Issue 166
April 2018
Dynamite!! 2008 – December 31st, 2008. There’s no MMA variety show like a Japanese year-end spectacular
Ever since Antonio Inoki started to organize his ‘Bom-Ba-Ye’ events at the end of the year, New Year’s Eve became the night that Japanese promoters save their most spectacular shows of the calendar.
It was no different in 2008, but by this time, MMA was in decline in the Land of the Rising Sun. That meant some weird and wonderful matchmaking to make sure co-promoters K-1 and Dream could still put plenty of butts on seats at Saitama Super Arena and draw plenty of eyeballs on TV…
BLITZ
No K-1 heavyweight managed to crack Mark Hunt's chin in nine years of kickboxing bouts, but Melvin Manhoef, – a middleweight coming in on a day's notice – took just 18 seconds to put him on ice with power punches. Wow!
CLEANING UP
Kazushi Sakuraba and Kyoshi Tamura should have fought each other years before. Both icons of Japanese MMA burst onto the scene in the late ’90s and fought in Pride at the same time, but it took until they were both 39 to face off.
It ended up being Tamura’s last fight, which he won, no doubt because Sakuraba’s body was falling apart after years of taking punishment.
HITTING GREAT HEIGHTS
Mirko Cro Cop was due a break. His last fight in Japan ended after Alistair Overeem kneed his family jewels into oblivion.
After three months icing his junk, Hong Man Choi stood in front of him for a night of easy work. He may have been big at 7’2”, but he was slow.
The Croatian couldn’t reach his head, so he kicked him in the leg until he fell.
THE REAL DEAL
For hardcore fight fans, Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki was the ‘real’ main event. It was the number two and four lightweights in the world at the time, who should have fought in the final of the Dream grand prix that year before injury struck.
Big things were expected, but Aoki ended things via heel hook in 1:32.
BEAST MODE
Brace yourself for some serious freakshow matchmaking. Bob Sapp vs. ‘Kinniku Mantaro’, aka amateur wrestler Akihito Tanaka dressed up as a manga character.
His mask and 90lb weight disadvantage meant even he couldn’t overcome ‘The Beast’ who prevailed by TKO after some of the strangest few minutes in MMA – even by Japanese standards.
ALSO HAVING A HAPPY NEW YEAR
- Badr Hari called all MMA fighters p**sies, so Alistair Overeem defended the sport’s honor by knocking him out in K-1 rules.
- Gegard Mousasi fought kickboxing fan favorite, Musashi. See what they did there? He also won by KO in a K-1 fight.
- Inappropriate booking at its finest for 33-8-2 Hayato Sakurai, who whupped on 2-5-1 pro wrestler Katsuyori Shibata.
