Shooto Middleweight Title on the Line Saturday

Ganjo Tentsuku (Pictures) vs. Yusuke Endo (Pictures)

Our second of two welterweight rematches on the card is even better than the first. It isn't very often we get to see two young prospects square off twice on their climb up the ranks. In even fewer cases would a rematch in such a situation be worthwhile. So, what makes the second squaring off of Ganjo Tentsuku (Pictures) and Yusuke Endo (Pictures) worth our attention?

In this case, it's important to look back at the circumstances surrounding their first bout,, which dates back to December 2005. Endo, 2004's Shooto rookie champion at 154 pounds, was coming off back-to-back dominations of his last two opponents, both in under two minutes. Endo was apparently a gifted, natural athlete, who seemed to make a smooth transition to professional Shooto. The emergence of striking skill was something completely unexpected, and ratcheted up his profile as another potential stud from Shooto's welterweight class.

The story wasn't quite the same for Ganjo Tentsuku (Pictures). While a promising 154-pounder in his own right, Tentsuku was not long removed from his first major reality check as a professional fighter. The bleached bomber from PUREBRED Omiya opened up 2005 with a fiery whipping of veteran Takumi Nakayama (Pictures), and seemed poised for a step up in competition. However, against Kenichiro Togashi (Pictures) in July, Tentsuku was unable to translate his tenacious brawling into another victory, as the crisp and fundamentally sound boxing skills of Togashi kept him at bay from start to finish, giving him his first loss.

While the first meeting between Tentsuku and Endo was by no means predicted to be a one-sided affair, the common thought among Shooto enthusiasts was that Endo's poise in the stand up could allow him stick, move and counter against Tentsuku's slugging style, and his pedigree as a grappler, having spent time in the Kiguchi Workout Studio with Combat Wrestling founder Noriaki Kiguchi, would allow him to dictate how the fight would unfold.

The fight did turn out to be a fairly one-sided affair, just not the way people anticipated. Tentsuku fought at a breakneck pace, pressuring Endo to the ropes, dominating inside, and scoring takedown after takedown from the clinch. Early on, Endo was able to land a few solid counterpunches, but could do nothing to slow down Tentsuku's pressure. Tentsuku's relentless attack from the clinch and on the mat wore Endo out over the first half of the bout, rendering him absolutely impotent by the third round, as Tentsuku's outstanding performance grabbed him the unanimous decision victory.

Endo's hype train fell by the wayside with the Tentsuku loss, and two uninspired wins over Jyu Do Fan (Pictures) and Koji Yoshida (Pictures) through early 2006. However, in July, after George Sotiropolous was sent to the hospital with acute gastroenteritis, Clay Guida (Pictures) stepped in as a late replacement to take on Endo. Guida, who had recently jumped into the consciousness of MMA fans as a result of his bouts with Josh Thomson (Pictures) and Gilbert Melendez (Pictures). Given how the Tentsuku bout unfolded, many thought that an outstanding wrestler like Guida could score endless takedowns against Endo and control him to a decision. However, as Guida slammed Endo to the mat early on the bout, Endo quickly locked up a smooth triangle, before making a beautiful transition to the armbar to secure the submission victory over Guida in under three minutes. Was this fluid guard player really the same fighter that was dominated by Tentsuku?

With Endo having last notched a wholesale domination over hiza-happy veteran Jin Kazeta (Pictures), and Tentsuku coming off a wildly entertaining up-and-down brawl with a high caliber opponent in Takashi Nakakura (Pictures), both men have risen their respective skill levels and their stock in the division. Both Tentsuku and Endo are on the cusp of beginning to challenge the division's upper echelon, and with Shooto's 154-pound class wide open due to a vacant Shooto world title, a win for either man is one of considerable magnitude.

The fight is hard to assess from a striking standpoint. Both fighters have diversified their striking repertoire, and have both power and poise standing. Tentsuku is the more aggressive of the two, but he can be countered, which plays into Endo's hands. At the same time, Tentsuku is a high volume striker, throwing a large number of strikes, often in massive punching combinations. Unlike many other rugged brawler types, his punches are largely straight, laser-type punches rather than looping hooks. While Tentsuku could get Endo on his heels and score with punches, it is perhaps equally as likely that Endo could counterstrike effectively.

The clinch should again play a large role. Endo is becoming increasingly confident in using his knees inside, and Tentsuku loves to bully his opponents along the ropes, much as he did to Endo in their first meeting. The most pressing question then becomes whether or not Endo can stop the takedowns from the clinch. Even if he has improved at defending the takedown from the body clinch, it is likely that with the tenacity of Tentsuku, Endo will find himself on his back at some point in the fight.

That of course brings us to how the fight would look on the mat. The point of intrigue for fans this time around is that Endo showed surprising technique and fluidity against Guida in taking the submission victory. However, in the fight with Kazeta, who is criminally suspect on the ground, Endo was often stuck in half guard, struggled to advance position, and didn't attempt much in the way of submission. Which case is the aberration, here?

The truth is that it may not matter. Tentsuku has showed quality submission defense from even the worst of areas, including superb back mount defense against Nakakura in his last outing. If Tentsuku is on top pounding, he should be skilled enough to fend off any submission attempts Endo has from his back, and if Endo managed to get top position, Tentsuku is skilled off the scramble.

The longer the fight stays on the mat, the longer it should favor Tentsuku due to his ability to get and maintain top position while doing damage, as opposed to Endo's style which favors the maintenance of position. Endo has his best chances standing, if he can move and counter Tentsuku's punch rushes and do damage in the clinch. He will have to throw combinations and be assertive in his own right, because Tentsuku is seemingly blessed with a very strong chin and an ability to swallow serious strikes without losing any forward momentum.

I believe it is more likely that both men will get their licks in standing, and the fight will be decided late. It is worrisome not only that Endo tired severely in the first fight, but also in the Kazeta fight he appeared winded in the third round despite dominating the previous two. Kazeta even took him down in the third round and was able to pound him a bit, which is almost unthinkable — given that he's Jin Kazeta (Pictures).

Tentsuku fought a breakneck pace for 10 minutes against Nakakura, absorbed considerable punishment late in the second round, and still fought like an animal to the finish. As the fight wears on, Tentsuku should be able to assert himself more and more as Endo tires, score some takedowns, and pound his way to a competitive decision.