DREAM: Olympia Dream.6 Results
by Robert Sargent
DREAM's inaugural Middleweight Grand Prix concluded with a trio of quick stoppages at Dream.6, which saw Gegard Mousasi submit "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef and knock out Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza to become the first DREAM Middleweight Champion.
The heavyweight clash between Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović sadly ended in a No Contest after two inadvertent low blows from Overeem.
DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Final
Gegard Mousasi vs Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza
As Zelg Galesić pointed out after his earlier bout with Souza, the Brazilian submission wizard does not like to be hit, and Mousasi took advantage of an opening by drilling Souza with an upkick that knocked him out, leaving Mousasi as the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion.The fighters circled each other in the opening minute before Souza lunged for a takedown. Mousasi got tangled in the ropes, but Souza managed to get him down anyway. On the ground, Souza worked from half-guard and attempted to set up a submission. After finding little success, Souza stood up and looked to land diving punches to the downed Mousasi, but Mousasi threw up two quick upkicks. The second kick landed flush on Souza's jaw, knocking him out cold and giving Mousasi the biggest victory of his career.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by KO (Upkick) at 2:15 of round one. He improves to 24-2-1 and becomes the Olympia Middleweight Grand Prix Champion and the first DREAM Middleweight Champion.
Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem vs Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović
In a bout marred by repeated stoppages for cuts and low blows, Overeem completely dominated the fight from start to finish as final PRIDE and current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko looked on from ringside, but was forced to settle for a No Contest after an accidental low blow left Cro Cop unable to continue.Both fighters threw low kicks early on, and Overeem connected with a pair of hooks. Overeem clinched and landed two knees to the body, then tossed Cro Cop to the ground. From the top, Overeem landed dozens of punches to the body and also opened up a cut beside Cro Cop's left eye. Overeem continued the punishment until time was called to check the cut. Action resumed on the ground and Overeem quickly opened up the cut again. The fight returned to the feet and Cro Cop landed a hard kick to the body and partially landed a head kick, but Overeem caught the leg and once again threw Cro Cop to the canvas.
Overeem landed more big punches on the ground, again opening up the cut beside Cro Cop's eye. The referee brought the fight back to the feet and gave Cro Cop a Yellow Card for holding. Overeem clinched and landed a series of knees to the body, but two of them were low and the fight was halted to give Cro Cop time to recover. As the fight continued, Overeem clinched again and opened up a second cut with standing knee strikes, this time beside Cro Cop's right eye. More knees to the head and body scored for Overeem, who was controlling all aspects of the fight, but another inadvertent low blow forced a second stoppage. This time, Cro Cop was in great pain and unable to continue after a lengthy break, forcing the fight to be ruled a No Contest.
Result: Fight ruled a No Contest (Filipović Kneed In The Groin) at 6:09 of round one. Overeem is now 28-11-0, 1 NC, while Cro Cop is 23-6-2, 1 NC.
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki vs "The Pride of Texas" Todd Moore
This last-minute addition to the card ended quickly, as the Japanese submission ace took Moore's back and submitted the WEC veteran with a very impressive neck crank.Moore came forward with leg kicks early on, and Aoki countered with a nice kick to the body. A head kick partially landed for Aoki, and he followed it up with another leg kick before attempting to shoot for a takedown. Moore stayed on his feet, but Aoki clinched and quickly latched onto his back. After sinking in both hooks from a standing position, Aoki dragged Moore to the corner and sat down against the ropes, using them for leverage. He then locked on a tight, twisting neck crank and Moore was forced to submit. A solid comeback victory for Aoki, after his loss to Joachim Hansen at Dream.5.
