DREAM: Heiwa Dream.10 Results
by Robert Sargent
DREAM returned to the Saitama Super Arena for Heiwa Dream.10, where the promotion's first Welterweight Champion was crowned. Picking up an unbelievable two head-kick knockouts in one night, Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis captured DREAM gold.
In non-tournament action, Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki defeated Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro and Paulo "Ely" Filho rallied to submit "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef.
Welterweight Grand Prix Final
Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis vs Jason High
Zaromskis opened the fight with his trademarked flying knee, but High caught him and briefly scored a takedown. Zaromskis got up, but High took him down again. High landed short punches from Zaromskis's guard until Zaromskis got up. High attempted a flying guillotine choke, but Zaromskis escaped. The fighters separated and Zaromskis threw a kick and a one-two. Mere seconds later, he knocked High out cold with a right head kick and two punches after the fact. High collapsed against the ropes in exactly the same manner as when Jay Hieron knocked him out at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning." Brutal, brutal knockout.High eventually regained consciousness, but the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix goes to Marius Zaromskis, who also becomes the first DREAM Welterweight Champion. Extremely impressive tournament for Zaromskis, who has instantly become a star in mixed martial arts.
Winner: Marius Zaromskis by KO (Head Kick) at 2:21 of round one. He improves to 11-2-0 and becomes the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Champion.
Non-Tournament Bouts
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki vs Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
Aoki entered the fight wearing traditional fight shorts over top of his usual flashy long tights. The fight surprisingly began with an exchange of strikes between the two grappling aces, with both landing kicks. Aoki scored with a series of kicks to the legs and body, then attempted a knee in a Thai clinch. More kicks landed for Aoki as he targeted the right elbow of Ribeiro, which quickly turned purple. Ribeiro pressed forward with punches and clinched in the corner, but Aoki reversed and landed a right hook. Aoki continued to score with a variety of kicks that kept Ribeiro off-balance.Aoki landed more kicks, but Ribeiro caught a leg kick and briefly sent Aoki to the mat with a right cross. Ribeiro looked to set up punching combinations as Aoki kicked from the outside. The referee halted the bout to warn both fighters to be more active, but both were throwing strikes. The fight resumed and Ribeiro tried for a takedown. Aoki defended and the fight returned to a kickboxing bout. Aoki landed more kicks and Ribeiro once again tried for a takedown in the corner. Aoki pushed him off and landed a glancing punch, then went back to kicks to the midsection. Ribeiro missed with a wild looping hook and Aoki drilled him with a Muay Thai knee to the jaw. The round ended with not a single second of ground fighting, but Aoki's striking actually looked pretty good.
Ribeiro opened round two with a stiff jab and a one-two, but Aoki countered a flying knee by taking Ribeiro's back. Ribeiro tried to roll for a kneebar, but Aoki evaded and remained standing. Ribeiro then tried unsuccessfully for a takedown. Aoki landed a hard kick to the liver and locked on another Thai clinch. He partially landed two knees, then followed with more strikes. Aoki landed a knee to the face of Ribeiro as Ribeiro shot in for a takedown, but Aoki was slammed to the mat. At last, the fight went to the ground. Ribeiro landed weak punches from Aoki's guard until Aoki trapped him in place with a rubber guard. Ribeiro punched from the top as Aoki alternated between guard and rubber guard. This continued until the bell. Aoki won nearly 13 minutes of this fight, but Ribeiro's ground control in the final moments might have stolen it.
The judges awarded the fight to Aoki, who shockingly won on account of his striking skills. The same striking skills - or lack thereof - that have been a target of mockery in the past. Afterwards, Aoki stated that his next fight would be against Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen for the DREAM Lightweight Championship. Both fighters hold one victory over the other, so the proposed fight would complete a highly competitive trilogy.
Winner: Shinya Aoki by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improves to 21-4-0, 1 NC.
Jesse "JT Money" Taylor vs Dong Sik Yoon
Taylor shot in for an early takedown and got it. Yoon tried to stand, but Taylor slammed him down and took his back. Taylor tried for rear naked chokes against the ropes, but Yoon fought them off. In a scramble, Yoon tried to stand, but his left ankle collapsed under him. He immediately signalled the referee and Taylor showed great class in stopping to see if his opponent was okay. The fight was stopped due to what appeared to be a serious ankle injury for Yoon. Taylor took the win, but seemed more concerned for his opponent's well-being than his winner's trophy.Replays showed that Yoon's ankle had been broken during the first takedown of the fight when Taylor's weight had fallen on Yoon's leg. The fact that Yoon fought on for nearly a minute was a true testament to his heart, but Taylor's vastly improved maturity must also be noted.
