DREAM: Heiwa Dream.5 Results
by Robert Sargent
DREAM's inaugural Lightweight Grand Prix concluded with a surprise tournament champion, as Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen stepped in to replace an injured Eddie Alvarez and knocked out Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki in the final fight of the evening.
Alvarez had advanced to the finals earlier in the night, but suffered an eye injury in his victory over Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri, leaving Hansen to take Alvarez's place.
DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Final
Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen vs Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki
Stepping in to replace his injured friend, Eddie Alvarez, Hansen made the most of his opportunity to fight a rematch with Aoki, who had submitted him in a previous meeting in PRIDE. This time, Hansen avoided Aoki's gogoplata submission attempt and knocked him out with punches moments later, becoming the first DREAM Lightweight Champion.Aoki dodged an early haymaker from Hansen and scored a takedown. From Hansen's half-guard, Aoki held top position, but it was Hansen who was actively striking from the bottom. Hansen eventually kicked free, landing an upkick, but inadvertently landed a low blow that forced a brief stoppage. Aoki dodged another haymaker and pulled guard. He tried to lock on a gogoplata, which he had used to defeat Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006, but Hansen evaded. Hansen stood up and landed a pair of punches, then fell back into Aoki's guard.
Seconds later, Hansen stood up once again and landed a big left hand to the face of Aoki, who rolled to his side, dazed. A barrage of follow-up strikes from Hansen forced the referee to stop the fight, as Aoki was clearly out. Hansen, a tournament alternate after defeating Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill earlier in the evening, shocked everyone by becoming the first DREAM Lightweight Champion. A very impressive performance.
Winner: Joachim Hansen by KO (Punches) at 4:16 of round one. He improves to 19-7-1 and becomes the Heiwa Lightweight Grand Prix Champion and the first DREAM Lightweight Champion.
Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem vs Mark Hunt
Hunt, competing in MMA for the first time since his highly competitive battle with Fedor Emelianenko at PRIDE Shockwave 2006, came up short against Overeem, who took the fight on just three days' notice.Hunt landed a big right hook and slammed Overeem backwards to the mat, but Overeem quickly locked on a keylock from the bottom. Overeem rolled to apply more pressure, using an armbar position but maintaining the keylock grip. Hunt was unable to escape the hold and was forced to submit as his arm was bent completely backwards. Yet another highly impressive victory for Overeem, who has dominated since moving up to the heavyweight division.
Winner: Alistair Overeem by Submission (Keylock) at 1:11 of round one. He improves to 28-11-0.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Katsuyori Shibata
Akiyama, who hadn't competed since being knocked out by Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki on New Year's Eve, in a fight that was later ruled a No Contest due to an illegal kick, seemed to have a considerable amount of ring rust, as the pro wrestler, Shibata, did very well in striking early on before succumbing to an Ezekiel Choke.Shibata landed a hard leg kick early on, but slipped throwing a wild haymaker. He continued to land effective low kicks and punches, however, while Akiyama did very little. Akiyama began to throw leg kicks of his own, but Shibata came back with a punch that sent him off-balance. Shibata narrowly missed with a spinning back fist and Akiyama landed a grazing spinning back kick. Shibata countered with another hard punch and Akiyama narrowly missed with a vicious head kick attempt.
Possibly frustrated with Shibata's improved striking, Akiyama took the fight to the ground and quickly moved to mount. From there, Akiyama used his gi to form a tight square around Shibata's head and neck, gripping his gi sleeves with his opposing hands. Shibata tried to fight off the choke attempt, but could not, and Akiyama secured the choke by applying pressure to Shibata's throat with his forearm, rendering Shibata unconscious. A textbook Ezekiel Choke from Akiyama, who easily secured the victory after the fight went to the ground.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Technical Submission (Ezekiel Choke) at 6:30 of round one. He improves to 11-1-0, 2 NC.
Hideo Tokoro vs Takeshi Yamazaki
While this featherweight contest was not quite as exciting as ones featured in previous DREAM events, it did showcase lots of back-and-forth action, with Tokoro controlling enough of the fight to emerge with the victory.Both fighters landed punches in the opening minute, and time was briefly called following an unintentional low blow from Tokoro. After the restart, Yamazaki managed to get Tokoro to the ground, but Tokoro quickly went for a kneebar, then a triangle. Yamazaki moved to side-control, but could do nothing, and Tokoro got back to his feet. Tokoro scored with a huge right hand that sent Yamazaki to the canvas, but Yamazaki quickly recovered and tried for a takedown in the corner. Neither fighter could score a takedown, and Tokoro landed a big knee in the clinch, then a flying knee seconds later.
