Matt Bishop was live Tuesday morning for coverage and discussion of DREAM 9, which featured the continuation of the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix and the beginning of the Super Hulk Tournament.
Full results and play-by-play of each fight are after the jump.
To listen to a preview of the show, check out Lights Out Radio, which ran down the complete card Sunday night.
Quick Results:
Ikuhisa Minowa d. Bob Sapp (Submission - Achillies Lock) R1
Hong-Man Choi d. Jose Canseco (Submission - Strikes) R1
Sokoudjou d. Jan Nortje (TKO - Punches) R1
Gegard Mousasi d. Mark Hunt (Submission - Kimura) R1
Tatsuya Kawajiri d. JZ Calvancante (Unanimous decision)
Hideo Tokoro d. Abel Cullum (Submission - Rear-Naked Choke) R2
Hiroyuki Takeya d. Yoshiro Maeda (TKO - Strikes) R1
Bibiano Fernandes d. Masakazu Imanari (Unanimous Decision)
Joe Warren d. Kid Yamamoto (Split Decision)
Ronaldo Souza vs. Jason Miller (No Contest - Souza cut due to illegal soccer kick)
A reminder: Like PRIDE, DREAM fights are scored on the entirety of the fight.
Super Hulk Tournament bout
Bob Sapp vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Round 1 — Minowa grabs a leg but Sapp lands on top in half guard. Minowa gives his back and ends up in guard on a reversal. He looks for an Achillies Lock and he has it. It's over. Could not have been much more than a minute.
Super Hulk Tournament bout
Hong-Man Choi vs. Jose Canseco
Canseco enters the ring to "Wild Thing" and with a baseball bat. He is seconded by a woman (his girlfriend). It remains to be seen if he can use the bat in the fight.
Round 1 — Canseco goes for an overhand right that connects and lands a body kick. Lots of circling for Canseco. He leaps in with a jumping front kick. Another overhand for Canseco. Choi lands a glancing knee. Canseco eats a jab. A minute in and Canseco is gassing. Canseco goes down and Choi jumps on him. Canseco taps. He is holding his knee. The official time, I believe, is 1:14.
Super Hulk Tournament bout
Jan Nortje vs. Sokoudjou
Nortje enters to "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy. It's funny to hear an uncensored version of a song during an entrance. Hello, Japan. Ray Sefo is in Nortje's corner.
This is the battle of Africa.
Round 1 — Sokoudjou clinches with Nortje and they go into the corner. Sokoudjou goes for a sweep for Nortje stops it. Nortje leaning on Sokoudjou in the corner and the ref breaks them up. Good inside leg kick by Sokoudjou. Follows with another. And another. Sokoudjou gets a takedown and into half-guard. He starts pounding away. Nortje tries to move but he can't. The referee stops it but Sokoudjou keeps pounding away. The referee finally pulls him off. Nortje's corner charges the ring and we almost have a riot between the two corners. Some water is thrown in the direction of the Team Quest corner. Sefo is upset. Cooler heads finally prevail. Replays show Sokoudjou landed five more shots after the ref stepped in. Time was around 3-4 minutes.
Super Hulk Tournament bout
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt
Round 1 — Mousasi lands a shot that stumbles Hunt and Mousasi lands in side control. He tries for a Kimura but gives it up quickly. Mousasi being patient. He goes for the Kimura again and this time he gets it. The official time is 1:19 of the first round.
They just played a really sweet video package and it's like the show is starting all over again. They hit the pyro and then begin the parade of fighters for the remaining fights. It's like they knew the Super Hulk was a joke and now it's time to get back to serious business. So expect it to be a few more minutes before the next fight starts.
DREAM Lightweight Title eliminator
JZ Calvancante vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Round 1 — Calvan takes the center of the ring. Nice overhand ring corrects for Calvan. Calvan catches a kick and lands a big left. Kawajiri goes for a takedown but Calvan stops in. Calvan locks in a deep guillotine. There's an arm in. Calvan cinches it back in but Kawajiri is surviving. He gets out and is in half-guard. He reclaims full guard and the referee brings them back to the centre of the ring. JZ tries to escape but ends up in butterfly guard and back to half. He passes to side but JZ deftly reclaims full guard. JZ pushes him off and gets back to his feet but Kawajiri immediately clinches back up and gets him to the ground in full guard. Once again, they are moved to the centre of the ring. JZ works rubber guard briefly. And after about 30 seconds, the referee stands them up and issues both fighters a yellow card. Kawajiri steps in with a left hook. JZ goes for a single but can't wrap it up. Back to a clinch with JZ's back to the corner. Kawajiri lands some nice knees to the body and they are broken up. Good combination lands of Kawajiri. He's landing nicely. Head kick just misses for Calvan and Kawajiri responds with a nice shot. Kawajiri lands a double and Calvan secures rubber guard. Kawajiri gets out and lands two nice shots as the round ends.
