Sengoku VII Live Results & Commentary

The other big featherweight tournament of 2009 gets going late night tonight/early tomorrow morning as Sengoku VII airs live on HDNet from Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo. The fun begins at 3AM ET so be sure to join us (or maybe just me, talking to myself) and comment away.

[UPDATE] 1:08 AM ET - Just got this email from Adam Swift at HDNet:

The LIVE broadcast of "HDNet Fights Presents: World Victory Road: Sengoku 7" on HDNet has been delayed by one hour. It will now begin at 1AM PT / 4AM ET, instead of the originally scheduled time of 12AM PT / 3AM ET.

An encore presentation will be broadcast as scheduled on HDNet at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, March 20.

Sengoku VII Quick Results
Nick Denis def. Seiya Kawahara via TKO (Strikes) at 2:36 of Round 1
Ronnie Mann def. Tetsuya Yamada via Unanimous Decision
Chan Sung Jung def. Shintaro Ishiwatari via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:29 of Round 1
Masanori Kanehara def. Jong Man Kim via Unanimous Decision
Marlon Sandro def. Matt Jaggers via Technical Submission (Standing Side Choke) at 2:57 of Round 2
Michihiro Omigawa def. L.C. Davis via Unanimous Decision
Jim York def. James Thompson via KO (Punch) at 4:33 of Round 1
Nam Phan def. Hideki Kadowaki via KO (Punch) at 3:09 of Round 1
Hatsu Hioki def. Chris Manuel via Submission (Triangle Armbar) at 4:12 of Round 1
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal def. Ryo Kawamura via Unanimous Decision

Seiya Kawahara (6-1) vs. Nick Denis (6-0)

Round 1: Inside leg kicks from Denis, who's sporting a nice rat tail. They clinch, knees from Denis. A right head kick knocks Kawahara down, but he recovers quickly and the Canadian allows him back to his feet. Denis muscles Kawahara into the post. Kawahara reverses, now trying to throw knees from the clinch but Denis is shooting harder ones back, and to the inner thigh as well. Back in the center of the ring. The same right head kick from Denis is blocked this time by Seiya. A stiff right hand drops Kawahara, Denis pounces and pummels with heavy hammerfists and knees to the head from side control until the referee jumps in to save the flailing Kawahara.

Nick Denis def. Seiya Kawahara via TKO (Strikes) - Round 1

Tetsuya Yamada (3-0) vs. Ronnie Mann (16-1-1)

Round 1: Mann pushes forward with combos immediately. Yamada shoots. Mann with a great sprawl at first, but Yamada works him down and into open guard. Mann punches his hips up to his right and reverses straight into mount. Yamada turns, now Mann is backmounted with Yamada on his knees. Mann peppering with shots from the back. Yamada defends a choke and flips onto his back. Yamada escapes through Mann's legs and grabs for a heel hook. Mann powers out and puts Yamada on his back again. Yamada isolating the arm, looking for a triangle with two minutes remaining in the round. Mann gets to his feet and invites his opponent to stand as well. Yamada charges in for a flying kneebar attempt but flops back down awkwardly as Mann unleashes a right hand at the same time. Yamada still working for a leg on the ground as Mann throws body punches. The ref stands them just in time for the bell to sound.

Round 2: Mann shoots right away and takes Yamada's back standing. Yamada defends at first, falls against the ropes awkwardly and goes down. Mann in Yamada's open guard, Yamada attached to Mann's left arm in a prolonged kimura attempt. Mann stands but winds up dragging with him Yamada, who is holding his glove. The fighters are stood up. Yamada rushes in with a knee and is floored with a Mann takedown. Yamada trying for the kimura again, Mann staying relatively active with punches from the top. Two minutes left. Back on the feet, Yamada with another flying knee attempt, eats a punch and flops to guard. Mann follows him down. Yamada looks exhausted as the round expires.

