World Victory Road "Sengoku VI" Results
by Robert Sargent
World Victory Road's debut Lightweight and Middleweight Grand Prixs came to a conclusion with a series of great fights at "Sengoku VI" in Japan, but the card was marred by highly questionable scoring between Takanori Gomi and Sergey Golyaev.
Despite dominating all the first and third rounds, Gomi's apparently certain victory over Golyaev was snatched away by the judges, who awarded Golyaev with a puzzling Split Decision win.
WVR Lightweight Grand Prix Final
Satoru Kitaoka vs Kazunori Yokota
After both fighters scored victories earlier in the night, Kitaoka made the most of his opportunity by avoiding strikes from Yokota and using takedowns and ground control to emerge as the first World Victory Road Lightweight Grand Prix Champion.The first two rounds were very similar, as Yokota did everything possible to keep the fight standing while Kitaoka preferred to keep the fight on the ground. Yokota repeatedly opened up with combinations, but Kitaoka ducked and evaded the strikes, then scored takedown after takedown. Yokota stalled numerous times, leaning against and out of the ropes, and the referee brought the fight back to the feet each time. Though clearly frustrated with the restarts, Kitaoka continued to press forward and dictated the fight, and he ended round two by landing strikes from side-control and a clinch.
Round three was more of the same until the later stages of the round. Kitaoka had once again prevented Yokota from doing any damage with strikes, but it was Kitaoka who drilled Yokota with a looping hook just before the bell that dropped him to the mat. Though Kitaoka could not finish the fight before the round concluded, the surprising punch sealed the deal, and Kitaoka was awarded with a well-deserved Unanimous Decision victory.
Winner: Satoru Kitaoka by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 23-8-9 and becomes the first World Victory Road Lightweight Grand Prix Champion.
WVR Middleweight Grand Prix Final
Jorge Santiago vs Kazuhiro Nakamura
The finals of the WVR Middleweight Grand Prix came down to a pair of fighters who have both competed on the biggest stages in MMA, but it was Santiago who rebounded after losing the first two rounds to stop Nakamura with strikes in round three.Nakamura dictated both of the first two rounds with very unorthodoxed leaping jabs and a series of takedowns. He did a good job of scoring with strikes from top position, while Santiago seemed to be unable to mount much offence or noteworthy defence. However, as round three began, Nakamura was clearly fatigued, and that proved to be his downfall. Santiago began to get the timing down on Nakamura's strikes, and he landed a quick jab-cross combination that left Nakamura reeling. Santiago didn't hesitate for a second, as he pounced on the downed Nakamura and unleashed a flurry of punches before the referee stopped the fight. Now a tournament champion in both Strikeforce and World Victory Road, Santiago's career is once again skyrocketing.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by TKO (Punches) at 0:49 of round three. He improves to 20-7-0 and becomes the first World Victory Road Middleweight Grand Prix Champion.
Sergey Golyaev vs Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi
Though Golyaev landed a wicked counter hook in round two that caused Gomi to fall awkwardly on his knee, Gomi controlled the first and third rounds and seemed well on his way to a decision victory, but two judges bizarrely scored the fight in favour of Golyaev, giving him a huge but controversial upset win.Golyaev's significant reach advantage was a factor in round one, but Gomi landed leg kicks and more punches than Golyaev, then scored a takedown that resulted in Gomi landing strikes from the mount position. Golyaev certainly threw his fair share of strikes, but the round seemed to be a given for Gomi, as his ground dominance was the story of the first five minutes.
Round two did not go as well for Gomi, as he was hit with a counter hook from Golyaev that resulted in Gomi falling awkwardly on his knee. Gomi remained in a crouched position as Golyaev landed a relentless series of punches, but Gomi held on and came back strong in the second half of the round. Golyaev's knockdown and damage dealt definitely won him round two, but the fight should have been even to that point.
The third round was very similar to the first, but Gomi was noticeably more aggressive and finally seemed to resemble his dominant form from the days of PRIDE. Gomi scored with leg kicks and threw wild, looping punches, while Golyaev had little to offer in reply. Gomi again scored a takedown and once again worked from mount, and seemed to have a clear advantage of two rounds to one. However, in a very diputable call that has been harshly criticised online, Golyaev was awarded a Split Decision victory. Gomi, to his credit, did not complain about the result, and instead chose to focus on his upcoming title fight with Satoru Kitaoka.
Winner: Sergey Golyaev by Split Decision after three rounds. He improves to 11-6-0.
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs Fabio Silva
It took longer than the two-minute destruction of highly-touted Travis "Diesel" Wiuff, but Lawal remained undefeated with another stoppage victory, as he finished Silva with strikes in round three.Rounds one and two were all Lawal, as he completely nullified any game plan that Silva had by taking him to the mat and landing big punches from top position for most of the opening ten minutes. Silva had little recourse, and could do nothing but try to hold on and survive the punches from Lawal. After ten minutes of dominance, Lawal scored another takedown early in round three and landed a vicious series of shots to Silva, forcing the referee to finally call a stop to the fight. Another very impressive win for Lawal, who was humble and respectful of the other fighters on the card in the post-fight interviews.
Winner: Muhammed Lawal by TKO (Punches) at 0:41 of round three. He improves to 2-0-0.
Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira vs Moise Rimbon
Despite not being overly well-known, Rimbon entered the fight having lost just twice in his last 14 fights, and put on a decent performance in defeat, but Nogueira's takedowns and ground control led the Brazilian to a clear-cut decision win.All three rounds were mirror images, as Nogueira's superior boxing allowed him to win the few striking exchanges before he took the fight to the ground with his trademark body trip takedowns. Rimbon initially held his own on the ground and prevented Nogueira from dealing much damage, but Nogueira controlled rounds one and two. Later in the fight, Rimbon was given a Yellow Card for rope grabbing and that, coupled with Nogueira's continued dominance in takedowns and ground control, left Rimbon on the wrong end of a Unanimous Decision. For Nogueira, he solidifies his place in the Light Heavyweight Top 10 once again.
Winner: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 15-3-0.
WVR Lightweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Jorge "GameBred" Masvidal vs Seung Hwan Bang
Masvidal made it two straight following his controversial defeat to Rodrigo Damm in June, as he dominated Bang in the first round and fought an intelligent battle in the second and third, taking a Unanimous Decision victory in the process.Masvidal's superior striking was evident for much of round one, and he eventually rocked Bang with a knee to the face, then followed it up with a barrage of punches. To his credit, Bang managed to survive the round, but the opening stanza was undoubtedly Masvidal's. In rounds two and three, Masvidal fought a more defensive fight and evaded strikes from Bang while landing strategic shots of his own. A series of stiff jabs from Masvidal kept Bang off-balance and unable to score a knockout punch, and Masvidal was awarded with a well-earned decision win.
Winner: Jorge Masvidal by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 15-3-0.
WVR Middleweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Joe Doerksen vs Izuru Takeuchi
This battle of true veterans of the sport went the way of former UFC and WEC contender Doerksen, who won a hard-fought and gruelling fight with Takeuchi with a TKO late in round three.Takeuchi was ahead on the scorecards through the first two rounds, as his striking was better than that of Doerksen and he prevented Doerksen from using his ground and pound. Though the rounds were largely uneventful and somewhat slow, Takeuchi was clearly in control going into round three. That continued until the second half of the round, as Takeuchi scored a takedown and looked to work from Doerksen's guard. However, Doerksen managed to reverse position and took mount, where he rained down a series of slow but effective strikes that forced the referee to stop the fight.
Winner: Joe Doerksen by TKO (Punches) at 4:13 of round three. He improves to 41-12-0.
WVR Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Satoru Kitaoka vs Eiji Mitsuoka
Mitsuoka's highly impressive three-fight winning streak, including victories over DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen and Brazilian standout Rodrigo Damm, came to an end at the hands of Kitaoka, who latched onto Mitsuoka's leg and ended the fight with an early heel hook.Kitaoka opted not to touch gloves to begin the fight, and rather went for a takedown just seconds in. Mitsuoka sprawled out to defend the shot, but was promptly slammed to the mat. Kitaoka grabbed hold of Mituoka's ankle and, as mentor Masakazu Imanari has made famous, locked on a heel hook that forced a quick submission from Mitsuoka.
Winner: Satoru Kitaoka by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:16 of round one. He improved to 22-8-9 with the win.
WVR Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Kazunori Yokota vs Mizuto Hirota
Hirota's wild punches were no match for the crisp striking of Yokota, who dominated his opponent with kicks and punches en route to a one-sided Unanimous Decision.Hirota's game plan was clear, as he threw wild haymakers throughout the fight and looked for a huge knockout. However, the knockout never came, as Yokota's jabs, leg kicks and extremely quick combinations left Hirota unable to do anything. Yokota also scored a number of takedowns throughout the fight and did a solid job of landing strikes on the ground. In the end, the result was academic, as Yokota won the lopsided affair.
Winner: Kazunori Yokota by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improved to 8-1-3 with the win.
WVR Middleweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs Yuki Sasaki
Though he came up short in the finals, Nakamura put on a good showing in his long and drawn-out semi-final battle with Sasaki, controlling the fight on the feet and on the ground to earn a Unanimous Decision.Nakamura's striking, though sometimes his downfall, was vastly superior to Sasaki's, and Nakamura dominated the sparse striking exchanges in the fight. However, it was Nakamura's takedowns and ground control that won him the fight, as he landed some big punches from inside Sasaki's guard, bloodying Sasaki and putting an exclamation mark on the rather one-sided bout.
Winner: Kazuhiro Nakamura by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improved to 13-8-0 with the win.
WVR Middleweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Jorge Santiago vs Siyar "Afghan Killa" Bahadurzada
Santiago made short work of Bahadurzada, who had advanced in the tournament due to an injury to Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, as he reversed a takedown and latched onto Bahadurzada's leg for a heel hook submission.Bahadurzada scored a slam takedown early in round one, but Santiago quickly reversed and took Bahadurzada's back. Santiago then dropped down and grabbed onto Bahadurzada's leg, then locked on a heel hook that resulted in a quick submission win.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:10 of round one. He improved to 19-7-0 with the win.
Despite the unfortunate scoring in the bout between Gomi and Golyaev, "Sengoku VI" was an excellent event for World Victory Road, which now has two champions that the promotion can be proud of.