Winner: Shinya Aoki by Submission (Neck Crank) at 1:10 of round one. He improves to 18-3-0, 1 NC.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Masanori Tonooka
For the second straight fight, Akiyama competed while wearing his gi and seemed to have trouble striking with his inexperienced opponent, but once again took the fight to the ground and scored a dominant submission victory.Tonooka was the aggressor in striking early on, and connected with a few looping punches, but Akiyama landed a solid counter left hook. Tonooka began to mix it up with kicks and punches, so Akiyama took the fight to the ground. Slowly and methodically moving around, Akiyama trapped Tonooka's arms down with a crucifix and landed a number of punches, then looked for a variety of submissions. Tonooka escaped the holds and Akiyama moved to mount, where he looked to set up an armbar. Again, Tonooka managed to escape, but gave up his back in the process. Akiyama rolled for an armbar and Tonooka got back to his feet, only to be taken down again. After another crucifix, Akiyama again transitioned to mount and managed to lock on a rolling armbar that ended the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Submission (Armbar) at 6:26 of round one. He improves to 12-1-0, 2 NC.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Though once again looking uncharacteristically slow and defensive, Sakurai survived early takedowns from Hironaka and left no doubt in the judges' minds by dropping Hironaka just before the final bell and landing a flurry of punches as the fight concluded.Both fighters traded assorted strikes early in round one, with neither able to land any significant shots. Hironaka decided to clinch and took the fight to the ground. From the top, he landed punches as Sakurai looked for a triangle choke and tried to avoid damage. Sakurai managed to get back to his feet and began throwing vicious leg kicks and punches to the body. Hironaka fought back, but Sakurai continued to find a home with quick one-two punching combinations and stiff leg kicks. More punches and kicks landed for Sakurai, who held a clear advantage in the striking exchanges. After another hard leg kick, Hironaka visibly winced in pain.
Following a clinch, both fighters landed a pair of leg kicks and Sakurai fell as he threw a jumping kick. Hironaka went back to the ground and pound that had found success earlier in the round, while Sakurai looked to escape to his feet. Hironaka continued to land strikes, then stood up and landed a pair of punches. However, he then drilled Sakurai with a stomp to the jaw, which is illegal under DREAM rules, and was given a warning. After the restart, Sakurai continued to pick apart Hironaka with quick combinations of punches and kicks to the head and body. Hironaka could not get the fight back to the ground and Sakurai controlled the final minute of striking before the bell ended the close round.
Round two was more of the same, as Hironaka caught a leg kick from Sakurai and scored a takedown. Hironaka landed strikes from the top before the fight was moved to the centre of the ring. Sakurai looked for submissions from the bottom and used a scramble to get back to his feet. An overhand right landed for Sakurai and he continued to punish Hironaka with leg kicks. Hironaka tried for a trip takedown, but Sakurai reversed and wound up on top. The fighters returned to their feet and traded punches. Sakurai staggered Hironaka three times with lefts, then dropped him with a left hook with 20 seconds left. Sakurai rained down punches until the bell and left the judges with an easy decision.
Winner: Hayato Sakurai by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improves to 33-8-2.
Masakatsu Funaki vs Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
In his third fight since returning from a seven-year retirement, Funaki finally managed to get the victory that he sought, as he took advantage of Minowa's wearing of shoes and submitted the flamboyant wrestler with an inverted heel hook.Entering the bout, the legends had a combined 128 fights between the two of them. However, Minowa's experience did not cause him to reconsider his decision to wear sneakers for the fight against Funaki, a leglock master. Funaki attempted a spinning back kick early and was tripped to the mat. He immediately locked onto Minowa's left leg and grabbed hold of Minowa's shoe and ankle. Minowa managed to roll and escape the initial heel hook attempt, but Funaki locked on an inverted heel hook and Minowa immediately submitted, in great pain. Perhaps a foolish decision by Minowa, in wearing shoes against the Pancrase legend.
Winner: Masakatsu Funaki by Submission (Inverted Heel Hook) at 0:52 of round one. He improves to 39-13-1.
Atsushi Yamamoto vs Hideo Tokoro
Using effective striking and relentless offence, Yamamoto managed to outwork Tokoro en route to a very entertaining and hard-fought decision victory.Tokoro scored with a solid right cross early on, but Yamamoto dropped him a minute later with a quick one-two combination. Holding on, Tokoro did his best to nullify any damage from Yamamoto's strikes as Yamamoto looked for the finish. Tokoro trapped Yamamoto in rubber guard and prevented him from landing any strikes. He looked for an armbar and a triangle, but Yamamoto wisely escaped. Tokoro then used an armbar to scramble back to his feet. The fighters traded punches and Tokoro landed a knee in the clinch. A jumping knee to the body landed for Yamamoto as the round reached the midway point.
