MMA FanHouse

MMA Top 10 Featherweights: Jose Aldo Moves to the Top

Michael David Smith — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:52:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, WEC, Sengoku, Rankings, Featherweights

Wednesday night's Jose Aldo vs. Mike Brown fight shook up the featherweight division in mixed martial arts. When I interviewed Brown last week it looked like he was close to clearing out the featherweight division, but now that Aldo is the World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, the division is a lot more interesting.

Who will get the first shot at Aldo's title? I think it'll be the winner of the WEC 46 bout between Urijah Faber and Rafael Assuncao, and I think Manny Gamburyan's win over Leonard Garcia on Wednesday night makes him a player in the featherweight division, too.

My featherweight rankings are below.

Top 10 featherweights in MMA
1. Jose Aldo
2. Mike Brown
3. Urijah Faber
4. Hatsu Hioki
5. Rafael Assuncao
6. Yuji Hoshino
7. Marlon Sandro
8. Manny Gamburyan
9. Josh Grispi
10. Leonard Garcia

MMA Top 10 Featherweights: Jose Aldo Moves to the Top originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Top 10 Bantamweights: WEC Dominates the Division

Michael David Smith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:36:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, WEC, Rankings

Wednesday night's WEC 44 event is a featherweight showcase, headlined by Mike Brown defending his 145-pound title against Jose Aldo.

But the WEC's bantamweight division, which won't be represented in any of Wednesday night's live fights on Versus, might be even more stacked than the featherweight division. My list of the Top 10 bantamweights in MMA is topped by six WEC fighters, with champion Brian Bowles and former champion Miguel Torres clearly the class of the division.

A couple of Shooto fighters make my list, as does Dream's Bibiano Fernandes (whom I consider a bantamweight even though he's the promotion's featherweight champ), but there's no question that at the top, the division is dominated by the WEC.

Top 10 Bantamweights in MMA
1. Brian Bowles
2. Miguel Torres
3. Takeya Mizugaki
4. Dominick Cruz
5. Rani Yahya
6. Joseph Benavidez
7. Masakatsu Ueda
8. Eduardo Dantas
9. Bibiano Fernandes
10. Akitoshi Tamura

MMA Top 10 Bantamweights: WEC Dominates the Division originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Top 10 Lightweights: B.J. Penn by Far the Best

Michael David Smith — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, Sengoku, Bellator, Rankings, Lightweights

The lightweight division in mixed martial arts consists of B.J. Penn and everyone else.

We all know that Penn, the UFC champion, has established himself as the top lightweight in the sport. But after Penn, there are about a dozen guys who are practically interchangeable. That list includes UFC fighters like Penn's next opponent (Diego Sanchez), his last opponent (Kenny Florian), and some past and future UFC opponents like Gray Maynard, Frank Edgar and Sean Sherk.
And the list of lightweights who could make a case for being at or near No. 2 in the lightweight division also includes Dream champion Shinya Aoki, Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota and Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. So my list of the 10 best lightweights in MMA is basically B.J. Penn and a toss-up among everyone else.

Top 10 Lightweights in MMA
1. B.J. Penn
2. Kenny Florian
3. Shinya Aoki
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frank Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Joachim Hansen
10. Mizuto Hirota

MMA Top 10 Lightweights: B.J. Penn by Far the Best originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shinya Aoki Comes to America

Ariel Helwani — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:04:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, MMA Videos, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. -- DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki made a special appearance at the Strikeforce weigh-ins on Friday, and FanHouse spoke to "Tobikan Judan" about the possibility of fighting in the United States in the near future.

Aoki also talked about unifying the DREAM and Strikeforce lightweight titles and when he expects to fight again. The full video interview is below.

Shot and edited by E. Casey Leydon.

Shinya Aoki Comes to America originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submission of the Year? Sakuraba Stunned Galesic at Dream.12

Michael David Smith — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, MMA Videos

Kazushi Sakuraba's stunning submission of Zelg Galesic at Dream 12 was one of the most stunning endings to an MMA fight we've had all year. Video and commentary below.

Was that the Submission of the Year in MMA in 2009? I don't know. I loved Demian Maia's triangle choke on Chael Sonnen at UFC 95. I loved Toby Imada's inverted triangle choke on Jorge Masvidal at Bellator 4. I loved Alan Belcher's guillotine on Denis Kang at UFC 93. I loved Joe Lauzon's armbar on Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 17. I've loved a lot of submissions this year.

