K-1 Dynamite!! 2007 Preview (Part 1)

With Christmas a thing of the past, and New Years only a couple days away, most MMA fans can’t wait to end to introduce the New Year with fresh memories of the end of a chaotic 2007. Although it’s been a very limited year for the K-1 Hero’s circuit producing only 6 shows, 7 if you include the annual K-1 Lithuania-Hero’s show, they too seek to end the year on a great note. Like past years, Hero’s has taken the norm of putting on 1 Lightweight GP per year for the last 3 years, with the exception of 2006, where they incorporated a Light Heavyweight GP. The Hero’s circuit has definitely grown and I do expect 2008 will be a big test to see if K-1 can become relevant in the eyes of the Japanese and especially in the eyes of MMA fans.

In past years we’ve seen that the Dynamite!! show has provided us with many great memories of both the Kickboxing and MMA world. The inaugural 2002 Dynamite! show, which was co-promoted by PRIDE, saw a supposed crowd of 90,000+ fill the Tokyo National Stadium, a stadium that usually host J-League and Emperors Cup Finals (Soccer). In 2003, the fight between Akebono and Bob Sapp drew approximately 54 Million viewers to see these behemoths do what they interpret as fighting. 2004 was also host to one of the most bizarre moments in Combat sports history when Jerome LeBanner took on Bob Sapp in a MMA/K-1 rules bout that would be scheduled for 4 rounds and would have 2 rounds of MMA and 2 of Kickboxing, with the fighters changing gloves and rules during the breaks. 2005, saw the coronation of 1st GP champion in Hero’s in Norifumi Yamamoto. Finally, in 2006 we saw the sad departure of Genki Sudo and the controversial Akiyama Grease Scandal.

Will 2007 provide us with any more of these memories? With a traditional style of mixing both MMA and K-1 bouts, FEG has scrambled and managed to fill a complete card in about 2 weeks time. The scheduled bouts are:

K-1 Rules:

1. Masato Kobayashi vs. Yong Soo Choi
2. Akio Mori “Musashi” vs. Bernard Ackah
3. Takahashi Tachikawa vs. Yoshihisa Inoue
4. An Under 18 Grand Prix. Kenji Kubo vs. YUDAI and HIROYU vs. Kizaemon Saiga

MMA Rules:

1. Hideo Tokoro vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
2. Melvin Manhoef vs. Yusuke Nishijima
3. Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
4. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs. Wagner de Conceicao Martins “Zuluzinho”
5. Bob Sapp vs. Bobby Ologun
6. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Rani Yahya
7. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu Funaki

So many fights and no real place to start, so I’ll start with the K-1 rules action and just work my way down the way I have listed. This doesn’t necessarily reflect the order of the bouts on the show in any way.

K-1 Rules Bouts

1.) Masato Kobayashi vs. Yong Soo Choi

We start off with some K-1 MAX action and it was a very unpredictable K-1 MAX Finals this year, with Masato beating 2 time K-1 MAX Champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk and actually advancing to the finals, where he lost to Andy Souwer. Yong Soo Choi, himself is no slouch. He is a former WBA Super Featherweight Champion, who went 29-4-1 in his pro-boxing career and 3-0 under K-1 Rules. Masato has fought a who’s who list of fighters at MAX, while Choi is an infant in comparison to competition.

Another thing that should be noted is that Choi is a former Super Featherweight meaning that he fights at a weight of 130 pounds and when compared to the MAX limit of 155. I think size and experience are huge factors in the outcome of this fight. Personally, I believe this fight to be a huge mismatch and also only realistically see it ending in only 1 way. Even though he’s not a huge finisher.. Masato by KO in the 1st

2.) Akio Mori “Musashi” vs. Bernard Ackah

Akio Mori or Musashi has had a relatively successful year on paper but has fallen in the eyes of the Japanese fans. He lost an opportunity to become the 1st ever K-1 Heavyweight Champion when he was stopped by Yusuke Fujimoto, who was also later stopped by Badr Hari. Adding insult to injury, Musashi was involved in what in my opinion some of the worst favoritism I’ve witnessed at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, where he was lowblowed into the finals.

During his 1st round fight with Yong Soo Park, Park managed to low blow Musashi a couple of times but was eventually knocked out by the Japanese fighter. In the 2nd round Musashi was again victim of another groin shots, which saw him quit the match but in a turn of events the FEG staff decided that he would be given all the time needed to recover and told him that him quiting the match was void because the low blows came before him quitting. Follow me? After a long rest period his opponent Qiang Wang left the ring and was disqualified, hence, giving Musashi the GP Finals berth.

