K-1 'Dynamite 2009' Preview

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazunori Yokota

The Storyline: The second of two lightweight clashes on the card pits top contenders in Dream and Sengoku against one another. Kawajiri, a former Shooto welterweight champion and Pride and Dream lightweight grand prix semi-finalist, will take on Yokota, a former Deep lightweight king and Sengoku lightweight tournament finalist. Both men have been on successful runs lately, winning five out of their last six fights, respectively.

The Breakdown: Want proof that an exciting loss may do more to further one’s career than a boring win? Kawajiri peaked after suffering a technical knockout defeat to eventual Dream lightweight grand prix finalist Eddie Alvarez in the 2008 “Fight of the Year.” Kawajiri went on to make his K-1 debut last NYE and fared so well that he was promoted to fight Japanese kickboxing superstar Masato Kobayashi in July. Despite losing another TKO, the 31-year-old wrestler became a household name in the process. On the MMA front, he has enjoyed a perfect 2009 campaign. He choked out B.J. Penn protégé Ross Ebanez in March, took a hard-fought unanimous decision over a returning Gesias Cavalcante and scored a first-round knockout against tune-up opponent Melchor Manibusan.

Yokota generated similar success against an even more balanced field of opponents. In May, he took a close decision over Brazilian jiu-jitsu Leonardo Santos, and, five months later, knocked out Schultz. In his most recent outing, he outworked the durable and well-rounded Eiji Mitsuoka en route to a unanimous decision. Judges are familiar with the 31-year-old judoka’s work, as they have awarded him eight of his 11 career victories.

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The Prediction: Expect this fight to go the distance. Although “Crusher” has shown vast improvement in his kickboxing and an increased willingness to let the leather fly, he figures to stick to his bread and butter here, shutting down Yokota’s judo with his strong wrestling, stifling top control and bruising ground-and-pound. Kawajiri should have his arm raised after 15 minutes.