Winner: Jesse Taylor by TKO (Broken Ankle) at 0:58 of round one. He improves to 13-3-0.
*Intermission*
Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba came to the ring wearing one of his traditional masks and stated that he was giving himself permission to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama once again, later this year. Akiyama, in attendance, gave a big smile and applauded Sakuraba's speech. It's doubtful that this fight will happen, however, as Akiyama is now fighting in the UFC and likely would not receive permission to fight in Japan.
Paulo "Ely" Filho vs "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef
Filho shot in for a takedown and Manhoef countered with a right hook. Manhoef rocked Filho with a flying knee and a series of punches, but Filho survived. He was rocked again seconds later from another knee and some vicious punches from Manhoef, and Manhoef dropped Filho with a left. From half-guard, Manhoef landed punches, then stood up and allowed Filho to get up as well. Manhoef stunned Filho with another flurry of punches, but Filho clinched and scored a takedown. He quickly moved to mount and locked on an armbar. Manhoef tried to roll to escape, but could not and was forced to submit. Amazing comeback victory for Filho, who seemed to be on the brink of a knockout loss.Winner: Paulo Filho by Submission (Armbar) at 2:35 of round one. He improves to 17-1-0.
Katsunori Kikuno vs Andre "Dida" Amade
After an intense stare down from Amade, the fight began and Amade landed a big knee to the face. He followed with a left hook and a right cross that dropped Kikuno, but Kikuno got up quickly. Amade circled around Kikuno as Kikuno seemed content to do absolutely nothing. Amade rushed in with three uppercuts, but all of them missed and Kikuno countered with a one-two. After more circling, the referee warned both fighters for passivity. Action resumed and Kikuno scored with two quick punches and a liver kick, then secured a takedown and landed in mount. Amade rolled over and Kikuno absolutely teed off with punches. Amade did nothing but turtle and the referee rightly stopped the fight. Very nice win for the DEEP Lightweight Champion, Kikuno.Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Punches) at 3:48 of round one. He improves to 12-1-1.
Welterweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals
Jason High vs Andre Galvao
Galvao landed a right hook early in round one and High replied with a combination and a takedown. Galvao nearly reversed, but High stayed on top in a modified half-guard. Galvao retained control of High's legs and looked to sweep, but High sat down on his chest and landed hammerfists. Galvao stood up and took High's back in the corner. He landed knees to the thigh of High until the referee separated the fighters. High dropped Galvao with a left hook and followed up with two more punches and a hammerfist on the ground, but Galvao recovered and tried to secure a kneebar. High crossed his legs to defend, but Galvao used the opportunity to lock on an ankle lock. He switched to a kneebar and High worked to free his leg. High escaped the submission and Galvao pushed him to the mat. High attempted a weak guillotine choke and Galvao easily escaped.Galvao took mount, then secured a body triangle as High tried to explode to his feet. Galvao punched the sides of High's head and looked for a rear naked choke, the same way that he had done against John Alessio at Dream.8. Galvao rolled High over and secured a neck crank against the ropes. High gutted it out and rolled to his side, but Galvao looked for another choke or neck crank. Galvao switched to punches and moved briefly to mount, then took High's back again. Galvao moved back into mount and tried for a kata-gatame arm-triangle choke, but High defended well. High rolled over repeatedly and somehow avoided a rear naked choke that appeared to be tight. Galvao rained down punches until the bell. Great heart from High, but Galvao dominated round one.
High badly rocked Galvao with a knee to the face in the opening seconds of round two and punched him to the mat. High backed away and allowed Galvao to stand up. Both fighters landed quick punches, then backed away and circled each other. High landed a body kick and two quick flurries of punches that backed Galvao up. High landed a left hook and a one-two, but Galvao stopped him in his tracks with a right cross counter. A kick from Galvao hurt High, but he quickly recovered and landed another one-two. Galvao slipped while throwing a kick and the referee stood him up. High landed a looping left hook and a kick to the liver. Both fighters seemed to be very tired, but continued to trade punches. High landed a liver kick that backed Galvao up, then followed with another one. This will be a very difficult fight to score.
