DREAM showcased its annual New Year’s Eve card tonight at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. This year’s event, titled “Genki Desu Ka! 2011,” featured a matchup between former long-time PRIDE Heavyweight Champion “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko and Satoshi Ishii.
In one of three DREAM title bouts, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki defended his lightweight belt against Satoru Kitaoka, while Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya put his featherweight title on the line against “Lion” Takeshi Inoue. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s DREAM card.
“The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko vs Satoshi Ishii
Round 1:
Ishii caught a kick early in the fight and tried for a takedown, but Emelianenko maintained his balance and landed punches before circling away. Emelianenko flurried with punches and Ishii replied with kicks. A right cross backed Ishii up and Emelianenko dropped him in a heap with a three-punch combo. Ishii made no effort to move and the fight was stopped. Ishii’s nose appeared to be badly broken.
Winner: Fedor Emelianenko by KO (Punches) at 2:34 of round one. He improves to 33-4-0, 1 NC.
DREAM Lightweight Championship
Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki vs Satoru Kitaoka
Round 1:
Aoki closed the distance early on and landed a knee, then took Kitaoka down. He managed to fight out of a guillotine choke and took Kitaoka’s back. Aoki transitioned to a triangle choke, but Kitaoka stayed calm and escaped. The fighters stood and clinched in the corner. Kitaoka used a front headlock to keep Aoki in place. Aoki battled out and tripped Kitaoka to the mat. Kitaoka stood and time was called to fix his glove. Action resumed and Kitaoka landed a hard right hand. Aoki took him down and landed weak hammerfists in the final minute. Kitaoka kicked him off before the bell.
Round 2:
Aoki clinched immediately in round two and tripped Kitaoka to the mat. He briefly passed to side control and tried to take Kitaoka’s back, but Kitaoka got back to half-guard. He held on to prevent Aoki from posturing up or working for any submissions. Aoki tried to pass to side control, but Kitaoka scrambled and Aoki once again worked from Kitaoka’s half-guard. The fighters were stood up and Aoki threw a head kick. He followed with more kicks to the body and a knee after Kitaoka doubled over. Aoki wound up on top in Kitaoka’s guard.
Round 3:
Aoki took the fight to the ground again in round three and wasted no time in moving to Kitaoka’s back. He tried to set up a rear-naked choke and Kitaoka defended. Aoki briefly seemed to be trying for a Twister, but returned to choke attempts until Kitaoka spun into his guard and stood up. The referee brought Aoki back to his feet and fixed his glove. Aoki landed a body kick and clinched for a double-leg takedown against the ropes. A stalemate ensued and Aoki landed a head kick after a break. He backed Kitaoka into a corner and took him down before the bell sounded.
Round 4:
Kitaoka landed a body kick and a right hand in the fourth round, but Aoki hurt him with three knees. He dragged a bloodied Kitaoka to the ground and took his back while landing punches. Kitaoka bled from the nose and defended against Aoki’s rear-naked choke attempts. He locked on a choke, but Kitaoka managed to spin into it and escaped. Again, Aoki secured the rear-naked choke and again Kitaoka managed to fight out of it. Aoki trapped Kitaoka in a body triangle and tried to flatten him out. Kitaoka was forced to fight off chokes until the end of the round.
Round 5:
Kitaoka rushed in with strikes to begin the final round, but Aoki held his ground and tripped him to the canvas. He moved to side control and then to the back again. As in the previous round, Aoki worked for rear-naked chokes and tried to soften Kitaoka up with right hands whenever possible. Kitaoka eventually scrambled to his feet and took Aoki’s back. He threw a right hook, but lost the position and Aoki backed him into a corner. He took Kitaoka down, but the fighters became entangled in the ropes and were stood up. Aoki circled and jabbed as Kitaoka tried to land power punches. Kitaoka closed out the round strong with a barrage of knees.
Winner: Shinya Aoki by Unanimous Decision after five rounds. He improves to 30-5-0, 1 NC and remains the DREAM Lightweight Champion.
DREAM Featherweight Championship
Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya vs “Lion” Takeshi Inoue
Round 1:
Takaya jabbed and landed a body kick early on. Inoue answered with a nice right cross. Takaya remained the aggressor and Inoue looked to keep him at bay with jabs. Takaya doubled up on his jab and Inoue countered a leg kick with a right hand. Takaya closed in with punches after a kick from Inoue. Knees scored for Takaya and he continued to walk Inoue down with strikes. Takaya landed three left hands as Inoue retreated and followed up with a leg kick. Right hands connected for both fighters and Takaya scored a takedown in the final seconds.
