surely be boosted up the rankings with this big win. The winner by tap out due to a guillotine choke, at 4:04 of round 3, Fumihiro Kitahara! The next bout is about to begin. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Mamoru Yamaguchi Age: 34 Style: Shooto Height: 5'4" Weight: 126lbs Fighting Out Of: Kanagawa, Japan Key Skills: Grappling, striking, knockout power Notable Victories: Yasuhiro Urushitani (Dec) vs Yuki Shojo Age: 31 Style: Shooto Height: 5'5" Weight: 123lbs Fighting Out Of: Kanagawa, Japan Key Skills: Submissions, well rounded Notable Victories: N/A </td></tr></tbody></table> The fight begins in a rematch of a fight where Yamaguchi defeated Shojo by decision. According to latest rumours, Yamaguchi's camp was interrupted by illness. This could possibly affect his performance. Yamaguchi avoids a flurry of punches from Shojo, keeping out of range. Shojo throws a nice jab and uses it to shoot in for a takedown. He is unable to takedown Yamaguchi, but is able to push him against the ropes. He controls him against the ropes with dirty boxing, and is able to trip Yamaguchi and land in his guard. Shojo is easily able to move to side mount. He quickly locks in an arm triangle, and it looks very tight. Amazingly, Yamaguchi is able to break free of the submission! The first round ends. Shojo was able to easily control Yamaguchi on the ground, he will probably look to take him down again. Round two begins. Both fighters throw a series of strikes. Shojo bobs and weaves out of the way of some strikes from Yamaguchi and is once again able to take him down and winds up in his guard. Shojo smothers Yamaguchi for a good amount of time before moving to side control. Shojo moves to mount with ease and locks in an arm bar! Yamaguchi's arm is hyper extended, but the round ends before he can get him to tap! Shojo took to long to do anything that round, and it cost him when he went for the arm bar. He should try to finish the fight as soon as possible. The final round begins. Shojo and Yamaguchi both stick and move, landing jabs and leg kicks. Shojo shoots in but is unable to take his opponent down. Yamaguchi lands a nice jab. Shojo shoots in one more time and is able to score a takedown! Shojo smothers Yamaguchi again, but once more he is wasting too much time. He moves to side mount, but is unable to do any damage as the round ends. All three judges score the fight 30-27 in favor of Yuki Shojo. The co-main event is up next. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato Age: 37 Style: Submission Wrestling Height: 5'6" Weight: 136lbs Fighting Out Of: Tokyo, Japan Key Skills: Submissions, grappling Notable Victories: Yves Edwards (Sub), Rafael Cordeiro (Sub) vs Taiki Tsuchiya Age: 27 Style: Shooto Height: 5'7" Weight: 143lbs Fighting Out Of: Shizuoka, Japan Key Skills: Striking Notable Victories: Issei Tamura (Dec) </td></tr></tbody></table> The fight begins. Sato avoids a big flurry of punches from Tsuchiya. Tsuchiya is trying to finish this fight early, throwing big flurries of punches. Sato shoots in for a takedown, but is caught by a big hook and almost goes down! Sato avoids another flurry of punches, and is able to take Tsuchiya down! Sato is too good for Tsuchiya and is able to move to the mount position. He goes for an arm bar, but Tsuchiya stacks Sato up and punches him until he releases the submission. Tsuchiya gets side control. The round ends. Tsuchiya was nearly submitted, but showed good sub defense and good striking. Tsuchiya throws a leg kick, but Sato avoids it and uses the opportunity to take him down! Sato moves to side control with ease, and once again goes for the arm bar. Showing great defense, Tsuchiya is once again able to defend the submission and uses the position to move into side control. Tsuchiya stands up and motions for Sato do the same. Both fights land strikes, but no one does much damage. The round ends. Tsuchiya once again showed good submission defense, but was ineffective in the stand up and was taken down. The final round begins. Tsuchiya throws a kick, but Sato is able to catch it and trip him! He lands in the guard of Tsuchiya, smothering him for a good amount of time. He manages to move to side control, and is looking to finish the fight. He rolls Tsuchiya over and takes his back! He gets his hooks in. The round is nearly over. Sato gets his arm under the chin of Tsuchiya, looking for a rear naked choke! Tsuchiya can't fight it for long and is forced to tap with less than a minute on the clock! The winner by tap out due to a rear naked choke, at 4:29 of the third round, Rumina Sato! The main event is about to begin. Tale of the Tape <table border="1" bordercolor="#c0c0c0" cellpadding="4"><tbody><tr><td> Hayato "Mach" Sakurai Age: 36 Style: Kickboxing/Wrestling Height: 5'7" Weight: 168lbs Fighting Out Of: Ibaraki, Japan Key Skills: Takedowns, submissions, striking, knockout power Notable Victories: Caol Uno (Sub), Luiz Azaredo (Dec), Frank Trigg (TKO), Shinya Aoki 2x (Dec/KO), Jens Pulver (TKO), Mac Danzig (KO) vs Hirosumi "C-Bozu" Sugiura Age: 33 Style: Shooto Height: 5'7" Weight: 170lbs Fighting Out Of: Osaka, Japan Key Skills: Well