Winner: Jason High by Split Decision after two rounds. He improves to 8-1-0 and advances to the finals of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix.
Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis vs Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Zaromskis rushed forward with a jumping knee and ate a counter hook for his troubles. Sakurai landed punches and leg kicks, but Zaromskis landed a nice hook in return. Both fighters looked for big strikes and Zaromskis rocked Sakurai with a one-two. He landed another punch and a head kick that cut Sakurai on the nose. After a brief clinch, Sakurai landed a left cross and Zaromskis replied with a flying knee. Sakurai began swinging wildly with punches and landed a few. He took Zaromskis down against the ropes. The fight was moved to the middle of the ring and Sakurai landed short punches from half-guard. Zaromskis scrambled to his feet and stuffed a takedown attempt. Zaromskis attempted another flying knee and landed a one-two. Sakurai replied with his own and landed a hard overhand right, but was now bleeding from above and below the left eye. More huge strikes were exchanged until the referee called a break to check Sakurai's cuts.The fight was allowed to continue and Zaromskis rushed in. Sakurai landed a one-two, but was floored by a head kick. Zaromskis dove in with more punches until the referee stopped the fight. Huge upset win for Zaromskis.
Winner: Marius Zaromskis by KO (Head Kick & Punches) at 4:02 of round one. He improves to 10-2-0 and advances to the finals of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix.
Welterweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Tarec "The Sponge" Saffiedine vs Seichi Ikemoto
Ikemoto immediately tried for his diving double-fist punch, but missed. The fighters clinched against the ropes and traded knees. Separated, both threw single strikes, but neither landed. Solid leg kicks were exchanged and another clinch followed. Saffiedine tried for a takedown, but Ikemoto defended. Hard knees to the body scored for Ikemoto. The referee separated the fighters again and Ikemoto attempted a head kick. He landed a body kick and Saffiedine replied with a one-two and two quick combinations. More quick strikes landed for both fighters and Ikemoto tried for a takedown. Saffiedine stuffed it and the fight returned to a clinch. Saffiedine landed two big knees as Ikemoto backed away and Ikemoto tried for another diving double-fist.Ikemoto missed with a wild spinning back fist and Saffiedine continued to pepper Ikemoto with kicks. He fell while throwing a kick, however, and Ikemoto landed punches from the top. Saffiedine tried to hold Ikemoto in place, but Ikemoto stood up and landed two hard punches to the ribs. Ikemoto looked to pass to half-guard and did so, but Saffiedine worked back to his feet. Ikemoto landed knees in a clinch and Saffiedine got double underhooks. Ikemoto avoided a takedown and the fighters were separated. Saffiedine landed an overhand right, then followed with a big punch and a jumping knee that rocked Ikemoto. A brief clinch was broken up by the referee and Saffiedine began to tee off with punches. Ikemoto seemed to tire as Saffiedine pushed the pace with more punches until the bell. Good end to the round.
Saffiedine opened round two with a front kick to the face. He followed up with quick combinations of punches and single leg kicks. Ikemoto tried for a rushing palm strike, but it missed. An overhand right landed for Saffiedine and he tagged Ikemoto with a left cross. Saffiedine countered leg kicks from Ikemoto by landing a pair of one-twos. Saffiedine took Ikemoto down and landed in half-guard. He passed to side-control and looked to move to mount. Saffiedine landed knees to the face and passed to mount. Ikemoto threw his legs up to defend and Saffiedine tried for a leg lock. Ikemoto replied with a heel hook attempt and wound up on top. He stood up and landed punches. We'll see if Ikemoto's late flurry was enough to steal the fight.
Winner: Tarec Saffiedine by Unanimous Decision after two rounds. He improves to 7-1-0 and will advance to the finals of the tournament if other winners are injured.
Concluding with one of the most brutal knockouts in recent memory - comparable to that of Dan Henderson's destruction of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 - Heiwa Dream.10 was another excellent event for DREAM. New champion Marius Zaromskis has gone from a near-unknown to a huge star in mixed martial arts with two more highlight-reel knockouts.
