Sengoku "No Ran 2009" Results
by Robert Sargent
Beginning the new year with a pair of major title fight upsets, Sengoku crowned new Lightweight and Middleweight Champions at "No Ran 2009," as Jorge Santiago defeated Kazuo Misaki at the last moment, while Satoru Kitaoka shocked Takanori Gomi.
Elsewhere, Grabaka lead Sanae Kikuta edged out a Split Decision over Yoshida Dojo founder Hidehiko Yoshida, and Eiji Mistuoka continued to shine with a submission of Sergey Golyaev.
Sengoku Lightweight Championship
Satoru Kitaoka vs Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi
Quickly taking the fight to the ground, Kitaoka displayed the vicious footlocks that have become a staple of his Nippon Top Team camp with Masakazu Imanari and Shinya Aoki, as he trapped Gomi in an Achilles Lock and forced a submission.After circling each other for a moment, Kitaoka looked for a takedown and Gomi quickly evaded. However, Kitaoka managed to pull guard seconds later and locked onto Gomi's leg. Initially, Gomi held on and waved off the referee, who checked to see if he was in danger. Shortly thereafter, however, Kitaoka switched up his grip and transitioned into an Achilles Lock that left Gomi in great pain as he tapped out. Less than two minutes into the fight, Kitaoka submits the long-time #1-ranked lightweight in the world.
Winner: Satoru Kitaoka by Submission (Achilles Lock) at 1:41 of round one. He improves to 24-8-9 and becomes the first Sengoku Lightweight Champion.
Sengoku Middleweight Championship
Jorge Santiago vs Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki
Coming back from the brink of a clear-cut decision defeat, Santiago managed to secure a rear naked choke late in the fifth and final round that left Misaki unconscious and Santiago as the first Sengoku Middleweight Champion.The first round began with Misaki repeatedly feinting kicks and knees, as he often does, while Santiago tried to find his range with jabs. Misaki caught a kick from Santiago, but could not take him down and returned to picking his spots with leg kicks. Santiago narrowly missed with a big haymaker, and Misaki swung wild with a left hook that failed to find its target. Again, Misaki caught a kick from Santiago, and he sent Santiago to the mat with a looping hook. Misaki worked from Santiago's guard as Santiago tried to nullify strikes. Misaki stood and missed a stomp, then fell back into Santiago's guard and used a slam to escape a quick armbar attempt from Santiago. The round continued until the bell with Misaki trying to land punches and Santiago defending. 10-9 Misaki.
Round two began with both fighters cautiously circling each other and not wanting to over-commit. Misaki again used feints, while Santiago stuck to his jab. Santiago eventually pushed forward with a quick one-two combination, but Misaki fired back with a variety of kicks. The fighters traded strikes, with Misaki landing a solid punch to the body. Misaki caught another kick from Santiago, but could do nothing with it. Santiago floored Misaki with a huge right cross seconds later, and rushed to try to finish the Japanese star. Misaki got right back up, however, and circled to avoid strikes. Misaki clinched and landed knees to the legs, then tried unsuccessfully for a takedown. Santiago landed a quick two-punch combo before the bell, but Misaki countered with an overhand right. 10-9 Santiago.
Round three started off with more of the same, but it was Santiago who caught a kick from Misaki and threw him to the ground. Misaki got up and avoided a series of lunging jabs from Santiago. Misaki ducked a looping left hook, then narrowly missed with a jumping knee. Both fighters scored with solid two-punch combinations, and Santiago followed up by throwing a spinning backfist that just missed. Misaki scored with kicks to the body, then followed up with a punch and a spinning back kick that also targeted the midsection of Santiago. Misaki landed more kicks to the legs and body, then just missed with a huge left hook. He ended the round strong with a right hook just before the bell. 10-9 Misaki.