rounded, grappling, striking Notable Victories: N/A </td></tr></tbody></table> The main event is beginning! Sakurai feints a head kick but throws a leg kiick, though Sugiura is able to avoid it. Sugiura slips a jab. Sakurai moves in and pulls Sugiura into the muay thai clinch. Sakurai lands a big elbow to the face of Sugiura. Sakurai manages to land two more elbows, easily controlling his opponent in the clinch. Sakurai lands a huge knee the body! Sugiura is hurt! Sugiura manages to break the clinch, but is taken down soon after. Sakurai throws a few small punches, until the round ends. Sakurai dominated Sugiura in every area of that round, Sugiura needs to stay out of range and figure out a way to win. The next round begins! Sakurai immediately goes to clinch with Sugiura, covering it with a few strikes. Wasting no time, Sakurai blasts Sugiura with a huge knee, knocking him out cold! He drops Sugiura's body and steps away, winning his first fight since 2009! The winner by knockout, at 1:22 of the second round, Hayato Sakurai! The show is rated decent, with an audience of 798 for a gate of 30,720 dollars. FOTN - Fumihiro Kitahara def. Shinichi Kojima KOTN - Hayato Sakurai and Issei Tamura SOTN - Fumihiro Kitahara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 (Haven't been able to update recently, but I'll do a recap of the recent events) Since having the VTJ 2011 event, Shooto has made strides in acquiring new fighters. Shooto hopes to revitalize itself by putting on more events with more fighters. Other news includes the dissolving of the 115 lb division. New champions have been crowned, as well. Having vacated many of the titles, Shooto was quick to put on numerous title fights to determine the new champions. Here are the fighters who were crowned: Shooto Bantamweight (123lb) Champion Yuki Shojo (13-6-2) World Rank: #1 Flyweight Defenses: 0 Last Fight: Split decision win over Jussier da Silva (Shooto) Info: Yet another fighter who has spent the better part of his career as an undiscovered fighter, Yuki Shojo has boosted himself to the top of the flyweight division. Considered to be the best flyweight in the world, Shojo, who is currently on a 2 fight win streak with wins over flyweight Jussier da Silva and Mamoru Yamaguchi, hopes to keep it that way. While no date has been set, Yuki Shojo and Raamba Somdet have both verbally agreed to fight in Shojo's first defense of the title. Shooto Featherweight (132lb) Champion Koetsu Okazaki (10-1-1) World Rank: #24 Bantamweight Defenses: 2 Last Fight: Unanimous decision win over Kenji Osawa (Shooto) Info: Possibly the most underrated bantamweight in the world, Koetsu Okazaki has, up until recently, flown under the radar of MMA critics world wide. Not even ranked until his last fight, Okazaki is GSP-like in his style: A methodical grinder who possesses good stand up, good ground work and stamina for days. Undefeated in his last 3 fights, including victories over bantamweight notables Masakazu Imanari and Kenji Osawa, Okazaki is hoping to make a name for himself now that he is finally getting recognition. He is set to defend his title for a 3rd time against highly touted striker, Kyoji Horiguchi. Shooto Lightweight (143lb) Champion Takeshi Inoue (23-5-0) World Rank: #7 Featherweight Defenses: 0 Last Fight: Third round submission win over Issei Tamura (Shooto) Info: A world ranked featherweight, "Lion" Takeshi is known for his crisp striking and submission skills. In his title fight against highly touted prospect, Issei Tamura, Inoue came into the fight as the heavy favorite. Even so, Tamura was still looked at as a tough opponent for anyone, as he possessed high level wrestling, an iron chin and fight finishing hands (of which scored him a second round knockout over Akiyo Nishiura). Inoue did not have any fear, however, and was able to dictate the fight wherever it went, and finally submitted an exhausted Tamura in the 3rd round to win the Shooto lightweight title. Shooto Welterweight (154lb) Champion Shinya Aoki (30-5-0 1NC) World Rank: #4 Lightweight Defenses: 0 Last Fight: First round TKO win over Mizuto Hirota (Shooto) Info: Arguably the best grappler in MMA, Shinya Aoki recently made his way back into the Shooto organization, and was immediately given a shot at the 154lb belt. In somewhat of a grudge match, Aoki wasted no time in finishing Hirota, TKOing him in the first round with strikes from the mount. He is set to defend his title for the first time against UFC veteran, Kurt Pellegrino. Shooto Middleweight (168lb) Champion VACANT (0-0-0) World Rank: N/A Defenses: N/A Last Fight: N/A Info: N/A Shooto Light Heavyweight (183lb) Champion Hector Lombard (33-3-1 1NC) World Rank: N/A (Formerly #3 Middleweight) Defenses: 1 Last Fight: First round KO loss to Alexander Shlemenko (Bellator FC) Info: Formerly ranked as the #3 Middleweight in the world, Hector Lombard rose to prominence after knocking David Louiseau in in the first round to win the vacant middleweight title. He successfully defended the title against Sengoku vet Jorge Santiago in one of the most exciting fights of the year, knocking out Santiago in the final minute of the 5th round in a fight largely