DREAM 10 Recap: Marius Zaromskis Wins Welterweight Grand Prix With Upset Performances

In what could be considered one of the most astonishing stories of a fighter beating the immense odds against him, Lithuanian-born Marius Zaromskis, despite being a near 5-to-1 underdog, managed to defeat Japanese legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai via a devastating shin-to-chin head kick.

Sakurai and Zaromskis traded shots for much of the fight, although it was evident that Zaromskis had a bit more mustard on each shot as Sakurai's face began to bleed significantly as the fight progressed. Ultimately, the battle came down to Zaromskis' combinations coupled with his power. He was able to throw heavier punches, but also throw solid one-two punch flurries with high and low kicks mixed in. The combination paid off beautifully as Zaromskis was not only able to hurt Sakurai with the strikes, but he managed to catch Sakurai later in the fight with a kick that ended the bout.

The second DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix semi-final featured Jason High and Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Andre Galvao. Although Galvao was the favorite coming into the match-up, the fight would prove to be tough for Galvao to finish. The first round definitively went to Galvao as he outgrappled High for most of the round, although High managed to drop Galvao with a stiff left. Galvao gained top control, punished High with some elbows, and moved to a body triangle on High's back with roughly three minutes remaining in the round. High showed solid submission defense, but it was evident that the round was controlled by Galvao despite being dropped earlier in the round.

The second round was a different story. High managed to batter the Brazilian for most of the round with combinations and body kicks. It was obvious that High had won the second round, but it became a judges' decision as to whether Galvao's dominance in the first overcame High's stand-up dominance in the second round. The judges' scored the bout a 2-1 split decision in favor of Jason High.

Two upsets and several bouts later, Jason High and Marius Zaromskis met in the main event Grand Prix final. High tried to find a way to put Zaromskis on the floor, but Zaromskis was able to reverse High and avoid the armbar attempt. Once the fight moved back to the feet, Zaromskis once again relied on his fluid punch/kick combination to end High's night after devastating High with a brutal right high kick that landed dead center on his chin. Unbelievable knockout from the tournament underdog to win the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix tournament.

The DREAM debut of Katsunori Kikuno went very well as he devastated Andre "Dida" Amade with a crescent body kick to the liver in the first round that sent Dida reeling toward the ropes. Kikuno rushed Dida, put him on his back, and quickly transitioned to full mount. The subsequent pummeling of Dida with Kikuno on his back was enough for the referee to stop this bout.

The most interesting part about this match-up was the zombie-like stance that Kikuno displayed during the fight. It almost seemed to be a bit perplexing to Dida as he was unable to really counter Kikuno, although Kikuno was also a bit hesitant to strike with the dangerous Dida as well. Very odd stance, almost comical.

Heavy-handed Dutchman Melvin Manhoef lost his superfight bout against Brazilian power grappler Paulo Filho in the first round via an armbar. Filho was visibly flustered by the onslaught that Melvin produced early in the match-up, and the fight looked to be very near a knockout outcome until Filho escaped and took down Manhoef later in the round. Filho's strength on the ground was unmatched as he easily submitted Manhoef.

The most anticipated bout of the evening between Shinya Aoki and Vitor Ribeiro didn't go exactly as many fans perceived it. The first round was dominated by Aoki's right high kicks, and Ribeiro was unable to truly answer back with anything significant. Aoki worked a solid gameplan of using his kicks to frustrate Ribeiro, and using a Muay Thai clinch if Ribeiro rushed inside. Ribeiro was able to get a takedown late in the second, although he ate a knee coming in. On the ground, Aoki used the rubber guard efficiently to keep Ribeiro's posture down and ride out the round to victory. A fairly anti-climatic ending to a match-up that looked to be a chess match on paper.

Rounding out the action for the evening, former TUF contestant Jesse Taylor won via TKO in round 1 over Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon after Yoon's ankle or knee gave out following a Taylor takedown and move to his back. Team Quest fighter Tarec Saffiedine defeated Seichi Ikemoto via unanimous decision in the opening fight of the evening after Ikemoto faded late in the first round.

Overall Impressions from DREAM 10

Aoki actually showed a piece of his game that can work fairly effectively against BJJ practitioners that have failed to learn the striking game. His lengthy limbs and diverse kicking game was enough to score point consistently, and his gangly frame enabled him to be effective in the clinch as well with his Muay Thai training. Ribeiro would have probably had a better opportunity to punish Aoki if elbows were allowed, but Aoki's striking was frustrating Ribeiro for most of this fight.

Zaromskis is truly a welterweight to keep an eye on. He showed very good ground skills for a guy who loves to strike. He was able to reverse High, a solid wrestler in his own right, and his combinations are quick and powerful enough to keep opponents from countering. Sakurai was landing his fair share of blows, but Zaromskis simply had more powerful shots. As the fight wore on, Sakurai was definitely looking more lethargic and susceptible to the combinations. It's also a pretty tough argument to make that High should have blocked the head kick in their match-up after he ate both the first two punches on the chin.

Zaromskis is probably on the UFC radar at this point as a potential European drawing fighter, so I wouldn't be surprised if we hear some rumblings about him making his way to the UFC down the road into next year. He has a solid combination of power, strength, and aggressiveness that could give some UFC welterweights some problems.

Andre Galvao looked pretty good in the first round of his match with Jason High, but he obviously has a bit of a gas tank issue. It isn't severe, but when you're fighting a guy who trains with the endless cardio machine in Antonio McKee day in and day out -- you should probably expect a tough battle.

Filho's stand-up game remains appalling. He almost got knocked out cold by Manhoef, and he's lucky his defense was good enough to avoid the onslaught. Anderson Silva should give him some tips.

As Kid Nate once stated, Kikuno is the GSP of Japan. I'll back away from that claim, but he was very dominating once the fight hit the floor. His transition to mount was quick, and Dida really had no chance on the ground. His zombie stance is perplexing to a lot of his opponents, and it does allow him to have some very good defense standing. He'll be another solid DREAM prospect to keep your eye on as we move deep into the year and into next year.