CONDOR FC.7 ~ CATCH THE ROARING KING ~ 11/30/08 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE OPENING MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ ANDREW BROWN [70 kg / 183 cm / FREE STYLE / UNITED STATES] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ MAKSIM MIELKUS [70 kg / 165 cm / STRIKING / LITHUANIA]

Andrew Brown despite having a sizeable reach advantage over the squat Mielkus, Brown finds himself quickly retreating as Mielkus wings two incredibly strong punches. Brown lands a few good strikes, but Mielkus changes that when he blasts Brown with an uppercut. Brown clinches with Milekus and holds the powerful Lithuanian, but Mielkus breaks free and blasts Brown with a hook that staggers the Californian. Brown shoots in for the takedown, but Mielkus sprawls as the round expires.

Andrew Brown comes out trying everything he can do to keep Mielkus from getting range. Mielkus manages to hit Brown several times, but Brown is able to dodge the blows for the most part. Brown catches Mielkus as he comes in and sweeps him to the ground. Brown lands some ground and pound, but Mielkus does an adequate job at keeping Brown from doing significant damage as the round expires.

Andrew Brown's ability to dodge Mielkus's shots is put to an end temporarily when Mielkus lands a heavy cross that staggers Brown, but Brown regains his composure quickly and uses his ability to avoid damage while clinching Mielkus...but the round expires with nothing much else happening.

Judge 1: Maksim Mielkus (35 to 40)
Judge 2: Maksim Mielkus (43 to 35)
Judge 3: Maksim Mielkus (44 to 38)

THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ JACOB LOEVAAS [70 kg / 185 cm / KICKBOXING / NETHERLANDS] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ GOMI, HIDEO [70 kg / 173 cm / PANKRATION / JAPAN]

Both men rush out at the start of the round. Gomi lands a hook to start it all off, as Loevaas responds by clinching and then landing an absolutely massive knee to the head of Gomi. Gomi clinches with Loevaas to keep him from landing more, before he grabs Loevaas and slams him to the ground. However, after some ground and pound, Gomi can't keep Loevaas on the ground for long as the kickboxer frees himself and gets back to his feet. Loevaas begins to land at will with combinations. Loevaas targets Gomi's legs and his body with kicks with pinpoint accuracy as the round expires.

Loevaas comes out with lowkicks as the round begins, but leaves himself open and Gomi catches one and takes him to the ground. Gomi begins to beat away on Loevaas with strikes, but the tough Hollander shows little in the way of damage as he fights to try and kick Gomi off. Gomi gets to side control, but can't see to get anything to finish Loevaas off as the round near expiration...For some reason, the referee stands them back up and awards both yellow cards for stalling as the round expires.

Both men come out slowly in round three. Loevaas's speed seems to have drastically fallen due to lack of cardio, while Gomi waits to pick his shots. Loevaas lands several solid strikes, but Gomi shoots in and single legs him to the ground. Instead of trying anything, Gomi is content to land a few pot shots and keep Loevaas on the ground as the time expires.

It really depends on what the judges were looking for. Loevaas landed far more shots on Gomi, but in each round Gomi was able to take the fight to the ground and use Ground and Pound to some good effect.

Judge 1: Hideo Gomi (38 to 35)
Judge 2: Jacob Loevaas (39 to 38)
Judge 3: Hideo Gomi (42 to 39)

THE THIRD MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ DMITRI PREROVSKY [75 kg / 173 cm / SAMBO / RUSSIA] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ RILEY JACOBS [70 kg / 178 cm / BOXING / UNITED STATES]

Two very different fighters with two very distinct strategies. Riley Jacobs wants to keep the fight standing, while Dmirtry Prerovsky wants to take the fight to the ground. Prerovsky comes out looking for a takedown, but Jacobs is able to hold Prerovsky back while landing some solid punches on the Russian. Prerovsky changes gameplan and pulls guard twice, but both times Jacobs is able to escape before any damage can be done, which only frustrates the Russian as time expires on the round.

Prerovsky comes charging out of the corner at the gong like a bullet, spearing into Jacobs and taking him down to the ground. Prerovsky quickly changes to side control and goes for a keylock. The hold is sunk in deep, but Jacobs shows fantastic courage by refusing to submit, and eventually works himself free and then gets Prerovsky back into his guard. It doesn't last long, however, as Prerovsky isolates one of Jacobs' legs and applies an ankle hold. Jacobs immediately begins to scream in pain, and the referee rushes in save him ending the match by TKO!

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ FUCHIDA, NAOYUKI [70 kg / 178 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ SONODA, SHINJIRO [70 kg / 173 cm / NANTO SEIKEN / JAPAN]

Oddly enough despite both Fuchida and Sonoda being well adapted to ground fighting, the opening round turns out like a kickboxing fight. Fuchida is able to get off the blocks quicker then Sonoda in the early portions of the round. He lands nothing game changing, but enough small shots to set the pace. Sonoda gets in a great knee to the midsection that wounds Fuchida visibly, but Sonoda is unable to follow up on it as time expires for the round.

The fight continues in the second round as a stand up bout between the two. Fuchida lands far more often, but Sonoda packs more power behind his shots which causes the two to be roughly on the same standing. Sonoda is the one to pull the trigger on a ground fight and shoots in. Fuchida counters with a Guillotine Choke on the way down, but Sonoda is able to escape. Sonoda seems to be at a loss for what to do on the ground before he gives a halfhearted attempt at a can opener, allowing Fuchida to sweet him and get top control as the round expires.