dominated by Santiago. Unfortunately, Lombard was knocked out in only 27 seconds by Alexander Shlemenko in Bellator FC, losing his middleweight strap in the process. He is currently on a 3 month medical suspension. As for the vacant title, the champion will be decided very soon. Shooto is set to put on one of the biggest events of the year. With that said, the event has been plagued by drama. Originally set to be Strikeforce veteran Marius Zaromskis against fellow kickboxer, Lyman Good, plans fell through as Zaromskis accepted another fight within the DREAM promotion. After some debate and the inability to reach a compromise, Lyman Good was bumped down to the undercard to face Shamil Zavurov, and a new title fight was set up, the next contenders in the division, veterans Ryo Chonan and Yuki Condo. For info, here is the fight card as follows: SHOOTO: KONDO VS. CHONAN Saturday, May 6th, 2012 Kinki Event Center, Kinki, Japan Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 5x5 mins (Title Fight): Yuki Kondo (54 - 26 - 8) vs Ryo "Piranha" Chonan (20-12-0) Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 5x5 mins (Title Fight): © Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki (30-5-1) vs Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (17-7-0) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins: Jorge Santiago (24-11-0) vs James "Sandman" Irvin (17-9-0 2NC) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins: David "The Crow" Loiseau (20-12-0) vs Denis Kang (35-16-2 2NC) Shooto Special Rules Exhibition, 143lb Division, 5x3 mins: Akiyo "Wicky Akiyo" Nishura (12-8-1) vs Atsushi Yamamoto (15-7-3) Notes: Shootboxing rules, five/three minute rounds, no ground grappling, no takedowns, no strikes to a downed opponent, standing grappling/submissions permitted, 10 count after knockdowns Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 3x5 mins: Waylon Lowe (11-4-0) vs Mizuto Hirota (13-5-1) Shooto Rules, 123lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Fumihiro Kitahara (10-3-1) vs Ryuichi Miki (10-5-3) Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): "Cyborg" Lyman Good (11-2-0) - Shamil "Champion" Zavurov (19-1-0) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Zouhere El Assadi (6-0-0) vs Antonio Braga Neto (8-1-0 1NC) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 (The other format took so long, so I'm going to just do it this way because it's easier on my hands, haha.) SHOOTO: KONDO VS. CHONAN RECAP The first bout sees submission experts Zouhere el Assadi and Antonio Braga Neto take each other on to start off the prelims. Both fighters currently on winning streaks, with el Assadi coming into this fight undefeated with 6 victories. The first round sees the two feeling each other out, throwing weak strikes, with Neto failing a takedown attempt early on. el Assadi clinches with Neto, and both begin fighting for position, forcing each other up against the ropes in somewhat of a pattern. Both wrestle for control, but neither proves successful, failing numerous takedowns in the process. So far the fight is dull, with neither fighter having an edge. The next round is spent the same as the first, for the most part. Both fighters are timid, content to stay on the outside and land weak strikes. el Assadi fails a takedown, but is able to push Neto against the ropes. The round ends, however, and el Assadi is unable to capitalize on the position. The third round is spent with more of the same, both fighters once again content to land weak strikes and shoot from the outside, with neither fighter gaining the upper hand. Zouhere el Assadi comes out of it the winner, scoring a split-decision in a very uneventful fight. Fight rating: Poor The next fight features Bellator FC veteran, Lyman Good, taking on Russian Sambo expert, Shamil Zavurov. Lyman Good, who was originally set to fight for the belt, is obviously irritated by being put on the undercard and is hoping to score a quick knockout over the relatively unknown Russian fighter. The fight begins, both fighters sticking and moving. Zavurov showcases his stand up skills, slipping numerous strikes from Good and countering with his own. This round sees mostly defensive fighting Zavurov, who is content to slip and counter. Though, Zavurov was the more effective fighter, Good was more active in dictating the pace. Lyman Good lands some strikes early into the round, including a good leg kick. The both end up clinching, and Lyman Good is able to force Zavurov up against the ropes. The rest of the round is spent with Good holding Zavurov against the ropes, racking up points. The third round begins, with both fighters landing weak strikes. Zavurov continues to evade punches, but is getting caught with numerous leg kicks. Lyman Good continues to land kicks to legs, but has been unable to land any fight finishing strikes against his opponent. The fight ends. Lyman Good picks up a unanimous decision, in another fight that saw two fighters who lacked killer instinct. Fight rating: Average The last of the preliminaries sees the highly touted Fumihiro Kitahara take on fellow flyweight Ryuichi Miki. Kitahara needs to win this