And yet there was just something special about Sakuraba's submission, because it didn't just win him the fight, it may have saved the career of the Japanese legend. If Galesic had continued pummeling Sakuraba and beaten him by first-round TKO, could Dream have even continued to put the 40-year-old Sakuraba in the ring anymore?

Maybe they could have, but it would have seemed like cruelty. But Sakuraba shocked everyone by hanging onto Galesic's leg for dear life and forcing him to tap with a kneebar, and as a result we'll probably get to see Sakuraba fight again on New Year's Eve and look at him with admiration rather than pity. It was an incredible showing and, if not the most technically perfect submission of the year, my personal favorite.

If you missed Dream 12, it will re-air on HDNet Friday at 10:30 PM ET.

Submission of the Year? Sakuraba Stunned Galesic at Dream.12 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marius Zaromskis: Best Kicks in MMA

Michael David Smith — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:34:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, MMA Videos

Marius Zaromskis is still known only to the hardest of the hard-core MMA fans in the United States, but if he keeps winning fights like he won his fight against Myeon Ho Bae Sunday at Dream 12, American fans will learn about him soon. Video below.

That was, amazingly, the third consecutive fight Zaromskis has won with a head kick: He beat both Jason High and Hayoto Sakurai the same way at Dream 10, winning Dream's welterweight tournament in the process. Those two wins were spectacular, but to do it again -- when his opponent obviously had to know it was coming -- is remarkable.

Although the UFC tends to dominate all discussion of the welterweight division, you can make a very good case that Zaromskis deserves to be considered one of the Top 10 welterweights in the world. And he's undoubtedly one of the most exciting. I hope Dream keeps him active.

If you missed Dream 12, it will re-air on HDNet Friday at 10:30 PM ET.

Marius Zaromskis: Best Kicks in MMA originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fedor Emelianenko-Alistair Overeem in Dream? Promoter Says He Hopes So

Michael David Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, MMA Videos, Strikeforce, M-1 Global

A heavyweight bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem is increasingly looking like it will be one of the big MMA fights of 2010. The question is whether it will happen in the United States in the Strikeforce cage, or in Japan in the Dream ring -- and Dream Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara says he's hoping to get the deal done in his promotion.

Overeem, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, called out Fedor on Sunday and said he'd be willing to fight him in either Dream or Strikeforce, but would prefer Dream. When Sasahara was told about Overeem's desire to fight Fedor, he said he was excited about the possibility of it.

"That would be great," Sasahara said. "That's a fight I really want to see. ... It's not an easy fight to get together but it's a fight I would like to see. I'll do what I can to make it happen in the near future."

Both Overeem and Fedor have other items on their to-do lists before they can fight each other: Fedor is fighting Brett Rogers in the Strikeforce/M-1 Global show on CBS November 7, and Overeem is fighting in the K-1 World Grand Prix Final December 5. But Overeem says he'll be ready to fight Fedor in April of 2010, and Fedor, assuming all goes well against Rogers, is likely to fight again in the spring. So Overeem-Fedor is a fight that would make a lot of sense in the next six months.

But would it happen in Dream or Strikeforce? The two promotions have a partnership, and both are open to co-promoting with Fedor's promotion, M-1 Global, so determining a venue for the fight won't be a battle among competing promotions so much as it will be a group of business partners deciding where they can make the most money.

I still think there's more money to be made with this fight in the U.S. than there is in Japan, and I think Strikeforce is more likely to land the bout than Dream is. But that could change in the coming weeks: If Fedor vs. Rogers delivers disappointing TV ratings, and if Overeem does well in the K-1 World Grand Prix, they might decide that there's more of an audience for Overeem vs. Fedor in Japan.

Either way, if all goes well, the fight will happen in the spring of 2010. It should be great.

Fedor Emelianenko-Alistair Overeem in Dream? Promoter Says He Hopes So originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DREAM.12 Video: Katsunori Kikuno's Standing Crucifix on Eddie Alvarez

Ray Hui — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, widely considered the No. 3 lightweight in the world, tapped out DEEP titleholder Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM.12 on Sunday. But early on Alvarez was in trouble when he was caught in a move, which he claimed, was "something I've never been in before."

