Report: Akihiro Gono Will Make Full Recovery

by Kid Nate on Aug 3, 2009 12:22 AM EDT in MMA News

3784056984_821c9efa16_medium Some good news by way of MMA.Fanhouse:

Japanese MMA fighter Akihiro Gono is expected to make a complete recovery after suffering head and neck injuries when he was knocked out by a brutal head kick from Dan Hornbuckle Sunday.
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Gono was taken out of the ring on a stretcher, and Tony Loiseleur of Sherdog reports that Gono was diagnosed with a concussion, possible brain hemorrhaging and damage to his neck. But he is reportedly conscious and alert, and he's expected to be released from the hospital within a day and to make a full recovery.

That is a relief. It was bad enough when the judges robbed Gono against Dan Hardy. When Joe Silva booked Gono against Jon Fitch it was clear the UFC had no interest in keeping him on board, despite his knack for delivering action-packed fights. But seeing Gono lose badly to Dan Hornbuckle in his homecoming fight and wondering all day if he was ok was a most unpleasant experience.

Gono is a game, entertaining and very well rounded fighter with an impressive body of work over a long career.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery DJ Gozma and congratulations to Dan Hornbuckle for pulling out a tough fight that no one was giving you much of a chance to win.

Animated gif of the KO is in the full entry.

via i31.tinypic.com

Sengoku IX coverage

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The KO in question

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGcQSkq2tTk

by bobthewriter on Aug 3, 2009 12:27 AM EDT reply actions

Good to hear....because that was a scary KO

Like Soul separated from Body scary.

"He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes." - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Damon O. on Aug 3, 2009 12:35 AM EDT reply actions

Poor Gono. I hope he comes back with a vengence.

by Bandaka on Aug 3, 2009 12:43 AM EDT reply actions

One of the only exciting parts of the show was also one of its worst. I’m glad he’s going to be okay, and honestly, didn’t realize how badly he was injured before this.

"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."

by Blackout612 on Aug 3, 2009 12:45 AM EDT reply actions

yea I watched most of the show, but missed this fight...

I came back and he was out COLD.

I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.

by Loot on Aug 3, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions

I saw him take the kick and go down, and things looked bad, but sometimes you tend to assume the guy was okay after he was tended to. Part of the problem with a Japanese telecast, I suppose. Never heard that he was dealing with possible brain hemorrhaging.

"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."

by Blackout612 on Aug 3, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions

I think it was the landing more than the kick itself that cause the neck/brain injuries. Do you see the way that his head bounces off the mat? Talk about whiplash. :(

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Arthur Baldwin

by FredPancake on Aug 3, 2009 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions

only excitng part ???

Blackout612 If you thought that was the only exciting part did you not watch any of the other fights on that show all were good pretty much. How about the Misaki vs.Nakamura or Kitaoka vs. Hirota fights you did not think they were exciting or good finishes ? Shit I thouhgt the whoile show was great and had exciting fights and finishes and held my interest to the very end. The only bad/boring/sloppy fights on that whole card were Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Mu Bae Choi and Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Blagoi Ivanov and they were still watchable. Other then that the whole card was great

by Shocbomb on Aug 3, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Wut?

Guy… first of all, I said one of, so don’t put words in my mouth. Secondly, in a four plus hour show, there were two good fights and that KO. You can’t be serious..

"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."

by Blackout612 on Aug 3, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

this is good news. A little scary how dangerous a kick like that can be, and I don’t know if there is a lot MMA can do to prevent a very serious injury from happening at some point.

by mo dogg on Aug 3, 2009 12:46 AM EDT reply actions

its a dangerous game

and there will be a death in the ring/cage at a major event at some point if we keep holding fights.

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by Kid Nate on Aug 3, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions

god i hope not.

by Bandaka on Aug 3, 2009 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions

It will happen in the NFL, maybe baseball (comebackers are fucking scary), hockey. Shit happens.

When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift

by Derek Suboticki on Aug 3, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions

It’s happened in Lacrosse – Cornell player got hit square in the chest by a full power shot – dropped dead.

Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 3, 2009 3:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Right...

the truth is…getting kicked in the head can only be so safe. At some point there will be a death at a major event and we just need to remember that and be ready for it because we’re going to be in for a hell of a fight once it happens

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 3, 2009 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Wish Gono the best

by peripheral scarecrow on Aug 3, 2009 12:47 AM EDT reply actions

get well Gono!

"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com

by ekc on Aug 3, 2009 12:49 AM EDT reply actions

Good luck Gono

Always entertaining, you are.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Arthur Baldwin

by FredPancake on Aug 3, 2009 12:53 AM EDT reply actions

i don’t think he was robbed against hardy.. but yeah, it’s real nice to see he’s going to be okay..

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Aug 3, 2009 12:55 AM EDT reply actions

Thank you

Robbed is to say there’s no way 2 of the 3 judges saw him winning more than 1 round. It’s saying that anyone watching would clearly see that Gono won. That’s not even close to the reality. Hardy won 2 rounds, maybe all 3.

by jebushchrist on Aug 3, 2009 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Gotta love how Sengoku took him out on a stretcher but did not give him a neck brace or anything. Good to hear that he seems to be doing ok.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Aug 3, 2009 1:10 AM EDT reply actions

Funfact: Akihiro Gono was the last person to beat gegard mousasi

Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes

by Paynuss on Aug 3, 2009 1:13 AM EDT reply actions

Funfact: Best walk-in in UFC history against Fitch

When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift

by Derek Suboticki on Aug 3, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions

When it comes to entrances, genki sudo >>> Gono

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Aug 3, 2009 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Did Sudo ever get the man he is parodying to pretend to be him in an entrance. DJ Ozma pretending to be DJ Gozma, who is Gono’s parody of DJ Ozma, in an entrance is always the best for me.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Aug 3, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

by judonerd on Aug 3, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

haha

reckage

Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes

by Paynuss on Aug 3, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Really happy to see Gono is ok. Really happy as well for Hornbuckle as I’ve had the opportunity to learn a few training techniques from him in person. Real cool guy. Biggest win of his career.

by filipinomix2oo0 on Aug 3, 2009 1:18 AM EDT reply actions

I still think he’s messed up.

by wandyman on Aug 3, 2009 1:53 AM EDT reply actions

Scary stuff indeed.

Get well Gono.

"Like a ballet of violence clothed in fine Brazilian silk." ~ MMASuPreMaCy

by Benicio on Aug 3, 2009 3:32 AM EDT reply actions

Keep your hands up

But hope dude is okay and can come back stronger. Scary stuff. I remember being @ UFC 84 when Wandy KO’d Jardine, and he was out for like 5, the whole crowd was like ‘come on…get up Keith’

by drudog1715 on Aug 3, 2009 4:23 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

The way Gono’s head whiplashed off the mat was the really sickening part. I don’t know how soft the padding is but if he’d landed like that on a sidewalk he’d be fortunate if he was only a vegetable.

by rabrown on Aug 3, 2009 8:20 AM EDT reply actions

He was not robbed against Dan Hardy. It was a close fight that many fans had Hardy slightly winning.

Gono has now lost 3 fights in a row…. Is his career on the decline?

by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 3, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions

I called hornbuckle back at the first announcement of the fight (yeah me!). Bad to see gono lose the way he did, but dan had this win coming. He had the reach and is just as spontaneous and dynamic as gono.

by judonerd on Aug 3, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions