Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

At Korakuen, Hall on the same night that Jomthong Chuwattana defeated Tetsuya Yamato, another high profile Thai vs Japanese fight took place as Hiroki Ishii took on Aphisak KT Gym for the vacant Rajadamnern Stadium Super Lightweight title.

In Ishii's fourth attempt at the title, he was able to defeat Aphisak by unanimous decision and become only the 4th Japanese fighter to win a Rajadamnern Stadium title, with Toshio Fujiwara, Hitoshi Ogasawara and Kozo Takeda being the other 3 to do it before him. Ishii won on scores of 49-47(x2) and 49-48. Reports show that Ishii was able to effectively pressure Aphisak in the later rounds, as Aphisak spent a lot of time going backwards in rounds 4 and 5 especially as Ishii was able to establish his offense. This is Ishii's 4th straight win and puts him undefeated on the year.

The historic win comes in what has been a rather successful year for top level Japanese fighters taking on Thai fighters. Although Yamato lost to Jomthong on the same night, he picked up a TKO win over Coke Chunhawat in back in August in Los Angeles. Genji Umeno managed back to back wins over Thai fighters this year, first a 3rd round KO of Windy Kaiwana Sit-Or at It's Showtime Japan 1 and more recently a 4th round KO of Wutidej Lookprabaht at It's Showtime Japan 3. Finally, Yasuhito Shirasu scored the biggest win for Japan with an upset win over Yodsanklai Fairtex.

The next major Thai vs Japanese fights are at the M-1 Muay Thai event on 11/13 where Genji Umeno takes on Dekkamon Himarai Gym(?) for the WPMF World Super Featherweight Title while Kanongsuk Weerasakreck defends his Light Welterweight WPMF title against WPMF Japan Lightweight champion Arita Tsukahara.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Earlier today at Korakuen Hall, WBC Muay Thai Japan held one of its biggest events to date in which Rajadamnern Stadium Super Featherweight champion and WBC World Featherweight champion Jomthong Chuwattana took on K-1 -63kg 2010 tournament champion Tetsuya Yamato, along with 5 WBC Japan titles and 1 International title up for grabs.

In the main event, Tetsuya Yamato looked to defeat a second straight Thai and prove that his somewhat embarrassing loss to Saenchai was not a statement of how much better Thai fighters are. Unfortunately for Yamato, Jomthong Chuwattana was the much better fighter, making himself hard to hit for Yamato while producing his own offense. Jomthong won on scores of 50-47(x3) and has now won 8 of his last 9 with a loss in August being the only blemish on his record in 2011. Yamato is now 3-2 on the year with losses to Jomthong and Koya Urabe. Although Yamato won last year's K-1 tournament, he took a lot of criticism for his loss to Saenchai, as well as a dominating decision loss to Koya Urabe after the tournament and it seemed to diminish his K-1 tournament win completely. A draw with MMA fighter "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura at Dynamite and another loss to Urabe haven't helped stop the criticism, but it is interesting to note that since 2007 Yamato has only lost to Urabe, Saenchai, Jomthong, Kanongsuk Weerasakreck and Densiam Lookprabaht.

In the co-main event, Japanese sensation Erika Kamimura claimed another title in defeating WBC International Light Flyweight champion Denise Mellor by knockout at 1:49 into the 1st round. The 18 year old is now 23-1 (12 (T)KOs) and scores another quick, impressive knockout over a foreign fighter. Kamimura is set to take on fellow Shootboxing star RENA on November 23rd at RISE 85.

Former NJKF champion and defending WBC Japan Lightweight champion Rashata continued his reign of terror over former AJKF Featherweight champions, this time defeating Hiromasa Masuda by 5 round unanimous decision on scores of 49-46, 49-47 and 48-47 and defending his WBC Japan strap. In 2010, Rashata defeated 3 former AJKF champions in Hisanori Maeda, Genki Yamamoto and Masahiro Yamamoto, with the last of those three netting him the WBC Japan title. He took a loss to the rampaging Kanongsuk earlier this year, but has now added another former AJKF champion to his list of wins. Up next for Rashata is likely another title defense against the young Keijiro Miyakoshi. For Masuda, it's a 4th straight fight without a win and with Genki Yamamoto and Hisanori Maeda retiring, as well as Naoki Ishikawa's sudden retirement announcement, the 38 year old may see it fit to call an end to his 15 year fighting career.

