Sengoku: "Ninth Battle" Results
by Robert Sargent
World Victory Road crowned its first Featherweight Champion at Sengoku: "Ninth Battle," but it wasn't without considerable controversy. After losing earlier in the night, Masanori Kanehara replaced an injured Hatsu Hioki and won the tournament.
In the main event of the evening, knockout artist Mizuto Hirota knocked out Satoru Kitaoka in the fourth round to claim the Sengoku Lightweight Championship.
Sengoku Lightweight Championship
Mizuto Hirota vs Satoru Kitaoka
Sporting a blue and pink mohawk, Hirota, the reigning Cage Force Lightweight Champion, prevented Kitaoka from securing any of his patented leglocks early in the fight and kept the fight standing whenever possible, and eventually stopped Kitaoka in the fourth round to claim the Sengoku Lightweight Championship.
Kitaoka scored an immediate takedown to begin the fight, but Hirota quickly battled back to his feet. Kitaoka managed to get the fight to the mat once again and worked from Hirota's half-guard. Kitaoka slammed Hirota's head against the mat, then attempted a standing guillotine choke as Hirota stood up. Hirota fought out of the hold and briefly looked for a guillotine choke of his own. Time was called as Hirota was warned for using the ropes. Action resumed and Kitaoka landed a lead right hook, then scored another takedown. He postured up and landed some solid punches, then drilled Hirota with a stomp to the face. Kitaoka attempted an arm-in guillotine, but Hirota escaped and stood up. Kitaoka landed a high kick and a left cross, but was rocked by a right cross counter from Hirota. More big punches and a head kick landed for Hirota, who scored an emphatic takedown. Hirota landed short punches from side-control until the bell, but it was not enough to steal the round. 10-9 Kitaoka.
Between rounds, Guy Mezger rivalled Frank Mir in the category of horrendous commentary, and could not pronounce either fighter's name correctly. Regardless, round two began with quick punches from Hirota and Kitaoka countered with a body kick and an uppercut that just missed. Hirota easily evaded a spinning back fist and a takedown attempt from Kitaoka, then peppered him with a variety of strikes. Kitaoka could not score a takedown, so he pulled guard. Hirota promptly stood up and the fighters traded single punches. Kitaoka missed with another spinning back fist and failed in another takedown attempt. Hirota continued to stuff Kitaoka's takedowns and scored with quick combinations. He managed to drag Kitaoka down to the mat, but stood up seconds later. Hirota landed another combination and attempted a flying knee, then stuffed a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Hirota.
Kitaoka opened round three with a high kick and followed with a hard left cross seconds later. He continued to stay on the outside and threw single strikes, then scored a takedown. Kitaoka peppered Hirota with hammerfists from the top and looked to pass to mount. Hirota regained guard, but Kitaoka continued to land strikes from the top. He stood up and stomped the head of Hirota, then worked from Hirota's guard again. Kitaoka looked to set up a leg submission, but gave it up in favour of a jumping stomp attempt. Kitaoka briefly secured a front headlock, but Hirota escaped. Time was called and the overzealous referee gave Hirota a Yellow Card for alleged inactivity. Hirota threw a head kick and tagged Kitaoka with a pair of punches, which prompted Kitaoka to look for a takedown. Hirota, bleeding from the nose, had none of it and Kitaoka pulled guard. 10-9 Kitaoka.
Round four began with a takedown attempt from Kitaoka, but Hirota defended and landed a one-two. Kitaoka continued to try to take the fight to the ground, but Hirota wound up on top and landed numerous hammerfists before standing up. Kitaoka tried for another takedown, but Hirota unleashed a series of vicious knees to the face. Hirota landed some big hammerfist strikes until Kitaoka stood up. Once again, Kitaoka shot for a desperation takedown, but Hirota defended with more knees. With his nose bleeding badly, Kitaoka rolled over and Hirota punished him with punches and hammerfists. Kitaoka stood up and tried for one last takedown, but ate more knees for his efforts and the fight was stopped. Mizuto Hirota becomes a two-promotion Lightweight Champion.
Winner: Mizuto Hirota by TKO (Knees) at 2:45 of round four. He improves to 12-3-1 and becomes the new Sengoku Lightweight Champion.
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Forrest Griffin
After dropping Griffin twice in the opening minutes of round one, Silva handed his opponent one of the most embarrassing knockout losses in mixed martial arts history when he floored Griffin for good with a short jab while backing up.