fight in order to show that his victory over Shinichi Kojima was not a flaw, as he was dominated in his last fight by Jussier da Silva. Both guys come out quick, energetic in their stances. Kitahara explodes, shooting in on Miki, momentarily taking him down but Miki was able to get right back to his feet. Kitahara shoots in once again, but only manages to push Miki up against the ropes. However, Miki is able to get a trip takedown from this position, but Kitahara is content to pull guard. Kitahara wants to get a submission from no matter what the position. Doing just that, Kitahara grabs the arm of Miki, going for a triangle choke. Miki smartly gets wrist control and is able to keep himself from being submitted. Miki smothers Kitahara before being pushed off. Miki stands over Kitahara and attempts to get side control, but is reversed by Kitahara, who is gets side control and is able to land a few strikes before the end of the round. Round two begins, a round mostly spent with Kitahara diving in for takedowns but to no avail. Miki's corner made sure he defended them, but it is resulting in somewhat of a stalemate. Kitahara counters a jab with a big right hook, rocking Miki! Miki falls back but is able to slip Kitahara's strikes until the end of the round. Miki spends the beginning of the third round going for the takedown like a mad man, diving in for ankle picks, single legs and even goes for a fireman's carry. Kitahara perfectly times a single leg, however, and forces Miki to pull guard. Miki attempts to throw up a triangle choke, but is unsuccessful. The rest of the round is spent with Kitahara smothering a very tired Miki. Fumihiro Kitahara picks up a unanimous decision in the last preliminary. Fight rating: Average The first fight on the main card begins, featuring TUF veteran Waylon Lowe and DEEP lightweight champion, Mizuto Hirota. Lowe immediately shoots for a takedown, but is surprised by the takedown defense of Hirota, who stuffs the takedown and forces Lowe to pull guard. Hirota throws strikes from the top, but Lowe is able to deal with them. Lowe is able to push Hirota off of him, and after a scramble, Hirota winds up in a turtle position. Lowe throws a soccer kick, but is unable to hit Hirota as he pops up to his feet. Lowe shoots in on Hirota once again, Hirota going for a guillotine, but is unsuccessful and is forced to pull guard. The round ends. The second rounds begins, with Lowe once again going for a takedown, and once again Hirota reverses it and ends up in Lowe's guard. Lowe uses the butterfly guard to scramble, ending up on the side of a turtled Hirota. Lowe throws hard punches to the head of Hirota, who covers up. Lowe looks tired, he's breathing out of his mouth. They're both back to standing position again. Both fighters reach a stalemate until Hirota lands a big right hook, stumbling the UFC veteran! The round ends. A tired Lowe's corner tells him to stand and trade with Hirota, an idea that doesn't sound too smart. This tactic allows Hirota to counter with his superior striking, landing numerous outside leg kicks. Lowe is beginning to limp. Both fighter's start going toe-to-toe, neither fight backing down! A right hand lands flush on Lowe's jaw, knocking him out cold as goes careening towards the mat. Mizuto Hirota wins by knockout in the third round. Fight rating: Great Now for a special rules bout, fought under shootboxing rules. Featuring featherweight wild man, Akiyo Nishiura and karate stylist, Atsushi Yamamoto. Wicky counters a jab with a nice right hand. Nishiura spends a decent amount of time countering his opponent, landing with ease. Wicky slips a punch and counters with a big left hook that drops the karate fighter to the mat! The referee starts the 10 count, but Yamamoto answers to the count at 6 seconds. The round ends. Yamamoto counters a flurry of punches with a crisp combination, but misses with a right roundhouse kick. Yamamoto seems to have come back in this round, using his speed and crisp striking to dictate the stand up. The round ends. Yamamoto ducks under a telegraphed spinning back fist from Wicky. Wicky throws a big over hand right, but can't catch the elusive Yamamoto. The round ends. Round four sees Yamamoto throwing more kicks to the body and legs of Wicky, and they wind up in a clinch. Wicky looks like he's trying to go for trip takedowns, which are against the rules, but the ref does not see. The round ends. The final round sees both fighters visibly tired, and not much action occurs. Akiyo Nishiura picks up the unanimous decision. Fight rating: Average The next fight is a bout between UFC veterans David Loiseau and Denis Kang. Both fighters are on losing streaks. Kang lands a body kick on Loiseau, and follows up with a nice combination. Kang gets a takedown, and is immediately trying to advance position. He gets side control, and soon after has the back of David Loiseau. Kang has his hooks in. Kang is throwing down heavy punches from the pack, David Loiseau is not intelligently defending himself! The ref pulls Denis Kang off! Denis Kang wins by KO in the first round. Fight rating: Great The next fight is about to start. It's between