Tsuji Subs Martinez, Miyazawa Rolls at Valkyrie/Cage Force Double-Header
by Chris Nelson on Apr 25, 2009 11:30 AM EDT
in News
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The "Vale Tudo Queen," Yuka Tsuji, made short work of Kate Martinez in Tokyo on Saturday night, submitting the Royce Gracie-trained Coloradan in the first frame of their title bout to become the inaugural Valkyrie Featherweight Champion. The length of the championship rounds - extended to 3x5 minutes from the standard 3x3 - proved an advantage to the hometown favorite Tsuji, who elicited a tap from Martinez with an armbar after four minutes and twenty seconds. The undercard for Valkyrie's second outing also featured the semi-finals in a four-woman tournament to decide Tsuji's first challenger, where Kyoko Takabayashi and "V Hajime" both dispatched of their opponents handily and will go on to face one another at the third Valkyrie show.
On the guy-centric evening portion of Greatest Common Multiple's day/night double-header, only three of the evening's eight bouts went to a decision... but the main event had to be canceled due to Team Alpha Male's Marcus Donahue* being unable to make weight for his bout with newly-minted lightweight Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Meanwhile, Motoki Miyazawa - who lost to Hironaka at welterweight in a tough doctor's stoppage at DREAM.5 last July - took out the always game DEEP and Pancrase veteran Hiroki Nagaoka with a first round rear-naked choke, and the Sakuraba-trained Wataru Takahashi won his second straight for the first time in his career.
* If anyone can confirm that Marcus Donahue is the fighter's real name, it'd be appreciated. The translation reads "Makasu Donahiyu" but I can't find any information about him on the interwebs and emails to Team Alpha Male have gone unreturned, presumably because they have no time for nerds and/or computers.
Full results for both cards in the extended entry. Photo and results via Sportsnavi.
Valkyrie 02
April 25, 2009
Differ Ariake
Tokyo, JapanValkyrie Featherweight Championship (3 rounds x 5 min.)
Yuka Tsuji (22-1) def. Kate Martinez (1-1) via Submission (Cross Armbar) at 4:20 of Round 1-61.2kg Bout (3 rounds x 3 min.)
Megumi Yabushita (17-15) def. Chisa Yonezawa (0-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:43 of Round 2Valkyrie Featherweight Eliminator Semi-Final (3 rounds x 3 min.)
Kyoko Takabayashi (9-3) def. "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba (12-10) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:41 of Round 1Valkyrie Featherweight Eliminator Semi-Final (3 rounds x 3 min.)
Megumi "V Hajime" Yamaguchi (4-2) def. Emi Fujino (8-3) via Unanimous Decision (3-0)46.8kg Bout (3 rounds x 3 min.)
Naoko Omuro (9-7-3) def. Sachiko "SACHI" Yamamoto (5-4-1) via TKO (Punches) at 2:48 of Round 1
Cage Force 10
April 25, 2009
Differ Ariake
Tokyo, Japan
9. LW: Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-6) vs. Marcus Donahue (0-0)
Main event canceled due to Donahue being unable to make weight.8. WW: Motoki Miyazawa (6-1) def. Hiroki Nagaoka (13-14-8) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:20 of Round 1
7. FW: Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura (7-3-4) def. Wataru Miki (14-9-3) via Unanimous Decision (3-0)
6. LW: Yasunori Kanehara (2-5-2) def. Eriya Matsuda (6-7) via TKO (Strikes) at 3:00 of Round 2
5. FW: Wataru Takahashi (8-10-4) def. Satoshi Nishino (5-4-2) via TKO (Strikes) at 1:05 of Round 2
4. MW: Akihiro Murayama (9-3-5) vs. Ikkei Nagamura (2-1-1) - Draw (3-0)
3. MW: Shuji Morikawa (2-2-1) def. Ken Ogawa (0-4) via Unanimous Decision (3-0)
2. WW: Ken Taisho (1-0) def. Tetsuya Nagaoka (0-1) via TKO (Doctor's Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
1. BW: Ryo Taguchi (1-1) def. Masaki Yokoyama (2-2-3) via Submission (Armbar) at 1:04 of Round 1
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Great write-up
presumably because they have no time for nerds and/or computers.