Neither man can find the range at all as the third round begins. They throw punches and kicks, but are far off the mark. Fuchida scores first with a knee strike, but seconds later Sonoda responds with a high kick to momentarily stun Fuchida. Sonoda shoots in again and takes Fuchida down to the ground, but instead of giving up positioning, he is content to ride out the rest of the round in control hoping to sway the judges.

Hard fight to judge. Sonoda got two takedowns, and landed with good power...but Fuchida got a sweep in round two, and throughout the fight landed more strikes. If I had to, I would give it to Fuchida.

Judge 1: Naoyuki Fuchida (44 to 38)
Judge 2: DRAW (40 to 40)
Judge 3: Naoyuki Fuchida (43 to 42)

THE FIFTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ FUJII, HACHIRO [70 kg / 170 cm / BOXING / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ MURATA, KINSHIRO [66 kg / 163 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN]

Kinshiro Murata comes out too aggressive. Murata fires a jab, but Fujii comes over the top and blasts Murata with a hook. Murata stumbles and Fujii fires a volley of punches that send Murata bouncing off the ropes. Murata, to his credit, comes off the ropes with a straight that catches Fujii, but Fujii immediately responds with an uppercut that rocks Murata. Murata gets in a body shot as Fujii suddenly picks up Murata and slams him to the ground to a great reaction from the fans. Murata seems completely caught off guard by this development, as Fujii lands in side control and after a few seconds' fires knees to Murata's midsection with vicious force. Fujii then follows it up with vicious ground and pound as Murata offers no resistance. Fujii switches to north south and fires killer knees to Murata's head until the referee stops the fight!

THE SEMI FINAL ~ RED CORNER ~ VIKTOR BALAKIREV [70 kg / 185 cm / SAMBO / RUSSIA] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ NAKAMURA, AKASHI [70 kg / 180 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Viktor Balakirev is the first to get off the block with an uppercut that rattles Nakamura. Nakamura and Balakirev end up tied up, but Viktor forces Nakamura away and nails him as they separate with a straight that drops Nakamura to the ground. Balakirev throws an endless stream of punches from Nakamura's guard, but the talented Nakamura is able to dodge or avoid the blows. The two jockey for position on the ground, with Nakamura trying his best to escape and avoid the brutal shots Balakirev is throwing, but finally a few get through. Nakamura goes slightly limp, and Balakirev finishes the job with brutal strikes as Nakamaura goes out cold, forcing the referee to call an end to the bout!

THE MAIN EVENT ~ KING OF CONDOR ~ RED CORNER ~ THE KING OF CONDOR, TAKASE, MICHIYOSHI [70 kg / 173 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ SAKURO, TSUBASA [70 kg / 173 cm / JUDO / JAPAN]

Both men get loud reactions from the fans at Korakuen Hall, with Michiyoshi Takase's being much larger then his Judoka opponent. Both men look absolutely energized as the introductions begin with fire in their eyes. At the gong both men come virtually running to the middle of the ring where Takase lands a low kick. Sakuro uses his power to try and grab onto Takase, but Takase tries to get away athletically but ends up giving his back to Sakuro! Sakuro attempted to put Takase in a rear naked choke, but Takase survives, spins around and blasts Sakuro with an uppercut! The Judoka falls to the ground and Takase pounces. Takase throws shots from Sakuro's ground, but the tough Judoka quickly recovers and attempts to hold Takase in his guard. Realizing what was going on, Takase is quick to stand back up and get out of Sakuro's guard. Sakuro stands back up, but has a huge welt quickly growing on his face. Takase lands a low kick which Sakuro is unable to check. Sakuro fakes a shoot, but Takase immediately responds with a CRUSHING overhand punch right to Sakuro's face! Sakuro collapses into the ropes, and the referee dives between them to save Sakuro from a worse beating.

The Korakuen Hall fans come alive with cheers and small chants of Takase's name as the "Blitz Lightning" Michiyoshi Takase improves to 5-0 in CONDOR and 11-0-0 in MMA. President Kazu Kobayashi presents Michiyoshi Takase with his championship for the second time, as Takase takes a microphone and says that his intent is to fight next month for CONDOR's year ending show and nominates HACHIRO FUJII to face him! The former Boxing champion rises from his seat at ringside and enters the ring. The two shake hands, but Fujii then cuts an appeal saying that earlier in this year, Takase had beaten him which was Fujii's only loss in CONDOR...and said that he would make sure it would not happen again!


CONDOR FC.7 ~ CATCH THE ROARING KING
11/30/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,600 fans

1. Maksim Mielkus defeated Andrew Brown by unanimous decision
2. Hideo Gomi defeated Jacob Loevaas by split decision
3. Dmitri Prerovsky defeated Riley Jacobs at 1'21 in R2 by Referee Stoppage from an Ankle Hold
4. Naoyuki Fuchida defeated Shinjiro Sonoda by majority decision
5. Hachiro Fujii defeated Kinshiro Murata at 1'18 in R1 by TKO from referee stoppage
6. Viktor Balakirev defeated Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura at 1'53 in R1 by TKO from referee stoppage
7. King of CONDOR: Michiyoshi Takase (c) defeated Tsubasa Sakuro at 1'24 in R1 by TKO from an Overhand Right [V.1]

[CONDOR] News, Rankings & 11/30 Show Info

CONDOR FC continues to grow, and a challenge has been laid down by none other then the quickly growing in reputation fighting camp of "Red Triangle" out of Russia...A letter was delivered to Kazu Kobayashi signed from the unbeaten Viktor Balakirev challenging Michiyoshi Takase! While President Kobayashi had to turn down Balakirev's request, the President went into overdrive to sign these three fighters...