WPMF Japan Flyweight champion Ryuji Kato got revenge for a 2010 loss by besting WBC Japan Flyweight champion Naoki Otsuki over 5 rounds on scores of 50-47(x2) and 49-46 to capture the WBC Japan Flyweight title. Otsuki had been riding high in 2009 and 2010, winning 4 straight and capturing the vacant WBC Japan title with a win over Kato. However, his 2011 has come to an abrupt halt as he is now 0-2 after being upset by Team Dragon's Hiroyuki Yamano back in July. For Kato, there aren't a lot of options for a next fight, though a superfight with WBC Japan Bantamweight champion TOMA could be very interesting.

Speaking of TOMA, he also managed to pick up a WBC Japan title, defeating #2 ranked NJKF Bantamweight Kojiro by unanimous decision for Arashi Fujihara's recently vacated Bantamweight title. TO-MA has now won 6 of his last 7 in which he picked up the WPMF, M-1 and J-NETWORK Super Flyweight championships. His only loss was to former WBC Japan champion Arashi Fujihara at It's Showtime Japan 1, so a rematch, although interesting, could probably use a few months more in between. In the mean time, a defense of any of his titles could keep him busy, though a super fight with Ryuji Kato would be the most interesting.

WBC Japan Super Lightweight champion Seiji Takahashi continued his reign as champion with a unanimous decision win over J-NETWORK Super Lightweight champ Yusuke Sugawara. Sugawara was just upset at Shootboxing by MMA fighter Shigeki Osawa and this loss doesn't help ease that wound. For Sugawara, a third attempt at beating Koji Yoshimoto will likely be in his future. With a lack of challengers, Takahashi could see himself fighting a Krush regular, possibly Hideaki Yamazaki some time in the future.

In the night's final title fight, 19 year old Ryuya Kusakabe knocked out #1 ranked NJKF super bantamweight Rookie in the 5th round to capture Genji Umeno's recently vacated WBC Japan Super Bantamweight championship. This was Kusakabe's first fight since having his 7-fight win streak snapped by Shota Takiya in the finals of the Krush 55kg tournament. After vacating his Shootboxing title, I cannot imagine Kusakabe wants anything more than a rubber match with Takiya in Krush. Rookie still has a chance to capture the NJKF Super Bantamweight title against Hiroshi Senchaigym.

Finally, talented prospect and NJKF Lightweight champion Keijiro Miyakoshi picked up another win, this time a 5 round split decision over J-NETWORK Lightweight champion Akihiro Kuroda. The fight was supposedly for the right to face current Welterweight champion Yuya Yamato, however both fighters fight at a lower weight, and it could have been for the right to face Rashata. Either way, Miyakoshi would probably opt for the shot at Yamato, as Yamato recently defeated his brother Soichiro Miyakoshi for the WBC Japan title.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Today in Braila, Romania, SuperKombat held their third installment of the "World Grand Prix" series. Like the other two WGP events, a four man heavyweight tournament was on the card, with the winner qualifying for SuperKombat's year end WGP Final in Frankfurt, Germany. Five other super fights in the heavyweight division were also on the card, featuring the likes of Frank Munoz, Redouan Cairo and Benjamin Adegbuyi.

Results

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

With the K-1 MAX 70kg Japan Tournament taking place the following day, September 24th's Krush 12 was largely forgotten about. The event was headlined by a triple main event of Team Dragon's Hirotaka Urabe, Ryuji Kajiwara and Hideaki Yamazaki facing off against Chinese Sanshou fighters whose names I believe are Zhang Bo, Liu Wei and Ming Ming Chen. Also on this card was the rematch of the Krush 2009 Lightweight tournament semifinal between Naoki "Naokick" Ishikawa and "Kyoken" Yuji Takeuchi.