The move is called the standing crucifix, a neck crank obtained when the applier can secure double underhooks and join his hands around his opponent's back. It can be transitioned from a guillotine choke and also be utilized when defending a takedown, which happened in this case.

After circling for 15 seconds, Alvarez shot-in with a double-leg takedown and Kikuno defended with a sprawl. When pressed against the cage, Kikuno grabbed his second underhook with his right arm for the standing crucifix and applied pressure to Alvarez's neck by leaning back. The move could have been incredibly dangerous had the top of Alvarez's head been bent directly towards the front of Kikuno's hip.

Kikuno controlled Alvarez in the hold for nearly two minutes.

"I originally thought that they were just going to break it, so I kind of just relaxed in there, but the ref just let it go and he kept cranking my neck," Alvarez told the press after the fight. "It didn't feel like it was a move that you would give up to. I just felt uncomfortable. That's all."

However upon release, Alvarez was in obvious discomfort and outright ran away from Kikuno for a momentary breather.

"And I didn't realize until I got out of it that it was stopping my blood flow to my brain I guess and it messed up my footing."

But while Alvarez would lose the remainder of round one, Alvarez emerged stronger in the second frame, scoring two takedowns before finishing with an arm-triangle choke.

"I was caught in a weird situation, something I've never been in before," Alvarez said. "And it caught me off guard, but as soon as I adjusted and got my wits about me again. I think I was able to control the fight like I wanted to in the beginning."

In the video below, Dan "The Wolfman" Theodore demonstrates the standing crucifix.

DREAM.12 Video: Katsunori Kikuno's Standing Crucifix on Eddie Alvarez originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alistair Overeem: I Want to Fight Fedor Emelianenko in April 2010

Michael David Smith — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:35:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, MMA Videos, Strikeforce, K1, M-1 Global

After beating James Thompson in a Dream 12 squash match Sunday, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem said he wants his next MMA fight to be against a much, much tougher opponent: The best fighter in MMA, Fedor Emelianenko.

"I want all of you to write this down," Overeem told reporters after the fight against Thompson. "I want to fight Fedor. Alistair Overeem wants to fight Fedor in April 2010. So write that down."

Overeem is turning his attention to kickboxing for the rest of the year: He'll fight in the K-1 World Grand Prix Final on December 5 and then he expects to fight a K-1 rules match in the New Year's Eve Dynamite show. But after that he's going to turn his attention back to MMA, and he said he thinks by April he'll be ready to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.

Interestingly, Overeem said he'd prefer to fight Fedor in Dream rather than in Strikeforce, even though the Fedor-Overeem fight is one that Strikeforce has said it hopes to promote. Overeem did, however, say he'd be happy to fight for either promotion, and my guess is that if the fight does take place, it'll be a Strikeforce/M-1 Global co-promotion on American soil, televised by CBS or Showtime. And it'll be one of the best fights of 2010.

Alistair Overeem: I Want to Fight Fedor Emelianenko in April 2010 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For Alistair Overeem, MMA Squash Matches Are K-1 Tune-Ups

Michael David Smith — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:40:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, K1

In North America, people who know who Alistair Overeem is know him as an MMA fighter. He's the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, and his 14 fights in Pride included one in Las Vegas (against Shogun Rua) and one against Chuck Liddell when Liddell was the most popular fighter in the UFC. To the extent that Overeem has any name value in this country, it's for what he's done in MMA.

But in both his home country (The Netherlands) and the country where he's done most of his fighting (Japan), Overeem is working hard at establishing himself as a world-class kickboxer, and he's putting MMA on the back burner while he hones his kickboxing skills. That's why Overeem's two MMA fights over the last two weekends were squash matches in which he easily beat two overmatched opponents. Overeem just wants to treat MMA as a way to stay busy and make a little extra pocket money while he gets ready for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final in December.

And so when you see Overeem destroy James Thompson at Dream 12 and destroy Tony Sylvester at last week's Ultimate Glory event, and you ask yourself why Overeem can't fight better competition, just remember that Overeem doesn't care much about MMA right now. He decided to make 2009 the year that he puts all his energy into kickboxing, and that's what he's focusing on.

