Yarrenoka!

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Okay, so if this main event proves out it's going to suck but the rest of the card is tits. BUSHIDO lives on.

 

Main Event

 

Fedor Emilianenko vs Hong Man Choi (Confirmed under MMA rules, not K1)

 

Murilo Bustmante vs Makoto Taikimoto

Luiz Azerdo vs Tatusya Kawijiri

Gilbert Melendez vs Mitsuhiro Ishida

J.Z Cavalcante vs Shinya Aoki

Hayato Mach Sakurai vs Hidehiko Hasegawa

Kazuo Misaki vs Yoshihiro Akiyama

 

Arona was rumored to be on this card but nothing has materialized so far.

 

I mean, yeah if Choi connects with a good shot the world might implode but fuck the rest is some goodness. JZ vs Aoki is for all intensive purposes the #1 LW in the world spot, Azeredo will hopefully bring some game skills to the table before likely getting smashed by 'Jiri, Melendez/Ishida will hopefully establish Gilbert as a Top Five LW in the world and anytime Sakurai fights I'm happy. Akiyama vs Misaki should be interesting because both guys have scratched the bottom of the MW elite and if Akiyama beats Misaki that would be a good year for him on top of the Kang victory. Oh, and Busta.

 

 

Closing out 2007 with the sexist chest hair in the game.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

It's not like I don't see the issue with Fedor and the claim to #1 but at the same time who else would we put in that spot?

 

Randy? Most likely. The Gonzaga/Sylvia victories are the only two wins over top five opponents a HW has posted back to back in a while. Cro-Cop flopped, Nog looked more mortal then he ever has against Herring, Arlovski isn't doing shit, Vera lost, Barnett is inactive and the rotating cast of perennial bottom guys like Monson, Aleks and Sergei are just that.

 

Just typing that made me pissed that EliteXC has locked up Bigfoot because he'd be a test for any one of those guys at the moment.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Sapp vs. Ologun is on Dynamite!, not Yarrenoka. Minowa/Zulu, Hansen/Kazuyuki Miyata, and Nishijima/Manhoef are also on the card.

 

I think what makes this confusing is that FEG has loaned many fighters out to Yarrenoka, but are still putting on their own NYE show.

[Mik 0]

It's not like I don't see the issue with Fedor and the claim to #1 but at the same time who else would we put in that spot?

 

Randy? Most likely. The Gonzaga/Sylvia victories are the only two wins over top five opponents a HW has posted back to back in a while. Cro-Cop flopped, Nog looked more mortal then he ever has against Herring, Arlovski isn't doing shit, Vera lost, Barnett is inactive and the rotating cast of perennial bottom guys like Monson, Aleks and Sergei are just that.

 

Just typing that made me pissed that EliteXC has locked up Bigfoot because he'd be a test for any one of those guys at the moment.

 

Some people are still ranking Fedor #1 pound for pound, which just can't be justified at this point. Any other choice besides Anderson Silva is baffling to me, to be honest.

 

He's ranked #1 in the Fight Magazine rankings (Silva - I mean), but fiveouncesofpain, for one has Silva ranked 4 behind Randy, Fedor, and Rampage, which is silly.

 

I think if Fedor keeps fighting these type of fights he has to drop, right?

[AboveAverage484 0]

Oh yeah, Sakuraba vs. Funaki, KID/Rani Yahya, and Kharitonov/Mighty Mo are also on Dynamite!.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Editied original post as Fedor vs Choi is now official.

 

Goddamnit. I blame Josh Barnett for this one.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

The problem with the Heavyweight rankings, is you can't even realistically rank Randy #1. I *suppose* you could for right now, but Couture's doing exactly what Fedor's doing. If you apply the same logic that you have to be active and fighting the best, then Randy falls out of contention as well because he won't be any time soon.

 

Outside of Randy and Fedor, you're left with the freightening possibility of having to rank Tim Sylvia as the #1 heavyweight in the world. I, for one, refuse to do that. If Nogueria beats Sylvia for the title, I guess you could say him...but then you have to consider that Fedor beat Nogueria TWICE. And would again since neither man has drastically changed.

 

As for Fedor/Choi...I'm fine with it. It's a freakshow fight, that will draw in Japan, and likely be an easy fight for Fedor. I WOULD say that Choi has a shot...but lets face reality. Fedor beat Semmy Schilt. Semmy Schilt is five times the better fighter then Choi. This will either be a boring three round decision *due to Choi's size* or a one minute humbling.

 

I'm also fine with Fedor's fight with Pedro Rizzo next year too. Rizzo's not a top ten HW, but he's made a return and he's on a winning streak. It's a perfectly acceptable mid-level fight for Fedor in his weight class.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Outside of Randy and Fedor, you're left with the having to rank Tim Sylvia as the #1 heavyweight in the world.

 

THE KING IS BACK!

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Man, KOAB is lucky that I (or anyone else with a brain) isn't a MOD around here or else he'd be gone. There are certain things one can tolerate. Baiting other posters with fake Sylvia love isn't one of them.

