10-25 Dream report from Osaka

10-25 Dream report from Osaka
By Crimson Mask

Olympia DREAM 12 THE CAGE OF THE RISING SUN, Castle Hall, Osaka, Japan, 10/25/2009

This will be the first major Japanese MMA card in a cage instead of a ring. The cage is white (this is being stressed like there's some symbolic meaning to it, 6 sided ('the Hexagon'?), and in place of chain link the mesh is constructed of fishing net. The card, which has been plagued by injuries and other causes for last minute booking, lines up as another schizo DREAM offering featuring everything from rasslers to mismatches to potentially great fights.

Okay here's the opening video. There's a Star of David. In a circle. I guess that's a hexagram. It's the motif here. All the captions appear in it. This is very... Jewish. The inside plane of the hexagram is the the Hexagon.

Well here's the opening ceremony. Whoa this is cool. They like undrape the thing. It's... white. It's... hexagonal. Here's the fighters. It LOOKS like chain link. Apparently about the same gauge and spacing.

Here's another change: the fights will be 3 rounds X 5 minutes, not 1 X 10 + 1 X 5. The scoring will still be whole fight rather than round by round or any points system.

KEISUKE FUJIWARA (138.2) vs. TOMOYA MIYASHITA (138.6)

Haven't seen these guys, both up from the Japanese minor leagues. Mayashita shows some sick Guillotines on the video. Fujiwara is jacked for a little guy and apparently a power striker and wears in a lion head mask Vader would have been proud of. Mayashita taller.

Both lefty. Mayashita shoots. NS. After the choke already. HG. FG. Mayashita passes to side. Fujiwara regains HG. Mayashita tries to pass, gets NS, both on knees. Misses a choke and falls into HG against the cage. Fujiwara throws up a Triangle, nada. NS. Mayashita knees the head. Rides. Stands. Fuji upkicks. Mayashita passes to side. NS. Stands, eats upkick. NS. Knees. Takes back. passes to side. Grabs choke and knees the head. Mayashita is way ahead so far.

Mayashita shoots right away and TD into FG. Fuji goes for Omaplata and Mayashita rolls out and back into HG. Passes to side. Stacks Fuji against the cage and pounds. HG. Mount. Side. FG. Side. Drops an elbow. Fuji knees the head. NS. Almost gets the choke. Kneeling side and knees. Ride. Scramble back to side. Knees. Fuji gets a leg high and punches from the bottom. Mayashita still way ahead.

Fuji goes righty but gets TDed anyway. FG. Slammed out of a triangle try. Side. NS. Knees. HG. This is getting to the lather repeat zone here. Fuji knees from the bottom and tries an arm bar. Tries a triangle. Punching away at the trapped head. Arm in is in the way. He stays on it. Mayashita pulls out and passes to side. Fuji knees away. Mayashita drops his own and some hammerfists. Fujiwara came on but I think not enough.

Decision... Miyashita... UD.

So far the Hexagon works fine. Nice and open, lots of room. No rope breaks. No resets. Doesn't have the confined look and feeling of the Octagon.

KUNIYOSHI HIRONAKA (154) vs. WON SIK PARK (154)

Hard punching UFC vet Hironaka vs. streaking Korean prospect (who I haven't seen) and who is apparently billed 'Parky', and a TKD guy, up next.

Park taller. Very rigid looking. Hironaka shaking and baking, lands a 2-1-2. Shoots, nada. Park jabs. Loosening up. Hironaka jabs, low kick. Park LK checked. Eats one. And a jab. Another stuffed shot. Hironaka LK checked. Park LK, eats a jab. Eats a right and rocks Hironaka with a combo. Stuffs another shot and knees the body. Landing at long range now. LK. Jab jab. Eats a right. Park a little ahead.

WTF? Park's corner throws in the towel at the start of round 2. They say he can't see out of his left eye from a right hand by Hironaka.

CHASE BEEBE (138.6) vs. YOSHIRO MAEDA (138.2)

Two nearly-top fighters both coming off pretty bad runs. Tossup and potentIal killer fight. Both started downhill with losses to Miguel Torres. Beebe lost the WEC title to him then 3 more straight losses, the last such a ripoff it's been changed to a NC. Maeda about .500 since. LOL 'Chaysee Beebee'. Size very close.