Santiago went back to his jab early in round four, but Misaki countered with a series of front kicks. Misaki narrowly missed a left hook, but landed a right soon after. He followed up with five consecutive leg kicks that had Santiago reeling. Misaki missed with a flying knee, but landed a spinning back kick and a flurry of punches. Santiago managed to catch a kick from Misaki and took the fight to the ground, where he landed two punches from Misaki's guard. Misaki looked for a guillotine choke, but Santiago escaped and moved to half-guard. Misaki then gave up his back in a scramble, but squirmed free again. Santiago latched onto an armbar during a transition, but Misaki escaped just before the bell and took the round in the process. 10-9 Misaki.
Punches from Misaki caused Santiago's nose to begin bleeding early in round five, and Misaki continued to put the pressure on with leg kicks. Santiago landed two combinations, but ate more leg kicks for his efforts. Misaki landed a hard right, but Santiago scored a takedown and landed in half-guard. Misaki regained guard, but Santiago unleashed a flurry of desperation punches and moved straight to mount. Misaki rolled over and gave up his back, and Santiago made the most of the opportunity by locking on a rear naked choke. Misaki desperately tried to pry Santiago's arm away from his neck, but could not and went to sleep. The referee lifted Misaki's arm to see if he was conscious, but the arm fell and the referee stopped the fight. Santiago makes an amazing last-ditch effort to snatch the championship victory from the claws of defeat.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:26 of round five. He improves to 21-7-0 and becomes the first Sengoku Middleweight Champion.
Sanae Kikuta vs Hidehiko Yoshida
Pitting the leaders of the Grabaka and Yoshida Dojos against one another, this back-and-forth bout went the distance, with Kikuta emerging with a hard-fought Split Decision win.Both fighters connected with overhand rights early in round one, then traded kicks and punches as each looked to set up combinations. Kikuta tried a one-two combination, but was countered by a big right from Yoshida. Seconds later, Yoshida attempted a high kick, but slipped. Kikuta pounced on his downed opponent and eventually managed to land punches from Yoshida's guard. Kikuta attempted a slam, but Yoshida held onto his neck and kept Kikuta in place. Kikuta continued to score with punches in short flurries, but Yoshida kept hold of his arms and nullified most of Kikuta's offence. The remainder of the round saw the fighters trade punches on the ground, with Kikuta controlling position. 10-9 Kikuta.
After missing a punch, Yoshida clinched and scored a takedown in the opening seconds of round two. Kikuta attempted to strike from the bottom, but Yoshida scored with a diving punch. Kikuta latched onto Yoshida's leg, which initially seemed to cause Yoshida concern, but Yoshida held on until the referee restarted the action on the feet after a lull. Yoshida landed big punches, then defended a leg lock with more strikes. Again, the action slowed and the referee stood the fighters up. Once more, Yoshida pressed forward with hard punches, dropping Kikuta to the ground. Yoshida pounced and landed numerous strikes from the top, which caused Kikuta's face to swell. Kikuta looked for another leg submission, but Yoshida easily avoided danger. In a scramble, Kikuta managed to reverse and take mount, where he landed punches for the remainder of the close round. 10-9 Yoshida.
Kikuta landed a leg kick and tried for a punching combination early in round three, but missed with most of his strikes. Yoshida went on the defensive, but managed to land a quick combination and began to press the action. Yoshida scored with a big right hook that caused Kikuta to back away, and Yoshida pushed forward with more punches. Yoshida attempted a takedown, but Kikuta reversed and took Yoshida's back, where he landed punches and looked for a rear naked choke. Yoshida rolled to escape and gave up mount, where Kikuta rained down punches. Yoshida tried to buck to escape, but Kikuta remained in top position for the duration of the round and punished Yoshida with strikes. Another close round. 10-9 Kikuta.
Winner: Sanae Kikuta by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 28-6-3, 1 NC.
