DREAM 11 - best event of the year? (spoilers)

Just finished watching DREAM 11, and wow, what an event! i enjoyed it immesely.
How about that main event? Takaya/Fernandes, what a battle, brawl of the year!, i thought Takaya was a definite winner to be honest, Fernandes was backing up the entire fight, Tak stuffed the majority of his shots and landed more clean punches, it could be argued that Fernandes came closer to finishing the fight though.

What about that submission though? i dont know how much time was left in the fight but it must have been less than 5 seconds, pulls out an armbar sickening enough to force an immediate tap-out, very impressive and one of the most exciting countdown to the end of a fight, the ref did hansen no favours but i think the 5 minutes he ggave Aoki was justified.

Sakuraba beats Apollo Creed by Kimura, pretty much flawless performance from probably the most popular fighter of all time, but then again he was against a guy who seemed to do absolutley nothing whatsoever.

Kawajiri looked good, beat his outmatched opponent with ease, hopefully he will fight Aoki on NYE.

I think if i could wish for one result of a fight in the next 6 months, i think it would be for Minowa to beat Sokodjou, i made the foolish mistake of doubting him before this fight, but he pulls out a bit of magic with the heel hook to the delight of nearly everyone, he deserves to win this tourney not just for knocking off 2 super hulks on the road to the finals (Soko did similar) but for a career of doing just that!

great event, DREAM 12 should be good but not as good as 11, due to the cage and less at stake, maybe the WW title will be on the line that will be good.

the event i am really looking forward to is Dynamite 2009, Kawajiri/Aoki, Soko/Minowa and Masato/winner of k1 max (k1) already confirmed, if they pull out all the stops (Saku and some other big names, Fedor would be great) they can out-draw Sengoku who have Ishii/Yoshida and possibly Big foot/Barnett.

any thought on dream 11?

Just watched Minowa kick ass! couldnt be happier! Thought he would get a hold of one of those lanky limbs... Choi is shot though, he seems a lot slowed and just worse when he lost weight. Still Minowa in the final is great, All he has to do is outlast Soko who has such a limited gas tank. Sapp is shot as well he is back on the Roids and still didnt do anything. Soko is an animal he went to attack Sapp when the ref stopped the fight Im with you if I could pick one result it would be minowa to beat Soko!

Sakuraba took such an easy fight but who cares, It was on short notice and was good to see him slapping someone then Subbing them again! Glad to see him back though id like to see him against top quality opposition one last time before he hangs his gloves up.

Good to see Crusher get the win, that ground and pound looked impossible to avoid although ive seen more on his punches. Aoki may be chinny but I think he needs to pack more of a punch to stop him otherwise he will get subbed
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Im just watching the FW GP now, I cant find a full fight link to the Aoki vs Hellboy fight just the final round... who did you watch the full event? I really want to do it but im usually in work so cant stream it live.

Ah there it is foundit on MMAlinker... watching the last few now.

i didnt watch it live either i watched a delayed stream on justin.tv when i got home, i missed the first fight (alternate fight i think), the first fw semi and most of the second.

dunno about Soko though, he has looked like an animal in his last 2 fights, and he has hit his opponent after the ref jumped in both times, im not suggesting roid rage, but maybe roid rage?
and i think not cutting weight is benficial to his gas tank. It will be a hard fight for the punk but i will never doubt him again!

we can thank Saku for balancing out the boxing/mma equilibrium after Timmeh/Mercer!

anyway in the first round of Aoki/Hansen, Hansen hit a hard up kick to the groin, aoki drop his hands and get hit and rocked by 2 hard upkicks one to the eye one to the neck.
The ref stops the fight for 5 mins to recover from the groin shot but the doctors spend most of the time looking at the eye.



aoki spent alot of the first round in Hansens guard.

what do you think ben, he just submitted a top 5 LW inside 15 minutes, he has a better recent record than BJ. in the last 18 months he has beaten at LW; Calvan, Uno, Alvarez, Shaolin and Hansen as well as Gardner, Moore and K Nagata, winning 2 world titles in the process. BJ has beaten Sherk and Kenflo only in that time.

