Issue 057
November 2010
With so many events taking place around the world it’s impossible to feature them all, but here is our selection of outstanding moments from recent action.
Biggest Weight Cut
Kazuyuki Miyata, Dream 11
Miyata, making the drop to 145lb for the first time, looked like a geriatric bodybuilder with his see-through abs, sinewy muscle and deep, deep tan. Always a huge lightweight, he must have literally dropped down to 1 – 2% body fat for the fight with Daiki ‘DJ Taiki’ Hata. Was it healthy? No chance. Was it effective? Undeniably so.
Most Accurate Ground ‘n Pound
Tatsuya Kawajiri, Dream 11
Kawajiri’s nickname of ‘Crusher’ comes from his highly effective ground ‘n pound. His fight with Guam-based fighter Melchor Manibusan was a perfect example of his strengths, as Kawajiri mounted Manibusan and landed a barrage of shots from any number of angles. The Japanese fighter’s accuracy in landing shots to a downed fighter is astounding.
Best Grappling Display
Shinya Aoki, Dream 11
Jiu-jitsu virtuoso Aoki doesn’t try to hide what he’s good at. The whole MMA world knows him as one of the most creative, unorthodox and effective submission grapplers around. In what was their third meeting, Aoki and the ultra-aggressive Norwegian Joachim Hansen spent almost 15 minutes grappling on the mat until the Japanese jiu-jitsu ace managed to pull off an audacious armbar with only four seconds left in the fight.
What was the point?
Sakuraba vs Rubin Williams, Dream 11
Aging legend Sakuraba should have retired two or three years ago. ‘The Gracie Hunter’ is a mere shadow of his former arm-locking, head-kicking self, but he’s still massively popular with the Japanese public. As such, they want to see him fight, but finding opponents who won’t trouble the broken-down 40-year-old too much is proving tricky, hence making a fight with the likes of Rubin Williams, a former professional boxer who had never had an MMA fight in his life. Why oh why?
Best Featherweight Fight
Hiroyuki Takaya vs Hideo Tokoro, Dream 11
It is fights like this that you need to show people who aren’t convinced featherweight fighters are as entertaining as the bigger guys. Takaya and Tokoro (both young, yet veterans of the Japanese scene) fought at a frantic pace for the opening ten-minute round, with Tokoro desperate to take Takaya down and avoid the stocky fighter’s powerful punches. Tokoro actually scored well with a knockdown late in the first, but was saved by the bell after Takaya bounced his head off the canvas with some terrific shots. Thirty-two seconds into the second round and Takaya ended it, sealing an already outstanding fight in dramatic style.
Most Merciless Beatdown
Bob Sapp vs Sokoudjou, Dream 11
Former international-level judo competitor Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou is a bad man. Though he had a couple of poor showings in the UFC, he showed he’s still got that killer instinct in his merciless first-round beatdown of poor old Bob Sapp.
Most Heated Encounter
Bibiano Fernandes vs Joe Warren, Dream 11
Joe Warren looked hella-psyched for this, and seemed like he was ready to punch the guy who checked him for Vaseline on his way to the ring! Bibiano Fernandes looked the epitome of Brazilian-cool, but when Warren got a bodylock and slammed Fernandes to the guard, dropping a headbutt as he did so, Fernandes then proceeded to tear Warren’s arm off. Warren protested the ‘tap’, while Fernandes stormed out of the ring, shouting at Warren for the headbutt. Warren left cursing and kicking anything in his way. Not bad for a fight that lasted all of 42 seconds.
Best Entrance
Sakuraba, DREAM 11
Dream’s production values have always been good, but they really pulled out the stops at their latest event; ‘floating’ computer graphics that looked like they were actually there in the arena are one thing (we’ve seen those before) but when Saku walked to the ring, stopped on the walkway and punched a ‘hole’ in the screen, we almost fell off our chair. Creative, wacky and unexpected – just like Sakuraba in his heyday.
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