I'm excited about seeing Overeem in the K-1 World Grand Prix Final, where he'll be part of an eight-man heavyweight kickboxing tournament comprising the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world. I don't think he's going to win (I like Remy Bonjasky to beat Badr Hari in the final), but I think he has an outside chance, and I think it's exciting that an MMA fighter is giving high-level kickboxing a try.

I also hope Overeem returns to MMA on a permanent basis, though. Overeem has real MMA talent; it says something about his well-rounded fighting style that he's a K-1 kickboxer and yet he's won more fights by submission than by knockout or TKO. In 2010 I'd love to see Overeem defend his Strikeforce belt against Fedor Emelianenko. If he does, that will be one of hte marquee MMA fights of the year.

But for 2009, we'll just have to settle for seeing Overeem focus on kickboxing. For now, his MMA fights are just tune-ups.

For Alistair Overeem, MMA Squash Matches Are K-1 Tune-Ups originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eddie Alvarez Wins at Dream.12, Bellator Champ Keeps Getting Better

Michael David Smith — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:54:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Bellator

In a match-up of the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion and the DEEP lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez demonstrated by defeating Katsunori Kikuno with a second-round submission at Dream 12 that he's a fighter who just keeps getting better.

Kikuno got Alvarez in trouble early, putting him in an odd neck crank that didn't seem close to making him tap -- but was clearly causing him pain -- at the start of the first round. But Alvarez survived the early onslaught, and in the second round he used his punching power to drop Kikuno, and forced Kikuno to tap with an arm triangle choke.

Alvarez was once known as a brawler who won or lost by trading punches, but he's a much more complete fighter than that now. After losing with a quick heel hook submission to Shinya Aoki on New Year's Eve, Alvarez has worked hard on improving his ground game, and he won the Bellator lightweight tournament by submitting all three of his opponents. He's now a real threat on the ground. You couldn't say that about him a year ago.

Alvarez has been one of the most active fighters in the sport over the last couple years, going 4-1 in 2008 and now 4-0 in 2009. Bellator has big plans to keep him active, with at least one fight in both its second and third seasons of 2010. It'll be great for the larger audience on Fox Sports Net to see Alvarez, because he's one of MMA's most exciting lightweights. And now that he's gotten better on the ground, he's also one of the best.

Eddie Alvarez Wins at Dream.12, Bellator Champ Keeps Getting Better originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DREAM.12 Results

Ray Hui — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:06:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem tapped out British veteran James Thompson with a first-round standing guillotine in the main event of Sunday's DREAM.12 at the Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.

Thompson immediately tried to rush Overeem, but was shrugged off. Overeem launched a high flying knee that almost caught his own left arm on the top of the cage. Thompson rushed Overeem once more but was caught in Overeem's trademark choke.

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez ran into trouble early on against Katsunori Kikuno but scored the takedown in the second round and finished with an arm-triangle choke.

Marius Zaromskis, who dismantled both Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Jason High in one evening with head kicks to win the DREAM welterweight title, added to his highlight reel by knocking out Bae Myeon Ho early in the first round with a left kick to the head.

In an incredible come-from-behind victory, Kazushi Sakuraba absorbed punishing right blows from Zelg Galesic only to pull out a kneebar for the submission win. The fight was similar to Sakuraba's K-1 Hero's fight in August 2006 against Kestutis Smirnovas when Sakuraba won by armbar after being allowed an unusually long time to weather ground and pound strikes.

For play-by-play results of all the fights, click out our live blog.

Other Results:

Keisuke Fujiwara def. Tomoya Miyashita via unanimous decision
Kuniyoshi Hironaka def. Won Sik Park ("Parky") via TKO - R1, 5:00
Yoshiro Maeda def. Chase Beebe via submission (rear-naked choke) - R1
Yoon Dong Sik def. Tarec Saffiedine via split decision
Katsuyori Shibata def. Tokimitsu Ishizawa via TKO - R1

DREAM.12 Results originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DREAM.12 Live Blog: Overeem vs. Thompson, Sakuraba vs. Galesic, More

Ray Hui — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:25:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

FanHouse has live results of DREAM.12 at the Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.

DREAM.12 marks the first time ever that a major Japanese promotion will utilize a cage, a hexagon dubbed as the "White Cage." A trifecta of titleholders are scheduled for action: Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and DREAM's own welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis.