In the main event, Krush 60kg champion Hirotaka Urabe defeated Chinese Sanshou fighter Zhang Bo, but not without some trouble. Urabe took a majority decision on scores of 30-30 and 30-29(x2) and Boutreview's on-site reporter scored it a 30-30 draw after 3. The close win is somewhat of a letdown as Urabe had been on a roll with his dominant performances in the Krush 60kg tournament. Nonetheless, it's a 5th straight win for Urabe. Next for him is unknown as he just dismissed a fight with RISE champion Kosuke Komiyama. Perhaps a title defense against Naoki Ishikawa could be in his future with Masaaki Noiri being tied up in the Krush Supernova tournament.

In the co-main event, Krush 63kg champion Ryuji Kajiwara managed to squeak by Chinese fighter Liu Wei as a result of a 2nd round penalty by Wei that resulted in an immediate yellow card and a point deduction. The final scores were 30-29, 29-28 and 30-28 in favor of Kajiwara and had it not been for the point deduction, the fight would have gone to an extension round. The win puts Kajiwara back on the winning track after his loss to Masaaki Noiri in the quarterfinals of the K-1 63kg Japan tournament ended his 6-fight win streak.

The final fight in the Team Dragon vs China saga was also at 63kg where Team Dragon fighter Hideaki Yamazaki knocked out Chinese fighter Ming Ming Chen at 56 seconds into the 2nd round with a knee to the body, sweeping the challenge for Team Dragon. The win is Yamazaki's 3rd straight and moves the 24 year old to 10-1-1 (5 KOs) with the only blemishes on his record being a draw back in 2009 and a TKO loss to TaCa earlier this. For Chen, it's a second straight stoppage loss after losing to Hirotaka Urabe by stoppage back in July.

In the night's most hyped fight, Naoki "Naokick" Ishikawa got back on the winning track with a 2 round technical decision win in a rematch of a great fight with "Kyoken" Yuji Takeuchi on scores of 18-17(x3). In their first fight, a spot in the finals of the Krush 2009 Lightweight tournament was up for grabs and both men fought hard for it, but ultimately Naokick scored a spectacular 2nd round flying knee knockout. However, Ishikawa got cut and was unable to participate in the finals. Before this bout, Takeuchi weighed in 1.7kg over and was deducted a point, 30% of his purse and had to wear 8 oz. gloves compared to Ishikawa's 6 oz. gloves. Both camps also decided to allow clinches and elbows. In the first round, I believe Takeuchi was able to score one or two downs while Ishikawa either scored one or two downs, as Boutreview's reporter scored the round 8-8, with the round ultimately going to Ishikawa 8-7 as a result of the point deduction. In the second round, Ishikawa started to take an advantage, but not before a clash of heads near the end of the round caused a cut to form on Naokick's head, much like their first bout. With the cut, the fight was stopped and Ishikawa got the decision. After the bout, Ishikawa announced that he wished to face the winner of the Krush Supernova tournament and would retire following the bout. Krush event producer Mitsuru Miyata was reluctant to give Ishikawa the bout and was hesitant about letting him retire. The win is a bright spot in what has been a rough patch of Ishikawa's career, as this win puts him at just 2-4 in his last 6. Takeuchi is now on a two-fight losing streak after losing in the finals of the Krush tournament to Hirotaka Urabe.

In a trio of 63kg fights, Krush 63kg Tournament participant Naoki Terazaki got an extension round decision over Makoto Nishiyama while fellow Krush 63kg tournament participants TaCa and Takuya Shirahama lost to former NJKF Lightweight champion Kazuki and NOMAN, respectively. TaCa was coming off of a win over Hideaki Yamazaki, but lost in the extension round by TKO to Kazuki who is bouncing back from losing his NJKF title to Keijiro Miyakoshi. Shirahama made it to the semifinals of the Krush tournament, but lost to Koya Urabe and has now lost two straight after this loss to NOMAN.