Also, by way of James Scott, his training partner Andrew Brown will be joining CONDOR FC soon, bringing even more gaijin power to the front of CONDOR!

Andrew Brown (UNITED STATES) (27) (7-4-0) - Andrew Brown is a young, good looking all around fighter from Venice Beach, California. Sporting a dark tan, Brown brings no overall weaknesses to fighting. However, due to being so overall gifted, he excels at no particular area.

Dmitri Prerovsky (RUSSIA) (30) (8-2-0) - A long time Sambo competitor, Dmitri Prerovski brings incredible skills to bear. While not an elite Sambo fighter, Prerovski's skills translate well to MMA. Incredibly strong, with absolutely murderous grip strength, his submissions are world class. His is fearless in combat, and never gives up no matter what happens to him. If he has one issue, is that he isn't an aggressive as he could be.

Maksim Mielkus (LITHUANIA) (26) (5-0-0) - The youngest member of the "Red Triangle" camp, and also the only non-Russian in the group, Maksim was brought in to help Prerovsky and Balakirev train for heavy hitters. Since then, Maksim has ended up as a member of their troupe. Maksim is a squat man, with incredible strength and punching power. He is also incredibly resistant to damage. A virtual tank who greatly enjoys the act of punching his opponents in the face more then anything else in life, Maksim is incredibly inept at anything that goes beyond punching people, but to get him in a vulnerable position they'll have to overpower him first. Not easily done.

Viktor Balakirev (RUSSIA) (29) (7-0-0) - Balakirev comes into CONDOR with a reputation that precedes him. Balakirev has only lost once in combat Sambo in his entire life since joining the elite ranks. Considered the greatest Sambo fighter at his weight in the entire world, Balakirev is a force to be reckoned with. Balakirev is undefeated in MMA competition, with all his victories coming by way of stoppage. Balakirev is incredibly well rounded, with no glaring obvious weaknesses with several strengths. A fantastic puncher, he is also adept at taking people down and either pounding them or submitting them. His instinct to win fights is unmatched, and legendary. He is the leader of the Red Triangle camp, and may be the most feared 155 pounder in the world.

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Days later, Kazu Kobayashi and King of CONDOR Michiyoshi Takase held a press gathering to reveal the new CONDOR FC rankings with several CONDOR FC fighters sitting behind them...

CONDOR FC RANKINGS

King of CONDOR: Michiyoshi Takase (4,900)

1. Gabriel Morais (3,900) (-)
2. Hachiro Fujii (3,500) (-)
3. Tsubasa Sakuro (2,900) (5)
4. Masanori Ito (2,100) (12)
5. Yoshikazu Naito (2,000) (10)
6. Yuki Uematsu (1,800) (3)
7. Hernando Perra (1,800) (13)
8. Natsuo Nozaki (1,800) (7)
9. Jacob Loevaas (1,700) (19)

The top two are static with both Morais and Fujii winning their fights. Tsubasa Sakuro wins again in dominant fashion getting several bonuses along the way to break the top three. Masanori Ito also makes a huge jump after getting back in the winner's circle by going up eight slots. Yoshikazu Naito after another decision victory shows strong improvement making the top five. Yuki Uematsu falls three spots after being submitted by Gabriel Morais. Hernando Perra's close victory over Yoshiro Ito earned him a spot in the top ten. Natsuo Nozaki would have placed higher had he not racked up two yellow cards in route to winning. Jacob Loevaas has the biggest leap to get to the top ten, going up ten full points after his crushing and brilliant KO over Kong Sheng-Hui.

- The biggest loss in the rankings belongs to James Scott. Not only did he lose, but it was a boring fight on top of that. He falls from #9 to #20.

With that out of the way, President Kazu Kobayashi formally asked Michiyoshi Takase to pick his opponent for the 30th and his championship defense...Michiyoshi Takase went into detail explaining his pick. Takase said that he had beaten both Morais and Fujii, and while both were fantastic fighters he felt it was "too soon" to redo their fight...Takase rose to his feet, pointed and challenged Judoka Tsubasa Sakuro to a shocked reaction!

Tsubasa rose from his seat, and the two posed for pictured before an impromptu press conference was held...Both were asked on their feelings of the other...

Tsubasa Sakuro stated that he was as shocked at anyone, saying that after three fights he would be the CONDOR FC champion...Sakuro said he was a poor match up for Takase, as he excels in everything Takase does not. Sakuro then virtually guaranteed a submission victory in the fight...

Michiyoshi Takase seemed amused by Tsubasa's bravado then anything, saying that he had fought someone as skills as Sakuro on the ground once already, and beaten him (Morais). Takase said that on paper Sakuro should ne able to beat him, but Takase said that he has an ability to forge destiny through his own fists, and would prove that by retaining his championship.