Griffin looked to land jabs to set up combinations early in round one, but Silva avoided all of them by circling to his left. After about 45 seconds, Silva had had enough circling and began to get into a rhythm. He switched to an orthodox stance and caught a kick from Griffin, then pushed him away. Griffin threw kicks and more jabs, but was dropped by a right hook. Silva allowed Griffin to stand and landed another right hook, then a one-two. Griffin rapidly began to look way out of his league as Silva pumped himself up and floored Griffin with a left cross. Silva followed up with punches on the ground, but let Griffin stand once again. Griffin tried to score with a trio of two-punch combinations, but Silva, with his hands completely down, bobbed and weaved to avoid them. As Griffin stepped forward, Silva threw a half-power jab while backing away that crumpled Griffin to the mat. Griffin held his hands up as if to say, "no more," and the referee stopped the fight.
After the humiliating defeat, Griffin sprinted from the cage to the backstage dressing rooms. Silva, on the other hand, spoke at length about wanting to compete against the best of the best. Whether that means continuing to fight at 185, where he is a champion, or further testing himself at 205 remains to be seen.
Winner: Anderson Silva by KO (Punch) at 3:22 of round one. He improves to 25-4-0.
Aaron Riley vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Getting his revenge after being on the receiving end of quite possibly the worst referee stoppage in UFC history, Riley avenged the UFC 96 "loss" to Nelson by using his size and strength advantage to dominate all three rounds.
Riley scored with a looping left hook early on, which prompted Nelson to briefly drop for a takedown. Both landed punches in a clinch and Riley pressed forward with another left hook. Nelson slipped on the edge of the cage and Riley punished him as he stood up. Knees were exchanged in a clinch and Riley backed Nelson up with punches. Riley just missed with a head kick as Nelson backed away. Nelson caught a kick from Riley and pushed him to the mat, but Riley immediately got back to his feet. Both fighters landed one-twos and narrowly missed with head kicks. Riley clinched and targeted the body with knees and punches, but Nelson replied with elbows over the top. Riley caught a kick from Nelson and partially landed a head kick, then easily stuffed a takedown. Both landed knees in a clinch before the bell. 10-9 Riley.
Riley scored with a left cross and a head kick in round two, but Nelson countered with a knee to the jaw. Riley landed another left and a head kick, then clinched and peppered Nelson with knees and elbows. Nelson landed a solid body kick, but Riley sent him off-balance with a knee and followed up with more strikes in close. Riley continued to overpower Nelson, but Nelson tried to fire back with strikes of his own. Two more head kicks landed for Riley and he went back to striking from in close, then took Nelson down. From Nelson's half-guard, Riley landed elbows and hammerfists until Nelson regained guard. The referee stood the fighters up and Riley stuffed a takedown, then landed a body kick. Both fighters landed punches in close and Riley tripped Nelson to the mat at the bell. 10-9 Riley.
Quick strikes were exchanged in the third round and both scored with punching combinations. Nelson tried for a takedown, but Riley stuffed it. Riley landed a nice right hook to the body and clinched, then landed short punches to the body. Nelson fell down and Riley wound up on top, where he landed punches and hammerfists from Nelson's guard. The crowd suddenly went crazy as a fight, involving both men and women, broke out in the crowd (Video). It is Philadelphia, after all. Inside the ring, Riley continued to strike from the top as the disinterested Octagon Girls were busy texting at ringside. Riley postured up and landed some big elbows and more hammerfists that caused a mouse to form below Nelson's left eye. He battered Nelson all the way until the final bell to earn a dominant decision victory that erased much of the stigma of the first bout.
Winner: Aaron Riley by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 28-11-1.
Johny Hendricks vs Amir Sadollah
After rocking Sadollah with a counterpunch very early in the fight, Hendricks dropped Sadollah with a series of uppercuts and referee Dan Miragliotta rushed in for what some believed was a premature stoppage.
The fighters traded punches in the opening seconds and Hendricks blocked a head kick. Sadollah rushed forward with a flurry of punches, but was rocked by a left hook counter. Hendricks grabbed Sadollah's head and teed off with five uppercuts that dropped Sadollah to the mat. Sadollah looked up and appeared to be getting to his feet as Hendricks threw more glancing punches, but the referee rushed in and pulled Hendricks off. Sadollah was definitely in trouble and could have been KOed seconds later, but the stoppage may have been early. Regardless, Hendricks takes the win.
