MMAFrenzy.com » Kazushi Sakuraba

Quick Hits: Demian Maia Cleared for UFC 112, Yoshihiro Akiyama Likely for UFC 115, and More

Kris Karkoski — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:28:37 +0000

Middleweight contender Demian Maia, who was recently tapped to replace an injured Vitor Belfort and fight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112 in April, has been cleared for the fight after initially being medically suspended until August due to a cut suffered in his victory at UFC 109 earlier this month. [Yahoo]
A matchup between Yoshihiro Akiyama and the winner of this weekend’s UFC 110 fight between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping is likely to take place at UFC 115 on June 12 in Vancouver. [MMAjunkie]
Sengoku’s upcoming SRC 12 event on March 7 in Tokyo, Japan continues to take shape, as the promotion has officially added Maximo Blanco vs. Chang Hyun Kim to the fight card.
A previously-reported matchup between Ken Shamrock and Seth Petruzelli originally scheduled for March 6 in Cancun, Mexico is now slated to take place in May in the U.S.
Japanese veteran Hidehiko Yoshida, who spoiled the debut of prospect Satoshi Ishii at Dynamite!! 2009, has announced that he will fight for the final time at “ASTRA” on April 25 in Tokyo.
Middleweight Jake Rosholt is set to fight for the first time since being cut by the UFC in November, as he’ll take on one-time Bellator fighter Rudy Lindsey at a March 6 X-treme Fighting League event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [MMAjunkie]
Light heavyweight Antwain Britt, a castmember on The Ultimate Fighter 8, is being targeted to fight Aaron Rosa or Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante at Strikeforce’s April event on CBS. [MMA Fighting]
A previously-reported bout between former WEC champ Paulo Filho and Kazushi Sakuraba in the works for Bitetti Combat 6 is off, and Filho has instead been booked to fight Yuki Sasaki at the February 25 event in Brazil. [Gracie Mag]

Pictured: Demian Maia

Paulo Filho vs. Kazushi Sakuraba In The Works for Bitetti Combat 6

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:34:58 +0000

Former WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho will likely face Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba at Bitetti Combat 6, which takes place on February 25 in Brasilia, Brazil. Filho’s trainer, Josuel Distak, confirmed the likely matchup with Tatame on Monday.

Filho (19-1), a PRIDE veteran, failed to make weight and dropped what would have been a title fight to Chael Sonnen in his first career loss in November 2008 after spending time in substance abuse rehab, but bounced back with a victory over Melvin Manhoef in DREAM and wins over Alex Schoenauer and Tatsuhiko Nishizaka in Bitetti.

Sakuraba (26-11-1) won the UFC’s Ultimate Japan title in 1997 to begin his career, then competed exclusively for PRIDE from 1998 through 2005, before competing for K-1 and, most-recently DREAM. After losing back-to-back fights to Manhoef and Kiyoshi Tamura in 2008, Sakuraba rebounded in 2009 with wins over Rubin Williams and Zelg Galesic.

For the latest MMA news and MMA rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Pictured: Paulo Filho

DREAM 12 Results: Alistair Overeem, Eddie Alvarez Among Winners

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:57:18 +0000

Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and Bellator lightweight title-holder Eddie Alvarez were among the winners on Sunday at DREAM 12 in Osaka, Japan.

Overeem submitted James Thompson with a guillotine choke in under a minute in the DREAM 12 main event, while Alvarez used an arm-triangle choke to defeat Katsunori Kikuno in the second-round of their featured matchup.

Also at DREAM 12, welterweight champ Marius Zaromskis picked up a first-round headkick knockout of Myeon Ho Bae in non-title action, Kazushi Sakuraba submitted Zelg Galesic with a kneebar in the opening frame, and Yoshiro Maeda choked out Chase Beebe in the first.

The complete results for DREAM 12 were:

Alistair Overeem def. James Thomson via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1
Eddie Alvarez def. Katsunori Kikuno via submission (arm-triangle choke) — Round 2
Marius Zaromskis def. Myeon Ho Bae via KO (head kick) — Round 1
Kazushi Sakuraba def. Zelg Galesic via submission (kneebar) — Round 1
Katsuyori Shibata def. Tokimitsu Ishizawa by TKO (strikes) — Round 1
Dong Sik Yoon def. Tarec Saffiedine via split decision
Yoshiro Maeda def. Chase Beebe via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1
Kuniyoshi Hironaka def. Won Sik Park via TKO (corner stoppage) — Round 1
Tomoya Miyashita def. Keisuke Fujiwara via unanimous decision

DREAM 12 Weigh-In Results

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:28:28 +0000

All eighteen fighters scheduled to compete at tomorrow’s DREAM 12 event in Osaka, Japan hit the scales earlier today to weigh-in for their bouts. Lightweight Won Sik Park was the long fighter on the card who failed to make weight on their first attempt, with notables Alistair Overeem, James Thompson, Eddie Alvarez, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Chase Beebe all hitting their marks.

Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow for results from DREAM 12.

The official weigh-in results for DREAM 12 (via Bloody Elbow) were:

Alistair Overeem (253.5)vs. James Thompson (277.8)
Eddie Alvarez (153.9) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (154.3)
Marius Zaromskis (167.6) vs. Myeon Ho Bae (167.1)
Zelg Galesic (187.4) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (185.2)
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (185.2) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (183.6)
Tarec Saffedine (183) vs. Dong Sik Yoon (185.2)
Chase Beebe (138.9) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (138.5)
Kuniyoshi Hironaka (154.3) vs. Won Sik Park (156.5)
Keisuke Fujiwara (138.5) vs. Tomoya Miyashita (138.9)

Pictured: James Thompson and Alistair Overeem

Rising Sun Roundup: Sakuraba and Zaromskis Added, Filho Off DREAM 12; Tim Sylvia Likely to Fight at Dynamite!! 2009, and More

Justin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:00:38 +0000

DREAM recently announced additions and changes to the fight card for its October 25 DREAM 12 event, including Kazushi Sakuraba replacing Melvin Manhoef against Zelg Galesic and welterweight champ Marius Zaromskis’ return to action in a non-title bout against Myeon Ho Bae. Paulo Filho is off the card after failing to arrive in Japan for his fight with Dong Sik Yoon due to visa issues, and will be replaced by Tarec Saffedine. Check out the latest DREAM 12 lineup in the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.
Rumina Sato, originally scheduled to fight Joe Warren at Vale Tudo Japan, will instead fight Warren’s Team Quest training partner Corey “Savage” Gran at the October 30 event after Warren was forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury while training.
World Victory Road announced additions to its November 11 Sengoku 11th Battle card on Wednesday, confirming Akihiro Gono vs. Yoon Young Kim and Hirokazu “Bull” Konno vs. Tomoaki Ueyama for the HDNet-televised event, which takes place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. For the latest Sengoku 11 fight card check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.
World Victory Road also announced several participants for their New Years Eve show, which will go head to head with FEG’s Dynamite!! 2009. The event and will feature the new name of Sengoku Raiden Championships, replacing Sengoku, but continuing their existing number system, making the event Sengoku Raiden Championships. So far the only confirmed match-up is Satoshi Ishii making his MMA debut against Hidehiko Yoshida. Other participants that have been announced are Mizuto Hirota, Masanori Kanehara, Satoru Kitaoka, Hatsu Hioki, Michihiro Omigawa, Kazunori Yokota, Eiji Mitsuoka, Makoto Takimoto, Hiroshi Izumi and Kazuhiro Nakamura.
Former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia will return to action on New Year’s Eve at DREAM/K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 in Saitama, Japan, likely fighting Alistair Overeem or Hong Man Choi at the December 31 event, according to Sylvia’s manager Monte Cox, who confirmed the bout with MMA Fanhouse on Wednesday.

Pictured: Marius Zaromskis

K-1/DREAM “Dyanamite!! 2009″ Officially Announced

Justin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:00:14 +0000

The officials over at FEG and DREAM officially made an expected announcement today that they will be holding their annual New Years Eve show again this year, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. K-1 executive Sadaharu Tanikawa said that the event would follow last year’s hybrid format, including both K-1 bouts and Dream MMA bouts, to fill out an eighteen fight card.

One of the expected K-1 bouts is a farewell fight for two-time champion Masato, in a third contest with Andy Souwer, an opponent he has never defeated.

Among the expected MMA contests rumored for the event are a Dream lightweight title bout between recently crowned champion Shinya Aoki, and the also popular Tatsuya Kawajiri, and the championship bout of the “Super Hulk Tournament” between Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Ikuhisa Minowa.

Other rumored participants at the New Years Eve event are Jerome Le Banner, Alistair Overeem, Kazushi Sakuraba, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Tim Sylvia, Kiyoshi Tamura, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, and Badr Hari.

Pictured: Saitama Super Arena

DREAM 11 Results: Fernandes Tops Takaya To Win Featherweight GP, Aoki Submits Hansen to Capture DREAM Title

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:39:15 +0000

Bibiano Fernandes upset Joe Warren in the DREAM featherweight grand prix semifinals then topped Hiroyuki Takeya in the main event of DREAM 11 on Tuesday to become the promotion’s featherweight champion.

In other notable action at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan, Shinya Aoki became DREAM’s lightweight champ by submitting title-holder Joachim Hansen in the closing seconds of their co-headlining matchup, veteran Kazushi Sakuraba easily submitted newcomer Rubin Williams, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Ikuhisa Minowa advanced to the Super Hulk tournament finale.

