29 May 2010

Dream 14

DREAM.14 recap: Diaz submits Sakurai in first; Gracie decisions Sakuraba
While Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz may soon find himself facing disciplinary sanctions in the U.S. for his role in April's "Strikeforce: Nashville" post-fight melee, the hot-tempered Cesar Gracie fighter isn't waiting on the sidelines in the interim.

To the contrary, Diaz continued his recent dominant ways with a first-round finish of Japanese legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in the main event of DREAM.14.

DREAM.14 took place Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The broadcast aired live in North American on HDNet early Saturday morning.

Sakurai looked effective early while remaining active from his back in an early takedown and quickly working back to his feet. A right hand then scored for Sakurai, but it would one of his final highlights.

After Diaz began to open up on the feet, Sakurai shot in for a successful takedown but immediately found himself trapped in a fight-ending armbar.

Diaz (22-7 MMA, 2-0 DREAM) has now won seven-straight fights and 11 of his past 12 official contests. He'll wait on word from the Tennessee Athletic Commission to determine when he can fight again in the U.S. Meanwhile, the once-dominant Sakurai (35-11-2 MMA, 3-3 DREAM) has now dropped three-straight fights for the first time in his career.

While Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba earned his moniker of "The Gracie Hunter" through a series of four wins over the esteemed Brazilian family, the near-41-year-old is now 0-2 in his past two attempts to add another buck to the mantle.

Fighting for the first time in two years, 24-year-old Ralek Gracie frequently worked the aged Sakuraba to the canvas and dominated from top position. Sakuraba, as always, proved his heart by continuing to press forward and counter, but his efforts paled in comparison to Gracie's attack. Gracie fell short of finishing the contest, but when the final bell sounded, it was obvious Sakuraba had lost a unanimous decision.

With the result, Gracie (3-0 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) remains undefeated through the first three bouts of his MMA career, while Sakuraba (26-13-1 MMA, 3-2 DREAM) sees a two-fight win streak come to a halt.

With both Hiroyuki Takaya and Joachim Hansen in desperate need of a win, it was the "Streetfight Bancho" who was able to deliver.

Takaya opened up with the first effective strike, but Hansen immediately adjusted and fired back a few shots of his own. But after both fighters traded missed takedown opportunities, a Takaya right hand left Hansen wobbly. Takaya sensed the finish and pounced on his wounded prey. A second right sent Hansen to the canvas, and Takaya sealed the result with a few more punches on the floor.

Takaya (13-8-1 MMA, 4-2 DREAM) halts a two-fight slide, while Hansen (19-10-1 MMA, 3-4 DREAM) has now dropped three-straight contests and is just 2-4 in his past six fights.

In a bout that was originally scheduled under the Strikeforce banner, Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto secured a much-needed result against an obviously overmatched opponent.

After an early low blow stunned Lopez, Yamamoto attacked on the restart and a combination sent "Kiko" crashing to the canvas. Yamamoto pounced with a series of hammerfists that ended Lopez's night in just 1:41.

The win was the first for Yamamoto (18-3 MMA, 1-2 DREAM) since December 2007 and ended a two-fight losing streak. France (4-3 MMA, 0-1 DREAM) has now dropped three-straight fights after opening his career 4-0.

Despite entering the contest as a slight underdog, 26-year-old Japanese product "Wicky Akiyo" Nishiura used a devastating striking attack to fell near-50-fight veteran Hideo Tokoro.

Nishiura took to the attack from the opening bell, and an early right hand stunned Tokoro. Additional shots dropped Tokoro on two different occasions, and Nishiura smartly pressed until earning the stoppage with a ground-and-pound attack just 2:51 into the first frame.

Nishiura (11-5-1 MMA, 1-1 DREAM) improves to 2-3 in his past five bouts with an impressive performance, while Tokoro (26-22-1 MMA, 4-4 DREAM) falls to just 2-5 in his past seven fights.

Japanese countrymen Kazuyuki Miyata and Takafumi Otsuka engaged in a rousing 15-minute affair, and in the end, the victory was awarded by the slimmest of margins.

Despite appearing to trail early, Miyata battled back to land a few impressive strikes that left his opponent's nose bleeding while also taking charge of the grappling department with a kimura attempt in the second and an arm-triangle try in the third. Otsuka continued to make his case for the win with a few devastating knees and a powerful right hand, but it was Miyata who was awarded the split-decision result.

Miyata (9-7 MMA, 2-1 DREAM) earns his fourth-straight win overall, while Otsuka (10-5-1 MMA, 0-2 DREAM) falls to 2-2 in his past four and remains winless under the DREAM banner.

In a bantamweight affair, four-time WEC veteran Kenji Osawa used a potent striking attack and excellent takedown defense to earn a tight split-decision win over his countryman, Yoshiro Maeda.

After an entertaining exchange in the opening round, the pace settled in for the final two, but it was Osawa who remained one step ahead of his foe throughout. Osawa finished rounds two and three on the attack, and the effort appeared to net him the upset victory.

With a win in his first bout since being released by the WEC, Osawa (16-9-2, 1-0 DREAM) is now 3-1 in his past four outings. Maeda (26-9-2 MMA, 2-3 DREAM), a three-time WEC veteran, has now lost two-straight fights.

The evening's opening contest featured the ever-popular 193-pound "Super Hulk" champion Ikuhisa Minowa facing 330-pound giant Imani Lee. While Lee reigned supreme in the girth category, Minowa was unquestionably the more skilled athlete.

After Lee threatened with an early combination, Minowa was able to press his opponent against the cage and onto the floor. From there, Minowa moved to mount, delivered ground-and-pound blows and forced Lee to expose his back. Minowa needed just the one chance and immediately secured a fight-ending rear-naked choke with 45 seconds remaining on the opening frame.

Minowa (46-30-8 MMA, 6-3 DREAM) has now won five-straight contests, while Lee (1-3 MMA, 0-1 DREAM) has dropped two-consecutive bouts since registering the lone win of his career.
 

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