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In other card news, all four new gaijin fighters will make their debuts. American Andrew Brown will take on the heavy handed Maksim Mielkus in a fight that will display both's men's talents.

After that Jacob Loevaas gets a chance to turn his brutal KO victory over Kong Sheng-Hui into a string of them as he takes on tough striker Hideo Gomi. Gomi would appear to have the edge on the ground, but one has to wonder if Gomi will use it to his advantage.

Riley Jacobs gets a chance to turn his fortunes around as he welcomes Russian Dmitri Prerovsky to CONDOR FC. Sambo vs. Boxing. Which will prevail?

Naoyuki Fuchida recently won his fight with Takeshi Yamada, while Shinjiro Sonoda was edged out by Tsubasa Sakuro. These two are both well rounded, but the striking advantage goes to Sonoda, while the grappling advantage goes to Fuchida, but only one can win!

President Kazu Kobayashi was not amused with Kinshiro Murata's illegal blow some time back. Since then, he has been held off shows and now has been given the "opportunity" to face former Boxing champion Hachiro Fujii. Fujii is 3-1 in CONDOR, with his sole loss being to Michiyoshi Takase. Good luck to Murata!

The much hyped Viktor Balakirev will debut in the semi main event of the event, as he takes on the always game Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura. Both men are overall strong, and if Nakamura could win this fight, he'd instantly break the top ten again. For Viktor, it's an opportunity to prove he's more then just hype.

And in the main event, Michiyoshi Takase who is completely undefeated in CONDOR FC, will take on the equally unbeaten Tsubasa Sakuro for the King of CONDOR championship. Sakuro had difficulty with Shinjiro Sonoda's striking and speed but ultimately prevailed, while Takase took on BJJ specialist Gabriel Morais and emerged victorious. Can Sakuro's Judo beat Takase's Muay Thai?

CONDOR FC.7 ~ CATCH THE ROARING KING
11/30/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Andrew Brown vs. Maksim Mielkus
2. Jacob Loevaas vs. Hideo Gomi
3. Dmitri Prerovsky vs. Riley Jacobs
4. Naoyuki Fuchida vs. Shinjiro Sonoda
5. Hachiro Fujii vs. Kinshiro Murata
6. Viktor Balakirev vs. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura
7. King of CONDOR: Michiyoshi Takase (c) vs. Tsubasa Sakuro

[CONDOR FC] RIDE ON ROARING SKY ~ 10/14/08 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE OPENING MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ KINJIRO TAKEDA [70 kg / 170 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ HOSOKAWA, TOKIMITSU [70 kg / 172 cm / GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING / JAPAN]

Neither man wants to make a mistake as the round begins, as both are coming off losses. Takeda lands a few good strikes on Hosokawa, but Hosokawa slams him to the mat. However, Takeda uses his legs to kick Hosokawa off allowing himself to stand back up, only to have Hosokawa slam him back to the mat. However, Takeda is able to scramble out and somehow end up behind Hosokawa as the round expires.

Round two begins with Kinjiro Takeda getting close to Hosokawa and immediately pulling guard. While that may seem like a bad idea, Takeda uses an active guard and the threat of submissions to keep Hosokawa within his guard and keeps him from doing any significant damage to him. Hosokawa stands back up at one point, but when Takeda refuses to stand back up, Hosokawa engaged again on the ground. The gong rings bringing the round to a merciful end.

Takeda again pulls guard as round three begins, making one wonder what his gameplan is. Hosokawa this time is able to find range with his strikes and hits several strong strikes from the guard while Takeda struggles to contain him. Nothing happens at all beyond that.

This may have been the worst fight in CONDOR FC history. Two good fighters fighting like complete idiots with neither wanting to lose the fight. If I had to say, I'd say Hosokawa did enough to win. But as we all know, who knows what the judges were seeing.

Judge 1: Kinjiro Takeda (23 to 21)
Judge 2: Tokimitsu Hosokawa (19 to 16)
Judge 3: DRAW (22 to 22)

Huh. That's new.

THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ JAMES SCOTT [70 kg / 185 cm / FREESTYLE WRESTLING / UNITED STATES] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ LEE JUNG HYUN [68 kg / 170 cm / TAE KWON DO / KOREA]

Two totally different gameplans here, as Scott wants it on the ground, but Hyun wants to keep it standing. Lee Jung Hyun comes out aggressive, looking to pressure Scott with lowkicks, but leaves himself wide open to an inside uppercut. Hyun's head snaps back and Scott immediately slams him to the ground. Scott easily passes to side control and lands several strong blows on Hyun. However, the Korea does a good job of maneuvering himself and getting Scott back into his guard, which is where Scott ends up staying despite multiple attempts to pass. Lee Jung Hyun survives as the round expires.

Round two begins with Scott eating a few lowkicks from Hyun as he comes forwards, but the wrestler still manages to grab Hyun and slam him to the mat with a takedown. Hyun simply tries to hold Scott in his guard, while Scott shows no eagerness to pass and instead simply begins to grind away at Hyun with punches. The punches aren't in great form, but the power behind them makes up for lack of technique. With just seconds left in the round, the referee stands up the fight, and gives Lee Jung Hyun a yellow card for intentionally stalling on the ground as the round expires.

