Shooto: "Tradition Final" Results
by Robert Sargent
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the promotion's birth, Shooto's "Tradition Final" featured the return of huge stars from years passed and saw Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi and "Lion" Takeshi Inoue pick up wins in the night's main events.
Elsewhere, undefeated #1-ranked female Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii scored a quick submission, while "The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida was shocked by Mizuto Hirota.
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato
This battle of youth versus legend ended in favour of the young star, Inoue, but not before Sato rocked Inoue with a left hook and showed exactly why he was such a dominant force in MMA for many years.Sporting a heavily bandaged left leg, Sato opened the fight with a diving punch to the body and a quick combination. He followed up with leg kicks and a right hook, but Inoue blocked most of the strikes. Inoue began to stalk Sato and looked to set up a fight-ending punch, but Sato continued to land leg kicks and quick flurries of punches. Sato partially landed a spinning back fist and Inoue countered with kicks to Sato's bandaged leg. Sato kept Inoue off-balance with more combinations of kicks and punches, while Inoue could not seem to do anything.
Sato attempted a Superman Punch, then an axe kick and a spinning back kick. Inoue stalked Sato into a corner once more, but Sato landed a front kick and a punch to the body. Inoue scored with a right cross and Sato countered with a knee to the body. Soon after, Sato dropped Inoue with a left hook. He dove in with punches and looked to finish, but Inoue recovered and got to his feet. He clinched and landed a series of short punches that rocked Sato, who fell into the corner. Inoue fired off more punches until the referee stopped the fight.
Though this now marks the sixth loss in Sato's last seven fights, his performance against Inoue for the first four minutes of this fight showed exactly why he was once one of the most feared fighters in the sport, and his six-second flying armbar submission of Charles Taylor in 1999 remains legendary. With the comeback victory, Inoue scores one of the biggest wins of his career.
Winner: Takeshi Inoue by TKO (Punches) at 4:41 of round one. He improves to 16-3-0.
Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi vs Takashi Nakakura
Rebounding after suffering two straight defeats, the former #1-ranked lightweight, Gomi, showed that he still has what it takes to compete by scoring an impressive second-round knockout over Nakakura.Gomi, looking in-shape and focused, fought off early front kicks from Nakakura and landed a nice one-two. He backed Nakakura into a corner and caught a leg kick, then blasted Nakakura with a right hook. Nakakura shook it off, but ate another one-two. Nakakura landed a right hook and Gomi countered with a quick combination. Gomi caught another kick from Nakakura and threw him into the ropes. An exchange followed, with both fighters landing solid left hooks. Nakakura landed a hard right hook, but Gomi was unfazed and caught Nakakura with a flurry of punches as Nakakura moved forward. This left Nakakura quickly blinking his eyes after taking some hard punches, but he countered a second combination from Gomi with one of his own. Gomi pushed forward with more punches until the bell rang to end the round. 10-9 Gomi.
Nakakura's left eye was badly swollen as round two began, and he tried to open it with his hand. Gomi landed quick punches to start the action, but Nakakura fired off a one-two and just missed with a spinning back fist. Gomi began targeting the body with punches, but Nakakura did well to stay out of range and landed leg kicks and short right hooks. Just as momentum seemed to be shifting to Nakakura, Gomi drilled him with a left hook. Nakakura scored with a leg kick and a pair of quick combinations, and Gomi replied with hooks to the head and body. This repeated, with Nakakura landing more leg kicks and Gomi quickly countering with right hooks to the ribs and face. Gomi then unleashed a right hook to the body and a left hook, right hook combination to the head. An unconscious Nakakura collapsed in a heap against the ropes and the referee dove in to save him from further punishment.
While the victory alone may not restore the lost lustre of Gomi's once untouchable career, it was a huge step in the right direction for the Japanese striker and he will look to continue the momentum later this year.
Winner: Takanori Gomi by KO (Punches) at 4:42 of round two. He improves to 30-5-0, 1 ND.
