MMA Analytics 03.17.08: DREAM & ICON Sport
Posted by Leland Roling on 03.17.2008
This weekend featured both the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix and ICON Sport from Hawaii. We'll look over both cards including analysis on all the matchups and who you should keep your eye on in the upcoming months.
A mixed martial arts triple feature filled our Saturday this weekend with DREAM from Japan, Icon Sport from Hawaii, and the XFL debuting on HDNet that featured members from the up-and-coming mixed martial arts experiment, Team Takedown. Let's dive right into what happened over the weekend and analyze what could potentially come out of the results.
DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix: Mediocre?
In the early morning hours with a 5 AM wakeup alarm, I stumbled out of bed to tune into the Japanese feed of the alleged ressurection of PRIDE. The production was there, the matchups were there, but the action that ate up the morning hours inevitably disappointed hardcore fans everywhere.
The main event featured the return of Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic to Japan after obtaining permission from the UFC to leave the promotion with a promise to return. Mirko took on Tatsuya Mizuno on relatively short notice. Mizuno took the fight even though he only sports a small 3-2 record to Mirko's massive amount of experience and devastating ability. Mirko made short work of Mizuno by working leg kicks, clinching with Mizuno, putting a knee to him, and then pulverizing him with strikes until the fight was stopped. Impressively, Mirko looked a bit beefier, had more muscle in his arms, and was surprisingly using some techniques that haven't been a main staple of his skillset in the past. Muay Thai clinches, knees, and standing elbows? It's nice to see Mirko with some type of advancement in those areas, but Mirko's main challenge will be the ground game when he returns to the States. Let's hope this is just a primer for a new Mirko "CroCop".
Gesias Calvancante and Shinya Aoki were the headliners for the Lightweight Grand Prix for the evening. Both are arguably top 5 lightweights in the world, and the hype surrounding the bout had been built up due to the previously scheduled matchup being canceled due to Gesias's injury. Unfortunately, the battle disappointed us all once again. Early in the bout, Aoki tried to takedown Calvancante in the corner. "JZ" managed to put an elbow into Aoki's back and then landed a blow to Aoki's neck area, causing him to buckle to the floor. The referee stopped the bout for doctor inspection which resulted in the fight being stopped.
Now, we have to wait for another installment of this matchup. Calvancante has asked for a rematch, but the DREAM rules do state that a "No Contest" will only reward the man who can move on with a next round spot. Speculation is now streaming over the 'Net about who may be coming in as a result of the NC result. Most likely, the promotion won't be adding anyone into the mix since one of the fighters would have lost regardless, so don't get your hopes up.
Kawajiri was in classic "Crusher" form. Although he had huge problems getting past Kultar Gill's massive reach and length, he was able to sustain his tempo and pace throughout the fight to cruise to a decision win over Gill. It was a typical ground and pound gameplan for Kawajiri which usually results in a win.
Eddie Alvarez was the most impressive fighter at DREAM. Dida was a formidable striker standing in his way, and Alvarez wiped the floor with him. He had decent striking, but his takedown abilities and work on the floor opened up big opportunities to put Dida away. His ground and pound was devastating to Dida's chances, and it was surprising that the referee didn't end it sooner. Alvarez gained full mount at one point and maintained position for the rest of the round, pummeling Dida at any chance he opened up his defense. A true quality performance from Eddie Alvarez.
Ishida, Firmino, Sakurai, and Minowa all won in expected outcomes. Ishida used his superior wrestling abilities to nullify Jung's chances, but Jung still has the talent to become a top MMA fighter in the future. He's 0-2, but has faced only top competition in Ishida and Aoki. The Japanese seem to feed these guys to the wolves right out the gate. Firmino put the rear naked choke on Miyata early, and it signals that Firmino's long layoff didn't affect his overall abilities. Sakurai had much better standup than Monma, and he put Monma down for the pounding early. Minowa easily submitted Gwan, and it really isn't worth mentioning because the bout was made to get Minowa a win over a much bigger opponent, the classic David vs. Goliath matchup.
Nagata was my upset pick of the evening. A silver medalist Greco-Roman wrestler for Japan in the 2000 Olympics, Nagata showed his takedown abilities in his matchup with Artur Oumakhanov and was able to reverse some positions while on his back. His takedowns to ground and pound were unbelievably effective for the entire fight, and he won a much deserved decision over the powerful Oumakhanov.
Fight of the event: Hansen vs. Boku
Joachim Hansen arguably had one of the better fights of the evening against Kotetsu Boku. Hansen devastated Boku early with a huge left that instantly put Boku to the floor. Boku seemed to take the shot with ease, and protected himself after the shot. Hansen imposed his ground game for most of the first round in dominating fashion with a body triangle, armbar attempts, and consistent beatings. Toward the end of the round, Boku was able to get to his feet and land some solid shots. Hansen returned the leather, and a standup war began to materialize. One of the best rounds of the entire event by far.
The second round was more of the same, and Hansen was dominating, but there are a few things you can get from this fight from Boku. He's obviously one tough fighter for taking such a brutal beating for two rounds, but his skills are improving. His striking is good, and training at Krazy Bee with "Kid" Yamamoto will only continue helping him. He could be a force in the future.
Hansen was dominant in this fight. He was also very explosive in his striking. He went for the kill on nearly every single push forward at Boku, and his explosion into the punch was spectacular. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to connect with any solid blows after his first round knockdown, but he kept himself in a situation in which he could defend from the counter. His ground skills were the big difference as Boku had no answer once Hansen obtained the back. Great fight from both competitors, and I believe it was the fight of the night.