Matt Bishop scores the round for Tatsuya Kawajiri
Round 2 — Nice right lands off the bat for Kawajiri. He shoots again but JZ stops it and locks in another guillotine but it's not dangerous. JZ is cut on the nose. Kawajiri in half-guard. JZ escapes back to the feet. They clinch in the corner and are broken up again after no action. Nice right lands of Kawajiri and he shoots for a double and gets it with a trip. He mounts but they are in the ropes. 90 seconds left and it's not looking good for Calvan. Kawajiri lands some decent shots. The referee brings them back to the centre of the ring. Calvan tries to scramble but Kawajiri shows nice top control to keep him down. Kawajiri not doing much from side control. He lands some shots as time expires.
Matt Bishop scores the fight for Tatsuya Kawajiri
All three judges score the bout for Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Featherweight Grand Prix bout
Abel Cullum vs. Hideo Tokoro
Cullum enters to "Cowboy" by Kid Rock.
Round 1 — Tokoro lands some nice kicks early. Nice left hook lands for Tokoro. Cullum goes for a double and sucks him down but is quickly reversed and they are back up. Head kick mostly blocked by Cullum. Tokoro lands a big knee to the head and drops Cullum. They go to the ground and Tokoro locks in a triangle. It's deep. Cullum is fighting it. Tokoro grabs the leg to bring him to the ground. And Cullum escapes and gets Tokoro's back. He lands two knees to the head and now Tokoro has his back. Tokoro goes for a triangle from the top but almosts gives up position. Tokoro goes for his back and Cullum ends up in Tokoro's guard. This is very fast-paced. Cullum going body/head and Tokoro gets back to his feet. Now they are going toe-to-toe with five minutes left. Nice right by Cullum. Knee lands for Tokoro but Cullum takes him down. Tokoro goes for an armbar to no avail but gains top position. Cullum goes for a kneebar. Transitions to a heel hook but Tokoro gets out of it with a kick to the face. Back to standing with Cullum clinching a single leg. Transitions to a double. Tokoro holds the rope but then Cullum grabs him up and walks across the ring to slam him. Cullum in half-guard. Tokoro gives up his back but reverses and mounts but Cullum gets out. With Cullum in butt scoot, Tokoro flies in with a knee that slightly lands. Great round.
Matt Bishop scores the round for Hideo Tokoro
Round 2 — Tokoro quick gains mount and goes for an armbar but can't get it. Tokoro lands a knee. Cullum is bleeding from that flying knee in the first round and Tokoro is opening it up. Cullum looks deflated here. Tokoro quickly locks in a rear-naked choke without the hooks in. Cullum taps.
INTERMISSION
They have announced Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho for DREAM 10 on July 20.
Featherweight Grand Prix bout
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takeya
Round 1 — Maeda catches a kick and takes it to the ground. He gets to half-guard. Not much happening. They get back up and Maeda lands a quick knee. Both swinging and missing. Maeda slips on a kick. Takeya lands a high kick. Takeya lands a nice two-punch combo. Nice jab by Takeya. Maeda slips on a flying knee attempt. Maeda's face is starting to swell. Maeda gets a takedown. Again, Maeda not doing much on top and Takeya neutralizes his offense. They are in the corner and Maeda lands a huge knee as Takeya tries to get up in the corner. Big right hook lands for Takeya. They trade some more and Maeda gets another takedown into mount with three minutes left. Takeya is cut on the bridge of the nose. They are going to check Takeya's cut. The fight continues. They scramble and Maeda is in half-guard. They are stood up by the referee and Takeya is issued a yellow card. Takeya lands a nice right and he drops Maeda with a right. He's hurt bad. Takeya follows up and finishes the fight with about 20 seconds left in the round. Nice comeback win.
Featherweight Grand Prix bout
Masakazu Imanari vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Round 1 — Fernandes catches a kick and takes Imanari down. He lands a kick and Imanari hops back up. They go back to the ground and Fernandes lands some nice ground-and-pound. Imanori goes for a leg lock but Fernandes escapes quickly. Imanari over-commits to a big left and Fernandes drops him with a double leg. Fernandes stands over him and lands a few kicks and the referee brings Imanari to the feet. Nice body kick by Imanari. They go back to the ground and Fernandes stands above Imanari, cautious about entering the guard. He's content to hold an ankle and land kicks to the leg. Finally the referee stands Imanari up. Back to butt scoot quickly for Imanari. Stood up again. Fernandes is playing this smart. Very cautious game plan for both men. The referee calls a timeout and the referee warns both men to provide more action. Inside leg kick by Fernandes. Back to butt scoot for Imanari. Rinse and repeat from earlier. Stood up again and Imanari is issued a yellow card. His purse will now be 10 percent smaller. Jumping knee by Imanari and they go to the ground and Fernandes has side control. He lands a knee. They are in the corner with a minute to go and they are restarted in the centre of the ring. Fernandes throws some knees but they don't do much, if any, damage.