I think he should be number 1 in the next rankings, remember rankings are not based on who you think would win! ( i think BJ would beat Aoki)

Just watched the fight If Aoki had a striking game he would be the best MMA fighter around. Maby the best in the world at Lw now... When they were restarted and he waited of Hanson to try and Buck up he mounted him. Aoki is imcrediblly patient. he waits for openings and in a split second advances his position or slaps a sub on... as he showed in the finish there!!! Ill have to have a look at the recent records but I was thinking the same thing while watching him. I do think Bj wins in a cage though, Aoki's Judo and takedowns wouldnt have the same effect in a cage or on BJ so I see him getting KO'd if they met in UFC.. A ring Id see it being a fight were Aoki would have a much better chance, Ropes allow for a bounce when 2 fighers clintch so Judo is more effective. In a cage fighers go for double legs because the other guy has his back agaisnt a more solid cage wall.

One thing that annoyed me is that fights in Japan have too much ref interferance. Insted of saying dont hold his gloves or watch the back of the head they will stop the fighers and show them what they mean! Its bad enough that they need restarted when they are tangled in the ropes... Guss the Language barrier doesnt help.

Yeah 220lbs Soko could well be Roid Rage, I read Sapp was 25lbs heavier that When he fought Lashley (what was the craic with his fight? Did it happen? I read on Wiki and a randon website by googling him it did and he won but nothing else since?? weird) Anyway they are allowed the roids in Japan and Sapp looks cut and heavier so is on them again id assume. Mousasi reportedly pulled out because of the Roids in Japan. He said he would only fight Filho if he was tested as well!! Japan is so corrupt but hey they produce good fights. Only watching the 1st round of the GP now.

I think Lashley's fight with waterman was postponed.

Mkes sence, I hear he is in talks with Strikeforce for a fight as early as the November card? Wonder who they have free to fight him? baptism of fire against Werdum works for me if he signs.

Agree this was the best card this year i picked up a decent stream last night on MMAHacks (i still wish someone would form a channel which would cater to world wide MMA, Boxing & K1 on SKY or Virgin) i loved watching warren getting arm barred was great every time he posts up from the guard it seems a gimme and his ego and confidence need a humbling like that.

Aoki may be thinking about challenging the UFC guys


“I am not concerned about my opponent. It does not matter who I face — as long as I let my style shine and fully express myself in the ring, everything will be fine. Yes, I want a belt. Actually, let me rephrase that: I just want to win and do not want to lose. For every fight, it simply boils down to my wanting to win, or rather, my dogged determination to win. The belt will follow my victory, so I am focused solely on winning and do not allow myself to be distracted by belt or all the other frivolous stuff…. I am interested in fighting in a cage since a lot of the major promotions hold their fights in the cage nowadays. I am aware that some people raise the question about my viability in the cage — it upsets me whenever I hear them say that I will not succeed fighting in the cage under a different set of rules. I think I will not be beaten by anyone. It is often said that UFC is the pre-eminent force in the MMA world with the best fighters and BJ Penn is number one: (Raising his voice) It does not anger me, but it makes me want to challenge the assertion. I acknowledge their major league status, financial power, the caliber of their fighters, but I do not consider them the number one. I think I am the better fighter and capable of beating their fighters… so yeah, regardless of the opponent, I cannot afford to lose.”

great event really enjoyed it so happy for minowaman was shocked he pulled it off was taking a bit of a hammering up until it and soko won easy against sapp as i thought would happen as sapp is crap i pray minowa beats soko i really dislike soko after more illegal punchs after the fight was stopped dont think the ufc would want him back after that.
that was a great sub by Aoki but i think hansen will be kicking himself as i thought he was winning the fight(under dream scoring) and just had to wait out a few more seconds and won the decision but fair play to Aoki i agree he should be ranked no1 in the world.
also happy Saku won was against a complete can but im not gonna moan.
bit of a let down with warren losing so quick after schiavello was qouting him saying that nobody could beat him im not sure if he tapped or not but i think it was only a matter of seconds before his arm was snapped.i havent seen one or two of the fights with fw final included going to watch now from what i saw another great event from dream no2 org in the world behind the ufc imo and keep putting on shows like this they could soon be right up there with the ufc

It wasn't so bad by Soku this time, he needs to control himself. If he is on roids he can fuck off and im supporting Minowa 100 per cent. Otherwise, im going for him, I think he has a good future, whereever he goes, maybe back to the UFC or Strikeforce but he can be a threat anywhere. I like Minowa, I really do but I just think Soku has his whole career ahead of him, if he sorted his cardio, ground game and temper he could be a real force in the LHW division. He should beat Minowa for me, otherwise he will always be "The guy who KOed Lil Nog and Arona, and then did nothing else in MMA" He could be a top 10 LHW with o problems, he just needs to put the work in.

