Adding to an already solid card, Sengoku Raiden Championship has announced a pair of high-profile bouts for “Eleventh Battle” on November 7th. Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago will face Mamed Khalidov, while Stanislav Nedkov takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin “The Monster” Randleman.
Santiago’s title will not be on the line against the experienced Khalidov, but a Khalidov win would ensure a future title shot. Nedkov will look to remain unbeaten in his fight, while Randleman seeks a win to get back on-track.
After a rocky road in the UFC, Santiago (21-7-0) has won nine straight fights. He won a one-night Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament in 2007 and came back from the brink of defeat when he choked out Kazuo Misaki late in round five to win the Sengoku Middleweight Championship at Sengoku: “No Ran 2009” in January.
However, injury has sidelined Santiago for nearly a year and he has not competed since the bout with Misaki. He will need to be a the top of his game to fend off the charges of Khalidov, who is undefeated in his last 17 fights.
Khalidov (19-3-1) last tasted defeat in September of 2005. Since that time, he has gone the distance just once – in a Draw with Daniel Tabera in 2008 – and has finished all 16 of his other opponents. All but one of Khalidov’s victories have come by stoppage and he is coming off of knockout wins over Jason Guida and the highly-touted Daniel Acacio.
Nedkov (7-0-0) won his Sengoku debut against Travis “Diesel” Wiuff at Sengoku: “Eighth Battle” in May, but the bout was marred by a series of low blows that nearly resulted in Nedkov’s disqualification. He went on to earn a TKO stoppage in the third round after dropping Wiuff against the ropes.
Randleman (17-13-0) is a dismal 3-8-0 in his last 11 fights, dating back to a knockout loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at PRIDE 25 in 2003. He has been plagued by injuries for quite some time and has been very inconsistent as of late. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion last competed against “Iron” Mike Whitehead in Strikeforce in June, but dropped a Unanimous Decision.
In other action, featherweight phenom Hatsu Hioki takes on underdog-turned-contender Michihiro Omigawa and former Sengoku Lightweight Champion Satoru Kitaoka faces Jorge “GameBred” Masvidal.