The complete results for DREAM 11 were:

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision
2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Final
Shinya Aoki def. Joachim Hansen (c) via submission (armbar) — Round 1
DREAM Lightweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba def. Rubin Williams via submission (kimura) — Round 1
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Melchor Manibusan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def. Bob Sapp via TKO (strikes) — Round 1^
Ikuhisa Minowa def. Hong Man Choi via submission (heel hook) — Round 2^
Bibiano Fernandes def. Joe Warren via technical submission (armbar) — Round 1*
Hiroyuki Takaya def. Hideo Tokoro via TKO (strikes) — Round 2*
Kazuyuki Miyata def. Daiki “DJ.taiki” Hata via unanimous decision+

^ Super Hulk Tournament Semifinal
* 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal
+ 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

Pictured: Bibiano Fernandes

DREAM 11 Weigh-In Results: Joachim Hansen, Shinya Aoki on Weight for Title Bout

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:32:25 +0000

DREAM today held weigh-ins for tomorrow’s DREAM 11 event, which takes place at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan and airs live in North America on HDNet.

Headliners Joachim Hansen, the promotion’s lightweight champ, and challenger Shinya Aoki were both on weight for their main event matchup, as were featherweights Bibiano Fernandes, Joe Warren, Hiroyuki Takaya, and Hideo Tokoro, who will all be in action on Tuesday in the conclusion of DREAM’s 2009 featherweight grand prix.

The official weigh-in results for DREAM 11 were:

Joachim Hansen (c) (150.4) vs. Shinya Aoki (153.9)
DREAM Lightweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba (184) vs. Rubin Williams (181.9)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (154.1) vs. Melchor Manibusan (152.6)
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (220.5) vs. Bob Sapp (341.7)^
Hong Man Choi (319.7) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (193)^
Bibiano Fernandes (138) vs. Joe Warren (138)*
Hiroyuki Takaya (138.9) vs. Hideo Tokoro (138.5)*
Kazuyuki Miyata (138.5) vs. Daiki “DJ.taiki” Hata (138.5)+

^ Super Hulk Tournament Semifinal
* 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal
+ 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

Pictured: Joachim Hansen

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rubin Williams Added to Tuesday’s DREAM 11

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:37:20 +0000

Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba will look to rebound from back-to-back losses when he returns to action on short notice at Tuesday’s DREAM 11 event against professional boxer Rubin Williams, who will be making his MMA debut in the bout.

DREAM 11, which takes place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, features the finale of the promotion’s featherweight tournament as well as a lightweight championship bout between title-holder Joachim Hansen and Shinya Aoki.

Sakuraba (24-12-1) earned the nickname “Gracie Hunter” for his numerous wins over members of the Gracie family, including Royce and Renzo Gracie, and also hols notable victories over Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, Guy Mezger, Kevin Randleman, and Ken Shamrock. “The IQ Wrestler” followed up three-straight wins with back-to-back losses to Melvin Manhoef and Kiyoshi Tamura in 2008.

Williams (0-0), a cast member on season 3 of The Contender, is 29-8-1 since making his boxing debut in 2001, with notable fights including a loss to IBF super middleweight champ Jeff Lacy in 2005 and a draw in 2007 with contender Antwun Echols, but is 0-6 since 2008. “Mr. Hollywood” said at a Sunday press conference in Japan that he’s been training MMA for over a year and is ready to display what he’s learned in the Tuesday matchup.

With the addition of Sakuraba-Williams, DREAM 11 now features (in reverse bout order):

Fernandes-Warren vs. Takaya-Tokoro
2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Final
Joachim Hansen (c) vs. Shinya Aoki
DREAM Lightweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rubin Williams
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Melchor Manibusan
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Bob Sapp^
Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa ^
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Joe Warren*
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hideo Tokoro*
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Daiki “DJ.taiki” Hata+

^ Super Hulk Tournament Semifinal
* 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal
+ 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

DREAM 4 Results

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:37:26 +0000

Melvin Manhoef def. Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO – Round 1
Middleweight Grand Prix Bout
Ronaldo Souza def. Jason Miller via unanimous decision
Middleweight Grand Prix Bout
Zelg Galesic def. Taiei Kin via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 1:05
Middleweight Grand Prix Bout
Gegard Mousasi def. Dong Sik Yoon via unanimous decision
Middleweight Grand Prix Bout
Hideo Tokoro def. Darren Uyenoyama via unanimous decision
Ralek Gracie def. Alavutdin Gadzhiyev via submission – Round 1, 3:02
Alistair Overeem def. Tae Hyun Lee via KO – Round 1, 0:36
Shinya Aoki def. Katsuhiko Nagata via submission – Round 1, 5:12
Lightweight Grand Prix Bout