Round 3: Yamada flailing with winging punches and kicks at the opening of the frame, actually catches Mann with a shin to the head but it looks partially blocked. Mann back on top, Yamada looking worn out as he tries to work rubber guard. Yamada doing a great job with wrist control on the ground if nothing else. They stand. Mann pushes forward with a jab, Yamada pushes back with a high kick... and knocks himself down, flops to guard again, Mann follows, the ref stands them up almost immediately. Mann shoots and Yamada's shin connects again but there's not much behind it at this point. Mann gets his takedown. Mann stretches out for a toehold, Yamada counters with a kneebar, but eventually both relent. Yamada in Mann's guard as the bout winds down.

BloodyElbow.com scores the bout for Ronnie Mann

Ronnie Mann def. Tetsuya Yamada via Unanimous Decision

#40 FW Shintaro Ishiwatari (6-1-3) vs. Chan Sung Jung (2-0)

Round 1: The Korean Zombie comes out swinging, but quickly decides to move back outside. Tentative flurries in the opening minute. Jung ties Ishiwatari up in the clinch a few times and lands some minor knees. A looping left from Jung puts Ishiwatari down. The Korean pounces, but Ishiwatari recovers and scrambles out. Shintaro using head kicks to negate Jung's reach. Now Ishiwatari gets inside with a few punches of his own, gains some confidence and puts his arms out to mock Jung. One minute left, Jung has Ishiwatari tied up in the corner, the ref restarts them and Jung catches Ishiwatari with a nasty left. Ishiwatari takes a knee and Jung takes his back and sinks in a DEEP rear naked choke. Ishiwatari hangs in for a second then tries to tap, but he's already unconscious.

Chan Sung Jung def. Shintaro Ishiwatari via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - Round 1

Masanori Kanehara (11-5-5) vs. #28 FW Jong Man Kim (3-5-3)

Round 1: Not much offense from either fighter in the first minute. Kanehara's leg kicks are the only solid strikes landed through two. Kim is loading up on power punches like Mac in Punch-Out, and Kanehara slips them and makes the Korean eat a leg kick with every swing. Right-handed Superman punch from Kanehara with 90 seconds left. Kim charges ahead with wild combos, Kanehara backs into the ropes then counters with a right hand, a knee and a flurry of punches that put Kim down. Kanehara grinds out the last 30 seconds in half-guard.

Round 2: Kanehara continues to chop away at Kim with leg kicks and scores with intermittent jabs. Kim charges but Kanehara drops levels and eventually scores the trip takedown. Kim on his back, clinging to a loose right arm guillotine. Kanehara moves to mount momentarily, but Kim rolls. Kanehara pops his head loose and moves to side control. Now a dangerous-looking side choke but Kim escapes. Full mount for Kanehara. Kim bucks up and reverses, trying to do damage as Kanehara holds a high guard. They stand with a minute remaining. Body kick and a jab by Kanehara. Kim rushes in and catches a shooting Kanehara in a decent guillotine, but the round ends shortly after.

Round 3: Both men looking tentative still after two rounds, though now significantly more tired. Kim seems content to lay back and just explode forward with a bundle of wild haymakers every minute or so. Kanehara still chopping away with the leg kicks, but not as frequently as he could or should be. Kim charges forward once again and now Kanehara begins to unload with counter-offense, a series of side-stepping kicks and jabs. Kim with another guillotine but it's not much and Kanehara escapes, now trying to free his right leg from Kim's guard. They scramble, Kanehara takes his back momentarily but Kim slips out. The ref separates the standing fighters with 40 seconds remaining. Both fighters are issued "a warning for inactivity." Er, okay. Where was the last two and a half rounds? I didn't see a yellow card, HDNet's interpreter just said it was a warning. Anyway. Junk time now and Kanehara smothers Kim to the finish.

BloodyElbow.com scores the bout for Masanori Kanehara

Masanori Kanehara def. Jong Man Kim via Unanimous Decision

#18 FW Marlon Sandro (12-0) vs. Matt Jaggers (9-4)

Round 1: Sandro clips Jaggers with a right early on. Jaggers clinches up and Sandro trips him right down. Sandro not working particularly hard from the top, but does stand with Jaggers' guard closed around him and plows his opponent into the mat. Jaggers scrambles out and up. Sandro ducks a Jaggers combo and switches levels for another takedown. Sandro laying on top. A beautiful reverse from Jaggers with a minute remaining, but he's quickly beneath Sandro again. Sandro moves to mount but does nothing with it and Jaggers reverses once again to finish out the round.