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs Yukiya Naito
Notching his third victory in his short career, Lawal defeated yet another battle-tested opponent with first-round strikes, as he overwhelmed Naito with punches late in round one.Naito tried for a variety of high and low kicks early on, but met with little success and was hit with a flurry of punches from Lawal. Naito continued to pick his spots with kicks, as Lawal attempted to close the distance. Lawal scored with a combination, then landed a right cross that sent Naito retreating. Lawal landed a punch to the body, but missed three follow-up strikes, which prompted Naito to mock him. Lawal returned the favour, then landed a knee to the midsection. Lawal landed another combination, and both fighters missed with big punches. Naito landed a leg kick, but was hammered by a counter right that sent his mouthpiece flying. More vicious punches from Lawal in the corner caused Naito to fall. Lawal pounced and landed even more strikes until the referee stopped the fight. Another very impressive performance from the newcomer.
Winner: Muhammed Lawal by TKO (Punches) at 3:54 of round one. He improves to 3-0-0.
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva vs Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao
Venturing to Japan after his suspension by the California State Athletic Commission, Silva came away as the victor after Nakao suffered a knee injury early in round one.Nakao opened the fight with a punch to the body, but ate a left hook in return. Both fighters missed with strikes, and Nakao followed up a kick with a takedown attempt. Silva sprawled and locked on an Anaconda Choke, but Nakao somehow managed to escape. Silva landed a big knee to the body, then trapped Nakao in the corner. Nakao fired back with wild punches, only to be met with punches from Silva in reply. As Nakao went to retreat, he evidently planted his leg incorrectly, which caused a knee injury. Nakao motioned towards his left leg as he limped to the side, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
Winner: Antonio Silva by TKO (Knee Injury) at 1:42 of round one. He improves to 12-1-0.
Eiji Mitsuoka vs Sergey Golyaev
Rebounding after his submission loss to Satoru Kitaoka, Mitsuoka resumed his climb to the top of the Sengoku lightweight ladder with a first-round armbar over Golyaev, who was coming off of a controversial victory over former long-time #1-ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi.After circling Golyaev, Mitsuoka caught a kick and scored a takedown. Golyaev used a bizarre version of the rubber guard and punched from the bottom, but did little damage. Golyaev continued to prevent Mitsuoka from doing any damage, as Mitsuoka looked to improve his position by standing up and moving back into guard. Mitsuoka tried to pass to side-control, but could not. Golyaev looked for an armbar, but Mitsuoka escaped by using punches and a modified slam in the corner. Mitsuoka briefly moved to side-control before Golyaev regained guard. Again, Mitsuoka moved to side-control, but this time he used punches to allow him to move to mount. He first looked for an armbar, then moved his foot across Golyaev's face and tried for a figure-four armbar. Golyaev initially escaped and seemed to be poised to survive the round, but Mitsuoka transitioned and fell back into a straight armbar, which forced Golyaev to submit.
Winner: Eiji Mitsuoka by Submission (Armbar) at 4:22 of round one. He improves to 15-6-2.
Undercard Fights:
Mu Bae Choi defeated Dave "Pee Wee" Herman by TKO (Punches) at 2:22 of round two. Both fighters were exhausted by the end of the first round, which Herman had largely dominated, but Choi had enough energy left to land a flurry of punches on Herman against the ropes. Herman did not defend himself, which prompted the referee to stop the fight, as Herman suffered his first career defeat. Choi improves to 8-3-0 with the win.Maximo Blanco defeated Seigo Inoue by KO (Stomps) at 0:38 of round one. Blanco opened the fight with a knee and punches that dropped Inoue, who recovered with a quick armbar. Blanco stomped his way out of the armbar, which put Inoue into the land of unconsciousness. Blanco improves to 2-1-0, 1 NC with the win.
Hidetada Irie defeated Minoru Kato by TKO (Punches) at 4:21 of round two. Kato dropped Irie early in round one and nearly ended the fight with a flying stomp, but Irie recovered and came back strong to win the round, then finished the fight late in round two with a series of punches from the mount. Irie improves to 4-3-2 with the win.
Though both title fights ended in upsets, and Hidehiko Yoshida also fell short in his battle with Sanae Kikuta, Sengoku's first 2009 show featured a stellar card of excellent fights and served as an excellent start to the new year.