The live blog is below.

Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Tomoya Miyashita

Round 1: Miyashita takes Fujiwara down and looks for a guillotine choke. Miyashita looks to pass from halfguard. Fujiwara tries to escape and turtles, but Miyashita pushes him on his back against the cage. Fujiwara attempts a triangle but Miyashita escapes. Miyashita lands knees to the body. Miyashita continues eyeing the choke and lands knees to the head. Edge: Miyashita

Round 2: Miyashita scores the takedown, into Fujiwara's full guard. Fujiwara attempts the omoplata and Miyashita rolls over it. Miyashita takes Fujiwara down again. Miyashita controls from side mount. Fujiwara turtles and Miyashita works knees. Edge: Miyashita

Round 3: Miyashita shoots and misses. He gets it on his second attempt. Fujiwara upkicks and briefly attempts a triangle choke. Miyashita passes to side control. Fujiwara turtles and Miyashita drops knees. Miyashita works, ineffectively, from Fujiawa's guard. Fujiwara attempts an armbar and then triangle choke. Fujiwara lands punches with Miyashita trapped in a triangle choke. Miyashita escapes into side control with 33 seconds left in the fight. Miyashita drops knees. Edge: Miyashita

Miyashita wins via unanimous decision

Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park ("Parky")

Round 1: Hironaka moves forward with alternating punches. They size each other up. Parky sticks a jab. Parky works leg kicks. Parky hurts Hironaka with a counter right hook. Parky charges with a knee to the body. Parky dictating the standup fight. They trade leg kicks. Hironaka pops a right hand. Edge: Parky

Parky's corner throws in the towel (Parky could not see from his right eye) and Hironaka wins.

Hironaka wins via TKO - R1, 5:00

Chase Beebe vs. Yoshiro Maeda

Round 1: Maeda with left right left punches. Maeda aggressively attacks Beebe. Beebe weathers the strikes. Maeda lands leg kick. Beebe tries takedown but Maeda defends. Beebe catches a kick and takes Maeda down. Maeda scrambles out. Maeda catches a kick and puts Beebe on his back. Beebe lands punches from the bottom and Maeda responds. Beebe tries to escape and Maeda quickly takes Beebe's back and taps him out.

Maeda wins via submission (rear-naked choke) - R1

Tarec Saffiedine vs. Yoon Dong Sik

Round 1: Saffiedine lands a leg kick, and another. Dong with a one-twon and shoots. Saffiedine reverses into side mount. Doon escapes all the way to butterfly guard. Saffiedine stands and allows Dong to follow. Dong tries a judo throw but misses and gives up his back. Dong moves into clinch. The referee separates them and they restart with 29 seconds left. Edge: Saffiedine

Round 2: Saffiedine jabs and lands a leg kick. He tries a jumping knee and lands in clinch. Dong shoots and takes Saffiedine down with a single-leg. Saffiedine looks for a kimura, but Dong sits in halfguard. Dong with a possible banana split, takes Saffiedine's back. Dong works for the choke with one minute left. Dong can't lock it in and ground and pounds to end the round. Edge: Dong

Round 3: More of a feel out process to start round three. Dong shoots and misses. Saffiedine a bit more active with his boxing. The referee pulls out the yellow card for lack of action. Saffiedine tags Dong with punches. Dong shoots and pulls guard. Saffiedine lands a nice right. Dong avoids combos with a lazy shot. Saffiedine presses forward with short combos. Saffiedine pulls guard. Edge: Saffiedine

Dong wins via split decision

Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Round 1: After a brief scuffle, they clinch. Shibata throws knees and punches. Ishizawa shoots his way out. Ishizawa shoots again and misses. Shibata comes forward with a combo and Ishizawa counters with a combo. They exchange punches. Shibata lands knees with the Muay Thai clinch. Ishizawa swings wildly. They clinch and Ishizawa throws high knees. Shibata clips Ishizawa with a left hand and Ishizawa stumbles down. Shibata pounces and wins by referee stoppage with right hands.

Shibata wins via TKO - R1

Zelg Galesic vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

Round 1: Sakuraba scores the single-leg takedown and drops back for a leglock. But he gives up his back and Galesic drops right hands. Sakuraba is taking a lot of damage but he holds on for a toehold. He switches to a kneebar and Galesic taps.