former Sengoku middleweight champion, Jorge Santiago, and UFC veteran/WEC heavyweight champion, James Irvin. Santiago immediately gets a takedown after the bell rings, forcing Irvin to pull guard. Jorge Santiago makes space and rolls for a kneebar, Irvin is forced to tap! Jorge Santiago wins by first round submission. Fight rating: Good The co-main event features Shooto welterweight champion, Shinya Aoki, in his first title defense. He will have to taken on tough veteran, Kurt Pellegrino. The round begins, and for some reason, Kurt Pellegrino wants to wrestle with Aoki. Oddly enough, Aoki begins to out wrestle Pellegrino in the clinch, forcing him against the ropes. Aoki gets a judo trip and Pellegrino is forced to pull guard. Aoki throws down punches, but amazingly, Pellegrino is able to push Aoki off with his butterfly guard. Standing above him, Shinya Aoki lands a painful looking face stomp on Kurt Pellegrino! The scramble, with Aoki attempting to go for a leg lock, but eventually has to pull guard. Pellegrino is trying to stand up but Aoki keeps him in his guard, grabbing on the arm of his opponent. He throws up a triangle, his legs constricting the neck of the UFC vet! Unable to choke him out, Aoki cranks the arm of Pellegrino, which forces him to tap out. Aoki scores a first round submission, and retains the Shooto welterweight title. Fight rating: Good The main event is about to begin, for the the long time vacant Shooto middleweight title. The match is between Ryo Chonan and Yuki Kondo. Both fighters come out, looking to end it quick. Kondo shoots in but is unable to takedown the lanky Chonan. The first round ends, uneventful. The second round begins, Chonan landing numerous leg kicks early on. Already, Yuki Kondo is walking with a limp. All of the sudden, Chonan counters Kondo with huge right hook, sending him to the mat! Chonan dives in, raining down hammer fists onto the face of the dazed Kondo. The referee stops it! Ryo Chonan wins by TKO to become the new Shooto middleweight champion! Fight rating: Good Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 5x5 mins (Title Fight): Ryo "Piranha" Chonan (21-12-0) def. Yuki Kondo (54 - 27 - 8) by TKO (Punches) in RND2 (3:08) to win the Shooto Middleweight Title Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 5x5 mins (Title Fight): © Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki (31-5-1) def. Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (17-8-0) by Submission (Triangle/armbar) in RND1 (3:43) to retain the Shooto Welterweight Title (Submission of the Night) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins: Jorge Santiago (25-11-0) def. James "Sandman" Irvin (17-10-0 2NC) by Submission (Kneebar) in RND1 (0:36) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins: Denis Kang (36-16-2 2NC) def. David "The Crow" Loiseau (20-13-0) by TKO (Punches) in RND1 (2:51) Shooto Special Rules Exhibition, 143lb Division, 5x3 mins: Akiyo "Wicky Akiyo" Nishura (12-8-1) def. Atsushi Yamamoto (15-7-3) by Unanimous Decision Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 3x5 mins: Mizuto Hirota (14-5-1) def. Waylon Lowe (11-5-0) by Knock Out (Punch) in RND3 (1:20) (Fight of the Night & Knockout of the Night) Shooto Rules, 123lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Fumihiro Kitahara (11-3-1) def. Ryuichi Miki (10-6-3) by Unanimous Decision Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): "Cyborg" Lyman Good (12-2-0) def. Shamil "Champion" Zavurov (19-2-0) by Unanimous Decision Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Zouhere El Assadi (7-0-0) def. Antonio Braga Neto (8-2-0 1NC) by Split Decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 SHOOTO: OKAZAKI VS. HORIGUCHI Shooto Rules, 132lb Division, 5x5 mins (Title Fight): © Koetsu Okazaki (10-1-1) vs Kyoji Horiguchi (9-0-0) Shooto Rules, 143lb Division, 3x5 mins: Caol "Uno Shoten" Uno (26-15-5) vs Tenkei "Fujimiya" Oda (10-5-2 1NC) Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 3x5 mins: Alejandro Solano Rodriguez (13-6-0) vs KJ Noons (11-6-0) Shooto Rules, 143lb Division, 3x5 mins: "Little Evil" Jens Pulver (25-17-1) vs Kazuhisa "Prince Danger" Watanabe (0-2-0) Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 3x5 mins: Yoon "Shin Ramen" Young Kim (12-5-0) vs Wendell "Negao" Oliveira (16-6-0) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Jeremy "Gumby" Horn (89-21-5) vs Goran Reljic (8-4-0)( Shooto Rules, 168lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): "The Leech" Jing Liang Li (6-1-0) vs "Buffalo" Yoshitaro Niimi (9-7-2) Shooto Rules, 183lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Daijiro Matsui (12-25-5) vs Ichihiro Kanai (11-15-3) Shooto Rules, 154lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Hacran Dias (21-1-1) vs Kota "Harato" Shimoishi (6-1-0)( Shooto Rules, 132lb Division, 3x5 mins (Prelim): Aljamain Sterling (7-1-0) vs Haruo Ochi (8-2-1) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 The first bout is set take place. ROC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling against Haruo Ochi. Ochi spends much of the first and second round dictating the pace of the fight with his