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The FightLockdown Forecast - WVR: Sengoku 11th Battle!
Written by Brad Taschuk   
Friday, 06 November 2009 22:04
To kick off this crazy month of MMA we all have the privilege of watching two fantastic cards in one day. The first, and less publicized card is Sengoku’s 12 offering, which is aptly named “Sengoku Eleventh Battle“. For those North Americans brave enough to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, and Europeans willing to wake up to breakfast and pugilism, a fantastic card awaits. In contrast to Strikeforce which will air about 18 hours later, Sengoku focuses on the lighter end of the scales, and brings us matches rife with ranked fighters. On the panel today are:

Brad Taschuk (31-16, 66.0%)
Joshua Taylor (7-2. 77.8%)
Miles Hackett (31-14, 68.9%)


Hatsu Hioki vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Brad Taschuk: As entertaining as this fight will likely be, I can’t see it being too competitive. Hioki holds an advantage wherever this fight takes place, but like in most of his fights, his biggest advantage lays in his grappling. For people who truly enjoy the grappling aspect of this sport, watching Hatsu grapple is one of the most enthralling sights in the sport, as he has an uncommonly smooth grappling game. However, too often, he allows himself to get pulled into kickboxing matches. Against Omigawa, who holds almost no striking pedigree, that might not be the worst decision, but it still opens him up to his only way to lose this fight. I’m hoping like in his last few fights, Hioki sticks to his grappling game, and further cements himself towards the top of the 145 division. Winner via 1st round Submission: Hatsu Hioki.

Joshua Taylor: Main event of this absolutely fantastic card will of course feature the Sengoku poster-boy, Hatsu Hioki. He is definitely deserving of the spotlight though as he is super-talented and a joy to watch. Although Omigawa surprised a lot of people in the recent FWGP I really don’t think he has what it takes to beat one of the best in the world in Hioki. However, I also know Omigawa is a tough and wily vet who I don’t think will be submitted. Most likely we will see some awesome ground scrambles with a few stand-up exchanges and a decision victory for Hatsu. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Hatsu Hioki.

Miles Hackett: I'm really looking forward to this fight. Omigawa is a gamer who has been reborn since dropping down in weight, but he's taking on likely the best featherweight (bantamweight to us North Americans) in all of Japanese MMA. Omigawa has the size, toughness, and tenacity to give Hioki problems standing, but I think that this fight will find its way to the canvas. When it does, Omigawa's chances of victory, let alone survival, diminish significantly. Expect a fast paced encounter with some really enticing scrambles that Hioki will eventually capitalize on to end the fight. Winner via 2nd round Submission: Hatsu Hioki.


The Final Forecast: Hioki continues his run up the featherweight division by making Michihiro say “O-mi-gaw”.


Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Kazunori Yokota

Brad: This is a battle of two of the most underrated Japanese LWs, and could also prove to be the most competitive battle of the night. Mitsuoka will want to take Yokota down and control him from top position, eventually looking for a sub, and Yokota will want to display his awkward (yet newly effective) stand up. It all comes down to the wrestling game, and I think Mitsuoka has the edge there. I can see him taking Yokota down without taking too much punishment on the feet, but I think Yokota will survive the three rounds. Perhaps in our next rankings update, I won’t be the only one to rank Mitsuoka after he puts up a solid performance against Yokota. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Eiji Mitsuoka.

Joshua: A great battle awaits here as both fighters look to get a title shot with a convincing victory. Eiji has been submitting fools left and right lately but Yokota is no joke and has faced some elite competition. While I do see Mitsuoka being able to get the fight to the ground I don’t see him continuing his submission streak as Yokota is very tough. We will probably be treated to a three round war with Mitsuoka taking the decision. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Eiji Mitsuoka.

Miles: Hirota surprised the hell out of me with his incredible knockout over Schultz, but I think he's fighting a much more savvy and intelligent fighter than "The Lion", in Mitsuoka. I think Eiji will be able to use his wrestling effectively in this bout, and will find himself in a number of dominant positions that will put him in favor with the judges. Even though he will have the opportunity to get the sub, I think Hirota will manage to survive the duration of the bout, based-on heart alone. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Eiji Mitsuoka.


The Final Forecast: Mitsuoka fails in his bid for a submission, but succeeds in finally getting some credit as one of the division’s best.


Marlon Sandro vs. Yuji Hoshino

Brad: Another well-made fight here in the FW division. From what I’ve read around the net, most people are completely writing off Hoshino in this fight, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why. He’s undefeated since making the transition to 145, and has wins over some quality opposition like Wicky Akiyo and Antonio Carvalho. Yuji’s biggest problem in this fight could be how he performs coming off an almost year-long layoff, and Sengoku certainly hasn’t done him any favours in matching him up with Sandro. Marlon holds the clear advantage on the ground, and has a power advantage on the feet, even though Hoshino is the more technical stand up fighter. Sandro simply has more ways to wins this fight, and I think he plays the top control special he became known for prior to the Sengoku GP. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Marlon Sandro.