Maeda lefty. Opens aggressive and accurate. Mixing it up. Beebe shoots, nada. Maeda getting fancy, drops his hands. Beebe takes him down. HG by the fence. Maeda scrambles up and takes some pounding from clinch. Opens up from long range. Beebe SBK try. Maeda catches a kick and TDs, ends up on top in FG. Beebe banging away from the bottom. Maeda stands out, passes to side, takes back and sinks the RNC. Great win for Maeda and he cuts his promo perched on the cage. Comes down and finishes it in the ring. Wants Bibiano Fernandez for the title next year.

TAREC SAFFIEDINE (182.6) vs. YOON DONG SIK (184.4)

Saffiedine, late sub for Filho who is either AWOL or having 'visa problems', was impressive at DREAM 10. Yoon maybe the world's best 4-7 fighter, on top of being matched tough just isn't getting any breaks and may be slowing down at 37 after a very late start in MMA. I think Saffiedine is too quick. He says he's gonna sub Yoon with his own move which I guess means the arm bar. Team Quest member but a kickboxer out of Holland who has most wins by sub so has a lot going. Sizes very close. Yoon's leg all taped up.

Tarec goes in and out, LKs. Yoon shoots but Tarec controls his head and takes him down into side. Knee on belly, nada. Guard. Stands out. LK. Yoon up. Both looking sharp. Tarec 2-1. Switches. Yoon charges, shoots, on a single. Nada. Drops it. Clinch. Yoon knees the leg. Tarec knees the head. Yoon drops to the leg, nada. Tries a throw and Tarec takes his back. Yoon spins. Great clinch fighting here. Tarec knees the body. Head. Head. Ref break. Somebody warned for holding the mesh. Tarec right lead. HK misses. Tarec ahead. Yoon blowing hard in the corner.

Tarec switching, moving in and out and landing. Clinch. Yoon knee goes foul, no TO. Tarec LK. Left hook lead. Yoon drops, gets a leg and the TD into HG. Tarec grabs Kimura, loses it. Tarec arm scissors and Yoon hammers with the free hand. Tarec rolls for a foot. Nada. Scramble. Yoon gets back. Still HG. Loses back. Gets it back. Neck crank. Loses it. Gets it back. Cross face really. Tarec slips it again. Yoon pounds. Tarec survives. Yoon makes up lost ground and is probably ahead.

Tarec on his bike early. LK. Starts moving in. LK again. Yoon jabs. Misses a right and Tarec almost takes his back. Yoon shoots, nada, eats a right lead. Lands one. Eats a low kick. Jab. Jab. TO. Yellow card to both. Why? Tarec was landing. Tarec combo. HK. Jab. Jab LK. Body jab. Right lead. Jab upper LK jab. 1-2. Yoon shoots, nada, takes LK lying on his back, and is up. Tarec letting his hands go. Yoon shoots, nada. Again and nada. Tarec taking it away. 1-2, three times. Yoon shoots, Tarec walks out. 1-2 again. Clinch. Tarec pulls guard, stands out. Lands both hands. He took the fight away.

Judges... Tarec... Yoon... Yoon. BULL SHIT. Worst decision of the night, globally, which is saying something.

TOKIMITSU (Kendo Ka Shin) ISHIZAWA (183.3) vs. KATSUYORI SHIBATA (183.3)

Both pro wrestlers. Shibata has been crossed over fully to MMA and been active and although almost always overmatched, improving and upset Minowa last time out. Ka Shin has not had an MMA fight in years. Shibata wins easy IMO. The music for the video is 'White Room'. Always good to hear. Rasslin clips. NJ logo. Inoki. Ka Shin wears his mask on his promos on the vid. Wore it at the weigh in. Doesn't wear it into the ring. His entrance is pretty high tech, here. So is Shibata's and his music is cooler. And he's training with Saku now.

Ka Shin jabs some. Shibata rocks him with two rights as he comes in. Clinch and kneeing the body. Body shot flash KD. Ka Shin shoots, nada. Lands a 1-2. Shibata switches, lands a left as Ka Shin comes in. Ka Shin trying a TD, nada. Shibata clinches and knees and pounds. Ka Shin fights out. Lands a right. Eats a jab. Both landing. Clinch. Shibata knees body body head. Jabs. Ka Shin has bloodied Shibata's nose. Shibata does damage from clinch. He drops Ka Shin with a left upper and pounces and pounds and it's over.

Intermission. So far I say the cage is a total success.