James Scott comes out visibly confident to begin round three. Scott gets close to Hyun and begins to work inside with short punches, uppercuts, and knees to batter Lee Jung Hyun. Hyun then makes one of the weirdest decisions in CONDOR history as he willingly pulls guard to take Scott to the ground. However, on the way down, Lee Jung Hyun secures Scott's head, and after several seconds of working it, gets full body extension and taps out James Scott to a Guillotine Choke with less then a minute left!

THE THIRD MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ IWAMURA, RYOJIRO [70 kg / 180 cm / WING TSUN / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ITO, MASANORI [70 kg / 178 cm / SUBMISSION WRESTLING / JAPAN]

Ryojiro Iwamura starts off round one with a bang, as he hits Masanori Ito with a flying knee as the round begins! However, when Ito doesn't fall and gives chase to Iwamura, Iwamura turns around and runs away from Ito...When things calm down, Ito grabs onto Iwamura, picks him up, and slams him to the ground Ito's submission wrestling style comes into play, as he easily passes Iwamura's guard and gets side control. From here, Ito begins to slowly grind away at Iwamura with punches and several keylock and kimura attempts, one of which nearly submits Iwamura...At one point Ito manages to get the full mount and rains down shots on Iwamura, but Iwamura shows his toughness by surviving. Despite the one sided nature of the round, Iwamura manages to live to see round two.

Round two begins with what can only be called inactivity, as neither man seems really excited to be the first to strike. They end up pushed against the ropes for well over a minute until the referee breaks them. Iwamura tries to clinch, or simply get near Ito, and Ito suddenly grabs onto his head and yanks him into a Guillotine Choke. Iwamura tries to fight the hold, but Ito with his crushing strength pulls up violently causing Iwamura to submit!

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ GOMI, HIDEO [70 kg / 173 cm / PANKRATION / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ KATAKURA, MASANAKA [66 kg / 163 cm / KICKBOXING / JAPAN]

Despite what one would think is Hideo Gomi's strength in this battle of grappling, Gomi and Katakura engage in a kickboxing fight in the first round. Neither man can land much more then pot shots on the other for most of the round. However, Gomi lands a vicious uppercut that turns the tide of battle. From there, he lands an uppercut, a punch flurry, a straight, and generally seems to have the former kickboxer reeling as the round expires.

Round two begins with both men throwing punches and kicks like madmen with no concept of defense whatsoever. The two begin to trade viciously back and forth until Katakura collapses. Gomi pounces as Katakura tries to stand back up, and gets the read mount. Gomi slowly works in the hooks while peppering Katakura with blows before trying to secure a rear naked choke. Gomi puts everything he has into it, but Katakura refuses to submit, breaks the choke and then somehow rolls into Gomi and gets top position! However, Gomi is immediately able to push Katakura off and put the fight back on it's feet! The two trade more shots, with Gomi teeing off on the defenseless Katakura, but Katakura shows off his toughness by refusing to leave the pocket and simply fires shots back as the round expires.

Hideo Gomi finally uses his grappling in round three, as he nearly immediately takes Katakura down to the ground. From there, Gomi easily passes to side control and begins to whail away at Katakura. However, the incredibly tough kickboxer refuses to be stopped by these, even with Gomi getting the mount and trying to finish. Gomi shows no interest in submissions, and simply punches away as time expires to go to the judges.

Hideo Gomi fought an incredibly unintelligent fight. Striking with a kickboxer is generally a bad idea, and when it hit the ground finally, he never once went for a submission.

Judge 1: Hideo Gomi (99 to 20)
Judge 2: Hideo Gomi (98 to 18)
Judge 3: Hideo Gomi (94 to 20)

THE SEMI FINAL ~ RED CORNER ~ SAKURO, TSUBASA [70 kg / 173 cm / JUDO / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ SONODA, SHINJIRO [70 kg / 173 cm / NANTO SEIKEN / JAPAN]

Shinjiro Sonoda begins the fight by making a gun motion as if he's about to blow Sakuro away during the intro...Sakuro doesn't seem to like that as he comes out aggressive in his attempts to get Sonoda to the ground, but the talented young man is able to block Sakuro's early takedowns and uses his far mroe developed striking to work Sakuro at angles with variety of strikes on the flat footed almost Sakuro. However, Sonoda is eventually caught as Sakuro takes him down to the ground. The young man shows off sophistication in his guard and keeps Sakuro from doing much damage as the round expires.

Shinjiro Sonoda comes out with the same plan as in round one, teeing off on Sakuro with quick strikes, in particular targeting Sakuro's legs. However, Sakuro catches one of of Sonoda's legs and trips him to the ground. From there, Sonoda uses everything he has to contain Sakuro, but the judoka passes Sonoda's guard and actively looks for a limb to twist in a violent fashion, but Sonoda does a good job protecting from damage. With seconds closing in Sakuro transfers to full mount, but can't do anything as time runs out.

Shinjiro Sonoda comes out again, hitting at will on Sakuro, who simply tries to grab onto Sonoda as the young fleet footed man bounces away. That all changes as Sakuro drops a bomb on Sonoda with an absolutely murderous uppercut after Sonoda misses a hook. Sonoda is clearly rocked and falls to his knees. Instead of simply shooting, Sakuro grabs Sonoda in a headlock and DRIVES his skull into the mat with a takedown, leaving the young man completely scrambled. Sakuro takes his time as Sonoda tries to desperately clear the cobwebs. Sakuro slowly works his way to side control before grabbing Sonoda's arm, and using his brute power applies a crippling keylock forcing Sonoda to tap out instantly!