Members of Team Dragon rounded out the card, going 5-2 overall with notable member Takumi picking up a win.

The next Krush event is the day-night round of 16 and quarterfinals of their Under-22 Supernova Tournament.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

The time has finally come and It's Showtime's biggest event of 2011 is set to go down today. The much anticipated card features a eight man, one night tournament at 70kg. Among the names featured in the tournament are Andy Souwer, Artur Kyshenko, Chris Ngimbi and Robin van Roosmalen. In addition to that, a title fight at 77kg takes place as champion Artem Levin fights Murthel Groenhart. We're not done yet, there's two super fights featuring Marat Grigorian and Rustemi Kreshnik also. Ten fights in total are on the main card.

You can watch the card by ordering it at www.showtimefights.com or if you're in Canada, it's live on The Fight Network. The event gets kicked off at 3PM EST/12PM PST. Enjoy the show. If you want play by play, follow @LiverKickdotcom and @rianscalia on Twitter.

70kg Quarter Final: Artur Kyshenko vs. Gago Drago

Artur Kyshenko wins by TKO (Referee Stoppage) in Round 3. Kyshenko dominated the fight and looked monstrous. Drago just seemed flat, like his past outings. Kyshenko dropped Drago once in the third and then swarmed him until the referee stopped the fight.

70kg Quarter Final: Andy Souwer vs. Harut Grigorian

Andy Souwer wins by decision in an extra round. Grigorian came out guns blazing, surprising everyone and putting it on Souwer. Souwer rallied back in Rounds 2 and 3, getting an extension round where he took over the fight. This was a great back and forth fight.

70kg Quarter Final: Chris Ngimbi vs. Murat Direkci

Chris Ngimbi wins by Unanimous Decision. Ngimbi got a knockdown in round 2 that sealed the fight for him. It could be argued that this should've went to an extra round with Direkci winning round 1 and 3.

70kg Quarter Final: Robin van Roosmalen vs. Chahid Oulad el Hadj

Robin van Roosmalen wins by TKO (Corner Stoppage) in Round 2. The first round was really close, back and forth non stop action. van Roosmalen took over in the second and gave a standing count to Chahid where Chahid's corner threw in the towel. Looked like Chahid might have a broken jaw.

73kg Super Fight: Yassin Baitar vs. Marat Grigorian

Marat Grigorian wins by Majority Decision (4-1). It was not a bad fight, just the other fights were so good that it made this look somewhat bad. Grigorian didn't look as great as his previous outings, but he turned it up in the third round.

70kg Semi Final: Andy Souwer vs. Artur Kyshenko

Artur Kyshenko wins by Unanimous Decision. The first two rounds were very close but in the third, Kyshenko hurt Souwer, dropping him twice. Souwer was on wobbly legs for a large portion of the third.

70kg Semi Final: Chris Ngimbi vs. Robin van Roosmalen

Robin van Roosmalen wins by Unanimous Decision. van Roosmalen controlled the with his his combos. Ngimbi had trouble getting of.

77kg Title Match: Murthel Groenhart vs. Artem Levin

Artem Levin wins by KO (Knee) in Round 5. Ugly fight, but Levin got the job done with a knee to the body.

95+kg Super Fight: Rustemi Kreshnik vs. Moises Baute

Rustemi Kreshnik wins by KO (Right Hook) in Round 2.

70kg Final: Artur Kyshenko vs. Robin van Roosmalen

Robin van Roosmalen wins by KO (Left Hook) in Round 1. What a shocker, van Roosmalen caught Kyshenko perfectly and Kyshenko couldn't beat the count. van Roosmalen wins the tournament.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Earlier today, RISE and Shooto kicked off this weekend's packed schedule which includes events being put on by It's Showtime, K-1, UFC, DREAM and Strikeforce.

