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Sengoku 16 Soul of Fight Live
* Heavyweight bout: United States Dave Herman vs. Japan Yoshihiro Nakao
* SRC Welterweight Grand Prix final: Switzerland Yasubey Enomoto vs. Japan Keita Nakamura
* SRC Asian Bantamweight Grand Prix semi-final: Japan Akitoshi Tamura vs. Japan Taiyo Nakahara
* SRC Asian Bantamweight Grand Prix semi-final: Japan Manabu Inoue vs. Japan Shunichi Shimizu
* Light Heavyweight kickboxing bout: Brazil Fabiano Aoki vs. Japan Ryuta Noji
* Lightweight kickboxing bout: Japan Tetsuharu Ikei vs. Japan Shintaor Matsukura
* Bantamweight kickboxing bout: Thailand Kuntap Weerasakreck vs. Japan Genki Yamamoto
* Women's (105 lbs) kickboxing bout: Japan Erika Kamimura vs. Japan Chiharu Icho
Sengoku 16: Soul of Fight
World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight
Date: Dec 30, 2010 1:am et
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Ariake Coliseum
Broadcast: HDNet (North America)
Welterweight Grand Prix Final:
-Keita Nakamura vs. Yasubey Enomoto
Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinals:
-Akitoshi Tamura vs. Taiyo Nakahara-Shunichi Shimizu vs. Manabu Inoue
New Year's Eve has provided mixed martial arts fans the perfect late Christmas present for a number of years. Japan has historically produced some of the biggest events of the year in combative sports during this time, mixing the popularity of kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and entertainment into one super event. In latter years, that popularity has dwindled on the tiny archipelago, but the spirit of New Year's Eve remains ingrained in the mixed martial arts scene.
This year's festivities will give MMA fans an almost insurmountable amount of action to watch. The UFC's entry this year is mainly luck of the weekend falling on a Saturday, but it adds the world's premier mixed martial arts promotion to the mix of an already action-packed scene in Japan. First on the docket is World Victory Road's Sengoku: Soul of Fight card. The event will be an all-day extravaganza with the evening being highlighted by a 28-bout fight card that will be headlined by one of the most relevant featherweight showdowns of the year in Hatsu Hioki vs. Marlon Sandro. Check out all of the action in our full, in-depth preview.
Main Event:
Marlon Sandro (17-1) vs. Hatsu Hioki (22-4-2): It isn't often that we see relevant battles take place outside of North America these days as Strikeforce, Bellator, and the UFC have a stranglehold on most of the upper echelon talent throughout the world, but Japan still has some significant fighters in the depths of their featherweight division. With that said, the Sengoku featherweight title showdown between Marlon Sandro and Hatsu Hioki may be one of the most significant match-ups that Japan has produced in the last few years, and it ranks high on the list of must-see bouts in 2010.
Two years ago, there was some concern that Sandro may have trouble ascending through the ranks due to his inability to finish. In his first thirteen career bouts, he went to decision seven times, winning all of those bouts, but leaving doubt in the minds of fans as to whether he was truly one of the next great featherweight talents. In an effort to prove his doubters wrong, Sandro tore through four of his last five opponents, knocking out Nick Denis, Yuji Hoshino, Tomonari Kanomata, and title holder Masanori Kanehara. He spent a total of three minutes and thirty-nine seconds in the ring in those four bouts, and his only blemish came in what many consider to be a gift decision win for Michihiro Omigawa.
Sandro will have his work cut out for him, however, as he'll battle Hatsu Hioki. Hioki is considered by many to be one of the best featherweights in the world, and his lengthy frame in combination with his grappling prowess make him a tough customer on the ground. While there are fighters who may be better equipped to deal with Hioki's acumen on the ground, his 5'11" frame in the 145 pound weight class makes it difficult for opponents to stop his guard passing and top control tactics.
Sandro's explosive power should be the difference maker in this fight, and while Omigawa was able to avoid any downing blows in their encounter back in August of last year -- Hioki has a tendency to wade in too deeply and get caught. The difference here is that Sandro's knockout power will crush Hioki if that happens. I'll take Sandro via TKO, further solidifying him as one of the best featherweights in the world behind his teammate, Jose Aldo.
Middleweight:
Kazuo Misaki (22-11-2) vs. Mike Seal (13-13-1): Misaki could sure use a break after the unbelievable turn of events at SRC XIV back in August. Ahead on the scorecards heading into the fifth and final round, Misaki's corner threw in the towel with roughly thirty seconds remaining, giving Santiago the win in what has been dubbed one of the best mixed martial arts fights of 2010. The damage inflicted by both fighters was legendary, and this match-up is more than likely a showcase fight for Misaki to win spectacularly for his fans.
I won't bore you with the details on Mike Seal as I don't think he stands much of a chance against the quickness and striking of Misaki. Look for Misaki to pepper Seal with distance shots, eventually blasting him with a heavy-handed strike that ends the fight quickly.
Kickboxing (70 kg):
Buakaw Por Pramuk vs. Hiroki Nakajima: Buakaw is undefeated in 2010, winning the 2010 Shoot Boxing World Tournament last month with a finals victory over Bellator veteran Toby Imada. He's probably more recognizable for his accomplishments in the K-1 MAX circuit as he is a two-time MAX champion, and he's normally involved in the K-1 MAX Final 8 every year.
The bigger story with this match-up is that it is taking place under the Sengoku banner. Think about that for a second. Why is a K-1 MAX champion fighting a K-1 up-and-comer on a rival promotion's card? Things aren't as great as they seem in the land of FEG, and Buakaw's power struggle with FEG's brass finally came to a close when he wasn't invited to this year's tournament.
Nakajima has a bit of hype surrounding him, but he doesn't have the experience that Buakaw has on the world stage. Buakaw will likely win this fight via decision, but it should be worth a viewing to see how Nakajima performs under the pressure of a champion fighter like Buakaw.
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