Sakuraba wins via submission (kneebar) - R1

Marius Zaromskis vs. Bae Myeon Ho

Round 1: Zaromskis comes out with a flying knee. Zaromskis lands a head kick and wins by knockout.

Zaromskis wins via KO - R1

Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno

Round 1: Alvarez shoots and Kikuno defends with double underhooks. Alvarez escapes and runs off. They trade punches. Alvarez shoots again but Kikuno defends. And again Alvarez shoots and Kikuno escapes. Alvarez shoots and Kikuno shrugs him off. They exchange punches into clinch. Alvarez lands a left and a right. Alvarez shoots and Kikuno defends. The referee separates them from clinch. Kikuno with a back kick misses. Edge: Kikuno

Round 2: Alvarez drops Kikuno with a right hook but Kikuno bounces back up. Alvarez catches a kick and goes to side control. Kikuno tries to escape and Alvarez attaches a guillotine choke. Kikuno pops his head out. Back to their feet, Alvarez unloads. Both fighters look weary. Alvarez takes Kikuno down into halfguard. Alvarez attempts an arm-triangle. Kikuno taps.

Alvarez wins via submission - R2

Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson

Round 1: Thompson rushes. Overeem throws a flying knee and almost gets caught on top of cage. Overeem secures a standing guillotine and Thompson taps.

Overeem wins via submission - R1

DREAM.12 Live Blog: Overeem vs. Thompson, Sakuraba vs. Galesic, More originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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James Thompson's Ear Is Fine, Expects 'Tough Fight' vs. Alistair Overeem

Michael David Smith — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce

James Thompson is best known to American MMA fans for having his ear blown up on national television in an ugly loss to Kimbo Slice last year. As he prepares to fight Alistair Overeem in Japan on Sunday morning, his cauliflower ear looks good, and he says he feels great and is ready to fight Overeem. Unfortunately for Thompson, Overeem is likely to bust him up a lot worse than Kimbo did.

Overeem, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion and a K-1 World Grand Prix finalist, is a much better fighter than Kimbo, and it'll be a major shock if Thompson makes it out of the first round against Overeem. (If Thompson were to beat Overeem, it would be the MMA upset of the year.)

In meeting the Japanese press on Friday, Thompson and Overeem were complimentary toward each other.

"I've known James Thompson from Pride where I was a light heavyweight," Overeem said. "Personally I think he's a nice guy, but what can I say? I'm going to hurt him. I've been training a lot of K-1 for th K-1 fights, I'm focusing on striking and I'm planning to do a lot of damage with that."

"I've known Alistair quite a while, watched him fight, watched him improve," Thompson said. "He's doing very well at heavyweight. It's going to be a tough fight for me but I look forward to tough fights in Japan."

Interestingly, Overeem never mentioned Strikeforce, the promotion whose heavyweight title belt he has owned -- but hasn't defended -- for two years. Thompson, however, did mention Strikeforce, saying he still has three more fights on his Strikeforce contract.

Assuming Overeem KOs Thompson on Sunday, Thompson will have lost five straight fights by knockout or TKO. With that kind of record, I think it's probably safe to say we won't ever see those three Strikeforce fights.

James Thompson's Ear Is Fine, Expects 'Tough Fight' vs. Alistair Overeem originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paulo Filho Out of Dream.12

Michael David Smith — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:43:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

In another setback for a talented but troubled MMA fighter, former World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho is off Sunday's Dream 12 card.

Filho, who a couple of years ago was widely regarded as the No. 2 middleweight in the world, has been removed from the official Dream.12 fight card. Dream has not made any official announcement, but MMArocks.pl is reporting that Filho didn't show up in Japan for his scheduled fight with Dong Sik Yoon, and that Tarec Saffiedine will now fight Dong instead.

Filho took almost a year off from MMA in 2008 while he battled drug and personal problems, and when he finally returned to the cage he showed up overweight, out of shape and looking uninterested in fighting in a loss to Chael Sonnen -- the first loss of his MMA career.

In 2009 he has looked much better, beating Melvin Manhoef in a very exciting fight in July and then beating Alex Schoenauer in September. But now that he's pulled out of this fight, MMA fans have to wonder whether any promotion can ever trust him again.