stand up, shooting for takedowns from the outside, and attempting tosses and trips from the clinch. He is unsuccessful, but he is the more active fighter and has done more in the fight so far. Sterling lands a big counter punch that rocks Ochi in the beginning of the third round, but Ochi is able to slip the next few strikes and recovers. Sterling stuffs takedowns and takes advantage of a tired Ochi, landing his jab throughout the rest of the fight. All judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of a split decision for Haruo Ochi. Many feel Sterling has been robbed, and begin to boo. Fight rating: Average The next fight begins, a Shooto welterweight bout between Hacran Dias and Kota Shimoishi. Dias spends the first round out striking Shimoishi, slipping punches and countering with his jab. From the clinch against the ropes, he is able to wrestle Shimoishi to the ground with ease, and begins landing punches. He attempts to move to side control, but the round ends. The next round sees Dias continuing to land with his punches, but Shimoishi is able to defend the takedowns, and is very elusive. He's still losing, however, as he has not mounted nearly any offense within this fight. Dias wastes no time in the third round, taking Shimoishi to the mat. There, he is able to work his high level jiu jitsu, and transitions to side control. Dias attempts an armbar, but Shimoishi defends well. However, Dias is able to get the back from the scramble after the failed submission, and locks in a perfect rear naked choke. Shimoishi is forced to tap. The winner by submission due to a RNC, Hacran Dias. Fight rating: Great Moving on, Daijiro Matsui is set to take on Pancrase veteran Ichiro Kanai. The first round is spent with both fighters being a bit timid, landing weak strikes. Kanai seems to be the better stand up fighter of the two, as he is able to defend the takedowns of Matsui and land punches. Round two is a lot more active, as a persistent Matsui finally gets a takedown on the tired Kanai. Here, he easily moves to side mount and attempts an armbar. While it is tight, he is unable to get his opponent to tap. There is a scramble, and Matsui once again ends up on top, in half guard. He moves to side mount and goes for an arm triangle, but is yet again denied victory as Kanai survives the submission and the round ends. Kanai lands a big counter right hand in the beginning of the third round, but Matsui is able to regain his senses and the two fighters begin to wrestle against the ropes. Both men are worn ragged, and are breathing heavily. The round ends with neither doing much damage. All judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Ichiro Kanai. Fight rating: Good The third bout sees Chinese sanda specialist, Jing Liang Li take on muay thai fighter, Yashitaro Niimi. Both fighters try to land strikes, but neither land. They fall into the clinch, and Niimi attempts to slam Li. Fortunately, Li is able to escape and gets a takedown after a failed body kick from Niimi. Li isn't able to do much from this position, as they scramble and Niimi gets top position. Niimi goes forr an americana, but fails to submit Li. Numerous times Li tries to scramble back to top position, but Niimi is able to thwart him every time. In the second round, Li once again avoids a body kick and gets a takedown. Niimi is able to scramble and get side mount, but only for a moment as Li is able to sweep him. Both fighters spend a decent amount of time fight for position, until the round ends. The third round doesn't consist of much other than timid strikes and failed takedowns. All judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Jing Liang Li. Fight rating: Average In the last of the preliminaries we see the MMA's most notable journeyman, Jeremy Horn take on UFC vet, Goran Reljic. The first round is spent with both fighters landing strikes, but nothing too dangerous. Reljic is the better kickboxer, but Horn has the reach advantage. In the second round, Horn is able to score the takedown, where he easily make his way to mount. From there, he goes for a picture perfect armbar, and the Croatia native is forced to tap. The winner by submission due to an armbar, Jeremy Horn. Fight rating: Decent On to the main card, Korean kickboxer, Yoon Young Kim takes on muay thai wrecking machine, Wendell Oliveira. Oliveira is coming off of a big win over Reagan Penn in his last outing, crippling the legs of the BJJ black belt with his muay thai. Surprisingly, Kim is able to dictate the stand up early on, landing good kicks and punches from the outside with his reach advantage over Oliveira. They grapple for a short period, but break after a stalemate. At one point, the lanky Kim is able to land a barrage of punches that puts Oliveira down. Kim attempts to capitalize on this, but Oliveira makes his way back to his feet. He gets Kim into the muay thai clinch, but the round ends before any damage could be done. Coming into the next round, Oliveira looks determined to end it quick, as he realizes that his opponent is a much better striker than he had thought. This round sees Oliveira controlling the stand up very well, using an