Yamamoto began to score repeatedly with his left jab, keeping Tokoro off-balance. Tokoro fought back with a kick to the body and a wild punch, then pulled guard. Tokoro once again looked to use rubber guard to control Yamamoto's position, but Yamamoto got back to his feet. Yamamoto's jab continued to snap Tokoro's head back, but Tokoro came back with another right cross. Blood began to flow from Tokoro's nose as a result of the repeated jabs, and Tokoro turned to the clinch to land knees. Both fighters scored with damaging punches, as Yamamoto drilled Tokoro with a quick combination. Yamamoto rocked Tokoro with a punch and Tokoro used a unique rolling wheel kick to take the fight to the ground. Yamamoto landed strikes until the bell and was in full control.
Tokoro scored with a quick combination early in round two, but his nose began to bleed from a Yamamoto punch once again. Tokoro used the rolling wheel kick a second time and went to the ground, looking for a Kimura on Yamamoto's left arm. The fight was briefly halted to check cuts on both competitors, as Yamamoto had been cut by the rolling wheel kick. The fight resumed on the ground and Tokoro quickly got back to his feet. Yamamoto decided to keep the fight on the mat and scored a takedown. Tokoro squirmed back to his feet, but was tripped to the canvas again. He reversed and took top position, then went for an armbar and a triangle, but Yamamoto managed to survive until the bell, taking the fight in the process.
Winner: Atsushi Yamamoto by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improves to 12-5-1.
Sergei Kharitonov vs Jimmy "The Titan" Ambriz
Ambriz, taking the fight on very short notice, looked to have the cardio of an elephant, as he seemed to be tired from simply walking to the ring and was quickly dispatched by Kharitonov.Kharitonov dropped Ambriz just seconds into the fight with a quick combination, but Ambriz got back to his feet and looked for a takedown. Kharitonov was caught in the ropes and locked his arm around the top rope, which earned him a Yellow Card. He went right back to landing punches to the body and head of the vastly overmatched Ambriz, scoring at will. Kharitonov staggered Ambriz badly with a series of crosses and uppercuts, then clinched and landed another uppercut and more punches. Ambriz went to one knee and Kharitonov continued the punishment until Ambriz tapped out to escape further damage.
Winner: Sergei Kharitonov by Submission (Strikes) at 2:15 of round one. He improves to 16-3-0.
Keita "K-Taro" Nakamura vs Adriano Martins
After being completely robbed by the judges in his bout with Rob Emerson at UFC 81, Nakamura returned to Japan and had yet another judge score a fight incorrectly, as a clear-cut Unanimous Decision for Nakamura became a Split Decision when one judge bizarrely gave the fight to Martins.Martins landed a stiff leg kick to begin round one, then followed it up with another kick and a quick combination that surprisingly dropped Nakamura. Martins was unable to do anything on the ground, and the fight returned to the feet. Martins threw wild punches as Nakamura began to score with his right jab. The fighters clinched and both landed knees. Martins landed a good combination, then came wildly forward with a flashy kick. Nakamura scored a takedown and worked from the top with punches. Martins regained guard as the round entered its second half.
Nakamura continued to land punches from the top as Martins held on. From the bottom, Martins landed a grazing elbow - an illegal strike that went undetected - that cut Nakamura below the left eye. Nakamura came back with a flurry of punches before time was called to check the cut. Action resumed and Nakamura snapped Martins's head back with his jab. Following a clinch, Martins threw a wild uppercut and was countered with a one-two. Nakamura snapped Martins's head back with another jab. And another. And another. Martins seemed to have no counter for Nakamura's right jab. Nakamura landed a left cross and a hook, and Martins came back with two punches of his own. Nakamura finished the round with more jabs.
