Shooto - "Back To Our Roots 6" Results
by Robert Sargent
Shooto promoter Sustain put on an impressive event this evening that featured a continuance of the trend in MMA in 2007, with upsets in a number of fights and two exciting Pacific Rim title bouts that ended in decisions.
In the main event, Takeshi Inoue captured the Pacific Rim Lightweight Championship with a clear-cut decision victory over Katsuya Toida.
Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Championship
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs Katsuya Toida
Toida was his usual eccentric and bizarre self in this fight, but his tactics proved ineffective and he was soundly defeated by Inoue.Inoue knocked Toida down near the end of the first round for a standing eight-count - a practice used in Shooto that is similar to boxing rules in North America. Toida was able to take Inoue down multiple times, though, going for constant leg submissions, but Inoue was able to escape and return to his feet each time.
In the third round, Inoue got the better of the standup, and Toida once again took the fight to the ground and went for leg submissions. Inoue got Toida's back shortly before the end of the round, locking in a rear naked choke, but time expired. Although Toida had largely dominated the ground war, Inoue had easily won the standup and won a clear decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27). Inoue becomes the new Pacific Rim Lightweight Champion.
Shooto Pacific Rim Welterweight Championship
Takashi Nakakura vs Yusuke Endo
This was the first title defence for Nakakura, as he faced off with Endo, a fighter who holds a victory over current UFC fighter Clay Guida.Early in the first round, Nakakura landed a solid left that sent Endo to the mat, resulting in a standing eight-count. However, Endo held strong, escaping a Kimura and eventually obtaining top position.
In the second round, it was Nakakura dominating the takedown battle, holding top position for much of the round. The third round was much of the same, with Nakakura securing mount at one point. Endo twisted and gave up his back, allowing Nakakura to attempt to secure a rear naked choke. Nakakura eventually secured mount for a second time, but Endo escaped and landed some punches before the bell. Nakakura won the fight by Unanimous Decision to successfully defend his title.
Antonio "Pato" Carvalho vs Hiroyuki "Streetfight Bancho" Takaya
Carvalho, the #1 ranked Shooto lightweight and one of just two fighters to hold a victory over Takeshi Inoue, took on K-1 HERO's veteran Takaya in what was surely the most exciting fight of the night.At no point did this battle go to the ground, with each fighter dominating parts of the standup. Carvalho landed numerous kicks and Takaya retaliated with Thai clinch knees. Near the end of the second round, Carvalho landed a series of punches that opened a cut above Takaya's left eye. After receiving the go-ahead from the ringside doctor, the fight continued and Takaya dropped Carvalho with only seconds left in the second round for a standing eight-count.
Carvalho came out striking in the third, but it was Takaya who landed the better shots, dazing Carvalho. Takaya went in for the finish, knocking Carvalho out with a series of knees and punches. The referee stopped the fight at 1:58 of the third round, awarding Takaya with a TKO victory.
Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen vs Eiji Mitsuoka
Another very exciting fight on the card, this battle ended with yet another upset, continuing the trend of 2007.Mitsuoka, a veteran of Cage Force, dominated much of the first round, with PRIDE star (and former Shooto standout) Hansen spending his time on his back, defending strikes. The second round, however, was a complete contrast, with Hansen, the #8 Lightweight in the world, dominating the round. Hansen secured a takedown and rained down strikes from the top, just as Mitsuoka had done in the first round. Mitsuoka did sink in a very tight guillotine choke before the end of the round, however, but Hansen was eventually able to escape and survived the round.
The third round began with Hansen landing some solid strikes and securing another takedown. After Hansen briefly obtained mount, Mitsuoka reversed position and went for an arm triangle. Hansen reversed that and once again held top position. Hansen moved to side control and spent the rest of the round landing punches before the bell.
The decision reflected the closeness of the fight, with one judge ruling it a Draw and the other two awarding a razor-thin decision to Mitsuoka. Mitsuoka upsets Hansen by Majority Decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28). With Hansen holding victories in Shooto over the likes of Takanori Gomi and Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante, and numerous other wins over high-calibre fighters, a loss of this nature is quite a surprise.
Shinichi "BJ" Kojima vs Eduardo Dantas
Though Kojima is the reigning Shooto Bantamweight Champion, this fight with the 18-year-old Dantas was a non-title bout. As it turned out, that was very fortunate for Kojima, who was defeated by his young opponent.Dantas's considerable reach advantage was very evident, as he peppered Kojima with jabs and crosses, with a few flying knees coming into play as well. Kojima could not take Dantas down for quite some time. Eventually, he did get Dantas down and worked for armbars and triangles, but Dantas escaped all of them with relative ease.
In the third round, Dantas locked in a kata gatame (arm triangle choke). Kojima eventually managed to escape, but it took him a long time and he was unable to make up enough points in the final minutes of the fight to win a decision. The 18-year-old Dantas won by Unanimous Decision in what can only be described as a huge upset.
Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii vs Kyoko Takabayashi
This fight was very lopsided, with Fujii once again displaying why she is one of the best female mixed martial artists in the world. With lightning fast punches and a series of takedowns, Fujii overwhelmed Takabayshi. Fujii used ground and pound techniques to further batter Takabayshi on the ground and cruised to a Unanimous Decision victory. Fujii improves to 12-0, while Takabayshi drops to 8-2.Rambaa "M16" Somdet vs Masaaki Sugawara
This fight was also very one-sided, with Somdet ending his streak of decisions by obtaining the first TKO victory of his career.Somdet dominated the striking, both on the feet and on the ground after taking Sugawara down, and Sugawara was unable to continue after the second round, with his corner throwing in the towel. Somdet wins by TKO (towel) at the end of round two.
Other fights in the evening saw Leandro "Batata" Silva defeat Masashi Yozen and Shintaro Ishiwatari defeated Hayate Usui, both by Unanimous Decision.
