Event Title: DEEP: 33rd Impact
Event Date: 12 December 2007
Event Venue: Korakuen Hall
Event Location: Tokyo
Date submitted: 19 December 2007
Submitted by: Shu Hirata
As one of the most consistent middle-sized MMA promotions in the world for the past couple years, DEEP became popular in Japan, dubbed as the gateway show to PRIDE. Since last year almost every show in Tokyo was a sell-out and they have since started small shows outside the Tokyo area with local sponsors. DEEP has undoubtedly built its status in the Japanese market, but since PRIDE disappeared, DEEP lost the main theme of the show, "road to PRIDE."
But with all of this young Japanese talent DEEP needed a way to create the "story" that communicates well with the fans, so seems like this show was heading back to its roots. Kakutougi Pleasure Box. The show filled with every aspect of a fight sport. I mean after all, this is the promotion that produced a masked-man pro-wrestler Dos Caras Jr. to fight in MMA bouts.
In this show, The Main Event was the so-called "unofficial heavyweight title bout" between MMA fighter and pro-wrestler which sort of sounds like a pro-wrestling gimmick. Hirohito Namekawa knocked down Stalker Ichikawa with a straight left, taking the neck for the guillotine choke and it was all over. After the fight Namekawa apologized, "I thought he could not do anything. I am sorry." Stalker responded, "I appreciate his big heart."
Then there was the battle of a popular female MMA fighter vs. a young champion from Muay Thai. Genkaam Lookjuapoakum threw a left kick to the middle, and then Hisae Watanabe immediately countered with kicks to the legs. Everyone in the Korakuen Hall was expecting these girls to trade fire but when they clinched, Hisae jumped guard, and went for the armbar and that was the end. The crowd was shy. Hisae grabbed the microphone, "Today I wanted to try a few things but more than anything, I didn't want to lose."
Jutaro Nakao and Iwan Pang either looked at each other or clinched on the corner. The referee warned them a few times to be more aggressive in the first and then second round, "Attack more". Iwan Pang finally threw a right high kick backing Nakao. The Korean just came forward with punches landing a left hook for a KO win. Requesting the champion afterwards, DEEP head Shigeru Saeki, after the show decided that he would let Pang Sung challenge the current champion Kazunori Yokota.
On this date, DEEP didn't sell out Korakuen Hall. So many empty seats in a DEEP show are quite rare. With one show left in 2007 in Osaka the card doesn't reflect much of a "theme" except Japan vs. Korea three-on-three battle. DEEP champion MIKU is also taking on a Muay Thai fighter. So what is the direction DEEP is taking in year 2008? The only continuing story DEEP has at this point is a middleweight tournament to decide a champion, a lightweight title bout of Kazunori Yokota, and whoever will challenge MIKU for the women's lightweight title. Is that enough to attract fans? Let's hope so because after all DEEP is a treasure box full of young talent.
DEEP Unofficial Heavyweight Title Bout Hidetada Irie is somehow very comical. In this fight, he jumped guard looking for the rubber guard but his legs didn't extend well. In the second , "Hey its a knock down, why don't you count!" Obviously Irie didn't even know that DEEP MMA rules do not have a knock down count. Yuji Sakuragi got up told Irie, "It was a head butt!" "Really? Sorry!" Irie replied clinching and pushing Sakuragi to the corner with rabbit punches. Not causing any damage whatsoever. In the third round, Sakuragi started to land a spinning back kick and left kick to the middle, then Irie started to lay on the ground to avoid the striking battle. Irie was instructed to stand up several times, but he ended up repeating the pattern till the conclusion.
In the end it was a yawn! Draw! "That is strange! I didn't lose any points during the fight. I am putting my life and retirement on the line for this bout." Irie kept talking but he didn't deserve a win because of all these head butts and being extremely passive in the final.