aggressive style and pushing the pace to keep Kim on his toes. Finally, after somewhat of a stalemate between both fighters, Oliveira slips a punch and lands with one of his one, completely knocking out Yoon Young Kim. The winner by knockout (punch), Wendell Oliveira. Fight rating: Fantastic The next bout looks to be an exciting one, as the former UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver takes on the explosive boxing stylist in Kazuhisa Watanabe. While Watanabe's record is winless with two losses, he is a former pro boxer with heavy hands and a fast paced style, but Pulver is no slouch in the stand up either. Pulver may look to take the fight to the ground, were Watanabe is most vulnerable. As predicted, Pulver shoots in for a takedown after a few moments of timid striking, and is able to get side control nearly instantly. He goes for an armbar, but surprisingly Watanabe is able to pull his arm out of the submission before it was too late. Pulver, once again, goes for the armbar from side control. Watanabe is not so lucky the second time around, tapping out as his arm is nearly hyper extended. The winner by submission due to an armbar, Jens Pulver. The next bout is about to begin, featuring two strikers. Costa Rican muay thai fighter, Alejandro Solano Rodriguez and former EliteXC lightweight champion, KJ Noons. Noons is coming off a two fight losing streak, with his biggest loss coming at the hands of Andre Winner, due to a spinning back elbow. He hopes to regain his status as a top fighter with this win, and get into title contention for the Shooto welterweight belt. In a rather boring fight, both fighters seem to be afraid to commit to anything, lazily shooting in for takedowns from the outside and landing barely anything significant. Noons is able to rock Rodriguez with a counter right in the second round, but is not able to capitalize on it. The judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of a split decision for KJ Noons. While he did win the fight, his performance was weak. He will have to win more fights in better fashion to boost himself up the rankings. The co-main event is set to start now. Long time vet, Caol Uno takes on knockout specialist, Tenkei Oda. Oda immediately rocks Uno with a right hand, sending him to the ground. Oda is able to mount Uno and land punches, but Uno toughs it out and is able to buck Oda off and get top position. He is able to get to side control, but uses this position to recover for the rest of the round. Both fighters come out aggressive, Oda countering a big flurry of knockout punches and lands a huge right hand that knocks Caol Uno out cold! In somewhat of an upset, the winner by knockout (punch), Tenkei Oda. It is now time for the main event. Top prospect and the winner of the 2012 Shooto Rookie Tournament, Kyoji Horiguchi hopes to win the title from the reigning featherweight champion, Koetsu Okazaki. Horiguchi is a budding prospect, but showed he was a finisher in the tournament, ending two of his three fights by knockout. He possesses very fast hands and has incredible knockout power for his size, and also has great takedown defense. But, he faces one of the best in the world against Okazaki. Okazaki is known for his high level conditioning, explosive takedowns and iron chin. Both fighters are timid in the beginning, feeling each other out. Okazaki is unable to score the takedown until the end of the round. The second round sees more action, as Horiguchi drops Okazaki with a right hook! He cannot capitalize as Okazaki regains his senses, but both fighters begin to battle on the ground for position until the end of the round. Horiguchi comes out in the third, looking determined. He lands another big combination, dropping Okazaki again! He dives in, landing numerous hammer punches to the face of the champion. Okazaki wants to recover, but he can't! The referee pulls Horiguchi off! The winner by TKO (punches) and the new Shooto Featherweight Champion, Kyoji Horiguchi. (I'm too tired to list the fights again, so here is just the "of the night" awards) FOTN - Wendell Oliveira def. Yoon Young Kim (KO) SOTN - Jens Pulver KOTN - Kyoji Horiguchi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefireballkid93 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 (Huge update! I haven't updated this in a while, so I will give a nice little recap of all the great things that have happened recently!) The biggest news in recent months for the Shooto brand has to be their newly reinstated heavyweight division (86kg-136kg/190lb-300lb). The promotion had a heavyweight grand prix to decide their champion, and UFC veteran Andrei Arlovski came out on top as the first Shooto heavyweight champion since 1997. Other news includes the new champions in each division. Shooto Bantamweight (123lb) Champion Name: Yuki Shojo (14-6-2-) Ranking: #16 P4P, #2 Flyweight Defenses: 1 Last Fight: Submission victory over Rambaa Somdet Info: One of the most methodical fighters in MMA, Yuki Shojo's Jon Fitch-like style has earned him just as many critics as it has fans over the years. Known for his cardio, speed and ground skills, Shojo has spent most of his career