World Victory Road "Sengoku III" Results
by Robert Sargent
While attendance suffered due to an extreme lack of promotion for the event, World Victory Road put on another solid show at "Sengoku III" and Hidehiko Yoshida got back on the winning track with a submission victory over Maurice Smith.
The undercard featured a number of upsets, with Travis "Diesel" Wiuff doing the seemingly impossible by knocking out the granite-chinned Kazuyuki "Ironhead" Fujita.
Hidehiko Yoshida vs Maurice "Mo" Smith
This battle of legends between Yoshida, a Japanese veteran of PRIDE, and Smith, an American who once held the UFC Heavyweight Championship, was won quickly by Yoshida, as his superior grappling skills were too much for Smith.Yoshida attempted an early takedown, but Smith, at 46 years old and having won two straight comeback fights, used strikes to keep Yoshida at bay. A second takedown attempt was successful for Yoshida, however, and it didn't take long for him to work his magic. After transitioning to Smith's side, Yoshida locked in a tight twisting neck crank and Smith was forced to submit. Yoshida obtains his eighth victory, with all coming by submission.
Winner: Hidehiko Yoshida by Submission (Neck Crank) at 2:23 of round one. He improves to 8-6-1.
Travis "Diesel" Wiuff vs Kazuyuki "Ironhead" Fujita
Most startling about this short fight was not so much that Wiuff emerged vicorious, but rather with the way that he did so, as he knocked Fujita out early in round one.With Wiuff not overly known for his striking prowess, and Fujita widely regarded as one of the most durable fighters in mixed martial arts history, fans were shocked when Fujita was dropped by what appeared to be a left jab from Wiuff, then knocked unconscious by a barrage of follow-up hammerfist strikes. Wiuff seemed initially surprised when Fujita fell from the left, but pounced and finished the fight quickly.
Winner: Travis Wiuff by KO (Punches) at 1:24 of round one. He improves to 53-11-0.
Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki vs Logan "The Pink Pounder" Clark
Rather than making use of his grappling and submission skills, Clark instead chose to stand and strike with Misaki, which proved to be a terrible game plan and resulted in Misaki taking a clear-cut decision.Clark ran forward to begin round one, throwing wild strikes as Misaki patiently waited for openings to counter. This process repeated itself throughout the fight, with Misaki side-stepping flurries from Clark and countering with effective punches that backed Clark up.
Though neither fighter was ever in any serious danger, Misaki managed to get Clark down late in round three and landed some effective stomps to his downed opponent, which solidified his victory and likely left Clark questioning why he had foolishly tried to engage in a striking battle. Misaki's winning streak remains intact.
Winner: Kazuo Misaki by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 20-8-2, 1 NC.
Nick "The Goat" Thompson vs Michael "The Pimp" Costa
This battle of fighters with awful nicknames was won by Thompson, though he had to survive a significant scare before trapping Costa in a Kimura.After a very heated exchange at the weigh-ins, the fighters wasted no time in trying to end the fight quickly, with Thompson attempting a variety of submissions in the opening minutes. Following a striking exchange, Thompson fought off a takedown attempt by locking on a Kimura, then transitioning into an armbar, but he was unable to force Costa to submit before the bell sounded to end the first round.
Costa got flashy in round two, letting off a ridiculous spinning kick combo that looked great but missed the mark. He dropped Thompson with a vicious hook moments later, however, and Thompson seemed to be seconds away from defeat. He managed to survive, though, and eventually got Costa into guard, then reversed position. From there, it was all Thompson, as he moved to side-control and locked on a scary Kimura that trapped Costa's arm way behind his back. Costa tapped, and Thompson escaped with the win.
Winner: Nick Thompson by Submission (Kimura) at 4:13 of round two. He improves to 36-9-1.
Sanae Kikuta vs Chris Rice
Rice came to the ring dressed as the Grim Reaper, but that was the highlight of the night for him, as Kikuta used his wealth of experience and made short work of the English native.Kikuta went for an early takedown attempt and failed, but managed to get Rice down on his second try. Kikuta quickly moved to mount and Rice was unable to do much of anything, resorting to weak attempts to shove Kikuta off. This proved to be Rice's downfall, as Kikuta latched on to an arm and secured a fight-ending armbar late in the round. A good night for the Grabaka team, with both Kikuta and Kazuo Misaki victorious.
Winner: Sanae Kikuta by Submission (Armbar) at 3:54 of round two. He improves to 27-6-3, 1 NC.
Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz vs Mu Bae Choi
Choi, a veteran of PRIDE, was no match for the former UFC heavyweight contender, as Cruz dominated the fight with strikes before locking on a combination triangle choke and armbar.Both fighters exchanged sloppy strikes in the early stages, with Cruz taking the fight to the ground. From there, it was a one-sided affair, with Cruz battering Choi with dozens of punches and other strikes. Cruz attempted a crossface submission, then teed off with more punches, as Choi did nothing but cover up and remain in a ball. Cruz eventually gave up with strikes and turned to a reverse triangle choke. When even that didn't work, Cruz switched to a conventional triangle choke and applied an armbar as well, finally forcing the vastly overmatched Choi to submit.
Winner: Marcio Cruz by Submission (Triangle Armbar) at 4:37 of round one. He improves to 4-2-0.
Rodrigo Damm vs Jorge "GameBred" Masvidal
Just two weeks after his sister, female fighter Carina Damm, tested positive for banned substances, Rodrigo Damm regained a measure of credibility for his family, scoring a victory, albeit controversial, over the highly-touted Masvidal.Much of the fight was fought at a slow and methodical pace, with Damm choosing to trade punches with Masvidal, a lethal striker. After a back-and-forth first round, things picked up slightly in round two. Late in the round, Damm landed a hard cross that dropped Masvidal. As Masvidal, clearly awake and aware of his surroundings, tried to regain guard on the ground, the referee inexplicably stopped the fight. Masvidal was highly disappointed with the stoppage.
Winner: Rodrigo Damm by TKO (Punch) at 4:38 of round two. He improves to 8-1-0.
Fabio Silva vs Yoshiki Takahashi
Chute Boxe fighter Silva, who was thought to be the next big thing from the camp until back-to-back losses to Melvin Manhoef and Dong Sik Yoon, finally got back on the winning track with a very quick knockout of the veteran, Takahashi.Both fighters landed numerous strikes in the first round of the fight, with Silva taking a slight edge. Perhaps growing tired of the lengthy striking battles, Silva knocked Takahashi out cold with a huge knee to the head that stopped the fight just 24 seconds into round two.
Winner: Fabio Silva by KO (Knee) at 0:24 of round two. He improves to 10-4-0.
The evening did not feature quite as many stars as the previous two events, but "Sengoku III" still featured a number of exciting fights from some of the world's best fighters.