In the night's main event, RISE Super Featherweight champion and K-1 veteran Kosuke Komiyama won a non-title bout against Korean Muay Thai Federation Super Featherweight champion Kim Jin-Hyuk by decision on scores of 27-26, 28-27 and 29-28. I'm not sure what prompted the weird scores, but all judges seemed to have the same idea, having Komiyama ahead by a point on all 3 cards. The win makes it 5 in a row for the champion who took the title from Kan Itabashi at RISE 74 back in February. Up next for Komiyama will probably be a title defense or perhaps a fight with Krush 60kg champion Hirotaka Urabe who Komiyama called out. However at the Krush 12 weigh-ins today, Urabe dismissed the notion. A rematch with Itabashi for the title would have to wait a while as Itabashi is set to face Masahiro Yamamoto at It's Showtime Japan 4/REBELS 9 on October 23rd.

In the night's co-feature, RISE Super Lightweight champion Koji Yoshimoto beat #1 ranked Lightweight Hiroshi Mizumachi by majority decision on scores of 28-27(x2) and 27-27. The win is Yoshimoto's second straight after winning a decision against Shohei Asahara in a reserve fight of the K-1 Japan 63kg Tournament. If Yoshimoto defends his title successfully, look for him to face off with Yusuke Sugawara for a third time with the winner possibly getting some attention from K-1. For Mizumachi, it's a 5th straight loss and could signal an end to his career in the near future.

In a #1 contender's bout for the right to face Yoshimoto, #2 ranked Yasuomi Soda remained undefeated, improving his record to 11-0 (4 KO) with a 2nd round knockout of #3 ranked Kotetsu. Soda picked up a win in an opening fight at the K-1 Japan 63kg Tournament. His fight with Yoshimoto will be a good step up in competition and will show just how good the 23 year old is. A win would definitely put Soda on K-1's radar.

In the semifinals of a 4-man tournament for Nobuchika Terado's recently vacated Bantamweight title, Yuta Kubo's brother and NJKF Flyweight champion KENJI beat RISE #3 ranked bantamweight Ryuma Tobe by majority decision on scores of 29-28, 28-27 and 28-28. In the other semifinal, #1 ranked Dyki knocked out 20 year old Shootboxing representative Kazayuki Fushimi in the 3rd round. The finals will take place at RISE 85 on November 23rd which already has RENA vs Erika Kamimura set as the main event.

In the Heavyweight division, K-1 fighter Singh "Heart" Jaideep and Korean Raoumaru both picked up knockout wins. Jaideep scored a 1st round flying knee KO of #5 ranked Tsutomu Takahagi while Raoumaru scored a 3rd round knockout of MMA fighter Bernard Ackah. For Jaideep, it's a 3rd straight win and for Raoumaru, it's a bounce back from his loss in a title fight with Makoto Uehara back at RISE 80 in July.

In a lightweight matchup, former J-NETWORK Super Lightweight champion Shunsuke Oishi knocked out RISE #2 ranked Lightweight Yuto Watanabe in the 3rd round. The win is Oishi's first this year as he lost his title to Yusuke Sugawara in June. For Watanabe, it's a second straight defeat after coming off a loss to Toshiki Taniyama in a reserve fight at the K-1 63kg Japan Tournament in June. Oishi could end up facing off with Sugawara in J-NETWORK or RISE in the future to determine a challenger to Yoshimoto's title.

In a slight upset, #4 ranked Super Featherweight TURBΦ dropped a decision to #5 ranked Yutonaka Egawa on scores of 28-27(x2) and 29-28. TURBΦ had just snapped his 3-fight losing streak with a close win over Junpei Aotsu and is now back on the losing trail. Next for Egawa could be a fight with the #2 or #3 fighters in his division in what could be a #1 contender's bout as #1 ranked Kan Itabashi is currently wrapped up with It's Showtime obligations.

Finally, K-1 vet Jae Gil Noh picked up a decision win over #7 ranked RISE Middleweight KEN. Noh was last seen in K-1 knocking out Go Yokoyama who is set for a reserve fight at this weekend's K-1 MAX 70kg Japan Tournament.