Winner: Johny Hendricks by TKO (Punches) at 0:29 of round one. He improves to 6-0-0.
Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida vs Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove
Controlling the fight on the ground for much of the duration, Almeida survived a deep armbar in round two and cruised to a clear-cut decision in an otherwise uneventful bout.
Almeida rushed forward and clinched, then looked for a takedown as both fighters landed knees to the body. The fight remained in a clinch for well over a minute as neither fighter held an advantage. Almeida continued to push forward with one-two combinations of punches and tried again for a pair of takedowns, but the fight returned to a clinch again. Grove showed impressive takedown defence, but Almeida finally got him to the mat. Almeida dropped punches from the top and Grove replied with elbow strikes from the bottom. Almeida nearly passed all the way to mount and then tried to take Grove's back as Grove stood up, but Grove backed up against the cage. Almeida picked Grove up and slammed him to the ground, then landed a few punches before the bell. 10-9 Almeida.
Round two began the same way as the first, with Almeida rushing forward with a right hook and looking for a takedown. He got Grove down and worked from the top, but Grove used the cage to spin into a very deep armbar. Almeida's skills on the ground allowed him to escape the hold, which would have submitted most competitors, and he spun out of a follow-up heel hook attempt as well. From Grove's guard, Almeida landed weak punches and Grove countered with elbows. Almeida passed to half-guard and Grove briefly looked for a Kimura, then regained guard. Almeida stood up and teed off with his best punches of the fight, then switched to elbows from half-guard. More big punches landed for Almeida as Grove got to his feet. Almeida spent the rest of the round trying to take Grove down and managed to do so with mere seconds remaining. 10-9 Almeida.
Grove landed a solid combination early in the third round, but Almeida caught a kick and landed a right hook counter, then pressed Grove up against the cage and scored a takedown. Grove immediately got back to his feet and landed knees to the body and a right hook. Grove attempted to land more knees from a Thai clinch, but Almeida countered with a flying armbar attempt. Grove threw punches from the top and stood up. The fighters traded punches as Almeida began to slow down. Grove fought off one takedown, but Almeida got him down on the second try. Almeida landed sparse strikes from the top and Grove replied with elbows and a gogoplata attempt. More strikes were exchanged on the ground and Grove tried for a Kimura. Almeida escaped and the fight returned to the feet. Grove landed a one-two and defended a takedown from Almeida before the end of the close round. 10-9 Almeida.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-3-0.
Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs Josh "The Dentist" Neer
Working from top position in all three rounds, Pellegrino fought off a number of submission attempts in the first round and did just enough in the latter two rounds to earn a decisive but lacklustre victory.
Neer pushed forward with a quick combination and both landed punches. Neer followed with a head kick that was partially blocked. Pellegrino scored a takedown, but Neer immediately regained guard and threw elbows from the bottom. Pellegrino briefly passed to side-control and landed elbows of his own, then postured up and landed punches. Neer tried for an armbar, but Pellegrino fought it off. Neer attempted a second armbar and nearly had it, but Pellegrino slammed his way free. Neer drilled him with an upkick and tried for a heel hook, then a triangle choke seconds later. Pellegrino escaped, but Neer continued to actively seek submissions from the bottom. The fighters traded punches and Pellegrino began to mix in elbows from half-guard. The close round came to an end, but Neer had been the more active fighter from the bottom. 10-9 Neer.
Neer opened round two with a series of quick combinations and two hard leg kicks. Pellegrino replied with a nice one-two, but Neer tagged him with a right hook counter. Pellegrino tried unsuccessfully for a takedown, but managed to send Neer backwards with a left hook and a combination. Pellegrino went for another takedown and managed to get it. Both fighters landed elbows on the ground and Neer tried for an armbar and a triangle choke. Pellegrino landed weak punches and hammerfists from the top and Neer replied with more elbows from the bottom and another armbar attempt. Neer tried for a pair of triangles, but Pellegrino punched his way free. Neer switched to a Kimura, but Pellegrino once again escaped and passed to mount. Neer rolled and gave up his back, but Pellegrino could not secure a choke. 10-9 Pellegrino.
