Sengoku ‘Ninth Battle’ Preview

Dream Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Final
Hatsu Hioki (19-3-2) vs. Masanori Kanehara (13-5-5)

The Storyline: Former TKO champion Hioki remains the “chosen one” Sengoku brass would like to see win the featherweight tournament. The submission fighter, who turned 26 two weeks ago, was heavily featured on promotional material for the 143-pound grand prix, beginning with the first round in March. So far, the teammate of Brazilian jiu jitsu extraordinaire Daisuke Sugie has delivered the goods by making short work of American Top Team’s Chris Manuel and UK standout Ronnie Mann, defeating both by first-round triangle choke.

On paper, ZST standout Kanehara appears a crass underdog, with a mediocre 6-3-1 record in his last 10 bouts. A common opponent, Korea’s Jong Man Kim, makes this fight interesting. Kanehara beat Kim in the opening round of the grand prix, while Hioki lost a split decision to the former Korean special forces commander two years ago.

The Breakdown: Hioki has developed into a no-nonsense fighter who will take his opponents down right off the bat and work for a dominant position before either submitting them with his wide array of armbars and choke holds or simply pounding them out on the ground. Kanehara, on the other hand, uses a different approach and has proven comfortable fighting on the feet and on the ground.

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The Prediction: Kanehara will give Hioki problems on the feet by keeping him off-balance with his agility, low kicks and jab. However, he will not be able to prevent the fight from eventually hitting the mat. Once there, Hioki should have the clear advantage. With that said, Kanehara has not been finished by submission in nearly four years, and it seems unlikely Hioki will end that streak. Pick Hioki by decision.