Gerald “The Hurricane” Harris vs Kazuhiro Nakamura
Round 1:
Harris landed quick punches early on and Nakamura scored with a nice inside-leg kick. He landed another kick and a jumping knee to the body. The fighters clinched and exchanged knees in close against the ropes. Harris unloaded with a three-punch flurry and Nakamura answered back with a counter hook. Harris circled away and the fighters traded head kicks.
Harris threw a flying knee and clinched in the corner. He tried to take Nakamura down, but Nakamura stayed on his feet and landed quick punches. Referee Kenichi Serizawa separated the fighters and Harris jabbed. He landed a leg kick and ducked under a right hook. Harris scored with knees to the body and avoided a takedown. He landed an overhand left late in the round. 10-9 Harris.
Round 2:
The fighters traded strikes in close in round two and Harris backed Nakamura up to the corner. Nakamura took him down, but Harris returned to his feet. Harris then tried for a takedown of his own and got Nakamura down to a knee. The fighters stood and Nakamura countered a takedown attempt with a knee to the body.
Harris was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown in a corner of the ring, but Nakamura stayed on his feet. Harris landed a knee to the body and a right hook. The fighters were separated and Harris landed a looping left. He looked for a takedown and finally slammed Nakamura down late in the round. 10-9 Harris.
Round 3:
Both fighters landed punches to open the final round and followed with leg kicks. Nakamura landed a right hook and Harris countered with an uppercut in a clinch. Harris dropped levels for a takedown and Nakamura tried for a Kimura. Harris got him down to a knee, but Nakamura stood and scored with a right cross. Harris again dropped down for a takedown and pulled Nakamura’s legs out from under him to get him down.
The fighters returned to their feet and Harris landed a left cross. He used it to set up a flurry of punches, then took Nakamura down in the corner. The referee brought the fight back to the feet and Harris threw punches. He tried for a takedown and Nakamura countered with a Kimura. Harris powered out, but could not get Nakamura down in the corner. Harris picked Nakamura up and Nakamura grabbed onto the ropes. Harris slammed him down anyway before the bell. 10-9 Harris.
Winner: Gerald Harris by Split Decision after three 5:00 rounds. He improves to 19-4-0.
DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout
Antonio Banuelos vs Hideo Tokoro
Round 1:
The fighters circled in the opening minute and the shorter Banuelos looked to close the distance. Tokoro jabbed and Banuelos threw a right hook to the body. More jabs landed for Tokoro and he avoided an overhand right from Banuelos. Tokoro stuck to his jab and mixed in leg kicks. Banuelos landed a right hook and just missed with a three-punch flurry.
Both fighters threw leg kicks and Banuelos landed an overhand right. He followed with a body shot. Referee Yuji Shimada warned the fighters for inactivity and Banuelos landed a body kick and a right hand after the restart. He followed with more punches and a kick to the upper body. Tokoro landed a head kick and tried for a takedown. Banuelos stuffed it. 10-9 Banuelos due to his late rally.
Round 2:
Tokoro jabbed again in round two and ate a right hand. He landed a body kick and Banuelos came up short with a lead left hook. Tokoro ducked under a right hook and landed a counter left. A body kick landed for Tokoro and Banuelos again came up short with punches. Tokoro landed a nice leg kick and Banuelos fired back with an overhand right. Tokoro flew in with a knee, but fell after a right hand counter from Banuelos.
Tokoro stood and caught a kick. Banuelos landed looping punches in close and Tokoro backed away. Banuelos avoided a left from Tokoro and landed a right. Tokoro connected with two punches and a knee to the body. Banuelos attempted a head kick, but missed the mark. Tokoro landed a kick to the face, but Banuelos dropped him briefly with a right hook. Tokoro stood and stunned Banuelos with a head kick, then tried for a takedown. Very close round. 10-9 Tokoro, barely.
Round 3:
Tokoro tried to pull guard in the final round, but Banuelos landed some nice punches from the top. Tokoro looked to set up a Kimura and an armbar, but Banuelos powered out. The fighters were moved to the centre of the ring and Banuelos kept Tokoro down. He landed hammerfists, but Tokoro stood up and landed a right hook and a body kick. Banuelos countered a flying knee with a right hand.
Banuelos threw a front kick to the face and missed with two looping hooks. Tokoro landed a right cross and Banuelos threw another front kick. Tokoro landed a knee to the body and a one-two, but Banuelos took him down. Tokoro worked for a Kimura and a kneebar, but Banuelos punched his way free. A scramble ensued and Banuelos took Tokoro’s back. Tokoro attempted another Kimura until the bell. Close round. 10-9 Banuelos. Could go to either fighter.
Winner: Antonio Banuelos by Split Decision after three 5:00 rounds. He improves to 19-7-0 and advances to the semi-finals of the DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix.
DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout
Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes vs Takafumi Otsuka
Round 1:
Otsuka jabbed and threw quick one-twos early on as Fernandes fired off hard right hands. Fernandes took Otsuka down and secured a rear-naked choke. Otsuka did not tap out, so Fernandes choked him unconscious. Referee Kenichi Serizawa stopped the fight.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:41 of round one. He improves to 9-3-0 and advances to the semi-finals of the DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix.
DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout
Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari vs “The Silent Assassin” Abel Cullum
Round 1:
Imanari pulled guard early on and quickly transitioned to an omoplata. He nearly secured a rear-naked choke, but Cullum escaped. Imanari tried for a triangle choke and an armbar from the bottom. Imanari locked on a tight triangle choke, but Cullum picked him up and slammed him down. Time was briefly called to fix Imanari’s glove. Action resumed and Cullum punched from the top.
Imanari looked for another triangle choke and Cullum powered out. Imanari switched to a gogoplata and then another omoplata. He used it to trap Cullum in a back crucifix, but Cullum got out and wound up on top. He punched to the body and Imanari tried to set up another submission. Cullum remained on top until the bell and managed to land two short right hands. 10-9 Imanari.
Round 2:
Imanari pulled Cullum to the mat again in round two and tied up Cullum’s wrists. Cullum managed to land a handful of short punches, but ate a pair of hammerfists from Imanari. From the bottom, Imanari tried for an omoplata and Cullum punched free. He landed a nice flurry to the head and body, but had to quickly react after Imanari trapped him in a gogoplata. Cullum escaped and scored with punches to the body.
More punches landed for Cullum and he avoided Imanari’s submission attempts. Imanari continued to hunt for gogoplatas, but Cullum evaded and landed punches to Imanari’s ears. Referee Samio Kimura stood the fighters up and Imanari kept his distance. He quickly pulled guard and went for a triangle choke and an armbar. Cullum punched his way free and finished the round with more strikes from the top. 10-9 Cullum.
Round 3:
Imanari landed a lunging left hook in the final round and continued to pick his shots with single strikes. manari fell after a sloppy kick and Cullum followed him to the ground. Imanari immediately locked on an armbar and rolled through. Cullum had no choice but to tap out. Great fight.
Winner: Masakazu Imanari by Submission (Armbar) at 0:46 of round three. He improves to 24-9-2 and advances to the semi-finals of the DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix.
DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout
Rodolfo Marques Diniz vs Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev
Round 1:
Marques latched onto a standing Kimura very early in the fight and dragged Saadulaev down to the mat. Saadulaev defended and wound up on top. He escaped an inverted triangle choke and the fighters stood. Marques jabbed and Saadulaev landed a leg kick. He took Marques down and punched free of a toe hold attempt. The fighters stood and Saadulaev rolled forward for a kneebar.
Marques wound up on top in Saadulaev’s half-guard. He landed short punches as Saadulaev held onto his arms to defend. Saadulaev tied Marques up, but Marques managed to posture up for a pair of right hands. Saadulaev upkicked from his back and Marques returned to Saadulaev’s guard. Marques stood and tried to land punches in the final seconds, but Saadulaev was partially through the ropes. 10-9 Marques.
Round 2:
Saadulaev scored a takedown in round two and landed hammerfists as Marques looked for submissions from the bottom. Marques swept and wound up on top in side control. He secured an arm-triangle choke and tried to pass to the opposite side, but Saadulaev defended and escaped. Marques transitioned to the back and wrenched back on a modified neck crank.
Saadulaev held on and Marques moved to mount. He landed punches briefly, but Saadulaev swept and took top position in Marques’s guard. Referee Moritaka Oshiro stood the fighters up and Saadulaev reversed a takedown on the way down. Marques used an omoplata from the bottom to put Saadulaev on the defensive, then switched to a toe hold. Saadulaev kicked free before the bell. 10-9 Marques.
Round 3:
Marques landed a one-two and Saadulaev fell in the final round. Marques moved to mount and Saadulaev tried to buck out to escape. Marques kept him in place and landed some nice right hands. Saadulaev held onto Marques to keep him from posturing up and rolled into an achilles lock. Marques escaped, but Saadulaev retained his grip on the leg.
Saadulaev looked for a heel hook and Marques threw hammerfists to escape. The fighters were stood up and Marques landed a hard left hook. Saadulaev shot in for a takedown and Marques stuffed it. Saadulaev tripped Marques to the mat, but Marques quickly secured an omoplata. The bell rang seconds later to end the fight. Close round. 10-9 Marques.
Winner: Rodolfo Marques Diniz by Unanimous Decision after three 5:00 rounds. He improves to 14-1-0 and advances to the semi-finals of the DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix.
Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs Baru “Seiryu” Harn
Round 1:
Harn rushed in aggressively right away and Minowa circled around the ring. Harn clinched, but Minowa took him down against the ropes. From the top in side control, Minowa threw elbows to the thigh and moved to a high mount. He spun into an armbar attempt, but Harn defended. Minowa returned to side control and fought out of an inverted triangle choke.
Minowa threw punches from the top and moved to North-South position. Back in side control, Minowa tried first for a keylock, then moved to a scarf hold position. He secured a scarf hold armlock and Harn tapped out, prompting referee Akira Shoji to stop the fight.
Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Submission (Scarf Hold Armlock) at 4:39 of round one. He improves to 50-32-8.