Quick results from UFC 92, Dynamite!! 2008 and also WVR: Sengoku no Ran 2009!

Happy New Year everyone!

Many apologies for the late update. Due to terrible internet connection throughout Malaysia over the last few weeks, it has been really tough for me to provide updates and also, in the case of UFC 92, be able to watch the event. Now that I have completed viewing them, I'm able to post quick results of both events.

First up is UFC 92, where fans were treated to a night filled with unexpected results and stunning upsets. Quinton Jackson was able to avenge his two losses with a devastating left hook that sent his opponent, Wanderlei Silva, to the mat real hard! Now training in the Wolfslair MMA Academy over in Widnes, England, Rampage is now invigorated and is looking to once again become a top player in the light heavyweight division. Over in the heavyweight division, Frank Mir scored a huge upset and possibly the biggest win of his career thus far when he made history by becoming the first man to stop the ever-so durable Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to capture the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title and a date with the UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in a future bout sometime this year! Not even some of the more top-tier fighters like Mirko Filipovic, Josh Barnett and even Fedor Emelianenko were able to accomplish this feat, thus making Mir a strong force in the heavyweight division. Finally, a new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was crown as Rashad Evans closed out what has been an amazing year for the Detroit native when he knocked out champion Forrest Griffin in a thrilling fight to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Title and remain undefeated! The UFC closed out the year with a huge bang, delivering an event that was well worth the watch and an event worth having in your UFC DVD collection. Highly recommend viewing.

Another fight that was quite an eye-opener was the opening bout on the PPV broadcast between heavyweight contenders Cheick Kongo and UFC newcomer Mustafa Al-Turk. After accidental low blows to one another during the fight, Kongo was able to pick up the win after a highly vicious and relentless ground and pound that left the Lebanese a bloody mess. I personally have never seen such a brutal TKO such as that since UFC 2 when Patrick Smith used a very brutal ground and pound on Scott Morris and that was before new rules were implemented and before the UFC was ever governed by an athletic state commission.

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

Preliminary Bouts:

1. Heavyweight Bout
Pat Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (low kicks) - R1 (2:36)

2. Middleweight Bout
Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

3. Light Heavyweight Bout
Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (punches) - R2 (2:19)

4. Heavyweight Bout
Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (punches) - R2 (2:09)

5. Middleweight Bout
Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Pay-Per-View Bouts:

6. Heavyweight Bout
Cheick Kongo def. Mustafa Al-Turk via TKO - R1 (4:37)

7. Light Heavyweight Bout
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (left hook) - R1 (3:21)

8. Middleweight Bout
CB Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (punches) - R1 (3:01)

9. UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship Bout
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (strikes) - R2 (1:54)

10. UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) - R3 (2:46)

Up next was the New Year's Eve extravaganza, Dynamite!! 2008 produced by FEG! With a total of 17 bouts, the event had the makings of a classic and it did not disappoint. The main event saw two legendary Japanese fighters, Kazushi Sakuraba and Kiyoshi Tamura, finally clashing for the very first time in their illustrious MMA career. A hard-fought battle between both men resulted in Tamura taking the unanimous decision win and in the process, succeeding his senior back in their UWF-I days! Elsewhere, Shinya Aoki made history by becoming the very first WAMMA Lightweight Champion with his submission victory over Eddie Alvarez, HIROYA taking home the K-1 KOSHIEN Title and the majority of DREAM fighters who participated in K-1 Rules fights picking up huge wins, including Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem and Tatsuya Kawajiri, proving that despite being MMA fighters, they can mix it up against even the best K-1 fighters out there.

FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

1. K-1 Koshien Reserve Bout (136.7 pounds)
Taishi Hiratsuka def. Daizo Sasaki via KO - R2

2. DREAM Open-Weight Bout
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa def. Errol Zimmerman via submission (toehold) - R1

3. K-1 Koshien Semifinal Bout (136.7 pounds)
Koya Urabe def. Tatsuya Kusakabe via TKO - R3

4. K-1 Koshien Semifinal Bout (136.7 pounds)
Hiroya def. Shota Shimada via unanimous decision

5. K-1 (156.5 pounds)
Artur Kyshenko def. Yoshihiro Sato via majority decision

6. DREAM (150 pounds)
Daisuke Nakamura def. Hideo Tokoro via submission (armbar) - R1

7. DREAM (165.3 pounds)
Andy Ologun def. Yukio Sakaguchi via KO - R1

8. K-1 Koshien Final (136.7 pounds)
Hiroya def. Koya Urabe via unanimous decision

9. DREAM Heavyweight Bout (DJ OZMA Produced Fight featuring Yudetamago)
Bob Sapp def. Kid Muscle via TKO - R1

10. DREAM Heavyweight Bout
Semmy Schilt def. Mighty Mo via submission (triangle choke) - R1

11. DREAM (176.4 pounds)
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai def. Katsuyori Shibata via TKO - R1

12. K-1 (154.3 pounds)
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Kozo Takeda via TKO - R1

13. K-1 Heavyweight
Alistair Overeem def. Badr Hari via TKO - R1

14. DREAM Heavyweight
Mirko "Cro Cop" def. Hong Man Choi via TKO - R1

15. K-1
Gegard Mousasi def. Musashi via TKO - R1

16. DREAM Heavyweight
Melvin Manhoef def. Mark Hunt via KO - R1

17. DREAM Lightweight Bout/WAMMA Championship Bout
Shinya Aoki def. Eddie Alvarez via submission (heel hook) - R1

18. DREAM
Kiyoshi Tamura def. Kazushi Sakuraba via unanimous decision

Finally, we take a look at the very first major MMA event of the year, WVR's Sengoku no Ran 2009! Two new champions were crowned that night in matches to determine the first-ever Sengoku Middleweight and Sengoku Lightweight Champions. The Sengoku Middleweight Title was decided between Jorge Santiago and the controversial GRABAKA Hitman, Kazuo Misaki. Santiago proved to be the better fighter despite Misaki coming in as the huge favorite when Santiago made Misaki tap out with a rear naked choke. The Sengoku Lightweight Title was then decided between Satoru Kitaoka and former Number One ranked lightweight in the world, Takanori Gomi. Gomi's recent slump continued and the former PRIDE Welterweight Champion lost the match via submission to Kitaoka, who is now the top fighter in WVR at 155 lbs. Elsewhere, Hidehiko Yoshida lost a tough battle against Sanae Kikuta, which made Yoshida contemplate going into retirement in the near future, while former EliteXC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Silva made his return to Japan by defeating Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao by TKO.

World Victory Road: Sengoku No Ran 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

1. Hidetaka Irie def. Minoru Kato via TKO (strikes) - R2 (4:21)
2. Maximo Blanco def. Seigo Inoue via KO - R1 (0:38)
3. Choi Mu Bae def. Dave "Pee Wee" Herman via TKO (strikes) - R2 (2:22)
4. Eiji Mitsuoka def. Sergey Golyaev via submission (armbar) - R1 (4:22)
5. Antonio Silva def. Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao via TKO (injury) - R1 (1:42)
6. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawel def. Yukiya Naito via TKO (strikes) - R1 (3:54)
7. Sanae Kikuta def. Hidehiko Yoshida via split decision
8. Sengoku Middleweight Title: Jorge Santiago def. Kazuo Misaki via submission (RNC) - R5 (3:26)
9. Sengoku Lightweight Title: Satoru Kitaoka def. Takanori Gomi via submission (achilles lock) - R1 (1:41)

Source: MMAFighting.com