K-1 'Dynamite 2009' Preview

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Masanori Kanehara

The Storyline: Few falls from grace have been as hard and heavy as Yamamoto’s. Once one of the top stars -- if not the top star -- for Fighting and Entertainment Group, it appears as though he will be relegated to the second third of the card for the first time in years.

Back-to-back defeats to Joe Warren in the Dream featherweight grand prix quarter-finals and Jae Hee Cheon under K-1 rules have knocked the sheen of his star. The fact that Kid will fight Kanehara, the Sengoku 145-pound champion but the least impressive of the four featherweight tournament semi-finalists, will not help his cause.

The Breakdown: Yamamoto, 32, spent his high school years in the United States and comes from a family with an extensive freestyle wrestling tradition. He has also picked up western boxing and muay Thai skills to compliment his prowess on the mat. Kanehara, five years Yamamoto’s junior, remains an exotic bird on the Japanese circuit, as he has no background in judo and was not spawned by one of the traditional organizations like Shooto, Pancrase or Rings. Instead, his backbone lies in jiu-jitsu, and he calls ZST his home promotion.

Kanehara had not made much of a name for himself prior to entering the Sengoku featherweight tournament and was viewed more as filler, as the promotion wanted eight domestic fighters to go along with the eight “gaijins” in the opening round. The man from Tokyo rose to the occasion and eliminated Koreans Jong Man Kim and Chan Sung Jung on points, before losing a decision to pre-tournament favorite Hatsu Hioki in the semi-finals. In a strange twist of fate, Hioki could not to continue due to a concussion. Kanehara replaced him in the final, where he defeated Michihiro Omigawa.

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The Prediction: Kid has made living on feasting on jiu-jitsu players. His highlight-reel knockout of BJJ legend Royler Gracie, his shutdown of former Mundials winner Bibiano Fernandes and his manhandling of Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling world champion Rani Yahya serve as prime examples. Equipped with strong wrestling, boxing and enough submission defense to stay out of trouble on the ground, Yamamoto seems tailor-made for this bout. Expect Kid to secure a decision in a fight in which both competitors have their moments.