Willamy "Chiquerinho" Chiquerim vs Yusuke Endo
After reversing a takedown midway through round one, Chiquerim landed punches from mount until he was able to secure a guillotine choke very late in the round, and Endo tapped out just as the bell sounded.Endo tried to establish his jab early in round one, but met with limited success. Chiquerim scored with a leg kick and Endo replied with a diving hook. The fighters clinched and Chiquerim avoided a takedown attempt. Endo tried to get the fight to the ground a second time, but Chiquerim reversed the throw and wound up on top, in mount. Chiquerim looked to posture up to land strikes, and he battered Endo with some solid punches. Endo managed to use his legs to force Chiquerim off of mount, but Chiquerim continued to work from Endo's guard. Chiquerim stood up and punched his downed opponent, who sat up. As Endo looked to get back to his feet, Chiquerim quickly secured a guillotine choke. Endo tried to escape, but could not break free and tapped out just as the bell sounded to end the round. Big win for Chiquerim.
Winner: Willamy Chiquerim by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 5:00 of round one. He improves to 13-1-0.
Mizuto Hirota vs "The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida
Once best-known for shunning the practice of taping his hands for a fight, Hirota's newly-taped fists have led to five knockout victories in his last seven fights, including this shocker over top-ten contender Ishida.Ishida scored with leg kicks early in round one, then sidestepped a lunging flurry from Hirota. More leg kicks landed for Ishida and he did well to keep his distance. Ishida continued to use quick strikes to stay out of range of the power of Hirota, but Hirota caught Ishida with a running one-two combination that sent Ishida crashing to the canvas. Ishida, though appearing to be completely unconscious for at least two seconds, seemed to recover and grabbed the leg of Hirota as Hirota blasted away with more punches. The referee stopped the fight, giving Hirota the win.
The stoppage was rather odd, however, as it seemed to come a few seconds too late. Ishida went from a seemingly unconscious state to attempting to drive for a takedown, and it was only after he had evidently recovered that the referee called a stop to the bout. Regardless, Hirota picks up a huge upset victory.
Winner: Mizuto Hirota by TKO (Punches) at 1:33 of round one. He improves to 11-3-1.
Kenichiro Togashi vs Tetsuji Kato
In a back-and-forth battle, Togashi's striking prowess narrowly outshined the takedowns and top control of Kato, and Togashi walked away with a close Majority Decision.Togashi looked to close the distance early in the first round, but was met with a series of wild left hooks and body kicks from Kato. Togashi switched tactics and began to use his jab to keep Kato at bay, which worked wonders. Jab after jab landed for Togashi, as Kato became frustrated. Kato landed a handful of leg kicks, then shot for a takedown. He wound up working from Togashi's half-guard, but Togashi quickly regained full guard. Kato punished him with big punches from the top until Togashi got back to his feet. The fighters clinched and Kato landed knees to the legs of Togashi. With his free hand, Togashi tried for uppercuts, but Kato scored another takedown before the bell. Very close round.
Round two began with more stiff jabs from Togashi, who once again frustrated his opponent. Kato attempted a wild one-two, but missed badly and was backed into a corner by more jabs. Kato tried for a takedown, but Togashi defended and the fighters clinched in the corner. Kato landed knees to Togashi's legs until Togashi punched his way free. Another series of jabs kept Kato on the defensive, but he managed to land a solid leg kick that staggered Togashi. Kato followed up with a jab and a kick that went low. Time was briefly called to give Togashi time to recover, and Togashi countered a kick with more jabs. His accuracy began to suffer as he fatigued, however, and Kato landed leg kicks and quick combinations before the bell. Another very close round.
Kato avoided jabs from Togashi by scoring with a series of leg kicks in the early stages of round three. He tried for a takedown, but Togashi stuffed it and the fighters clinched against the ropes. Togashi pushed free and went back to jabs. Kato managed to land a body kick, but was met with numerous jabs for his efforts. Togashi followed up with a three-punch combo, but Kato replied with a hard kick to the body. A Superman Punch partially landed for Kato, who tried for a takedown. Togashi jabbed his way free and peppered Kato with more punches. The final two minutes saw Togashi frustrate Kato with more jabs, while Kato was able to offer little in return. The final round was definitely Togashi's.