Round 2: Jaggers charges but Sandro slips him like a matador and answers with a spinning heel kick followed by a quick double leg. Sandro in half guard, tries to move to mount but is bucked off by Jaggers. Sandro doesn't allow Jaggers up, to which Jaggers' corner can be heard to say "He's just trying to grind out a decision, buddy, like he always does." Sandro smothering in half guard with a weak side choke applied. Jaggers rolls out and stands. Sandro applies the side choke standing in the corner and puts Jaggers to sleep almost immediately! Jaggers slumps forward face-first onto the mat as the ref steps in.

Marlon Sandro def. Matt Jaggers via Technical Submission (Standing Side Choke) - Round 2

Michihiro Omigawa (4-7-1) vs. #13 FW L.C. Davis (13-1)

Round 1: Davis pushing forward with jabs and combinations in the first minute, until Omigawa ties him up looking for the trip. Davis is able to resist for a time but winds up with Omigawa laying in his half guard. Shoulder shrugs from Omigawa to L.C.'s face, trying to loosen the wrestler up and move to side control. And he does. Omigawa not doing much from side control except firing some knees to Davis' left side and hip. Now the Japanese fighter explodes into full mount, but again doesn't do much. Landing peppering shots from the top, Omigawa gets Davis to turn and takes L.C.'s back with a minute left. Now back to full mount, lands a couple short punches flush to Davis' face then straightens out the American's left arm for an armbar just as the round winds down. Omigawa surprisingly dominant in the opening frame.

Round 2: Davis keeping a healthy range and pushing forward with two- and three-punch combos while clearly very wary of the takedown. Omigawa puts him on his back anyway with another nice trip. Left arm guillotine from the top for Omigawa, but Davis is squirming out, shrimping to the side, and Omigawa is forced to release. Davis reverses into guard, then back to his feet. A nice escape, and one that probably just saved Davis' chances in this fight. Lots of swinging on the feet from both men but nothing much landing. Leg kick from Omigawa sounds sharp. Omigawa rushes in and clinches against the ropes, then into the corner. Davis getting busy with knees from the clinch as the ref restarts them in the center. The round ends with Omigawa pushing Davis into the corner.

Round 3: Omigawa trips Davis down again about a minute into the round and things are beginning to look grim for the Militech product. Omigawa stands over Davis and avoids a couple dangerous upkicks before pouncing back down into side control. Looks like Omigawa has a guillotine momentarily but Davis pops out. Omigawa into full mount. Davis isn't gonna pull this one out, but makes a few last ditch escapes to roll free in the final 30 seconds to no avail.

BloodyElbow.com scores the bout for Michihiro Omigawa

Michihiro Omigawa def. L.C. Davis via Unanimous Decision

James Thompson (14-9) vs. "Big" Jim York (9-2)

Round 1: Thompson runs straight into the ropes with his patented gong-and-dash attack. York puts the Colossus down with a series of stiff left hands, but Thompson sticks in it. York with a left-armed staned guillotine but Thompson extracts himself and shoots... only to get caught in the guillotine again. Another escape. York cracks Thompson with a hard right now but Thompson stands his ground. Thompson connects with a left of his own and York ties him up along the ropes to gather his senses. Two minutes remaining. York continually grabbing the ropes as he pushes Thompson against the ropes. Lots of clinching and stalling in the corner, both men looking winded already. 30 seconds left. They separate. Thompson wings a left but leaves his right hand down and York crumbles him with a left of his own. The ref dives in to save York, who's sitting up but clearly unfit to continue.

