DREAM 7 recap

DREAM 7 recap
By Crimson Mask

Show will air on HDnet on the 14th.

Show opens with an amazing Helio Gracie tribute. Japanese production is full title boogie tonight.

Bibiano Fernandez dominates Takafumi Otsuka standing and on the mat for a sorta dull UD (featherweight tourney fight).

Ex WEC champ Chase Beebe looks like refried freeze dried shit and failed to answer the bell for the 2nd round against Team Quest's debuting Joe Warren who muscles him around easily and busts him up in an all-US matchup (featherweight tourney fight).

KotC champ Abel Cullum shows some of everything as his aggressive, well rounded attack is too much for the much taller and harder hitting Akiro Nishiura and he takes the UD in a very very good fight (featherweight tourney fight).

Mitsuhiro Ishida tries to bounce back from the upset loss to Caol Uno in the DREAM lightweight tourney against the streaking veteran Daisuke Nakamura in what shapes up as a killer grappling matchup. This fight is at lightweight and not part of the tourney. Ishida dominates with aggressive power wrestling and G&P especially knees to take the UD but Nakamura never stops threatening with submissions in a very interesting technical fight.

In another non tourney fight at welterweight, journeyman David Gardner is fed to Shinya Aoki, with the predictable result via RNC in the 1st, or maybe via Dumbass would be more accurate. Gardner actually defends the choke for several minutes and actually escapes back mount, Aoki gets back again, Gardner gets all 'happy' and waves at the audience which gives Aoki the opening to sink the choke. Idiot.

After the intermission, Tatsuya Kawajiri follows up his tremendous if losing effort in the lightweight tourney (and amazing NYE kickboxing upset win) vs. journeyman BJ Penn trainee Ross Ebanez who gee whatta shock fails to make weight and starts the fight with a yellow card. Gotta love that Team BJ work ethic. Kawajiri dispatches him in short order with the Body Triangle/RNC and I believe calls out JZ on his promo.

Back to the feather tourney, Yoshihiro Maeda who gave Miguel Torres such a great fight last year in WEC goes vs. ATT prospect Micah Miller. The much taller Miller in long tights. Fighters tumble through the ropes about a minute in, no harm. Intriguing and very close 1st as Maeda dominates the standup and scores TDs but once it's on the ground Miller's Rubber Guard work actually makes him the aggressor from the bottom a large % of the time. Second is even closer if anything as Miller does a little better standing and Maeda does a little better on the mat although Miller is threatening at the bell. VERY close, very good fight. Maeda takes the UD.

Continuing the tourney, journeyman Hiroyuki Takaya faces debuting Korean Olympic Judoka Kim Jung Won. Kim's left shoulder is heavily taped and he's not jabbing and seems to be fighting hurt. I think he's warned for inaction. Nobody even trying to grapple. Where do they think they are, UFC? Kim finally catches a kick and gets a TD. Can't budge Takaya from a sitting position though. Not much happening here. Ref break. Takaya wings in an occasional thigh kick which is probably enough to be winning the fight so far. Kim gets another TD but can't do anything with it and Takaya is right up and wings away some more. This isn't very good. Both throw rights a little into the 2nd and Takaya's lands and it's over.

Tourney continues with the official main event of Team Kid's Atsushi Yamamoto vs. Team Aoki's Masakatsu Imawari in what figures as a very even matchup. Lotta posing early. Imawari keeps his chin up in the air and Yamamoto promptly drops him with a straight right but Imawari is already working for a sub by the time Yamamoto follows him down and it ends up in rubber guard. Nobody making progress and the ref could break 'em and does. No. Center reset is all. Imawari active from the bottom. Ref break. Yellow card to Yamamoto for Lay And Pray. Scores another flash KD. Imawari posing. Yamamoto low kicks. Imawari throws an ax kick in the general direction of Mars. Yamamoto low kicks. Imawari side kicks and pulls sorta baseball slide guard. Omaplata. Yamamoto escapes but it was close. Imawari has side mount. Setting up another Omaplata. Yamamoto escapes into his guard and thmps punches. Imawari sets up the Omaplata yet again just before the bell. Sorta hard to score but I would say Imawari is ahead. Imawari keeps trying to pull guard. Throws a weird feint, follows it with a wide right, falls in behind it, shoots, and just pulls back to guard. They toss some marshmallows at each other and now Imawari gets the yellow card. Trade low kicks and Imawari pulls guard. Lather rinse repeat. Very hard to score. Second round was basically nothing. Guess that leaves Imawari slightly ahead. Two of the judges agree and he wins split. This was a lousy fight.

Mixed bag overall, and the two last fights being the worst of the night didn't help, although forced to note there were more sub attempts in almost any single round of this card than there were on the whole UFC card.