One judge scored the close fight even, while two others gave the decision to Togashi, who wins by Majority Decision.
Winner: Kenichiro Togashi by Majority Decision (30-28, 29-28, 29-29) after three rounds. He improves to 9-6-5.
Kotetsu Boku vs Yutaka Ueda
Following a competitive opening four minutes, Boku landed a lengthy combination of strikes that was punctuated by a right cross that dropped Ueda, and Boku quickly finished his opponent with more punches before the bell.Ueda used impressive head movement to avoid combinations from Boku in the opening minute, then tagged Boku with a body shot and two leg kicks. Boku replied with jabs and looked to land big haymakers, but Ueda stayed clear. In a clinch, Boku landed short punches from in close and backed Ueda into a corner. The fighters separated and went back to trading quick strikes. Boku landed a right hook and a jab, then sidestepped counters from Ueda. A leg kick landed for Ueda, but Boku's jab began to dictate the fight. Ueda clinched and was hit with knees to the body. Boku unleashed a series of punches as the fighters separated, then dropped Ueda with a huge right cross. Ueda turtled on the ground as Boku landed more punches, and the referee called a stop to the fight just before the end of the round.
Winner: Kotetsu Boku by TKO (Punches) at 4:56 of round one. He improves to 14-5-2.
"Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura vs Takumi Ota
Rebounding after a disappointing loss to Abel Cullum at Dream.7, Nishiura dominated this fight with power punches and takedowns, and Ota was unable to capitalise after a reversal in round two.Ota was aggressive from the start, as he attempted a head kick to begin the fight. It just missed, and Nishiura dodged follow-up leg kicks from Ota. Nishiura looked to set up a big combination, but Ota shot for a takedown and pressed Nishiura against the ropes. Nishiura reversed and scored a takedown, but Ota prevented him from doing anything on the ground. Nishiura stood up and rained down three huge punches, but Ota struggled back to his feet and pressed Nishiura into a corner. Ota tried for another takedown, but was once again reversed. From the top, Nishiura landed a big punch and Ota immediately tied him up to avoid further damage. Nishiura landed more small punches until the bell. 10-9 Nishiura.
Nishiura rocked Ota with punches early in round two, and Ota quickly found himself on the ground. Nishiura dove into Ota's guard and landed more punches in the corner, then pinned Ota down as he tried to get up. Ota could not get to his feet, but managed to sweep Nishiura and wound up on top. Nishiura landed punches from the bottom as Ota tried to pass. Ota moved to half-guard, but was kicked off. He did not let up, however, and soon moved to side-control. Ota tried to pass straight to mount, but Nishiura scrambled and regained guard. Nishiura landed more punches from the bottom and even began to sit up while punching, and the bell soon rang to end the round. 10-9 Nishiura.
Winner: Akiyo Nishiura by Unanimous Decision (20-17, 20-18, 20-18) after two rounds. He improves to 10-4-1.
Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii vs Won Bun Chu
Displaying exactly why she is the undisputed number one female fighter in the sport today, Fujii made extremely short work of the debuting Chu by scoring an early takedown and passing to side-control, where she secured a fight-ending keylock.Fujii opened the fight with a quick takedown, then scrambled to take Chu's back. Fujii transitioned into a heel hook attempt, but Chu gamely broke free. Another scramble ensued, with Fujii taking top position. She passed directly to side-control and secured a keylock, then wrenched on Chu's arm and forced a quick submission from the newcomer. Fujii remains undefeated with yet another lightning-fast submission win.
Winner: Megumi Fujii by Submission (Keylock) at 0:52 of round one. She improves to 17-0-0.
Featuring stars from past, present and future, Shooto's 20th anniversary show was one of the best events under the Shooto banner in quite some time, and more exciting fight cards will follow throughout 2009.