Overall thoughts of DREAM
It didn't live up to the hype at all. "JZ" Calvancante vs. Shinya Aoki didn't happen as the No Contest was ruled, and it was the most intriguing fight on the card. A lower undercard fight was the more exciting fight of the night in Hansen-Boku, which usually means many of the main event battles didn't live up to the standards of what the event was trying to give us.
Most of the battles were predictable and boring. Kawajiri won in typical fashion as did Ishida working Jung with the ground and pound. Jung will definitely defeat lesser competition and probably become a great Japanese mixed martial arts fighter in the future as far as his record goes.
As we continue to move onto the next round, these battles should get much better and hopefully the promotion can find someone to fight Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic that is formidable. My suggestion is Mike Russow. He's on a good winning streak, and has great wrestling and power. Make Mirko prove that he can beat these wrestlers and make an attempt at coming back to the UFC.
ICON Sport needs production help, talent improving
I hate to say this to the Hawaiian fanbase, but ICON Sport is absolutely soul crushing to anyone watching it. The production was God awful. There was no bell to signal the end of rounds, just an old guy yelling "TIME!!" at the top of his lungs. The Rockstar Energy Drink banner that was in the center of the ring was apparently glued to the mat, and it came off during the first match of the card. It had the feeling of an amateur event that had gone completely wrong.
The matchups were made to be very quick results, and for the most part, the outcomes of the fights played to the fans who came to see finishes. Unfortunately, most of the fights were unexciting even with the quick finishes mainly because of the inexperience of the Hawaiian fighters. We all have to start somewhere though, and there were a few flashes of talent mixed into the card. Russell Doane upset Tyson Nam in stunning fashion with a TKO in round 1 of their matchup. Keep an eye on Doane as he may start getting some interest from bigger promotions or make the move to ShoXC. His standup was accurate and powerful, and he could make for a very exciting fighter on a Showtime card.
Sadhu Bott put the armbar on Bronson Pieper in round 1 of their bout. Bott could prove to be a tough opponent has his length and height is a big plus for him when on his back. Ross Ebanez devastated Brennan Kamaka with a blow that nearly caused him to fall completely out of the ring, and Jeremy Williams put a punch on Auggie Padekan that put him down to the mat, then moved in and popped Padekan against with a stiff punch to the chin to end the fight. Overall, the fights leading up to the main event actually delivered some big excitement to viewers, but the talent level wasn't exactly premium. Nonetheless, there is some potential talent in the mix to move onto ShoXC.
Main Event: Baroni vs. Hose
One of the most exciting fights for one round, that's the description I would give this fight. Baroni came out with a solid idea of what he wanted to do, impose the PRIDE rules on Hose's face. Baroni put Hose down, then proceeded to face stomp Hose, push his heel into Hose's throat, and soccer kick Hose into unconsciousness. Unbelievably, Hose managed to survive the onslaught while Baroni was already out of gas after the first round.
The second round began with Baroni being low kicked, but it was evident that Baroni was gassing hard. Hose was in much better shape as far as cardio went as he made Baroni use a lot of energy working the takedowns in the first round. After the second round of action, Baroni was completely out of juice. The only disappointing part about the bout after the round was Hose's hesitant style and inability to finish Baroni quicker. Regardless, Hose had the time to win rounds and Baroni wasn't able to threaten Hose with power or ground tactics.
Baroni was punished for three straight rounds, and it was amazing that he could withstand the beating. Hose eventually put Baroni away in the fifth and final round. It really looks like Baroni is sinking into the annals of the old MMA legends who continue to fight spectacle bouts. He showed up with next to no gas in his tank, and that's surprising considering his affiliation with Xtreme Couture.
Weekend thoughts
I won't comment on the XFL card as I haven't had a chance to go over it, but the other events during the weekend were at least able to fill the MMA void. DREAM disappointed me as far as the quality of its fights. Hansen vs. Boku shouldn't have been the best fight on that card, but it did prove to be a quality fight that was exciting from beginning to end.
ICON Sport was absolutely terrible as far as production, but the fights at least delivered quick and finishing performances. The leadup battles to the main event gave us some highlight reel KO's and a look at the better talent coming out of Hawaii. The main event was lackluster in terms of quality. Baroni gassed inside 2 rounds, and Hose didn't take advantage in the third and fourth rounds. Hose eventually put him away, but probably because the referee felt terrible for the beating Baroni had already taken for 2 straight rounds. Baroni's career is in question now, and he really needs to think about his cardio and where he really wants to go in mixed martial arts.
could you support the following statement..."It's nice to see Mirko with some type of advancement in those areas, but Mirko's main challenge will be the ground game when he returns to the States. Let's hope this is just a primer for a new Mirko "CroCop"."....he was defeated on his feet by gonzaga and kongo...hell randleman and fedor beat him on his feet...josh barnett who everyone cites as some top five fighter couldn't or wouldn't get mirko to the ground...why in the hell would you bring up his ground game and then not support it? mirko's problem in the ufc sure as hell wasn't his ground game...i mean that really devalues everything else that is written in this article.
Posted By: romano (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 09:33 PM
Mirko's problems in the UFC didn't revolve around his standup game. Gonzagao's win over Mirko was a complete fluke win, and Werdum showed that by dominating Gonzaga on the feet as a smaller opponent.
The advancement in those areas has to do with the fact that Mirko actually *used* those tactics in the fight. He usually never uses knees, and rarely throws elbows while standing.
His advancement has nothing to do with his ground game at this point. The statement is saying that when he returns to the States, his ground game will need work. The UFC is heavily reliant on that skill due to the cage control that some of the top tier Heavyweights will use on him. Sure, his standup needs to become crisper and on par with the old Mirko, but he'll need to work the ground game to have a real chance.
Posted By: Leland Roling (Guest) on March 21, 2008 at 09:33 AM
