K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament Final

Masaaki Noiri vs Shota Shimada

Round 1:
Shimada opened up with quick leg and body kicks, but Noiri replied with a pair of counter hooks. More kicks landed for Shimada and Noiri continued to pick his shots with counterpunches. Punch-kick combos were exchanged and Shimada landed a front kick to the body. The fighters traded numerous punches and kicks in the final 30 seconds of the action-packed round. Tough to score. 10-9 Shimada, barely.

Round 2:
The second round began with hard leg kicks from both fighters and Noiri scored with a one-two in close. Noiri backed Shimada up with punches and a front kick, but Shimada became the counterpuncher and landed a combination. Noiri landed a three-punch flurry and more punches, then a knee. After another barrage, the referee gave Shimada a standing count. Shimada was fine and the round soon ended. 10-8 Noiri.

Round 3:
Shimada opened the final round with kicks to the legs and body and Noiri answered with a head kick. Noiri landed an overhand right and a right cross. Shimada replied with a flurry and a leg kick. Power punches were thrown by both and Shimada continued to bleed from the nose. Both just missed with head kicks and punches were exchanged in close. Noiri backed Shimada up with punches and Shimada’s nose bled all over the place. Excellent round. 10-9 Noiri.

Winner: Masaaki Noiri by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-28) after three rounds. He becomes the 2009 K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament Champion.

K-1 Kickboxing Bout

“Sugar” Ray Sefo vs Yosuke Nishijima

Round 1:
A one-two and a leg kick landed for Sefo early on and follow-up kicks to the legs also found the mark. Sefo drilled Nishijima with quick punching flurries and hard leg kicks, but Nishijima stayed on his feet. He nearly fell after a stiff leg kick and Sefo rocked him badly with a counter left hook. Again, Nishijima stayed up and the fighters traded punches in close. Both fighters connected with hard left hooks at the bell. 10-9 Sefo.

Round 2:
One-twos landed for both fighters in the opening seconds of round two and Sefo scored with a spinning back kick to the liver. He followed with a punching flurry, but Nishijima sidestepped. Nishijima landed some solid punches of his own and Sefo began to showboat. Sefo continued to taunt Nishijima, but it was Nishijima whose punches found the mark. Two hard leg kicks landed for Sefo and the fighters traded punches. Very close round. 10-9 Sefo by a slim margin.

Round 3:
Sefo kept Nishijima at a distance with stiff jabs in the final round, then dropped Nishijima with a counter hook. Nishijima survived the count and knees were exchanged in close. A leg kick scored for Sefo and he followed with a side kick to the midsection. A right hand staggered Nishijima and Sefo tagged him with an uppercut and a leg kick. More power punches landed for Sefo, but Nishijima did not fall down. Sefo’s punches and leg kicks dominated the remainder of the round. 10-8 Sefo.

Winner: Ray Sefo by Unanimous Decision after three rounds.

K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament Semi-Final

Shota Shimada vs Katsuki Ishida

Round 1:
Kicks were exchanged early on and Ishida missed with a jumping knee. Ishida landed a one-two and caught a kick from Shimada, but Shimada countered with a flurry. He attempted a flying knee, but Ishida caught it. Shimada backed Ishida up with a series of kicks to the legs and ribs. Ishida caught a kick and tripped Shimada to the mat as the bell sounded. Close round. 10-9 Shimada.

Round 2:
Ishida teed off with heavy punches in the second round and Shimada defended with kicks to the body. He sent Ishida off-balance with a counter right hook and landed two more kicks. A front kick and a leg kick landed for Shimada and Ishida answered with a five-punch flurry. Shimada scored with two more leg kicks, but Ishida began to find success with punches. Shimada was warned for an illegal clinch knee and Ishida landed a combination at the bell. 10-9 Ishida.

Round 3:
Ishida aggressively rushed in with punches and two leg kicks in the final round. Shimada landed a body kick and Ishida connected with more punches. A big exchange followed and both landed, but Ishida got the better of it. Shimada targeted the body, but Ishida scored with more punches. He backed Shimada into the corner with a barrage of punches and Shimada countered with a one-two. Another close round. 10-9 Ishida.

Winner: Shota Shimada by Majority Decision after three rounds. He advances to the finals of the K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament.

K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament Semi-Final

Masaaki Noiri vs Hiroya

Round 1:
Noiri opened the action with quick kicks to the legs and body. Hiroya answered with a jab-cross combo and the fighters traded a variety of kicks. Noiri continued to score with kicks and he rocked Hiroya with a lengthy flurry of punches and a high knee that dropped Hiroya to one knee. The referee did not award Noiri with a knockdown, but Noiri kept the pressure on and battered Hiroya with more punches. 10-9 Noiri.

Round 2:
Kicks to the head and body connected for both fighters in the second round and Hiroya landed a nice combination. Noiri countered with a flurry and a knee, then backed Hiroya up with a one-two and a leg kick. A left cross snapped Hiroya’s head back and Noiri remained the aggressor. He scored with an uppercut and Hiroya tried to answer with a head kick. High kicks were exchanged at the bell. 10-9 Noiri.

Round 3:
Hiroya landed a solid combination of punches and kicks and rocked Noiri, but Noiri immediately fired back with a barrage of punches that clearly dazed Hiroya. Again, the referee did not award Noiri with a count, but it did not matter and he scored with another flurry. Hiroya recovered and targeted the body, but ate a knee to the face. Big punches were exchanged and Hiroya landed a knee of his own. Hiroya connected with haymakers, but could not knock Noiri out. Very close final round. 10-9 Noiri, just barely.

Winner: Masaaki Noiri by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He advances to the finals of the K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament.

K-1 Koshien Under-18 Tournament Reserve Bout

Tsukasa Fuji vs Ryuya Kusakabe

Winner: Tsukasa Fuji by Majority Decision after three rounds.

Aside from injuries to Kazuyuki Fujita and Mizuto Hirota – and Shinya Aoki’s rather ridiculous display of poor sportsmanship – K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” was easily the biggest and best mixed martial arts event of the year. Capped off by Masato’s incredible retirement fight with Andy Souwer, this year’s instalment of Dynamite!! may very well have been the best MMA/K-1 event to date and proves that both sports are still alive and well in Japan.