Next up for RISE is RISE 84 on October 30th.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Muay Thai promotion Elite Boxing continued their expansion yesterday, holding another event in their Thailand vs. Challengers series, Thailand vs. Europe in Stuttgart, Germany. The event was live on Eurosport in Germany and parts of Europe, most notably England. It did considerably well for gate expectations, nearly selling out the Carl Benz Arena, which seats around 2000 people. Serdar Karaca of Elite Boxing subsidiary, Elite Boxing Germany has done a good job in promoting the event domestically and should produce even better results when Elite Boxing returns to Germany in November.

Headlining the card was It's Showtime 95MAX World Champion, Danyo Ilunga. Ilunga was originally scheduled to face Ramazan Ramazanov, but Ramazanov pulled out sometime in the past few weeks. Netherlands based Palestinean fighter Mohamed Boubkari took Ramazanov's place and certainly wasn't an easy match-up for Ilunga. Ilunga picked up a three round unanimous decision, but it seems that he had some trouble with Boubkari. German site Groundandpound.de described Boubkari as "a tough nut to crack" for Ilunga. This was Ilunga's second time fighting for Elite Boxing, as he fought for them in November of last year.

The rest of the card featured Thailand vs. Europe themed matches. Europe didn't fair too well, with Thailand winning three out of the four. Jaochalam Monggudton defeated Andi Roegner, Tanongdet Sengsimeu defeated Crice Boussoukou and Nongsai Sor Sanyakorn defeated Ait Said, all three by decision. Anatoly Hunanyan defeated Madsua by decision in Europe's lone win.

The event is a step in the right direction for Elite Boxing, who seem to know what they're doing. They've made some smart moves in creating subsidiaries in countries that they're expanding to, such as Elite Boxing Germany and Elite Boxing Russia. This allows the subsidiaries who know the platform of the country and have connections domestically to do the promoting. Many foreign entities make the mistake of trying to venture into unfamiliar territory with just themselves. Elite Boxing is handling this the right way.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Yesterday in Romania at the WAKO Pro World Grand Prix semi finals, Andrei Stoica met Jovan Kaludjerovic, a Serbian fighter at a weight of 94.1kg (207 lbs). Stoica is regarded as one of the top fighters in the weight range from 85-95kg. He beat another one of the top fighters in this weight range, Henriques Zowa in July and lost to Redouan Cairo in April. This alone just shows what a mess the 85-95kg range in kickboxing is.

No one expected Stoica to lose yesterday though. Kaludjerovic was an unknown for the most part and Stoica had a good showing in his win over Henriques Zowa. Stoica looked to be in control of the fight until he got caught with a crisp counter left hook, putting him on the canvas. Stoica looked very wobbly on his feet when he got up and Kaludjerovic swarmed the Romanian fighter. After a second count from the referee, this one a standing count, Stoica's corner threw in the towel.

This result just adds to the mess of 85-95kg. A new face in Kaludjerovic is thrown into the mix while an established name takes a step back. It'll be interesting to see what opportunities Kaludjerovic will get after this big win.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

Today at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Saenchai Sinbimuaythai took on Petboonchu F.A. Group for the fifth time.  In the four prior meetings, Saenchai had three wins, while Petboonchu had one that came on June 4th of last year. The two were ranked in the top two at Lumpinee stadium, right below current champion Sagetdao Phetphayathai.

Saenchai took a unanimous decision over five rounds, with the scores being 49-47 across the board. Saenchai's effort was hailed as a "classic performance" by Rob Cox of muaythaifocus.com. The win moves Saenchai to 4-1 against Petboonchu. Saenchai's lone loss this year came to Sagetdao Phetphayathai and I'm sure he would like to get that back.