Pellegrino landed a pair of liver kicks in round three that got Neer's attention and Neer fired back with one of his own. Pellegrino caught a kick and scored a takedown, then worked from the top with short punches. Neer tried to roll for a kneebar, but Pellegrino had none of it. Pellegrino landed elbows and passed to half-guard, but Neer regained guard. Pellegrino punched from the top, but Neer cut him just above the forehead with elbows. Pellegrino landed weak strikes from the top and escaped a triangle attempt. Neer continued to be active from the bottom with elbows and submission attempts, but Pellegrino peppered him with small punches. Pellegrino moved to mount with 40 seconds left, but Neer immediately reversed and stood up. Pellegrino tried to take him down, but Neer blasted him with a series of vicious elbow strikes that opened a second cut above Pellegrino's eye. Time expired, however, giving Pellegrino the win. 10-9 Pellegrino
Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-4-0.
George Sotiropoulos vs George Roop
In what was clearly the best fight of the night - which speaks volumes as to the quality of the remainder of the card - Sotiropoulos dominated all of the first round with submission attempts and strikes on the ground, then finally finished Roop with a Kimura in round two.
The fighters traded strikes in the opening 30 seconds and Roop managed to land a nice right cross. He rushed in with a jumping switch kick, but Sotiropoulos caught it and took him down. Sotiropoulos immediately passed to side-control and looked briefly for a Kimura, then went straight to mount. He landed punches and elbows from the top, but Roop pressed off of the cage and reversed position, then stood up. Roop looked to land knockout strikes, but missed with all of them. He landed a body kick and Sotiropoulos countered with a spinning heel kick. Sotiropoulos rocked Roop with a one-two and followed up with more punches, but Roop held strong. Sotiropoulos clinched and dragged Roop to the mat, then looked for a rear naked choke. Roop rolled over and Sotiropoulos worked from side-control. He tried for a pair of Kimuras, but Roop escaped. Sotiropoulos took Roop's back and nearly secured a rear naked choke, then an armbar, but Roop broke free and landed some solid punches from the top. Excellent round. 10-9 Sotiropoulos.
More punches were exchanged early in round two and Roop scored with leg kicks and a hard one-two. Sotiropoulos pressed forward and both fighters threw big bombs, but neither connected cleanly. Sotiropoulos scored a takedown and moved directly to mount. He teed off with punches and elbows until Roop squirmed free. From side-control, Sotiropoulos locked on a Kimura and wrenched back on Roop's left arm, forcing Roop to submit. Great fight.
Winner: George Sotiropoulos by Submission (Kimura) at 1:56 of round two. He improves to 10-2-0.
Undercard Fights:
Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara defeated Thales Leites by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. This horrible fight featured very little action. In the first round, the lone highlight was a forearm shot from Sakara on the ground that hurt Leites, while Leites controlled round two with takedowns, choke attempts and a mount late in the round. The final stanza saw neither fighter do much of anything, but Sakara's occasional strike outweighed Leites's takedown in two judges' minds, and Sakara walked away with the win in a fight that most would like to forget. Sakara improves to 14-7-0, 1 NC with the win.
Matt Riddle defeated Dan Cramer by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27) after three rounds. Riddle had to spend most of the first round fighting off an arm-in guillotine choke that seemed to have him in trouble, but he rebounded with a dominant second round that included strikes from the top and a series of rear naked choke attempts on the ground. Round three began with Cramer dropping Riddle, but the round was all Riddle after that. He opened a bad cut over Cramer's eye with elbows and punished Cramer with punches. Riddle controlled position for the remainder of the round and took the clear decision in the process. Riddle improves to 3-0-0 with the win.
Jesse "The Ox" Lennox defeated Danillo "Indio" Villefort by TKO (Cut) at 3:37 of round three. The close first round saw Villefort score a takedown and he later followed up with spinning back kicks to the face and body, while Lennox replied with a pair of takedowns of his own. Round two was all Lennox, as he staggered Villefort early on and semi-dropped him with a punch later on as Villefort appeared to be badly fatigued. Lennox opened round three with more big strikes, but Villefort got the fight to the ground and secured a tight armbar. Lennox broke free and reversed, but an inadvertent clash of heads caused a bad gash over Villefort's eye. The referee stopped the fight, giving Lennox the win, but this may be changed to a No Contest due to the circumstances behind the cut. Lennox improves to 11-1-0 with the win.
With a number of close and often uninteresting decisions on the undercard and an equally slow main card, the lone highlights of the night came in BJ Penn's dominant defence of his title and George Sotiropoulos's return to competition against George Roop. One thing is for certain, and that is that this was a night that Forrest Griffin would like to immediately forget.