His opponent the less controversial but popular Bernard Ackah, is a Japanese TV star who transitioned into MMA. His debut in the 1st Hero’s event of this year, Hero’s 8, came against the Hyun Pyo Shin, who was just outclassed and out struck by the monstrous energy that Ackah brought to the fight. Ackah is perhaps most famous for nearly decapitating former NFL player Johnnie Morton in nearly 30 seconds at the disastrous K-1 Dynamite!! USA show. Morton would later go on to test positive for steroids but Ackah would go on to face his 1st true competition in MMA in Dutch powerhouse, Melvin Manhoef. It was very apparent that Manhoef was at a completely different level than Ackah’s other opponents and handed Ackah his 1st loss in 2:00 minutes plus of the 1st round.

Both Musashi and Ackah have looked very lack luster in their respective last fights. Musashi faced the unknown David Dancrade. Even though Dancrade was a K-1 Veteran, Musashi had admitted to never seeing any footage of the man and the only picture he saw of his opponent was through a cell phone. He did manage to win the bout via a kick to the mid section with 1 second left in the 1st round. As for Ackah, he suffered his 2nd consecutive loss to the hands of Poai Suganuma in a very strange stoppage where it was apparent that Ackah had not tapped but the fight was stopped nonetheless.

Since this is a K-1 rules style match, I would definitely give the edge to Musashi. I think he does have something to prove and needs to try to regain his position as the premier Japanese Kickboxer at Heavyweight. Yusuke Fujimoto and Junichi Sawayashiki have stolen the spotlight from Musashi and he is definitely determined to get it back. Ackah is definitely a better stand up fighter so the move to K-1 rules shouldn’t hurt him all too much. He does pack heavy hands so he isn’t necessarily a walkthrough for Musashi. I think when all is said and done.. Musashi by Decision

3.) Takahashi Tachikawa vs. Yoshihisa Inoue

I know what you’re thinking. Is the representative of the New Komeito Party, who was elected to House of Representatives in Japan or is the Professor of the Laboratory for Molecular Recognition Chemistry and Photochemistry at Osaka University really fighting? The Answer is no. Neither of these men is the Yoshihisa Inoue you’re obviously thinking of. This Yoshihisa Inoue is far less important to humanity to the others listed. I have never heard of either men but after a bit of research did manage to find out a bit about both and by bit, I mean bit.

Yoshihisa Inoue is an Instructor at the Itami Dojo in Hyuogo, Japan at one of the branches of the Shito-Ryu International Karate Do Kai. Also, the 1st time I saw his photo the very 1st thing that popped into my head was the very charismatic, Masaaki Satake. As for Inoue’s opponent, Takahashi Tachikawa, the official FEG website lists his affiliations as BASEBALL. Upon further investigation one can find out that Tachikawa was on the 95 Chiba Lotte Marines. He was a number 2 draft pick for the Chiba Lotte Marines and played 530 games with a .236 batting average after 10 seasons.

Tachikawa did compete at the 2007 World Grand Prix Finals just a couple weeks ago and looked very sluggish and almost a walking punching bag. He did manage to score a win but over a debuting opponent but the fight looked rather dull and his opponent just fell over after he received a kick to the midsection. Experience again plays a factor in my decision so.. Tachikawa by 1st Round KO

4.) 4 Man Under 18 Grand Prix. Kenji Kubo vs. YUDAI and HIROYU vs. Kizaemon Saiga

This is a 4 man tournament that K-1 has compiled for fighters Under 18. It features future prodigies for the Japanese Kickboxing world. Kizaemon Saiga is replacing Tsukasa Fuji, who withdrew from the event. All these fighters are unknowns to me so I can’t necessarily offer any predictions but Kenji Kubo, according to the FEG site, does have 7-0 record and all 7 by stoppages. By that rationale I guess.. Kubo as U-18 Tournament Champion.

So finally, without further a due, MMA..

MMA Rules Bouts

1.) Hideo Tokoro vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

When I heard this fight was happening I kind of flipped out and rightfully so. Who seriously believes this is good matchmaking? I explained my outrage at this fight a couple weeks ago when I talked about this fight on here. My sentiments are still the same. I don’t believe this fight should happen but it is happening so what can I do?

Hideo Tokoro, is a very energetic and charismatic individual, who looks incredibly young in appearance but is 30 years old and has had 36 fights in his MMA career. He is a MMA success story. During his start he worked as a janitor, as depicted in his K-1 pre-fight promo. He rose to success in the niche MMA organization, ZST. Tokoro was very experienced in grappling and so ZST rules really catered to his style of fighting . Tokoro’s rise to fame in Japan came after his very heated fight with Alexandre Franca Nogueira “Pequeno”. The fight was incredibly close and even needed a 3rd round extension to find a winner.

During the fight, Tokoro displayed great amounts of heart. At one point in the match Tokoro managed to escape Pequeno’s guillotine and eventually saw him land a huge spinning back fist to stumble Pequeno and eventually pound him out for a very huge win. Tokoro is certainly no stranger to being an underdog and is also no stranger to trying to fight larger competition. Earlier this year Tokoro challenged Ikuhisa Minowa to a bout. His wishes of a Minowa fight were not given but was given Kiyoshi Tamura.