It's unknown what is next for Saenchai. He's still scheduled to fight for Yokkao Boxing in Italy in January. I'd expect to see him fight once or twice before then, whether it be abroad or in Thailand.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 04:32

At It's Showtime Japan 3/M-1 Fairtex Challenge Raorak Muay Vol.3 on September 11th, WBC Japan Super Bantamweight champion and M-1 Featherweight champion Genji Umeno knocked out Thai Wutidej Lookprabaht in the 4th round. Umeno used elbows to open up Wutidej which led to a 3 punch combo that set up the final uppercut-elbow combination that put Wutidej out. The win will likely get Umeno a fight with current WPMF Featherweight champion Yosuke Morii. It also puts Umeno in a good position with Lumpinee Stadium as Wutidej was ranked 5th at Feathweight which recently got a new champion, Penaik Sitnumnoi. At just 22, Umeno has solidified himself as one of the top featherweights in Japan and extends his current win streak to 8. I also expect Umeno to defend his WBC title against the winner of October's Ryuya Kusakabe-Rookie matchup in January. He holds a previous victory over Rookie and a matchup with Kusakabe would be a highly entertaining fight between two young, promising fighters.

In the co-main event, the aforementioned Yosuke Morii was able to defeat former WBO Featherweight boxing champion Ratanchai Sor Vorapin by first round knockout. I believe that M-1 was more or less setting up a fight between Morii and Umeno were they to win their bouts as they set up a small Featherweight tournament with these two fights. The next It's Showtime Japan/M-1 event is on November 13th, so that fight could take place then.

#2 ranked WPMF Featherweight Daiki Nagashima picked up a majority decision win and could get a shot at the winner of Umeno vs Morii some time in the future. Up next for Nagashima will likely be a title fight against current J-NETWORK Featherweight champ Masato Sato.

Former It's Showtime 61kg champion Sergio Wielzen was set to face off against Kanongsuk Weerasakreck, but one of them missed weight and the bout was changed to an exhibition.

At Korakuen Hall on September 10th, former Rajadamnern Stadium champion and Shootboxing convert Bovy Sor Udomson put a halt to Toby Imada's Shootboxing run by taking a unanimous decision over the Bellator fighter on scores of 28-26(x3). Imada scored a first round knockdown on Bovy, but Bovy answered back with a down in each round. Imada's incredible run in Shootboxing began at last year's S-Cup where he was a late replacement for Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett. Imada upset Shootboxing standout Takaaki Umeno, knocking him out at the end of the 3rd round. Then, in the semifinals, Imada pulled a huge upset by defeating 2-time K-1 MAX champion and 3-time Shootboxing S-Cup champion Andy Souwer by split decision. Imada was TKO'd by Buakaw Por Pramuk in the finals of the tournament, but returned to Shootboxing in June, scoring yet another upset over Shootboxing mainstay Hiroki Shishido. For Bovy, the win stops a 5-fight losing streak and is his first win in Shootboxing in nearly a year and a half.

In the co-main event, Shootboxing superstar RENA was upset by former Bellator fighter Jessica Penne by majority decision in the second extension round. The fight was a majority draw after 3 rounds and couldn't be decided in the first extension round as the judges scored it a split draw. According to Dan Herbertson, RENA controlled rounds 1 and 3, but Penne scored a shoot point in round 2 to send it to the extension round. RENA apparently controlled the extension round as well over a tired Penne, but did not get help from the judges who sent it to a 5th round where Penne scored another shoot point to lock up the win. The loss is a huge disappointment for RENA who was coming off of a dominating win over Zaza Sor Aree and was getting ready for her fight with Erika Kamimura on November 23rd.

In a match for the vacant Super Welterweight championship, former boxer and #2 ranked Satoru Suzuki scored 3 knockdowns on #1 ranked Kenji Kanai, forcing a referee's stoppage and netting Suzuki the Shootboxing title.

Sengoku fighter Shigeki Osawa was also victorious at the event, taking his first win in Shootboxing, an upset over J-NETWORK Super Lightweight champion Yusuke Sugawara. Osawa used his grappling to score shoot points and secure the victory.

RENA's younger sister MIO picked up her second straight win under the Shootboxing banner, taking a unanimous decision win.

Also at the event, 55kg champion Ryuya Kusakabe vacated his title, likely to focus on fighting in Krush and with WBC Japan.