Round 2:
Takaya flurried early in round two and chased Inoue around the ring. Inoue countered a leg kick with a right hook and jabbed as Takaya closed in. Inoue was warned for inactivity and Takaya landed three hard right hands after the restart. The fighters traded right hands and Takaya slipped to a knee briefly. He stood and flurried in the corner. Inoue jabbed and Takaya began to bleed from the nose. Takaya kicked to the body and leg and followed with a combination. He took Inoue down shortly before the bell.
Round 3:
Takaya landed a hard leg kick to open round three and he quickly took Inoue down. Takaya struck from the top until Inoue scrambled to his feet. Time was called to fix Takaya’s glove. The fight continued and Inoue jabbed as Takaya pushed forward with punches and occasional kicks. Takaya flurried in close and Inoue answered with a combination, but circled away rather than following up. Takaya landed leg kicks and a right hand. Inoue’s jabs caused Takaya’s face to swell up near both eyes and the round ended in a clinch.
Round 4:
Takaya continued to push forward with punches in the fourth round as Inoue seemed content to circle away and jab or throw single kicks. He landed a handful of right hands, but Takaya’s punches kept him on the defensive. Inoue circled around the ring repeatedly as Takaya chased him down and landed one-twos. Takaya mixed in leg kicks and Inoue slowed down. A hard leg kick backed Inoue up and Takaya followed with a lunging right hand. Time was called and Inoue was given a Yellow Card for inactivity. Takaya began to score with hard punches late in the round and Inoue did little more than retreat. A big right hook scored for Takaya in the final seconds.
Round 5:
Takaya switched to kicks in the final round and Inoue remained passive. He circled away and threw sparse punches and leg kicks as his corner screamed instructions at him. Takaya picked his shots with jabs, right hands and kicks to Inoue’s lead leg. The Japanese crowd began to boo Inoue’s performance and Takaya connected with a right hook. He stayed active despite Inoue’s defensive strategy and landed a kick to the ribs. Takaya landed a hard combination in the final minute and Inoue finally responded with a flurry that forced Takaya to drop for a takedown. Inoue stayed on his feet and the bell sounded to more boos.
Winner: Hiroyuki Takaya by Unanimous Decision after five rounds. He improves to 17-9-1 and remains the DREAM Featherweight Champion.
*Note: 60-minute delay between fights for professional wrestling matches and intermission.*
DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix Final
Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes vs Antonio Banuelos
Round 1:
After an early exchange of punches, Banuelos tripped while backing up and Fernandes immediately rushed in with a barrage of punches to the face of his downed opponent. Banuelos was stuck against the ropes and had nowhere to go. He rolled to his stomach, but Fernandes continued to blast him with right hands until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by TKO (Punches) at 1:21 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0 and becomes the first DREAM Bantamweight Champion.
K-1/MMA Mixed Rules Bout
Katsunori Kikuno vs Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima
Round 1:
The fighters immediately exchanged big punches in the first round under K-1 rules and Kikuno surprisingly got the better of it. He clinched and landed knees before falling to his back. On the feet, Kikuno shockingly floored Nagashima with a huge right cross. Nagashima answered a ten count, but Kikuno swarmed with more punches in close. Nagashima stayed on his feet and fired back with his own punches that eventually dropped Kikuno, who stood and answered a count. More punches landed for both late in the action-packed round and the crowd roared its approval.
Round 2:
Nagashima stayed on the outside in the second round under MMA rules and picked his shots with single strikes. Kikuno answered with a knee and two left hooks. Nagashima connected with rights and a knee to the body. Kikuno threw a head kick and ate another right hand. Kikuno took Nagashima’s back and dragged him to the mat. He used punches to try to set up a rear-naked choke. Punch after punch scored for Kikuno as Nagashima’s head flailed. The referee finally saw enough and called a stop to the fight.
Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Punches) at 2:34 of round two.
Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii vs Karla Benitez
Round 1:
Fujii looked for a takedown early on, but wound up on the bottom. She latched onto a leg and quickly reversed position, then punched from the top. Fujii transitioned into an armbar, rolled Benitez over and Benitez tapped out.
Winner: Megumi Fujii by Submission (Armbar) at 1:15 of round one. She improves to 25-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)