UPDATE: Filho's camp says he couldn't make the trip from Brazil to Japan because of issues with getting a visa. Dream sent me the following statement:
"We have been unable to find Paulo Filho for the past week, including his own manager Ed Soares who was unable to get in touch with him, he tried the gym, friends, etc. We are hoping he is OK, not sure. As Ed is in LA for the Lyoto Machida fight, he was not in Brazil, so we have no idea what is going on at this point and only hope that Paulo Filho is OK.

Thanks to Tarec who is moving up in weight to take the fight on three days' notice."

Paulo Filho Out of Dream.12 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former UFC Champion Tim Sylvia Agrees To DREAM New Year's Eve Fight

Ariel Helwani — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:36:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

Tim Sylvia has verbally agreed to make his Japanese MMA debut for DREAM on New Year's Eve. Sylvia's agent Monte Cox confirmed the news with FanHouse.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will be a part of the Dynamite!! 2009 MMA/K-1 hybrid show, which has become a yearly tradition in Japan.

While Cox said Sylvia has been proposed fights against Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and Hong Man Choi, he thinks it would make more sense to have "The Maine-iac" fight the Korean giant.

"We're still trying to make a comeback, so I think he and Choi be the best match-up," Cox said.

"Wow, two monsters. That would be fun."

Sylvia's right hand has fully healed since he broke it in in his first-round TKO victory over Jason Riley in September. The veteran is 1-2 since leaving the UFC in February 2008.

Also scheduled for the card is Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Ikuhisa Minowa in the finals of the Super Hulk tournament, a DREAM lightweight title match between Shinya Aoki and Tasuya Kawajiri, and what is being billed as Masato's final K-1 match against a yet-to-be determined opponent. There will be 18 fights in total on the card.

Former UFC Champion Tim Sylvia Agrees To DREAM New Year's Eve Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson at Dream.12

Michael David Smith — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

Alistair Overeem hasn't fought for Strikeforce since winning its heavyweight championship two years ago. But after winning an easy fight over the weekend, he'll fight again after just a week off, stepping into the cage to take on James "The Collosus" Thompson at Dream 12 on Sunday.

Dream has not yet announced the fight, but a source with knowledge of the situation tells FanHouse that it will take place on the card, which is noteworthy as the first time the Japanese Dream promotion will use a cage instead of a ring.

This past Saturday, Overeem needed less than a minute and a half to finish off Tony Sylvester with a standing guillotine in the first round, and he'll enter the cage with Thompson a heavy favorite to finish that fight quickly as well. Overeem is one of the best strikers in MMA, and Thompson has been beaten by knockout or TKO five times in the last three years.

Thompson is well known to fans as the guy who lost to Kimbo Slice on CBS in 2008, in what is still the most-watched MMA fight in American history. Overeem is, in addition to being Strikeforce's heavyweight champion, one of the world's top heavyweight kickboxers. After he fights Thompson, his next fight will be in the K-1 ring on Dec. 5, when he faces Ewerton Teixeira in the first round of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final.

Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson at Dream.12 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kazushi Sakuraba Steps in Against Zelg Galesic at DREAM.12

Ray Hui — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM

Just under three weeks from his last DREAM fight, Kazushi Sakuraba will be fighting again for the promotion on Oct. 25 against Zelg Galesic at DREAM.12 in Osaka, Japan.

Sakuraba (25-12-1) is replacing the injured Melvin Manhoef and the fight will be Sakuraba's first inside a cage since his sole UFC appearance at UFC Japan on Dec. 21, 1997. At DREAM.11, Sakuraba submitted professional boxer and MMA newcomer Rubin Williams with a first-round kimura.

Croatian striker Galesic (9-4), nicknamed "Little Cro Cop," is coming back 13 months from his last fight, a loss to Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza in the first round of the DREAM Middleweight GP at DREAM.6.

Three more bouts were added in addition to the Sakuraba-Galesic fight:

DREAM welterweight titleholder Marius Zaromskis (12-3) will return from his GP win against Myeon Ho Bae (8-4) in a non-title bout. Zaromskis finished both Jason High and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai with first-round head kicks at DREAM.10 to become the inaugural DREAM welterweight champion.