Joshua: Personally this is my favorite bout on the card. I became a big fan on Sandro during the FWGP and am solidly on his bandwagon but this night he faces a very tough and very talented Yuji Hoshino. Although Marlon showed he does have finishing ability in the GP I don’t think he will get a finish in this fight as Hoshino is on quite a roll of late. Like much of the main card I think we will have a grappling battle with Sandro getting the best of it. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Marlon Sandro.

Miles: I definitely agree with the sentiment of my fellow forecasters, it's a real shame that people are so willing to write-off Hoshino who has really emerged as a rising, yet relatively unknown force at featherweight. Sandro holds the superior hand in all aspects of this fight, but I think Hoshino can, at the very least, put on a respectable showing that will give him recognition amongst the North American MMA community that may not be aware of him. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Marlon Sandro.


The Final Forecast: Sandro avenges the loss of his perfect record at the expense of the “well rested” Hoshino.


Jorge Santiago vs. Mamed Khalidov

Brad: This fight is almost guaranteed fireworks. While Santiago has a well-rounded game, he still prefers to stand and strike, and he will do just that in this fight. Khalidov will have no problem reciprocating, and a nice stand up war should ensue. Don’t expect it to last too long though, since Santiago is simply superior in every aspect of this fight, and unless he gets caught like he did in the UFC he should have another victory to add to his 9-fight winning streak. Should the striking not go his way, Santiago can just as easily take this fight to the ground and coax a tap out of Khalidov, as he is the superior grappler as well. Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Jorge Santiago.

Joshua: Another of my favorite fighters here as Santiago takes on Khalidov who is undefeated in his last 17 fights. On paper it looks like a very competitive fight but I believe Jorge has superior skills everywhere this fight goes. I think they will likely keep it on the feet for the most part though and Santiago will score the TKO victory to increase his own impressive win streak. Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Jorge Santiago.

Miles: Not enough good things can be said about Jorge Santiago since he bounced from the UFC. He's found his groove and become an absolute killer, kicking names and taking ass, left, right, and center. As the others mentioned, Khalidov will want to trade and I think that even though Jorge is capable of winning the fight standing, he'll go where he's most comfortable; the ground. I think we'll see some very exciting exchanges, but ultimately Santiago gets the fight to the ground and gets Mamed to tap. Winner via 1st round Submission: Jorge Santiago.


The Final Forecast: “The Cannibal” will stick true to his diet by eating a healthy dose of fists, feet and knees in this one.


Satoru Kitaoka vs. Jorge Masvidal

Brad: Jorge Masvidal is a striker with mediocre takedown defense, Satoru Kitaoka is one of the most aggressive grapplers in the game, who (for the first 5 minutes or so) works relentlessly for takedowns and subs. Expect Kitaoka to get Masvidal down and make him squeal before the first frame expires. However, if it goes any longer than one round, Masvidal’s chances get exponentially better, since Kitaoka has shown no intentions of pacing himself in his recent fights. Winner via 1st round Submission: Satoru Kitaoka.

Joshua: I don’t have quite as much faith in Kitaoka as many seem to have and I think while he held the title he became a bit overrated. However, a win over a tough Masvidal could do a lot for him in getting him back near a title shot. Its important for Jorge to remain calm and collected early in the bout and mainly stay defensive so he can wear down Kitaoka. I think if he is able to survive the first round he can take advantage of a winded Satoru in the second and get the TKO victory. Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Jorge Masvidal.

Miles: Hirota executed the perfect gameplan against Kitaoka; survive the early storm, punish him standing, stuff the takedowns, rinse and repeat. Luckily for Hirota he has the submission defense to pull-off such a strategy, a claim Jorge Masvidal cannot make. Kitaoka is just so damn powerful, I see him aggressively pursuing the takedown, eventually getting it, then dropping immediately for a heel-hook which will finish the fight. Winner via 1st round Submission: Satoru Kitaoka.


The Final Forecast: Kitaoka takes one of Masvidal's limbs home with him and adds it to his collection.


Dave Herman vs. Jim York

Brad: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Dave Herman.

Joshua: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Dave Herman.

Miles: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Dave Herman.


The Final Forecast: PeeWee’s house won’t end up being so much fun for York.


Kevin Randleman vs. Stanislav Nedkov

Brad: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Kevin Randleman.

Joshua: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Stanislav Nedkov.

Miles: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Stanislav Nedkov.


The Final Forecast: Nedkov makes "the Monster" look like the oldest and most dilapidated 38 year old man you'll ever see.


Akihiro Gono vs. Yoon Young Kim

Brad: Winner via Split Decision: Akihiro Gono.

Joshua: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Akihiro Gono.

Miles: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Akihiro Gono.


The Final Forecast: Gono proves that resurrection is in fact possible, and kicks his second life off with a victory.


Ronnie Mann vs. Shigeki Osawa

Brad: Winner via 2nd round Submission, Ronnie Mann.

Joshua: Winner via 1st round Submission: Ronnie Mann.

Miles: Winner via 2nd round Submission: Ronnie Mann.


The Final Forecast: Ronnie proves that he is the Mann to de-rail Osawa’s promising rise.