under the radar until his decision victory over flyweight staple, Mamoru Yamaguchi. From there, he defeated Tachi Palace Fights veteran Jussier da Silva to win the vacant Shooto bantamweight title. Recently, Shojo submitted high ranked flyweight, Rambaa Somdet, thus defending his title for the first time. Rumors that he will face Jussier da Silva in a rematch have been spreading through the MMA scene, but are unconfirmed. Shooto Featherweight (132lb) Champion Name: Kyoji Horiguchi (10-0-0) Ranking: #12 Bantamweight Defenses: 1 Last Fight: TKO victory over Koetsu Okazaki Info: A true finisher, 8 of his 10 victories have come by T/KO, knocking out the heavily favored former champion Koetsu Okazaki in the 3rd round to win the Shooto featherweight strap. No fighter from Japan has looked this good since Takanori Gomi, and with 8 knockouts, he is shaping up to be the next Gomi. From rising prospect to top ranked fighter, Horiguchi will be tested in his first title defense against UFC vet, TJ Dillashaw. Shooto Lightweight (143lb) Champion Name: Takeshi Inoue (24-5-0) Ranking: #4 Featherweight Defenses: 1 Last Fight: Submission victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri (DREAM 19) Info: The 3 time Shooto lightweight champion, Inoue is currently riding a 6 fight win streak, with his most recent two both coming by 3rd round guillotine chokes. His 3rd time to win the lightweight strap in Shooto, he submitted the heavy handed wrestler in Issei Tamura to once again show his dominance within the featherweight division. Most recently, he won the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix by submitting Tatsuya Kawajiri. He is set to defend his title for the first time against kick boxing stylist, Akiyo Nishiura at Shooto: Horiguchi vs. Dillashaw. Shooto Welterweight (154lb) Champion Name: Shinya Aoki (32-5-1) Ranking: #10 P4P, #2 Lightweight Defenses: 2 Last Fight: Submission victory over Hacran Dias Info: One of the most prolific submission artists in MMA, jiu jitsu ace Shinya Aoki has once against captured a title; this time in the Shooto welterweight division. Winning the title in epic fashion, he TKOed rival Mizuto Hirota in the 1st round to win the welterweight title. Since then, he has defended his title against UFC vet Kurt Pellegrino and high level prospect Hacran Dias, both by submission. There hasn't been much talk about who his next opponent will be, but challengers include Eiji Mitsuoka or even a possible rematch with Kurt Pellegrino. Shooto Middleweight (168lb) Champion Name: Lyman Good (13-2-0) Ranking: #17 Welterweight Defenses: 0 Last Fight: KO victory over Ryo Chonan Info: The former Bellator welterweight champion, Lyman Good rose to prominence as a high level striker with good cardio. Good made a lackluster entrance into the organization, winning a boring decision over a relatively unknown fighter in Shamil Zavurov. Originally set to fight for the middleweight title against Marius Zaromskis on the same card, he was forced down to the undercard when Zaromskis could not fight. Many fans pegged Good as a boring fighter after this fight, but would redeem himself by knocking out Ryo Chonan for the middleweight title in the first round. Good hopes to defend his title sooner than later, most likely against the aforementioned Zaromskis later this year. Shooto Light Heavyweight (183lb) Champion Name: Hector Lombard (34-3-1 1NC) Ranking: #14 Middleweight Defenses: 2 Last Fight: Submission victory over Jeremy Horn Info: Known for his incredibly long winning streak, Hector Lombard has had some ups and downs as of late. He won the Shooto light heavyweight title against TPF middleweight champ, David Loiseau, with a first round TKO earlier in the year. Since then, he defended his title in a fight of the year candidate against Jorge Santiago, knocking him out cold in the 5th round in a fight he was obviously losing. The best of times did not last long, however, as he was knocked in merely 26 seconds within the Bellator promotion, losing his middleweight title in a rematch against Alexander Shlemenko. A victim of possibly the biggest upset of the year, Lombard looked to rebound from the biggest loss of his career, doing so with a 5th round submission against journeyman Jeremy Horn. Lombard will most likely face Gegard Mousasi sometime later this year. Shooto Heavyweight (190-300lb) Champion Name: Andrei Arlovski (20-9-0) Ranking: #12 Heavyweight Defenses: 0 Last Fight: TKO victory over Pedro Rizzo Info: A year ago, it would have seemed Arlovski's best days within MMA were over. Riding a 4 fight losing streak, with 3 of them coming by knockout in the 1st round. Fast forward to the present, Arlovski is now riding a 3 fight win streak, 2 of those by knockout! Arlovski recently won the Shooto heavyweight title, the first to do so since the Enson Inoue won the title (and subsequently vacate) it in 1997. Winning it in a 1 night tournament, Arlovski defeated Tom Murphy, Enson Inoue and Finally Pedro Rizzo to once again become a champion. He will face Sokoudjou sometime later in the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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