THE MAIN EVENT ~ RED CORNER ~ GABRIEL MORAIS [70 kg / 183 cm / JIU JITSU / BRAZIL] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ UEMATSU, YUKI  [66 kg / 168 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

With both men fairly even in terms of skill, Gabriel Morais attempts to forge a different path as he comes out and begins to box Uematsu, landing several strong shots that rattle Uematsu's cage enough that Morias can pick him up and slam him to the ground. Morais slowly works on positioning before applying a ankle hold. Uematsu fights the hold for several seconds before he manages to kick Morais off and then scrambles for top control. Uematsu tries for his own knee bar, but Morais easily escapes but Uematsu scrambles for top control as time runs out for the round.

Gabriel Morais comes out immediately and takes Yuki Uematsu down to begin round two. Uematsu appears to be having problems with the grappling strength of Morais as the Brazilian holds him down on the ground...However, Uematsu sweeps him which sets off a chain reaction of both men waiting until the other does something from the top and then reacts, usually with a sweep. This happens mutliple times before Gabriel Morais catches onto the trend. When Uematsu sweeps him again, Morais in one fluid motion locks Uematsu in a triangle choke! Uematsu attempts to fight the hold, but the sheer power of Morais's submission forces him to submit and give the Brazilian the victory.


CONDOR FC.6 ~ RIDE ON ROARING SKY
10/14/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,300 fans

1. Kinjiro Takeda and Tokimitsu Hosokawa fought to a majority draw
2. Lee Jung Hyun defeated James Scott at 2'20 in R3 by submission with a Guillotine Choke
3. Masanori Ito defeated Ryojiro Iwamura at 2'17 in R2 by submission with a Guillotine Choke
4. Hideo Gomi defeated Masanaka Katakura by unanimous decision
5. Tsubasa Saburo defeated Shinjiro Sonoda at 1'57 in R3 by submission with a keylock
6. Gabriel Morais defeated Yuki Uematsu at 2'55 in R2 by submission with a triangle choke

[CONDOR FC] 9/21/08 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE OPENING MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ FUCHIDA, NAOYUKI [70 kg / 178 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ YAMADA, TAKESHI [70 kg / 173 cm / KICKBOXING / JAPAN]

Both men, knowing their backs are against the wall given their respective careers thus far in CONDOR FC, come out very tentative, with neither man wanting to make a mistake. However, Yamada lands the first decisive blow with a massive hook that staggers Fuchida. Fuchida attempts to take Yamada down, but Yamada manages to block it while delivering some pain with body shots from inside Fuchida's grasp. However, neither man can really do anything of substance as the round expires.

Naoyuki Fuchida comes out aggressive trying to take the fight to the ground, but also manages to land several glancing punches on the way in. Yamada devotes himself entirely to blocking the takedown, with both men pushed against the ropes with neither wanting to make any kind of serious mistake. The round expires with both men pushed against the ropes tied up.

Naoyuki Fuchida again comes out aggressively looking for a takedown, and again Yamada uses all his efforts to defend against it. However, Fuchida wobbles Yamada with a punch long enough to grab Yamada's head and apply a tight Guillotine Choke forcing Yamada to submit immediately!

THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ NATSUO NOZAKI
[70 kg / 170 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ KITAOKA, AKIRA [66 kg / 168 cm / GRECO ROMAN WRESTLING / JAPAN]

Natsuo Nozaki comes out with a jab that Kitaoka easily evades, but Nozaki then throws a barrage of punches that catch Kitaoka flush and knock him down. Nozaki follows him and gets side control. Nozaki attempts ground and pound, and also tries to isolate Kitaoka's arm, but Kitaoka does a great job of fighting to contain Nozaki and gets him back into his guard after trial and error. Neither man does much at this point until the referee stands them up for lack of activity and awards both men a yellow card for stalling. With seconds left in the round, Kitaoka grasps Nozaki and slams him to the ground as the gong rings.

Round two begins with Nozaki attempting the same jab into flurry combination, but Kitaoka evades both and easily takes Nozaki to the ground. Kitaoka shows little interest in passing Nozaki's guard and instead throws punches from within it. Nozaki employs an active guard, looking for submissions but Kitaoka easily powers out of all of Nozaki's attempts. Kitaoka muscles his way into side control but Nozaki latches onto him and keeps him from doing any significant damage. With just a few seconds left, the referee stands them up and once again awards them yellow cards informing them both that if they get one more, they will be disqualified as the round ends...

Round three starts off oddly, as Kitaoka comes out swinging, but Nozaki uses this chance to take Kitaoka down. Nozaki can't seem to do anything to Kitaoka, who uses brute power to keep Nozaki near him and then with little difficulty sweeps him. Kitaoka softens Nozaki up with punches from the guard of Nozaki, as Nozaki simply tries to escape, which allows Kitaoka to pass to side control with the seconds ticking away. The gong rings as Nozaki tries to get Kitaoka back to the guard.