 

BTW, you just got called out on your Timmy nuthuggery. Defend or be forever labeled a pussy.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Man, KOAB is lucky that I (or anyone else with a brain) isn't a MOD around here or else he'd be gone. There are certain things one can tolerate. Baiting other posters with fake Sylvia love isn't one of them.

 

BTW, you just got called out on your Timmy nuthuggery. Defend or be forever labeled a pussy.

 

Didn't you have Tim Sylvia in your sig last year?

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Wow. You really, really don't let shit over the internet go do you? Honestly, you've left a trail of ignorance through this forum involving you constantly bringing up whenever you were right about something. Take a fucking break.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

People, People.

 

I think we can ALL agree that Tim Sylvia sucks.

 

But he sucks in a facinating way that you almost have to appreciate it.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Man, KOAB is lucky that I (or anyone else with a brain) isn't a MOD around here or else he'd be gone. There are certain things one can tolerate. Baiting other posters with fake Sylvia love isn't one of them.

 

BTW, you just got called out on your Timmy nuthuggery. Defend or be forever labeled a pussy.

 

Tim Sylvia is a big fucking dolt.

 

I've said before that he has all the tools to be one of the most entertaining fighters in the Heavyweight division, but he fights a smart (pussy) style that makes it a chore to watch him. The level of hate he gets, and the way people make him seem like some guy who belongs in KOTC, or as some freakshow in Japan has sort of turned me into a fan of his. Combine the fact he only calls out guys he knows he can manipulate into fighting in his style and the general hatred of the man, I've become a fan. Nothing feels better than watching everyone who hates this giant lug pull out another boring decision by doing the least amount possible and laughing about it.

 

I used to hate Sylvia, but I've become a total fan. I still hope for the days of Tim Sylvia not dishing out the same combinations or pushing someone up against the fence, but with the way things are going, I don't see it happening until he's way past his prime.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

JZ/Aoki apparently OFF due to M1 being fucking stupid and promoting the show without even talking to JZ who's just coming off knee surgery.

 

FERFUCKSAKE.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

That doesn't fill me with hope about this promotion's long term chances of being a legitimate business.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Here are some results so far, if anyone is interested:

 

Takimoto defeated Bustamante by split decision. I missed this fight.

 

Ishida beat Melendez by unanimous decision. This included two SICK german suplexes, one each by Ishida and Melendez. Gilbert seemed pretty pissed at the decision afterwards, but I thought Ishida earned it.

 

Misaki KO'd Akiyama in the 2nd. I missed the first round, but caught the start of the second. It was all stand up and Akiyama had Misaki dead after dropping him with a right hand, but somehow Misaki survived and scrambled to his feet. Not long after, Misaki threw a left hook which Akiyama avoided but slipped while doing so allowing Misaki to catch him with a nasty kick to the face. The ref stopped it almost immediately as it was pretty clear that Akiyama was done for, especially after seeing the replay.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Fedor beat Choi with an armbar early in round one. Fedor tried to take Choi down early but Choi used his weight to land on top instead. Fedor went for an armbar and almost had it locked it but Choi's arm was long enough that he was able to pull out. Fedor came in with a left hook that caught Choi and tried another take down from the clinch, but Choi once again used his weight to his advantage and landed on top. Fedor went for guard and in a mirror image of the first of the fight, immediately wen for another armbar, this one tighter than the first, causing the tap out.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Sakurai wins by unanimous decision over Hasegawa. Sakurai really didn't look up to form here. Hasegawa was really the aggressor on the feet, but Sakurai's counter strikes and accuracy coupled with the few take downs he got were enough to gain him the decision victory.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Aoki beat Bukyung Jung by unanimous decision. Jung actually had Aoki caught tight in TWO armbars, but Aoki was able to escape. In the second round Aoki was able to gain a dominant position on the ground and really hurt Jung with some ground and pound towards the end of the fight, which is probably what solidified the decision in his favor.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I'm guessing they are not going to air the Kawajiri/Azeredo fight, but Kawajiri won by decision.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

This is my write up for Yarrenoka! Out of kindness, I shall put it in spoiler tags for those who haven't seen it yet or don't want to be spoiled.

 

Mike Russow vs. Roman Zentsov: Highly surprising. I didn't remember if Zentsov had a ground game, but I remembered he had some killer punching power. He didn't get to use any of that here. Russow humbled him. I've never heard of this guy, but he could be a force.

 

Luiz Azeredo vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: This fight was the definition of "grinding", as Kawajiri just beat the fuck out of him the entire fight. Kawajiri has power, but he wasn't able to get a stoppage or KO, so he basically just used what power he did have to pound away on Azeredo on the ground for the entire fifteen minutes. This decision wasn't even close.

 

Murilo Bustamante vs. Makoto Takimoto: I can see this fight getting critized for being an "unfair" decision, but typically under "PRIDE" judging, the fighter who finishes the strongest generally wins. Dan Henderson learned how to use that extensively in his PRIDE career. Here, Bustamante controled 95% of the fight, but that 5% he didn't happened near the end of the fight, and Takimoto nearly took him *OUT*. Takimoto just fucking rocked him with a shot, and then pretty much spent the rest of the round landing punches. At one point, I thought the fight could have been stopped since Murilo almost appeared to go limp, but he stayed in it. This decision could have went either way and it would have been fine with me. It's fair from the worst "robbery" this year at any event.

