Showcasing a card filled with entertaining Japan vs USA bouts, King of the Cage travelled to the island of Okinawa, Japan on Saturday for KOTC: “Toryumon.” In the night’s headliner, Shooto ace Mamoru Yamaguchi captured the KOTC Junior Flyweight Championship with a second-round submission of Frank Baca.
In women’s action, Roxanne Modafferi rebounded from her disappointing November loss in Strikeforce with a hard-fought submission victory over tough challenger Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel.
The main event of the evening saw former two-division Shooto champ Mamoru Yamaguchi claim the vacant KOTC Junior Flyweight (125-Pound) Championship by handing Frank Baca his first defeat.
Yamaguchi controlled the action on the feet and kept Baca at bay with quick strikes. Making full use of legal elbow strikes, Yamaguchi dropped Baca in the opening round and continued to dominate the fight. In round two, Yamaguchi floored Baca a second time and quickly took his back on the ground. Soon after, Yamaguchi secured a tight rear naked choke and Baca was forced to submit.
Winner: Mamoru Yamaguchi by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:54 of round two. He improves to 23-5-3 and becomes the new KOTC Junior Flyweight Champion.
In the co-main event, Cage Force and Shooto veteran Kotetsu Boku picked up his second straight victory with a clear-cut decision win over former KOTC Lightweight Champion Tony “Lionheart” Hervey.
As expected, the talented strikers kept the fight on the feet for much of the duration. In a much better showing than his disastrous near-defeat at Shooto: “Revolutionary Exchanges 3,” Boku’s striking was crisp and accurate and he kept Hervey on the defensive. Hervey managed to land a few good shots of his own, but Boku left no doubt in the minds of the judges, who awarded him with a well-earned victory.
Winner: Kotetsu Boku by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 16-6-2.
In lightweight action, Bellator’s submission king Toby Imada let his fists do the work when he knocked out Daisuke Hanazawa early in the second round.
The opening stanza was a competitive one and both fighters had their moments, but Imada ended things in a quick and emphatic way in round two. Following an exchange early on, Imada floored Hanazawa with a single punch that finished the Japanese fighter’s night and set the stage for Imada’s return to Bellator later this year.
Winner: Toby Imada by KO (Punch) at 0:29 of round two. He improves to 23-13-0.
The lone women’s bout on the card saw former multi-promotion champion Roxanne Modafferi get back on the winning track with a second-round submission victory over Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel.
Modafferi controlled most of the fight and racked up points with strikes on the feet and on the ground. Helsel fought off submissions and showed huge heart as always, but Modafferi proved to be too much for the veteran. She took Helsel’s back and secured a rear naked choke that forced Helsel to tap out midway through round two.
Winner: Roxanne Modafferi by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:18 of round two. She improves to 14-5-0.
Undercard Fights:
Tatsuya So defeated Shigeki Matsuda by TKO (Punches) at 3:48 of round two. He improves to 5-3-1 with the win.
Shungo Oyama defeated Mike Wimmer by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:07 of round one. He improves to 8-12-0 with the win.
Koji “Takauji” Kanechika defeated “Scary” Jerry Vrbanovic by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 5-2-0 with the win.
Jerry “The Finisher” Nelson defeated Shinsho “Animal” Anzai by Split Decision after three rounds. He improves to 5-1-0 with the win.
Zach Hayden defeated Black Dragon by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:29 of round one. He improves to 1-0-0 with the win.
Tomohiro Ataniya defeated Toyoshi Miyagi by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 5-4-2 with the win.
Shinya Kumazawa defeated Steve Hecht by Submission (Armbar) at 2:14 of round one. He improves to 4-6-0 with the win.
Tsuyoshi Tamaki defeated Bryon Schnell by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:28 of round three. He improves to 1-0-0 with the win.
Donald Shaw defeated Riku Inafuku by TKO (Punches) at 2:26 of round one. He improves to 1-0-0 with the win.
The clash of stars from the USA and Japan resulted in a night full of entertaining bouts at KOTC: “Toryumon,” and King of the Cage will enjoy a much larger viewing audience for future events after recently partnering with HDNet.
Thanks to Ben Henry for live results from the event.
(Photo Credit: Roxanne Modafferi)