After another stoppage due to a second unintentional low blow, Tokoro was given a Yellow Card (deduction of 10% of fight purse). The fight continued, and Tokoro again landed punches that staggered Yamazaki. Yamazaki managed to score a takedown, and Tokoro tried again for submissions. Yamazaki escaped kneebar and heel hook attempts from Tokoro, then moved back to Tokoro's half-guard. Tokoro relentlessly tried for more submissions as Yamazaki landed strikes from the top. Yamazaki did a good job of evading the submissions, but Tokoro's big punches and submissions put him well ahead on the scorecards.
Tokoro landed a quick combination to start round two, then a high kick and a solid left. Another kick landed for Tokoro, who seemed to hold a significant striking advantage. Both fighters scored with big punches and Yamazaki secured a takedown. Tokoro attempted a Kimura, but Yamazaki stood up and the fight was restarted in the middle of the ring. Tokoro narrowly missed a huge flying knee attempt and Yamazaki scored another takedown. Tokoro got up and just missed a flashy jumping spinning back kick, and Yamazaki took the fight to the mat again. Tokoro prevented Yamazaki from doing any damage, and did enough to emerge victorious in the eyes of the judges.
Winner: Hideo Tokoro by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improves to 22-13-1.
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs Motoki Miyazawa
After struggling in the UFC, Hironaka bounced back with a victory over Miyazawa, landing effective strikes throughout the fight and eventually forcing a stoppage due to a severe cut beside Miyazawa's eye.Following a brief clinch, Miyazawa pulled standing guard, but could not get Hironaka down. A large welt above the left eye of Miyazawa was plainly visible, but went unmentioned by the announcers. Miyazawa once again pulled standing guard, and this time Hironaka slammed him to the mat. Miyazawa used rubber guard to keep Hironaka from dealing any damage, but Hironaka stood up and landed a few weak shots. Neither fighter was able to do much on the ground and the fight was brought back to the feet. Miyazawa caught a finger to the eye, but the referee did not halt the action.
Hironaka continued to push forward with punching combinations, and Miyazawa fought back with punches and a jumping kick, drawing blood from Hironaka's nose. The fighters traded punches and Miyazawa landed a solid left hook. Hironaka pressed forward with punches and low kicks, keeping Miyazawa on the defensive. Near the end of the round, Hironaka came forward with a flurry, landing a huge right to the eye of Miyazawa that opened a bad cut, and the referee called for the doctor to check the cut. The doctor ruled that Miyazawa could not continue, and Hironaka picked up the TKO victory.
Winner: Kuniyoshi Hironaka by TKO (Cut) at 8:57 of round one. He improves to 12-5-0.
Joseph Benavidez vs Junya "Kodo" Kudo
With WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber in his corner, filming everything on a handheld camera, Benavidez showed why he is quickly becoming one of the most highly-regarded featherweight fighters in the world, making quick work of Kudo.Kudo came forward striking, but Benavidez promptly slammed him to the mat. Benavidez stood up and landed a few kicks, then latched onto Kudo's head and landed knees on the ground. Kudo landed a hard punch and Benavidez responded by picking him up and violently slamming him to the ground. Benavidez quickly took Kudo's back and landed strikes to the head. Seconds later, Benavidez locked on a guillotine choke from the mount position and forced Kudo to submit. A very good performance for Benavidez in his first large-scale fight.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke From Mount) at 2:40 of round one. He improves to 8-0-0.
DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Reserve Match
Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen vs Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill
Though Hansen did not know it at the time, his victory over Gill in this fight would be pivotal, as it allowed him to advance to the finals of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix when Eddie Alvarez suffered an eye injury.Hansen rushed in and clinched, and was met with a series of vicious knee strikes from the much taller Gill. Hansen managed to take the fight to the ground, but Gill fought back to his feet. After a clinch, Gill continued to throw big kicks and knees to the legs and body of Hansen, forcing Hansen to clinch again. Hansen used a standing Kimura to take Gill down, then quickly transitioned into an armbar. Gill gamely tried to defend, but could not, and he was forced to submit.
Winner: Joachim Hansen by Submission (Armbar) at 2:33 of round one. He improved to 18-7-1 with the win.
DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Eddie Alvarez vs Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri
This bout featured nearly non-stop back-and-forth action, with both fighters scoring knockdowns with significant shots, but it was Alvarez who prevailed, only to have his road to the finals cut short by an eye injury.Both fighters landed strikes in the opening seconds, and Kawajiri stuffed a takedown attempt and landed knees to the head. After a brief clinch, Kawajiri landed a solid right. Alvarez came back with a flurry, then tried for a takedown, but a punch from Kawajiri had opened a cut next to Alvarez's right eye. An uppercut landed for Alvarez, followed by another solid punch, and a follow-up flurry dropped Kawajiri in the corner. Kawajiri held on as Alvarez landed knees to the head. Alvarez continued to press forward with punches and knees, but the fight was briefly halted to check the cut beside his eye.
After receiving the go-ahead from the doctor, Alvarez was promptly floored by a vicious left cross from Kawajiri. Alvarez struggled to hold on as Kawajiri rained down punches, but Alvarez managed to retain half-guard and nullified most of Kawajiri's punches. Kawajiri worked his way to mount, but could do very little and Alvarez squirmed back to his feet. Both fighters traded wild shots, with Kawajiri briefly dropping to the mat and then replying with a knee. Kawajiri landed knees in the clinch, but was met with an unrelenting barrage of punches from Alvarez, sending Kawajiri down to the mat. The referee did not stop the fight, so Alvarez leapt in with hammerfists and more punches before the fight was finally called. An extremely good fight.
Unfortunately, it was announced later in the night that an eye injury sustained during the fight would prevent Alvarez from continuing to the tournament final. Alvarez, sporting a very badly swollen eye, came to the ring and announced his disappointment with the doctors' decision, but expressed happiness that his friend, Joachim Hansen, would be taking his place.
Winner: Eddie Alvarez by TKO (Strikes) at 7:32 of round one. He improved to 15-1-0 with the win.
DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki vs Caol "Uno Shoten" Uno
While unable to submit his veteran opponent, Aoki applied nearly every submission hold in his aresenal, en route to a clear-cut decision victory that allowed him to move on to the final.After circling each other in the opening minutes, Aoki came forward with a flying knee to the body and scored a takedown, landing in mount. Uno reversed and escaped an armbar attempt, then landed strikes from the top. Aoki tried for a triangle choke, then partially locked Uno in a scissor heel hook, and then went from kneebar to heel hook. Uno, wearing shoes that made it easier for Aoki to grip his ankle, narrowly managed to escape. Uno got up, but Aoki took his back and both fighters landed weak punches.
Uno eventually managed to roll over into Aoki's modified guard, but Aoki once again took Uno's back and looked for a rear naked choke. Aoki continued to use a modified side-guard to keep Uno from moving, then quickly transitioned into a very tight triangle choke. Uno shocked everyone in attendance by not only surviving the triangle choke, which would have forced many fighters to quickly submit, he actually escaped the hold, as well as a follow-up armbar attempt from Aoki. The crowd cheered loudly as Uno landed strikes from Aoki's guard before the bell, but Aoki definitely held a significant scoring advantage through round one.
Round two was more of the same, with Aoki quickly taking the fight to the ground. Aoki transitioned to Uno's back, once again using a side-guard to prevent Uno from moving. Uno tried to stand, and Aoki looked for a rear naked choke. Aoki then seemed to be looking for a twister submission hold, but Uno evaded and landed elbows to the body. Uno finally managed to turn and stand up, landing a few punches from top position, but Aoki used rubber guard to attempt to set up a gogoplata. The bell rang to end the fight, and Aoki emerged victorious.
Winner: Shinya Aoki by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improved to 17-2-0, 1 NC with the win.
Daisuke Nakamura vs Andy Ologun
Nakamura, fresh off of an impressive knockout victory over Bu Kyung Jung, made short work of Ologun, who was making his first MMA appearance since late 2006.Nakamura once again sported the retro Pancrase-era shin guards, which nullified Ologun's low kicks early on. An Ologun kick found its mark, however, and Nakamura went to the ground, where he attempted a heel hook. Back on the feet, Ologun rushed forward with strikes, then went back to low kicks. Nakamura swiftly pulled flying guard and instantly locked on a textbook armbar, forcing Ologun to submit before he had any idea what had just happened.
Winner: Daisuke Nakamura by Submission (Armbar) at 1:19 of round one. He improves to 15-9-0.
DREAM's inaugural Lightweight Grand Prix may not have ended the way anyone expected, but the entire Dream.5 card was filled with excellent fights that once again propelled Japanese MMA back into prominence.