I was really pissed that Hellboy lost, but credit to Aoki. I think BJ is a better fighter than him but based on recent records maybe Aoki deserves the number one LW spot. I don't think he is the best fighter in the division but based on results he is.

Aoki has been knocked unconscious twice in a year, he's not the number 1 LW. Penn is and will remain so until someone beats him at LW.

Lashley will face Waterman at the Strikeforce event.

That card is looking stacked.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers is confirmed
Jake Shields vs. Jason Miller is confirmed
Bobby Lashley vs. Ron Waterman is confirmed.

and the following two fights are rumoured (Mousasi against Mo is fairly strongly rumoured):

Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal
Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva

is getting KOd in 24 seconds worse than getting dominated in every sense for 20 minutes before just giving up?

Hellboy was a Lw and he also KO's Aoki in the 1st. I think Aoki needs to beat Crusher then Alvares again maby. Id like to see him come to UFC. He said he would like his next fights to be Kenny Florian and Bj Penn. He is interested in coming to UFC. Aoki would be a great signing for UFC. Not just being one of the best p4p guys around but because he brings a really unusual style to the table. People love Machida now for doing something different and I think US fans would grow to love Aoki too. Id like to see him try to avenge the Mach losses at 170 though. If Bj is good enough to go up weights and win he needs to be able to if he wants ranked over Penn I think. I think Penn wins a fight with Aoki if it happens in UFC but I think he beats KFLO and looks good doing it.

Anfield whats the craic with this King Mo vs Mousasi rumour? Wered you hear that? I know the King Mo vs Randleman is off in Sengoku... Randleman is fighting someone else now. Though I heard it was Soko or Filho who will fight Mousasi and havnt heard about Mo... thats 3 really interesting fights, they all really bring something different to the table. Strikeforce joining forces with Dream has really opened some doors to good fights.

Big foot vs Werdum might well go ahead but I doubt it. Sengoku can offer him Barnett and a belt. Its one or the other as both are in November and I think Barnett is going to beatable when he is off the Roids. Ive always said he has far too much faith in his standup and its going to cost him against someone he thinks he can bang with like maby Big Foot. His ban in the US is over so he can fight in the US again (I think from September 90% sure about that) anyway I suppose Werdum is the easier fight and in the US. Maby its all down to who gives him the bigger payday?

manschesthair_utd wrote:is getting KOd in 24 seconds worse than getting dominated in every sense for 20 minutes before just giving up?

Yes, easily worse.

What's more, Aoki got KO'd by someone who's barely a top 10 WW. Penn fought BY FAR the best WW in the world.

Hansen smashed him to pieces in their first fight as well.

rudeboyben84 wrote:Hellboy was a Lw and he also KO's Aoki in the 1st. I think Aoki needs to beat Crusher then Alvares again maby. Id like to see him come to UFC. He said he would like his next fights to be Kenny Florian and Bj Penn. He is interested in coming to UFC. Aoki would be a great signing for UFC. Not just being one of the best p4p guys around but because he brings a really unusual style to the table. People love Machida now for doing something different and I think US fans would grow to love Aoki too. Id like to see him try to avenge the Mach losses at 170 though. If Bj is good enough to go up weights and win he needs to be able to if he wants ranked over Penn I think. I think Penn wins a fight with Aoki if it happens in UFC but I think he beats KFLO and looks good doing it.

Anfield whats the craic with this King Mo vs Mousasi rumour? Wered you hear that? I know the King Mo vs Randleman is off in Sengoku... Randleman is fighting someone else now. Though I heard it was Soko or Filho who will fight Mousasi and havnt heard about Mo... thats 3 really interesting fights, they all really bring something different to the table. Strikeforce joining forces with Dream has really opened some doors to good fights.