 

Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Gilbert Melendez: This was a FOTY candidate. I'd say it was on par with anything else I saw all year. These two fuckers just *BANGED* the entire fight with ground scrambles, hard punches, and several AJPW-style Headdrops. This was by far the closest fight of the night, and I really didn't know who the fuck won, although, if pressed I probably would have given the slight edge to Melendez.. Ishida won the decision, and Melendez threw a fit...and I can't figure out why. That was too close to get mad about.

 

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Kazuo Misaki: This was Akiyama's first fight back in Japan after the lotion scandal, and hooooly shit did he get heat. I've never heard heat like that in MMA. This wasn't pro-wrestling "We hate you, but we'll pay to see you" heat. This was "You're going to get shanked" heat. They hated EVERYTHING he did. By contrast, everything Misaki did was cheered. This fight was fucking WEIRD. Misaki fought really strangely throughout the fight, including this weird hop thing he'd keep doing. I couldn't figure out why the fuck he was doing it, and the only reason I could come up with, was he was trying to confuse Akiyama. Misaki was leveled with a punch, but he fought back to his feet. I GUESS Misaki's tactics paid off, as he fucking WHACKED Akiyama with a punch. Akiyama started to get up, and Misaki just leveled him with a soccer kick directly to the face for the KO. The amazing thing, is that kick would have been legal in UFC, since Akiyama was technically standing when it landed...granted, Akiyama was almost prone when Misaki wound his foot up, but still. Misaki got, legitimately, I think the largest reaction I've heard in MMA since Sakuraba beat Royce. It was a joyous wave that went through the crowd. Fighter's poured into the ring to celebrate, including Nobuhiko Takada which led to Misaki beginning to cry when he saw him. The post match was odd...Misaki refused to let Akiyama out of the ring, and like...talked him down for what he did to Sakuraba. Akiyama, honestly, looked like he didn't give a fuck and was more worried about his nose (which was seemingly shattered). At the end, I think Misaki asked the fans to forgive Akiyama, and everyone was happy.

 

Emelianenko Fedor vs. Hong Man Choi: Not much to say here...Fedor knew he didn't wanna stand with Choi (Even if Fedor's a better striker, Choi has such a massive reach advantage that it'd be stupid to trade), so he tried to take Choi down...only to have Choi litterally COLLAPSE on him. Choi landed some shots that didn't look like they hurt, but actually marked Fedor's face up badly...so Fedor whipped out an armbar from the bottom. Choi, surprisingly, survived and escaped. Fedor landed a punch, and then it was an exact copy of the first minute of the fight only this time Choi didn't escape the armbar. Another day at the office for Fedor, but Choi didn't look COMPLETELY horrible, which is amazing really.

 

Hayato Sakurai vs. Hidehiko Hasegawa: This was the worst fight of the night, by far, which isn't to say it was BAD. The problem with this fight, was Hasegawa wasn't in Sakurai's league, but Hasegawa was too tough to give up, and Sakurai didn't really try to finish him. Sakurai was more then willing to bloody the kid up a little, but not to actually finish him off. This infuriated me at five am, or whenever the fight started. Sakurai won by easy decision.

 

Shinya Aoki vs. Jung Bukyung: This was honestly a contender for fight of the night, atleast for the first round. Unlike most Judoka's who enter MMA, Jung was fucking *GAME* for this. He wasn't afraid to get punched, and he was able to neutralize Aoki's ground style really easily. In fact, he came the closest to finishing the fight with a couple really good armbars. In the second round, Aoki shifted his strategy from balls-out-submissions to actually grinding out a decision. He trapped Jung's arms, and just beat the fuck out of him. Like the Murilo/Takimoto fight, this could have been stopped as again, the fighter looked like he was out...Like Murilo, Jung came back and it went to a decision. However, exactly like that fight, the fighter who was in the best shape by the end of the fight won. Great fight though.

 

Fantastic show. If you get a chance to see it, see it. Just great stuff. It's fucking PRIDE 2.0, a fact that they didn't even attempt to hide.

[Mik 0]

Ok - I just saw the finish to Misaki/Akiyama on an HDNet clip show.

 

A few points:

1) I'm glad it was ruled a no contest because that seemed to be a blatant illegal kick to the face.

 

2) How pimp is Gono?

 

3) Not knowing a lick of Japanese - I was assuming he was giving him a positive talk. I absolutely can not believe that he was rubbing shit in and talking down to him like that in the middle of the ring after he beat him. Furthermore - I can not believe he stood there and took it. It's just further proof that I do not understand Japanese culture in the least. If someone tried to pull that stunt in the US they would probably get murdered. Granted - I have no idea what led to that but I was still shocked by it.

 

4) I can't remember ever seeing a bigger MMA ovation.