Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Divisional Kings
Jul 23, 2008
In an enormous and historical weekend of fights, three of MMA's
divisional kings affirmed their places on the throne.
On Friday, No. 1 flyweight and Shooto world 123-pound champion Shinichi "BJ" Kojima (Pictures) risked his status and his title against rival Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. After being embarrassed in his aborted run as a bantamweight, Kojima was down two rounds to none and came 90 seconds away from losing his title. However, as a champion ought to, Kojima snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by catching a deep guillotine and choking his afroed foe unconscious with just 78 seconds to go in their trilogy.
A momentous Saturday night pitted pound-for-pound stars against each other in the much-anticipated counterprogramming struggle between the UFC and Affliction. Middleweight ruler Anderson Silva (Pictures) stepped up to 205 pounds to meet banger James Irvin (Pictures), and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) met his first relevant opponent in nearly three years in two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures).
Neither man could have done his job better. "Spider" starched Irvin in a staggering 61 seconds, ripping his eye open in brutal fashion and bringing the Vegas crowd to full attention. Meanwhile, minutes later, Emelianenko needed just 36 seconds to put Sylvia down on his face and choke him out, bringing the crowd of 14,832 inside the Honda Center to a deafening roar.
While these moments on their own would have crystallized the weekend sensationally, the unforeseen conclusion of Dream's grand prix Monday saw the arrival of one of the sport's best young talents. Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) solidified his status as a top lightweight with a brutal win over perennial contender Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures). Meanwhile, under improbable circumstances, Joachim Hansen (Pictures) nabbed his biggest victory in years, revitalizing a flagging career by smashing former foe Shinya Aoki (Pictures) to become Dream's lightweight king. Where will Philadelphia’s and Norway's finest stack up amongst the top 155-pounders?
On Friday, No. 1 flyweight and Shooto world 123-pound champion Shinichi "BJ" Kojima (Pictures) risked his status and his title against rival Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. After being embarrassed in his aborted run as a bantamweight, Kojima was down two rounds to none and came 90 seconds away from losing his title. However, as a champion ought to, Kojima snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by catching a deep guillotine and choking his afroed foe unconscious with just 78 seconds to go in their trilogy.
A momentous Saturday night pitted pound-for-pound stars against each other in the much-anticipated counterprogramming struggle between the UFC and Affliction. Middleweight ruler Anderson Silva (Pictures) stepped up to 205 pounds to meet banger James Irvin (Pictures), and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) met his first relevant opponent in nearly three years in two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures).
Neither man could have done his job better. "Spider" starched Irvin in a staggering 61 seconds, ripping his eye open in brutal fashion and bringing the Vegas crowd to full attention. Meanwhile, minutes later, Emelianenko needed just 36 seconds to put Sylvia down on his face and choke him out, bringing the crowd of 14,832 inside the Honda Center to a deafening roar.
While these moments on their own would have crystallized the weekend sensationally, the unforeseen conclusion of Dream's grand prix Monday saw the arrival of one of the sport's best young talents. Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) solidified his status as a top lightweight with a brutal win over perennial contender Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures). Meanwhile, under improbable circumstances, Joachim Hansen (Pictures) nabbed his biggest victory in years, revitalizing a flagging career by smashing former foe Shinya Aoki (Pictures) to become Dream's lightweight king. Where will Philadelphia’s and Norway's finest stack up amongst the top 155-pounders?