Jim York def. James Thompson via KO (Punch) - Round 1

#42 FW Nam Phan (14-5) vs. #11 FW Hideki Kadowaki (13-8-2)

Round 1: Both fighters boxing, keeping a frantic pace for the opening minute of the round. Kadowaki continually scores with a long reach and hard straights, while Nam is ducking inside and throwing more to the body. The combinations of Kadowaki are landly more cleanly, but with two minutes left Phan begins to take charge, connecting with a couple clean shots to Kadowaki's chin. Phan backs Kadowaki into the ropes, gets him circling with a left jab then unloads with a right hook that snaps Kadowaki's head back before he collapses to the ground.

Nam Phan def. Hideki Kadowaki via KO (Punch) - Round 1

#5 FW Hatsu Hioki (17-3-2) vs. Chris Manuel (6-0-2)

Round 1: Early takedown by Hioki, straight into half guard, keeping active with punches to the body of Manuel as he steps into full mount. Hioki takes Manuel's back in short order, showing great control from the back before sinking in the body triangle and securing Manuel's left arm. Manuel manages to roll out and back to his feet, where the two clinch in the corner. Manuel's corner shouts at him to get out of the corner as Hioki trips him to the mat. Side control for Hioki, then moves to mount as he frames up a kimura. Manuel keeping active on the bottom, shoves Hioki back to half guard, but Hoki powers forward and uses his range to make Manuel eat some shots. Now Hioki stands over Manuel and throws down punches. Back down to side control, Hioki spins to Davis' left for the armbar, switches to a topside triangle choke and forces Manuel to tap as he extends his arm for good measure.

Hatsu Hioki def. Chris Manuel via Submission (Triangle Armbar) - Round 1

#23 LHW "King" Mo Lawal (3-0) vs. Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2)

Round 1: Mo with a low kick - Lawal is in his usual wrestling shoes, Ryo is barefoot. Lawal with some nice dirty boxing and a powerful knee to the midsection of Kawamura, followed by an easy single leg. Kawamura covering up against the post with his back to Mo. Lawal with an insane scoop suplex. Kawamura doesn't look like he wants this fight anymore, content to have his back controlled while standing and trying to avoid punishment. Lawal scoops Kawamura up again and just drops him on his head. Kawamura is clinging to the corner post for dear life as Lawal knees his thighs and the ref restarts them in the center. Kawamura trying to box and get fancy but just eats more jabs from Lawal followed by another takedown. The LHW King of Pancrase is cowering in the corner again as the round concludes.

Round 2: Mo crouching, showboating in front of Kawamura and offering his chin. Kawamura kicks and misses. Lawal accidentally pokes Ryo in the eye and the doctor comes over to check him out. After having the light shined in his eye, Kawamura decides he wants more and gives the nod to continue. Seconds later, Kawamura winces again and claims another poke. (I missed it.) The doc is checking him again. Kawamura is ready. "King Mo" Lawal is given a yellow card for the second accidental eye poke. Lawal with a strong leaping knee. Kawamura still looks fresh but can't land anything clean on Lawal. And Lawal takes him down again. Kawamura back to hugging the post, King Mo continues to punish his legs with knees. Kawamura escapes and comes forward on Lawal, swinging away, but Lawal just switches levels and drops him with a fluid single. Kawamura continues to retreat to the corner, this time the ref has no patience and restarts them quickly in the middle. Lawal with yet another takedown, to side control. A few knees connect to the head of the turtling Kawamura, who quickly gets back to his feet to avoid more.

Round 3: More of the same as Lawal takes Kawamura down, and Kawamura finds his way back into the corner. Mo controls from the back and side control, with Kawamura shifting between his knees and standing, but always trying to hug the corner. Lawal keeping busy with shots to the head and body, but nothing to put the fight away as he's expended quite a bit of energy being the only person in this fight for two and a half rounds. With a minute left in the bout, Mo is in side control and Kawamura is turtled up, literally wincing in anticipation of Mo's next strike. Lawal picks him up and dumps him on his head again; Kawamura scampers into the corner. The side of Kawamura's head is pressed against the post and Lawal capitalizes with two or three flush shots. The bout concludes with a final explosion from Kawamura - missing a high kick and a spinning backfist- and appropriately, one last takedown from Lawal.

BloodyElbow.com scores the bout for Muhammed Lawal

Muhammed Lawal def. Ryo Kawamura via Unanimous Decision