ZELG GALESIC (187) vs. KAZUSHI SAKURABA (184.8)

Zelg was supposed to fight Manhoef, but he got hurt, and Saku steps in 3 weeks after his easy win at DREAM 11, but Zelg is not a never was boxer making his MMA debut. Saku's in for a bad night.
Really good career retrospec vid on Saku. Zelg has been out for a year after Jacare cranked his arm in the MW GP and may be rusty, though. Actually enters to *shudder* 'Ice Ice Baby'. Saku got a new mask. Zelg looks twice his size.

Saku lefty. Both open cautious. Saku shoots and gets an ankle pic TD. Has a leg but Zelg has his back. Zelg turns it around to Brock position and pounds the shit out of Saku. If it was anybody else it would be stopped but they let it go and Saku hangs on to the leg and rolls to knee bar and gets the tap. Looks like somebody beat his face in with a hammer and says Zelg hit him so hard the noise hurt his ears and he doubts he could win a rematch. Zelg may be right back on the injured list.

MARIUS ZAROMSKIS (167.2) vs. MYEON HO BAE (166.8)

Zaromskis flying after knocking off Mach and the highlight reel head kick KO on Jason High at DREAM 10 to win the welterweight GP and title. Hits like a mule, kicks like a mule, pulls Ed Carpentier moves. Bae who I have not seen figures as no more than an opponent in what I assume is a nontitle match. Vid shows Bae with some varied skills. He walks in like he just don't care which could be dangerous, one way or the other. Marius in to the 'Final Countdown' like he can't wait to kill the guy. Bae a little taller.

Marius lefty. Tears out of his corner with a flying knee. Bae nails him midair with a left and fights him off and throws a HK. Marius throws one back and it's over. 19 seconds.

EDDIE ALVAREZ (153.6) vs. KATSUNORI KIKUNO (154.0)

Bellator champion Alvarez vs. DEEP champion Kikuno in what stacks up as probable fight of the night. Alvarez is Rocky Balboa from Philly with more skills, and Kikuno is a Karate stylist in the Machida mold. Alvarez has taken the much bigger scalps and has to be heavily favored going in but Kikuno is a very live underdog and the styles may favor him. Great video. Both guys are human highlight reels. This sort of shapes a lot like Machida-Shogun with a lot less chance Alvarez can or even will try to curb his aggressiveness. Size looks identical.

Eddie feints, shoots. Nada. Kikuno catches his head in a neck crank. Drives forward, tries to get a knee up to the head. Eddie grabbing the cage in desperation, warned. Kikuno lands a knee. Eddie pops free. Clinches, nada. Eddie lands a right, catches a kick, shoots, nada. Lands punches, LK, shoots, nada. Punchout. Clinch. Eddie 2-1. Walks into a right. Clinch. Eddie right lead, shoots. Again nada. He should stop shooting. Right lead. Eats a body a kick, Kikuno slips, right up. Lands a liver shot at the bell. Kikuno is ahead.

Kikuno landing body kicks. Eddie flash KD. Clinch. Eddie jab, eats body kick, evades spin kick and HK and finally gets a TD. Eddie grabs Guillotine and pulls Guard, but the choke is too high. Kikuno out and up. Eddie landing to the body. Slips on a TD try. Eddie burning a lot of energy. Shoots a TD into HG and now Kikuno has a too high Guillotine. Eddie passes and grabs the Arm Triangle and shifts to the side and Kikuno taps.

Great fight and once again Eddie is in one of the best fights of the year and gets his 4th straight sub win. Kikuno proves he belongs.

ALISTAIR OVEREEM (253) vs. JAMES THOMPSON (277)

Alistair coming off the K-1 win over Aerts a few weeks ago and the squash MMA win at the Golden Glory card last week, and with the K-1 finals coming up and also booked for NYE, is obviously trying to fight his way back into shape after the layoff and I guess JT was the only available last minute opponent as this fight was just finalized a couple days ago, but fuck, this is a horrible mismatch and an upset if Thompson lasts 60 seconds. JT sporting C cups at least and dances to Overeem's music, which is never a good sign. Alistair just looks carved out of stone.

Will JT charge at the bell? Of course. Alistair evades, smacks JT with a right. Alistair jump knee, tops the top of the cage for vertical height. JT shoots behind a sort of a hook. Walks right into a Standing Guillotine. 33 seconds. Second fight in a row Alistair's won with that.

Okay so, anyway, the Hexagon is an unarguable success and the card was entertaining, and I think end of the day I like the 3X5 better than the long round and the short round.