An odd fight. Nozaki nearly KO'd Kitaoka early, but it was really his only true offensive moment. Both men came dangerously close to getting disqualified, while Kitaoka controlled the entire fight almost but did very little damage to Nozaki overall. I'd say Kitaoka just on overall control.

Judge 1: Natsuo Nozaki (21 to 17)
Judge 2: Natsuo Nozaki (17 to 12)
Judge 3: Natsuo Nozaki (14 to 12)

THE THIRD MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ NAITO, YOSHIKAZU [70 kg / 165 cm / CHITO-RYU KARATE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ RILEY JACOBS [70 kg / 178 cm / BOXING / UNITED STATES]

Riley Jacobs makes the mistake early to try and engage Naito in a kickboxing match, which results in Naito landing combinations at will on the former boxer...Jacobs seems to be none too pleased with this development as he lands a massive uppercut followed by an absolutely blatant knee to the groin that somehow the referee misses. Naito immediately crumbles to the ground lurched over, and Riley pounces but his lack of knowledge of the ground causes him to let Naito recover and the round expire.

Yoshikazu Naito obviously is still reeling from the low blow in round one, as he comes out and plays a game of cat and mouse with Riley. Naito seems to have lost the spark to his blows, but it's enough to frustrate Riley and keep him at bay with low kicks and the occasional hook as he comes in. Naito finally tries a high kick, but misses and Jacobs somehow winds up behind Naito. Jacobs lands a few punches, but Naito breaks free as the round expires.

Naito comes out far more aggressive in round three, and throws a headkick just seconds into the fight. Jacobs eats the kick, but ignores the effects showing off how tough he is. Naito decides to put that to the test and wallops Jacobs with a punch combination. Jacobs staggers, and Naito comes flying at him with a barrage of kicks, punches, and flurries that all land flush on Jacobs, but Riley Jacobs shows how incredibly tough he is as he refuses to fall as Naito pounds away at will with Jacobs backed into a corner. The round expires with Jacobs holding on for everything he is worth.

This should be an easy victory for Yoshikazu Naito, who avoided Riley Jacob's power and ripped into him with precision striking. One has to wonder if anything will come from that blatant low blow by Jacobs in term of punishment...

Judge 1: Yoshikazu Naito (75 to 45)
Judge 2: Yoshikazu Naito (77 to 49)
Judge 3: Yoshikazu Naito (79 to 48)

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ JACOB LOEVAAS [70 kg / 185 cm / KICKBOXING / NETHERLANDS] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ KONG SHENG-HUI [70 kg / 173 cm / JEET KUNE DO / CHINA]

The Chinese fighter Kong Sheng-Hui is caught off guard as Jacob Loevaas comes flying at him at top speed, and then lands a massive uppercut with all his speed and weight behind it. Sheng-Hui tries to throw punches as Loevaas stalks him, but the kickboxer easily avoids them before landing a murderous overhand right that drops Sheng-Hui to his knees. Loevaas then blasts the kneeling Sheng-Hui with another overhand right causing Sheng-Hui to collapse on his face and the fight to be called!

THE SEMI FINAL ~ RED CORNER~HERNANDO PERRA [70 kg / 183 cm / FREE STYLE / BRAZIL] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER~  ITO, YOSHIRO [70 kg / 175 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Hernando Perra surprisingly comes out swinging as round one begins, trying to catch Yoshiro Ito off guard with his striking, however Yoshiro Ito responds with a lightning quick takedown to get Hernando Perra to the ground. From there, Ito seems more then comfortable in Perra's guard as Perra tries to work off his back but Ito simply stays on him like glue. Ito lands a few punches, and does just enough to not get stood up, but nothing of any value as the round expires.

Round two begins with Yoshiro Ito shooting in again. This time Hernando Perra is able to block it, but Ito then sweeps Perra to take the fight to the ground. Within seconds, Ito is able to sweep Perra and get top control. It's a virtual replay of round one, as Ito seems more then comfortable to stay in Perra's guard, although he tries a few passes that don't take. They trade ankle hold attempts, with neither man getting one although Perra comes closer. Ito tries to apply a neck crank from Perra's guard, but the time runs out before he can secure it.

Hernando Perra finally finds his range as round three begins, nailing Ito with a hook that causes Ito to pause in his steps. Perra turns up the intensity as he lands volleys of strikes. Low kicks, body shots, uppercuts, and a variety of strikes. Ito tries a guillotine, but it's half hearted and Perra escapes. Ito looks to be fading from Perra's assault, but he grabs Perra and gives him a nasty leg sweep takedown to take the fight to the ground. Ito uses time to catch his thoughts after Perra's assault. Ito tries to isolate body parts for submissions, but Perra does a fantastic job at avoiding them. Ito simply rides out the time for the decision.

Did Perra throw enough in round three to take the fight? Ito didn't do much offensively, but controlled the fight for the most part. However, the judges don't seem to favor control much so Perra may very well win this decision.

