With K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa present at ringside, Okami wanted to show a solid win over the American as a showcase for the upcoming Hero’s event. Unfortunately, an injury brought the fight to an early close.
When Thompson went in for a single leg take down, Okami sprawled in defense. Moments later Thompson dislocated his right elbow and the fight was over.
This was a tough fight for Taiyo from the outset. Brown was able to utilize his physical advantages almost at will. From the opening bell, Brown was scoring big with takedowns and brutal punches.
Every attempt by Taiyo to score points from the bottom was crushed by Brown’s overwhelming strength. In Round 2, with Brown in the back position, Taiyo kicked the fence to escape. But from the bottom, Brown was able to lock in a head/arm lock, resulting in a quick tapout for Taiyo. Clearly, this was a rough D.O.G. debut for Taiyo.
In the first round, Mitsuoka successfully took Agallar down, then passed the guard to end up with a back-mount position. Agallar was able to force Mitsuoka to the ground by unfastening his legs. However, Mitsuoka caught Agallar tight in his full-guard, resulting in the referee stepping in to break them up. Right before the end of the round, Mitsuoka shot in once more, taking Agallar to the ground.
Round 2 began with a third Mitsuoka takedown of Agallar. But this time, he was unable to follow up with other offensive moves. In fact, he started taking powerful Agallar punches from the top position.
Mitsuoka again forced Agallar to the ground with a leg sweep but couldn't continue into the next attack. At this point, Mitsuoka was beginning to tire, and visibly slowed. He took a series of brutal punches from Agallar, and the toll of these shots was the decisive factor of the fight.
The third round began with Mitsuoka clearly out of gas. Agallar’s punches were just too much to overcome. At one point, Mitsuoka went down to the canvas on his own accord to avoid another series of shots. In the end, it was a unanimous decision - and a dominant win - for Nick Agallar.
The fight began with Strasser pushing Monma to the fence. Although Monma was able to momentarily trip his opponent up, Strasser quickly regained his footing and forced him back against the fence.
Monma tried some takedowns, but Strasser’s superior balance prevented anything from happening. So Monma changed strategies and decided to exchange punches. This proved to be a good idea because within seconds he caught Strasser on the chin with a ferocious left hook, sending Strasser down for the count. End of fight.
To celebrate his big win, Monma climbed up the fence and dove into the audience. Then making his way back to the Octagon, he grabbed the microphone and offered up his services for the upcoming Hero’s event by saying, “July 6th, the day Hero’s is taking place, my schedule is wide open!”
This battle between wrestlers from WK (Wajiu-tsu Keishu-kai) and SK turned out to be the most action-packed of the evening.
Hoshino started off fast and furious with a flurry of straight punches. Not even attempting to exchange blows, Wada instead went straight for the takedown. Dragging Hoshino into the fence, he landed several sharp punches along the way, with Hoshino countering from the bottom with a guillotine choke and armlock.
Hoshino escaped momentarily, but Wada immediately grabbed his legs and lifted him up - reminiscent of UFC Welterweight Champ Matt Hughes - then slamming him down to the canvas. Wada then went straight to the side mount, and finished Round 1 with superior positioning.
Round 2 began with both fighters striking. This must have made an impression on Hoshino because in the next instant, he shot in for the takedown. Wada tried to escape but was met with a series of hard punches, followed by a devastating flurry of knee shots to Wada’s head.
Without question, this fight was going at Hoshino’s pace.
But you couldn’t count Wada out yet. He came back up and pushed Hoshino to the fence, and then down to the canvas for a takedown. Wada tried to get top position, but Hoshino was able to defend himself too well. Frustrated, Wada went for Hoshino’s leg, but instead got met with two punishing knee shots to the head.
These knee shots were legal - in D.O.G. rules only soccer kicks to the head are forbidden. Knee shots are legal - illustrating very clearly the fact that Hoshino had studied D.O.G. rules very well.
Round 3 came to a close with Hoshino landing punches to Wada’s back. But at the close of the fight neither one could gain a substantial advantage.
The decision was a draw - but since both fighters performed so well, nobody in the house felt gypped by the decision. Both men are ranked in Pancrase so look for a rematch somewhere down the line. With these two warriors bringing out the best in each other, it’s certain we haven’t seen the last of Wada vs. Hoshino.
