Weekend Primer: Sengoku VIII Featherweight GP Quarterfinals

Sengoku VIII will take place on May 2nd from Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. It will feature the quarterfinal matchups in the Featherweight Grand Prix along with the return of Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro, a lightweight title eliminator between Leonardo Santos and Kazunori Yokota, and various matchups featuring fighters such as Maximo Blanco, Shigeki Osawa, and for all you YAMMA fans... Travis "I need a ROOM with a" Wiuff.

I wanted to take some time and focus on the Featherweight Grand Prix quarterfinal matchups during the week as a small primer to some of the phenomenal matchups that WVR has put together. Let's take a look:

Hatsu Hioki (18-3-2) vs. Ronnie "Ushiwaka" Mann (17-1-1): I've heard a lot of credible analysis regarding Mann potentially breaking out an upset in this matchup, but I don't see it happening here. Mann's performance against Yamada wasn't anything to write home about, and it mostly made Yamada's stock go up in that he was able to hang on the ground with Mann and take it the distance.

The big problem I see here is the size and reach disadvantage coupled with the fact that Hioki is dominating on the ground could pose huge threats for Mann. Hioki has multiple ways he can win here although I'm more inclined to believe he'll use his length to smother Mann on the floor and find the submission. Hioki's submission game is very good, but he tends to try to stand with opponents at times to prove he can strike. If Hioki stays away from that type of battle, he should take this one.

Michihiro Omigawa (5-7-1) vs. Nam Phan (15-5): As proven against L.C. Davis, records don't mean much at the first glance. Omigawa crushed Davis for three rounds working a solid judo game along the ropes, overpowering him in the clinch, and putting Davis on his back at will. This will be a bit of a different story for Omigawa.

Phan proved in his opening round matchup against Kadowaki that his striking is improving. He's always been a top notch grappler on the ground, and while Omigawa presents a problem with his judo and clinch work, Phan should have the ability to escape those positions unlike Davis. I'd be very surprised if Omigawa pulls off another upset here, but he did manage to dominate Davis.

Masanori Kanehara (12-5-5) vs. Chan Sung Jung (3-0): This is probably one of the more interesting matchups in the quarterfinals. Kanehara has the advantage in terms of experience and skill, but Jung has been an aggressive up-and-comer.

Analyzing Jung's bouts doesn't come up with much in terms of advantages. He has shown some sloppy striking with his chin in the air as he moves forward, but the onslaught of flurries he's thrown haven't been countered by his opponents. Kanehara will likely be the fighter to expose that aggressiveness. Jung has a chance, but I don't see him catching Kanehara like his past opponents.

Marlon Sandro (13-0) vs. Nick Denis (7-0): I would have thought Denis would have drawn Jung or Kanehara first round, but this is a potentially solid matchup. Denis showed some great striking, phenomenal clinch work, and solid conditioning in his first matchup with Seiya Kawahara. Sandro was dominating in his bout with Matt Jaggers in terms of takedowns, but his weakness was shown in his inability to advance to a good position after the takedown.

Sandro will be a much slicker on the ground against Denis, but I'm questioning who has the advantage here in terms of striking. The solid pick here is Sandro as he hasn't been knocked out before and manages to avoid the striking game for the takedown. His power on the ground is formidable, but he still lacks the skills to pass guard. Sandro by decision.

Overall analysis

There are some concerns with the favorites here. Sandro and Hioki are the obvious favorites to meet in the finals, but Sandro worries me with his inability to work a ground game from top control. His striking is fairly average, but he is able to transition to the takedown effectively. He should get past Denis, but the next round could spell problems.

Hioki should get a win here and advance along with Kanehara in my mind. Both should be solid picks, but Phan vs. Omigawa could be a dark horse bout. It just depends what kind of gameplan Omigawa looks to initiate, but Phan should be able to put the gut busting punches to Omigawa's midsection and work a gassing Omigawa in that fight.

It should be a solid quarterfinal for the Grand Prix, and it's only going to get better in the semifinals. Stay Tuned for more previews regarding Sengoku VIII.