I believe that a fight against Tamura is a lot more difficult and demanding than a fight with Minowa. Tamura, a PRIDE and RINGS veteran, transitioned from Pro-Wrestling to MMA after the RINGS organization made the same switch. He had relative success with the UWFI but than in a move that was considered traitorous in the eyes of many wrestlers, he left and joined Akira Maeda’s newly formed RINGS, where he was pushed as a star. This is also one of the reasons that a major rift exists with Tamura and Sakuraba and also one of the reasons a match between them is very anticipated for the Japanese public. To maybe make things worse in his retirement fight, Nobuhiko Takada former UWFI star and Sakuraba’s mentor, was violently knocked out by Tamura at PRIDE 23. A visibly distraught and crying Tamura was evident after the fight.

Tamura has fought great competition in MMA and has usually fought up in weight. Tamura is more of a natural 190 pounder. His fight resume includes Wandelei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renato Sobral, Jeremy Horn, and Maurice Smith to name a few. His experience extends all the way to 95 and I believe that this fight will do nothing for him.

Armed with some of the best leg kicks in MMA, Tamura is a resilient individual and always sets up those leg kicks to try and distract an opponent to eventually look for a shot or to deliver a high kick. His leg kicks have taken their toll on many men including Hidehiko Yoshida, who was unable to walk after their meeting at Total Elimination 2003, and Makoto Takimoto. Tamura’s KO of Ikuhisa Minowa at Shockwave 2006 is one of the most violent looking finishes I’ve seen in a while.

I think that leg kicks will factor in a large part of Tamura’s strategy as they always do. I think there isn’t a realistic way for Tokoro to KO Tamura. Tokoro’s way to win obviously lies in his ability to try and submit Tamura. Tamura also has the advantage in the strength department. I think this fight will look alot like the Tamura-Sapp fight in the sense that it will not last long. As explosive and energetic as Tokoro is, Tamura’s calm, methodical style will eventually become too much for Tokoro so I think.. Tamura by 1st Round KO.

2.) Melvin Manhoef vs. Yosuke Nishijima

The Dutch Powerhouse, Melvin Manhoef is back and he’s taking on former WBF and WBO Champion Yosuke Nishijima. I think the only way to describe Manhoef is explosive. Everything about the man is explosive. His demeanor, his training, and of course his style of fighting. Manhoef is always there to throwdown and ready for all comers. His ruthless brawling style has made him a huge fan favorite. He continues to wow fans in his new home, K-1. Participating in both K-1 Rules and MMA Rules style matches Manhoef is a threat in both. His only real knock is definitely his weak or non-existent ground game. He suffered a huge upset at the hands of another current fan favorite Dong Sik Yoon in a battle that would see the Korean Judoka come out victorious by armbar after going 0-4 in PRIDE and before the Yoon fight, Manhoef was submitted by Yoshihiro Akiyama in the finals of the 2006 K-1 Hero’s Light Heavyweight GP.

Before settling in K-1, Manhoef was Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion for 2 years, which include that insane fight against Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at Cage Rage 15. After his Cage Rage career, it was very apparent that a bigger promotion would eventually pick him up and K-1 was that promotion. I think this fight was set-up with only 1 thing in mind and that was a knockout. Manhoef’s lackluster opponent, Yosuke Nishijima intends on finally getting that W he so very desires.

Nishijima made the transition from boxing to MMA and was thrown into the Lions Den as his first couple MMA fight was against Mark Hunt than into the 2006 Open Weight GP against Hidehiko Yoshida. I’m not necessarily saying Yoshida is top of the food chain at any weight but the fight did take place at Total Elimination Absolute 2006 in the 1st round of the Open Weight GP. As a boxer, Nishijima should definitely know what a punching bag looks like and after the Hunt fight he definitely knows what being a punching bag feels like. Watching him get blasted for 3 rounds was kind of sad after a while.

Like a trooper, Nishijima would continue to fight. His next 2 fights were against sluggers Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and Phil Baroni. Both men, of course, secured a win against Nishijima by Submissions, and according to Phil Baroni didn’t even know the name of the submission he applied on Nishijima. To me, Nishijima won’t be getting his 1st win against Manhoef. Manhoef is too dynamic of a striker. He can take a punch and I believe we’re instore for maybe a fight we’ve already seen. Maybe it’ll be like Oyama vs. Manhoef, either 1st or 2nd, or Hunt vs. Nishijima. Manhoef will come out like his regular self. He will impose his will and make Nishijima feel his power and ferociousness. Manhoef 1st Round KO.

K-1 Dynamite!! 2007 Preview (Part 2) will be posted soon.