Katsuyori Shibata (3-6-1) and Tokimitsu Ishizawa (1-4-1) will square off in a showdown between two pro wrestlers. Ishizawa, who goes by "Kendo Kashin" as a wrestler, holds a win over the late Ryan Gracie at PRIDE 15 in 2001. Shibata ended a seven-fight winless drought (six losses, one draw) in April when he won a unanimous decision over Ikuhisa Minowa at DREAM.8.

ZST champion Keisuke Fujiwara (7-1-3) will take his first step outside of the ZST ring when he takes on DEEP veteran Totoya Miyashita (12-5-6).

Fight Card:

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Zelg Galesic
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tokimitsu Ishizawa
Marius Zaromskis vs. Myeon Ho Bae
Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Totoya Miyashita
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Paulo Filho
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Chase Beebe
Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Parky

Kazushi Sakuraba Steps in Against Zelg Galesic at DREAM.12 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alistair Overeem Destroys Tony Sylvester in MMA Mismatch

Michael David Smith — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:52:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce, K1

Alistair Overeem hasn't fought in the United States since winning the Strikeforce heavyweight championship two years ago, but on Saturday he beat an overmatched American, Tony Sylvester, in Golden Glory's Ultimate Glory 11 event in Amsterdam.

Overeem's first-round submission win was short and not particularly good: Overeem landed a hard knee to Sylvester's face, knocked him to the ground, landed a couple of punches, let him back up, and then forced him to tap with a standing guillotine choke. The whole fight lasted just under a minute and a half. Sylvester never went on the offensive at all.

Let's hope Overeem, who has a busy schedule ahead of him, fights some better opponents soon. He might fight again next weekend at Dream 12, although an opponent has not been announced, and he is slated to fight in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final in December. After that he's finally expected to make his return to the United States and defend the Strikeforce heavyweight belt -- maybe against the best heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.

A fight with Fedor would be tremendous, and the K-1 World Grand Prix features the best field of kickboxers in the world, so hopefully we'll get to see Overeem, who improved his professional MMA record to 30-11, test himself against high-quality competition going forward. Sylvester, who falls to 11-3, didn't belong in the same ring with him.

Alistair Overeem Destroys Tony Sylvester in MMA Mismatch originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strikeforce Wants to Unify Titles With Dream, but What Will That Mean?

Michael David Smith — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:12:00 EST

Filed under: DREAM, Strikeforce

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said on a conference call Wednesday that he plans to work with the Japanese Dream promotion to put on fights between Strikeforce champions and Dream champions. It sounds good in theory: In combat sports, title unification bouts are always a good thing. But there's just one problem: There's not a single weight class in which Strikeforce and Dream both have one champion who can fight the other champion.

Take a look at the current champions in Strikeforce and Dream:

Featherweight
Dream: Bibiano Fernandes Strikeforce: None

Lightweight
Dream: Shinya Aoki Strikeforce: Josh Thomson/Gilbert Melendez

Welterweight
Dream: Marius Zaromskis Strikeforce: None

Middleweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Jake Shields-Jason Mayhem Miller winner

Light heavyweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Gegard Mousasi

Heavyweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem

So how can Dream and Strikeforce have a heavyweight unification bout? Answer: They can't. Dream crowned new champions this year with featherweight and welterweight tournaments, but Strikeforce has no champions in those divisions. Strikeforce will crown a new middleweight champion when Shields fights Miller on November 7, but Dream has no champion in that division. Strikeforce has champions at light heavyweight and heavyweight who have fought in Dream, but Dream doesn't have a champ in either of those divisions.

There is the possibility of a title unification bout happening at lightweight, although that couldn't happen any time soon. First Dream lightweight champ Shinya Aoki will need to defend his title against Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year's Eve, and Strikeforce will need to unify its own lightweight belt by matching champion Josh Thomson with interim champion Gilbert Melendez. I'd love to see the Aoki-Kawajiri winner fight the Melendez-Thomson winner (especially if it means American fans get to see Aoki in the flesh), but I'm not holding my breath.

This isn't intended as a knock on either Strikeforce or Dream, both of which are good promotions that put on good shows. And it certainly isn't a knock on the worthy goal of matching champions against each other. But before either promotion starts talking about championship unification bouts, they both ought to make sure they have champions to fight in them.

Strikeforce Wants to Unify Titles With Dream, but What Will That Mean? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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