Big foot vs Werdum might well go ahead but I doubt it. Sengoku can offer him Barnett and a belt. Its one or the other as both are in November and I think Barnett is going to beatable when he is off the Roids. Ive always said he has far too much faith in his standup and its going to cost him against someone he thinks he can bang with like maby Big Foot. His ban in the US is over so he can fight in the US again (I think from September 90% sure about that) anyway I suppose Werdum is the easier fight and in the US. Maby its all down to who gives him the bigger payday?

I've heard it from a few different people and seen it online. Apparently that's why the Mo-Randleman fight got scratched. Filho is apparently going to fight the winner of Shields-Miller for the Strikeforce MW title.

Sengoku can offer Big Foot Fedor and Overeem in the long run and i think that's the draw for him. Also, the Big Foot - Barnett fight is more likely to happen at the new years event than the next Sengoku event from what i heard on my last trip to Japan.

is getting KOd in 24 seconds worse than getting dominated in every sense for 20 minutes before just giving up?

Yes because BJ lost to a top 3 P4P fighter and the best WW in the world by far. Actually BJ deserves some credit for hanging in there for that long, Aoki would have been finished a lot quicker. If Aoki got KOed in 24 seconds by Sakurai and then Sakuri dominated BJ for 20 minutes, I would agree but the difference between GSP and Sakurai at the momment is huge.

For me BJ is by far the better fighter, much better stand-up, better wrestling, stronger, quicker, more athletic. The only tool Aoki possibly has over BJ is his subs and BJ is world-class there as well. Its just an awful fight for Aoki. Still at LW he is undefeated this year not sure who is one but I know BJ is the better fighter. I think Alvarez would beat Aoki in a rematch.

Personally, I think Aoki would beat Penn but that's only based on recent performances.

What could be pointed out is that Aoki fights more often than Penn against more quality light weights than Penn. Penn has had four fights at light weight since 2007. Aoki has fought 11 times at light weight since 2008, mostly against top 10 fighters. DREAM currently has a much better light weight division than the UFC (yet again predominantly made up of boring former collegiate wrestlers who have a fine list of decision wins, Maynard 5 decisions in a row, Edgar 4 decisions in a row, Griffin 6 decisions in a row). We all know Penn doesn't enjoy training hard and has got a long way on skill but his lack of fights at a relevant weight (bearing in mind 4 of his 5 losses have been fought at welter weight, which would make him 2-3 as a welter weight) are a mixture of his own fault and the UFC's.

As for the Sakurai fight, Aoki weighed in much lighter than all of the other fighters in his weight division. He should never have been fighting at welter weight.
Also, in his previous fight against Hansen, he'd already wrestled Caol Uno for 15 minutes that night whilst Hansen had only fought against against Kultar Gill (8-8 at the time) for 2:33. He was tired (but most importantly came in with a new shinier pair of leggings!)

My final thought on the matter though is: Make this fight happen! I don't care where it is fought and under which rules, I want this fight to happen as it would be awesome!

Aoki isn't getting past Kawajiri. Crusher is by far the most physically imposing fighter in DREAM's lightweight division. He was 183lbs 4 weeks before his fight against Manibusan, and weighs in the mid 170s at fight time. He's only been taken down a handful of times, and his submission defense is stellar. Standing, Kawajiri destroys Aoki. I don't know how much the Sakurai fight can be used to defend Aoki, Sakurai is a lightweight who doesn't like to cut.

This fight will be a good indicator as to how Aoki would do in the UFC's lightweight division. Kawajiri is very much in the mold of guys like Griffin, Edgar, Maynard and Sherk, except he has more power in his hands. Alvarez is another big lightweight wrestler-striker, more explosive striking than a lot of UFC lightweights, but has more spotty submission defense, which Aoki was able to take advantage of.

Kawajiris huge striking advantage could be the difference here, lets not forget though Aoki's ground skills are such that if it goes to the ground i would bet money on Kawajiri getting subbed, he was submitted by Gomi and has been submitted one or two more times other than that, Hansen is similar in some ways, but he is smaller.

True, but the Gomi sub was after Gomi dropped Kawajiri and was reigning down punches. Kawajiri has had Shaolin on top of him and not been submitted. And he has literally some of the best takedown defense in the whole of MMA.

Naturally I'm a bit biased about Kawajiri though...