I was laughing for minutes after that bit.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 25, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
FWIW, it should be noted...
…that Cage Force has same day (as the event) re-weigh-ins, just to make sure you haven’t blown up two whole weight classes. I still think that’s one of the dumbest rules ever, though.
I’m wondering whether Donahue actually knew he was coming in to fight Hironaka at lightweight. Being that he’s billed as a Team Alpha Male fighter, you’d think he might know how to cut weight properly, right?
Also, this wouldn’t be the first time that GCM has done a shoddy job communicating important things to fighters they import. I heard that even Martinez had trouble with her weight, thanks to her not knowing about the aforementioned same-day, re-weigh-in foolishness.
by ikari47 on Apr 25, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the same-day re-weigh-ins are just stupid, and I don’t know much about cutting weight but they seem dangerous as well.
by Chris Nelson on Apr 25, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What worries me is that fighters that can cut to a weight still have to watch themselves on the day of the event. It’s like, they went through all this trouble to make the weight, but they still can’t rehydrate or eat afterward for fear of jumping to the next weight class? That’s silly and dangerous, together.
If, say, Sengoku did something this, a fighter like Satoru Kitaoka could never have become their lightweight champion. The guy KILLS himself every time he cuts weight. Thank goodness he can rehydrate and not worry that they’ll re-weigh him the next day, however.
Imagine just how many fighters silly rules like these would hobble.
by ikari47 on Apr 25, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
extended to 3×5 minutes from the standard 3×3
Lame. Why not full five minute rounds as the standard? It’s not like they have an AC telling them no.
by Tonley on Apr 25, 2009 2:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I can’t fault them for that since 3×3 is pretty much the universal standard for women, but JEWELS and Valkyrie have crappy rules in general – chiefly: no elbows, and both are very skittish about ground striking. Valkyrie allows it in moderation, but JEWELS basically turns into a grappling match once it hits the floor.
Yet another reason Cyborg-Akano bummed me out, ‘cause now Akano’s teammates (like Megumi Fujii) probably have a sour image of Strikeforce and the athletic commissions in the States, and may not come over here where they can fight real fights. (Though the JEWELS rules certainly favor someone like Megu’s style anyhow.)
by Chris Nelson on Apr 25, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
why do you have to be so fast with posting stuff chris?
give us people who want to get a job here a chance! haha.
but seriously though, i really must be tired with all the dumb double posts.. haha. its 4am. im off to bed..
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 25, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So Hironaka moved to LW? That’s cool. Give me a shout when he stops pretending to be a striker too. I wouldn’t mind a fight between him and K-Taro to see who is the better UFC washout.
by ilostmydog on Apr 25, 2009 5:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
"As my opponent came in overweight, our fight has been canceled. It is truly unfortunate. I’ve always fought as a welterweight, and this would have been my lightweight debut. When it was decided who I’d face, I cut about 37.5 pounds, and came here today of the mindset that I’d put my life on the line for this fight. Next time, I’d like to fight someone strong while aiming for the title, and not some weak foreigner who can’t even cut weight," said an irritated Hironaka to the crowd.
by Chris Nelson on Apr 25, 2009 7:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Next time, I’d like to fight someone strong while aiming for the title, and not some weak foreigner who can’t even cut weight," said an irritated Hironaka to the crowd.
by Tonley on Apr 25, 2009 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Hironaka’s original wording of “foreigner” during his in-cage speech was quite harsh. It’s already bad enough just to be called “gaijin” in a derisory way, but he made it even more belittling and derogatory by saying “gaijin nanka.” From my cultural perspective a non-Japanese living in Japan, I feel that that’s pretty offensive, but I also understand that Hironaka was really, really, really angry. I guess he would have to be after cutting 37.5 pounds.
by ikari47 on Apr 25, 2009 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Marcus Donahue
Dang.. blast from the past… seen him around a couple PFC’s out in Lemore, he was a boxer turned mma, from what I found on him… he fought in Golden Gloves in the late 90’s and has a few obscure mma bouts, I’d seen him box, pretty decent, but just disappeared, then reappeared with Team Alpha Male, he could give Hironaka trouble in a stand up exchange for sure
by oleschool on May 2, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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