While Shooto’s presence could be felt throughout this card, it was perhaps most apparent in tonight’s main event, which pitted former Shooto welterweight champion (154-pounds) and current PRIDE lightweight champion (160-pounds) Takanori Gomi (Pictures) against Shooto Europe middleweight champion (167-pounds) David Baron.
Baron seemed willing to trade with the lightweight champion and managed to slip some big punches. But eventually Gomi caught up with him, knocking the Frenchman down and mixing up punches to the head and body.
The beginning of the end came for Baron off a failed takedown attempt, allowing the PRIDE champion to get around his back. From here Baron rolled in an attempt to shake off his Japanese opponent, but Gomi held on like glue.
The Frenchman defended the choke as long as he could, but eventually Gomi sunk the technique, forcing Barron to tap at the 7:10 mark of the first.
Renovacao Fight Team’s Luciano Azevedo (Pictures) was all about the takedown in his fight against Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), scoring a nice one early and punching from the guard. Throughout the rest of the fight, Sakurai worked his sprawl to keep the action standing.
After some exchanges on the feet, the former Shooto middleweight champion caught the Brazilian with a well-timed flying knee that opened a cut under Azevedo’s left eye.
At first it wasn’t really noticeable, but after a while the blood really started to flow. The Brazilian went to the corner for a doctor’s check, where it was ruled that the cut was too severe and he could not continue, ending the fight at 6:35 of round one.
Chute Boxe jiu-jitsu instructor Cristiano Marcello (Pictures) displayed the strength of his guard in his battle against T-Blood fighter Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures). Despite all his efforts, the Japanese fighter could not get past the Brazilian’s legs.
Ishida once again showed that he is the poison for jiu-jitsu, as per his usual style the Japanese powerhouse scored takedowns, defended submissions and punched from the guard.
Despite his excellent submission defense, Marcello almost had the Japanese fighter in the second, when he applied an excellent armbar that Ishida really had to work hard to escape.
The closing moments saw Ishida continue to pound from the guard en route to his decision victory.
Ishida’s teammate, current Shooto welterweight champion Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), made quick work of Chris Brennan (Pictures). This fight almost didn’t happen, as Brennan was hospitalized from a poisonous spider bite just a few weeks earlier.
Kawajiri came out punching and connected with a big knee on the American fighter that knocking him to the mat. From here “The Crusher” followed with a flurry of strikes, forcing the referee to come in and stop the action just 29 seconds after the opening bell.
A good candidate for fight of the night was the war between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) and DEEP lightweight champion Nobuhiro Obiya (Pictures). This was both fighter’s debut fight in PRIDE.
Melendez really put his weight behind his punches, and was able to string flurries together while pushing forward. He connected on Obiya in this one, knocking the Japanese fighter down several times. On the mat he kept punches coming and often went for stomps on his downed opponent.
Obiya never really had the Californian in any trouble and on the ground he had to work hard to defend chokes when Melendez took his back. The fight went the distance and Melendez took a unanimous decision.
Against Jason Black (Pictures), Shooto middleweight champion Shinya Aoki (Pictures) displayed the incredible strength of his ground game, trapping the American in his triangle early in the contest. Black tried to pull out of the technique, but Aoki kept cinching it tighter and tighter, forcing Black to tap at the 1:58 mark of the first.
Nagoya Alive’s Hatsu Hioki (Pictures) looked very good in his bout against Jeff Curran (Pictures). The TKO lightweight champion displayed crisp striking against his American opponent, both on the feet and in the guard. The Japanese fighter used his reach well to keep Curran at bay. The fight went the distance and Hioki took the unanimous victory.
The often-bizarre “Real Pro Wrestler” Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) came flying out of his corner off the opening bell and fired a pro-wrestling dropkick on massive Toughman boxer turned MMA fighter “Butterbean” Eric Esch (Pictures). Minowa then went for another, only to have Butterbean end up on top.
Despite having Esch’s massive weight on him, Minowa was able to scurry out from the bottom and take side-control. From here the Japanese fighter threw knees against his giant opponent. Eventually, the “Real Pro Wrestler” secured an armbar, forcing Esch to tap at 4:29 of round one.
Naoki Matsushita (Pictures) fought to a draw against AACC fighter Hiroyuki Abe (Pictures).
Daisuke Nakamura (Pictures) defeated Seichi Ikemoto (Pictures) by armbar at 3:12 of the first round.