Nakamura opened up round two with more of his jabs, then followed up with a left hook and clinched. Little transpired, and Nakamura went back to the jab. Nakamura scored a very brief takedown and the fighters clinched again in the corner. More jabs landed for Nakamura, as it became almost comical in Martins's complete lack of defence. Martins evaded a takedown, only to be peppered with more jabs and left hooks. Martins tried a jumping switch kick, but could not get the knockout that he desperately sought. Another jumping switch kick landed to the body of Nakamura, and the fight ended in another uneventful clinch. The Japanese crowd, though always respectful, was less than thrilled with the fight.
Winner: Keita Nakamura by Split Decision after two rounds. He improves to 15-3-2.
DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza vs Zelg "Benkei" Galesić
Taking the fight to the mat very quickly, Souza used an extremely impressive and unique figure-four armbar to submit the tournament underdog, Galesić.Galesić landed a front kick early on, but was promptly slammed to the mat. Souza landed strikes from the top, then passed to side-control. Souza continued to strike as he set up an armbar and moved to mount. Galesić managed to reverse position and twisted into Souza's guard, but Souza used his legs to trap Galesić's right arm, then pulled back at an angle to force a lightning-fast tapout from Galesić. A very impressive victory for Souza.
Winner: Ronaldo Souza by Submission (Figure-Four Armbar) at 1:25 of round one. He improved to 10-1-0 with the win.
DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Gegard Mousasi vs "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef
Locking on a triangle choke early in the fight, Mousasi forced the Dutch knockout king to submit for a quick victory. After the fight, Manhoef sadly announced his retirement from MMA competition, which further lessens the number of middleweights in the world who could legitimately pose a threat to UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.Mousasi opened up with a leg kick, then shot in for a takedown. Manhoef defended the shot and the fighters became trapped in the ropes. Mousasi reversed a trip attempt and scored a body lock takedown. Mousasi moved from mount to Manhoef's back, but Manhoef twisted back into Mousasi's guard. Mousasi locked on a triangle choke, and Manhoef picked him up and powerbombed him down. However, Mousasi quickly tightened the triangle again and Manhoef was forced to submit.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:26 of round one. He improved to 23-2-1 with the win.
DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Reserve Match
Andrews Nakahara vs Dong Sik Yoon
Surviving countless Ezekiel Chokes and other submissions, Nakahara perservered and scored an impressive TKO victory early in the second round.
Nakahara, who lost his MMA debut to Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream.2, had an equally difficult time in this fight, but managed to survive a lengthy period on the ground in round one. Yoon pulled guard one minute into the round, but left his guard open and Nakahara stood up. Yoon came forward for a takedown and Nakahara countered with punches and leg kicks. Yoon landed a jumping combination, but could not take the fight to the ground. Yoon's next takedown attempt was more successful, but Nakahara trapped him in an omoplata. Yoon escaped and moved to half-guard, then mount.
Yoon moved to mount and used his gi to try for an Ezekiel Choke, but Nakahara showed skill beyond his experience and managed to escape danger. Yoon landed strikes from the top, then tried for another choke. Again, Nakahara used his hand to create space and avoid being choked. Once more, Yoon bucked up and landed more strikes, then tried for a third Ezekiel Choke. Nakahara reversed position and stood up, then peppered Yoon with kicks. Both fighters landed punches on the feet, and Nakahara scored with body and head kicks. A leg kick and an axe kick both grazed Yoon, as well as a knee. Yoon tried for a takedown just before the bell and ate a series of knees to the head for his efforts.
Round two ended as quickly as it began, as Nakahara scored with a leg kick that induced a wild striking exchange. Both fighters connected, but Nakahara's punches landed flush and rocked Yoon, who fell to the canvas. A relentless flurry of punches on the ground forced the referee to rescue Yoon and stop the fight. A great comeback for Nakahara and a very impressive stoppage.
Winner: Andrews Nakahara by TKO (Punches) at 0:29 of round two. He improves to 1-1-0.
Despite the unfortunate ending to the heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Cro Cop, Dream.6 punctuated an excellent tournament and crowned a very deserving DREAM Middleweight Champion, in Gegard Mousasi.