Matt Bishop scores the round for Bibiano Fernandes
Round 2 — Fernandes catches a kick and sweeps the leg. Imanari is doing next to nothing. Nice leg kick by Fernandes. Side kick to the body by Imanari. Crowd is getting restless. Fernandes with a takedown but he doesn't go down with him. Fernandes walks right into a leglock but Fernandes pulls out quickly and lands a nice shot back on the feet. Fernandes takes him down again and stands over him with 90 seconds left in the fight. Fernandes is issued a yellow card for some reason. Left hand lands for Imanari. Another takedown by Fernandes. Stood back up. Fernandes gets another takedown and that'll do it.
Matt Bishop scores the fight for Bibiano Fernandes
All three judges score the fight for Bibiano Fernandes
Featherweight Grand Prix bout
Kid Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
Round 1 — They land simultaneous leg kicks to start. They clinch and Warren lands a nice knee to the body and some hard uppercuts causing Kid to clinch. Warren gets a takedown and is in high guard. Good start for Warren. Warren tries to smother Yamamoto to affect his breathing. The referee drags them out of the ropes. Yamamoto pushes Warren off but Warren is right back on him. Warren isn't attempting to pass, but Yamamoto isn't forcing anything with any submission attempts. The referee breaks them and Yamamoto is cut over the bridge of the nose. Yamamoto is issued a yellow card and they are back on the feet. Jab lands for Yamamoto and he tags Warren behind the ear. Warren wades in and clinches in the corner but Yamamoto gets out. Nice right hook by Yamamoto. Warren eats an inside leg kick. Another big left hook by Yamamoto. Warren showing a good chin. Yamamoto misses on an overahnd right. Warren lands some knees inside. They clinch in the corner. Nice uppercut/hook combo by Warren out of the clinch. Nice body kick by Yamamoto. Another one. Warren catches a kick and puts Yamamoto on his back. Yamamoto has full guard. Warren working some small punches as the round comes to an end. Very close round.
Matt Bishop scores the round for Kid Yamamoto
Round 2 — They clinch inside and break. Warren misses a wild spinning back fist. Body kick by Yamamoto. Huge left hook lands for Yamamoto but Warren is unfazed. Another one lands that looks to slightly hurt Warren, but he keeps coming forward. They clinch up again but break. Warren wades through some strikes and takes Yamamoto down in the corner. They quickly head to the centre of the ring. Yamamoto throws him legs up for an armbar but Warren knees him in the butt and Yamamoto lets go. Not much there. Quick stand-up by the referee. Big right hook sends Warren spinning back. Another right hand lands for Yamamoto. Straight right into a clinch for Warren. One minute to go and they are clinched against the ropes. Warren gets a takedown into half-guard. The fight could be decided here. Warren needs to be active. Warren looking to ground-and-pound. He goes to work and advances. Kid tries for an armbar but to no avail. This is going to be incredibly close. Great showing by Warren either way.
Matt Bishop scores the fight for Kid Yamamoto
The judges take awhile to produce the decision. First judge is for Warren. Second for Yamamoto. Third for Warren. Joe Warren upsets Kid Yamamoto by split decision.
DREAM Middleweight Championship
Jason Miller vs. Ronaldo Souza
Mayhem is accompanied to the ring by a group of Japanese schoolgirls. They dance elaborately. Jacare has made his way to the ring. We'll be underway following the playing of the national anthems.
Round 1 — Miller lunges right in with a left hand. Mayhem swings with a wild hook and Jacare takes him down. They bounce right back to the feet. Mayhem is cut off his right eye. Mayhem trips Jacare and lunges in with a soccer kick, which is illegal in DREAM. Jacare is cut on the top of the head from the kick. They are checking the cut. Miller has been issued a yellow card. They are still working on the cut. Three officials are looking at Jacare. Seems like there is quite a bit of bleeding. The fight will continue. Jacare gets a bodylock and a quick takedown. Back to the feet. A ton of blood from the cut. They stop the fight to look at the cut again. This isn't looking good. There's a big huddle of officials talking. The referee has a microphone. He has just announced this fight is a no contest. Both fighters are upset. They have wrapped a towel around Jacare's head.
Thanks to everyone who read. I'm heading back to bed for a few more hours.
Overall, it was a good night of fights with only one lackluster contest. The upset by Joe Warren was something you could feel potentially building throughout the fight. The Tokoro/Cullum fight was tremendous, as well. While the main event was disappointing, these things happen sometimes.
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