“The Japanese Sensation” Akihiro Gono vs Hayato “Mach” Sakurai

Round 1:
Single leg kicks landed for both fighters early on and Sakurai backed Gono up with a one-two. Gono connected with a pair of lightning-fast kicks to the midsection and he followed with a hard kick to Sakurai’s lead leg. Sakurai landed a lunging left hook and Gono answered with more leg kicks. A two-punch combo backed Gono up, but Gono quickly answered with a pair of kicks.

Sakurai connected with a hard flurry of punches that hurt Gono and sent him backwards into the ropes, but Gono recovered and returned to varied kicks. Gono clinched and scored an emphatic takedown. He landed in side-control, but Sakurai regained half-guard and threw hammerfists from the bottom. Gono tried to pass to mount, but could not. Very difficult round to score. 10-10.

Round 2:
Punches and leg kicks were exchanged in the opening minute of round two and Gono kept his distance. A lunging right hand landed for Gono, but Sakurai answered with a solid one-two. Gono caught a kick from Sakurai and threw a right hook to the body, then tripped Sakurai to the mat.

Gono moved to side-control, but Sakurai did a good job of keeping him in place. Gono looked to set up a Kimura, then trapped Sakurai in a crucifix. He landed punches to Sakurai’s face with his free hand, then transitioned into a beautiful armbar. Sakurai tried to fight it, but could not and was forced to submit. Extremely impressive victory for Gono.

Winner: Akihiro Gono by Submission (Armbar) at 3:56 of round two. He improves to 31-15-7.

Michihiro Omigawa vs Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya

Round 1:
Solid punches were exchanged right away and Omigawa clinched in the corner. Takaya broke free with punches and Omigawa answered with shots to the face and body. A nice right hook scored for Omigawa and he remained the aggressor with lead left hooks. One-twos landed for both fighters and Takaya began to mix in leg kicks. Quick strikes were exchanged and Omigawa staggered Takaya with a right hook. A second right hook dropped Takaya in a heap and the referee soon stopped the fight. Big win for Omigawa.

Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by TKO (Punches) at 2:54 of round one. He improves to 9-8-1.

Hiroshi Izumi vs Katsuyori “The Mad Dog Wrestler” Shibata

Round 1:
The fighters circled each other early on as Shibata kept Izumi at a distance with jabs. Izumi landed a punch-kick combo and Shibata established his jab again. The referee warned the fighters for inactivity and Shibata connected with a one-two. Stiff jabs and a body kick found the mark for Shibata, as Izumi could do little in return.

Three left crosses backed Izumi up, but he gamely fired back with a pair of overhand rights. Shibata landed three knees, but Izumi broke free. More strikes were exchanged and Shibata landed a knee and a head kick. Izumi missed with a haymaker, but landed a leg kick and clinched. Both landed right hands before the bell. 10-9 Shibata.

Round 2:
Shibata returned to his jab in the second round as Izumi looked to set up a big right hand. He missed with one right hook, but staggered Shibata with a second one and followed with a knee. Izumi swung wild with punches in the corner, but Shibata weathered the storm. Shibata switched to a southpaw stance briefly and connected with an uppercut. Izumi clinched in the corner and scored a takedown.

Izumi worked from a partial mount position and pressed Shibata into the corner post. Shibata threw surprisingly effective palm strike uppercuts from his back, then scrambled to his feet. Shibata landed a nice counter right cross as Izumi kicked, but Izumi landed a counterpunch of his own. Shibata scored with punches in the final seconds. 10-9 Izumi.

Round 3:
Shibata kept Izumi at a distance in the final round with more jabs, then backed Izumi up with an impressive series of punches. Izumi survived, but Shibata landed knees in a clinch. Shibata peppered Izumi with more jabs and avoided an overhand right. Izumi tried to press forward with three lead right hooks, but Shibata stopped him in his tracks with two knees.

Izumi rocked Shibata with a big combination against the ropes and Shibata tried for a desperation takedown. Izumi defended and landed punches from the top. Hammerfist strikes landed for both fighters and the fight was moved to the middle of the ring. From mount, Izumi landed weak punches and hammerfists, then postured up and rained down harder punches. The fighters exchanged hammerfists until the bell. 10-9 Izumi.

Winner: Hiroshi Izumi by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 1-1-0.

DREAM Super Hulk Tournament Final

Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Round 1:
The fight began tentatively with nothing thrown for the first 90 seconds. Sokoudjou threw a leg kick and Minowa caught it, then clinched. He pulled half-guard, but Sokoudjou stood up. Minowa dragged Sokoudjou down and tried for a heel hook, but Sokoudjou punched his way free. Minowa tried to pull guard again, but Sokoudjou stood up and drilled him with a knee.

Minowa fell to the mat and avoided two punches. Sokoudjou took Minowa’s back and tried for a rear naked choke, but Minowa looked to counter with a modified toe hold. Sokoudjou switched to a neck crank, but Minowa defended once again. Minowa threw elbows to the knee of Sokoudjou as the round came to a close. 10-9 Sokoudjou.

Round 2:
The second round once again began tentatively and nothing transpired for a minute. Both connected with punches and Minowa clinched. He dropped down for a leg submission, but Sokoudjou blasted him with punches. Sokoudjou secured a front head lock, then pushed Minowa to his back in the corner. He landed punches from Minowa’s half-guard.

The pace slowed to a crawl and the fight was moved to the centre of the ring. Sokoudjou landed short hammerfists from the top and Minowa looked for another leg lock. Weak strikes followed for Sokoudjou, but he was unable to land anything damaging. Sokoudjou landed punches, but Minowa secured a kneebar just before the bell. Sokoudjou survived. 10-9 Sokoudjou.

Round 3:
The referee warned the fighters for inactivity after a minute of nothing transpiring in the final round, but it did not inspire action. A Yellow Card was given to both fighters as not a single strike had been thrown. Half of the final round went by and still nothing. Another Yellow Card was given to both fighters.

Sokoudjou finally connected with a spinning back kick to the body, but less than 30 seconds later, Minowa dropped Sokoudjou like a rock with a left hook. He followed with another left hook as the referee stopped the fight. A dazed Sokoudjou remained on the ground for some time. Unbelievable upset win.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by TKO (Punch) at 3:29 of round three. He improves to 44-30-8 and becomes the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament Champion.