Judge 1: Hernando Perra (46 to 36)
Judge 2: Hernando Perra (47 to 34)
Judge 3: Hernando Perra (49 to 37)

THE MAIN EVENT ~ RED CORNER ~ NAKAMURA, AKASHI [70 kg / 180 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ FUJII, HACHIRO [70 kg / 170 cm / BOXING / JAPAN]

Before the fight begins, there's a feeling of a "big fight" atmosphere in the crowd at Korakuen Hall for this one. Both men come out aggressive, but neither can find the correct range on the other. Fujii's the first one to get first blood as he lands one of his trademark hammer-like body shots to Nakamura's side, which immediately causes Nakamura to wince and favor it...From that point on, Fujii targets the ribs with pinpoint accuracy and ferocity, working the injury he's caused. Nakamura takes the blows, and tries to fire back, but none of his punches already look like they have any kind of power behind them, and Fujii simply walks through them. Nakamura changes gameplans and tries to take Fujii down, but time runs out before he can do so.

Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura continues to pursue his new strategy as he attempts to take Fujii to the ground, but Fujii shows off his developed sprawl and refuses to be taken down. As a result, Nakamura begins to be blasted by the body shots again due to being so close to Fujii. Nakamura begins to visibly weaken and begins to protect his body, leaving his head wide open which Fujii capitalizes on with a stunning short uppercut. Nakamura's knees buckle as Fujii launches a second uppercut, nearly beheading Nakamura and sending him crashing to the mat for the spectacular KO!

CONDOR FC.5 ~ ROARING SKY TAKEOFF
9/24/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,500 fans

1. Naoyuki Fuchida defeated Takeshi Yamada at 1'19 in R3 by submission with a Guillotine Choke
2. Natsuo Nozaki defeated Akira Kitaoka by unanimous decision
3. Yoshikazu Naito defeated Riley Jacobs by unanimous decision
4. Jacob Loevaas defeated Kong Sheng-Hui at 0'37 in R1 by KO with an overhand right
5. Hernando Perra defeated Yoshiro Ito by unanimous decision
6. Hachiro Fujii defeated Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura at 2'34 in R2 by KO with an Uppercut

[CONDOR] New Rankings & Show News

As is the custom of CONDOR FC, following the successful CONDOR FC GP finals event, a press gathering was held by President Kazu Kobayashi to announce what was around the corner for CONDOR. With him, was the brand new King of CONDOR champion Michiyoshi Takase who had on a brace around his ankle and walked with a heavy limp.

Kazu Kobayashi announced that starting today there would be a change in protocol. From now on the CONDOR FC rankings will only be released every three months. The reason being that within that three month period, the King of CONDOR; in this case Michiyoshi Takase would be required to face one of the top nine contenders in the promotion as listed on the rankings. With that, Kobayashi pulled out his sheet with the ranks of CONDOR FC...

CONDOR FC RANKINGS (8/30/08)

King of CONDOR: Michiyoshi Takase (4,900)

1. Gabriel Morais (3,000)
2. Hachiro Fujii (2,500)
3. Yuki Uematsu (2,300)
4. Yoshiro Ito (1,800)
5. Tsubasa Saburo (1,800)
6. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura (1,500)
7. Natsuo Nozaki (1,500)
8. Ryojiro Iwamura (1,500)
9. James Scott (1,500)

Kobayashi said that right now they hadn't decided who Takase's first defense would be against. Michiyoshi Takase spoke, saying that his ankle injury would keep him out of action until November at the earliest. Takase said that he was planning on making his decision early in November based upon what happened in CONDOR up to that point.

Kobayashi spoke again, announcing that the next three events would be linked together. The promotion was being broken down into two parts. The first half of the promotion will face off on September 24th called "ROARING SKY TAKEOFF" will see Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura face off against former boxing champion Hachiro Fujii in the main event. Takase seemed excited about this fight, saying that having faced both he felt Nakamura was the more overall developed fighter, but that Fujii had raw power. He said he'd "love" to fight both again...

The second event in October, named "RIDE ON ROARING SKY" sees a main event of Yuki Uematsu take on Gabriel Morais. Takase called both men "fantastic fighters", and said that he'd never fought anyone as smart as Uematsu, or as determined as Morais. Takase refused to make any predictions, but then turned his attention to the semi main event which sees judo fighter Tsubasa Saburo face off against showboating Shinjiro Sonoda. Takase said he was "interested" in both newcomers. Saburo was the only one of the newcomers to finish his opponent, doing so with ease, while Sonoda survived a blatant uncalled headbutt to win the decision. Takase said he wouldn't mind facing either man...

The final event on the 30th of November will see Michiyoshi Takase make his first defense of the King of CONDOR championship on an event called "CATCH THE ROARING KING".

CONDOR FC.5 ~ ROARING SKY TAKEOFF
9/24/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Naoyuki Fuchida vs. Takeshi Yamada
2. Natsuo Nozaki vs. Akira Kitaoka
3. Yoshikazu Naito vs. Riley Jacobs
3. Jacob Loevaas vs. Kong Sheng-Hui
5. Hernando Perra vs. Yoshiro Ito
6. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura vs. Hachiro Fujii

CONDOR FC.6 ~ RIDE ON ROARING SKY
10/14/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Kinjiro Takeda vs. Tokimitsu Hosokawa
2. James Scott vs. Lee Jung Hyun
3. Ryojiro Iwamura vs. Masanori Ito
4. Hideo Gomi vs. Masanaka Katakura
5. Tsubasa Saburo vs. Shinjiro Sonoda
6. Gabriel Morais vs. Yuki Uematsu

CONDOR FC.7 ~ CATCH THE ROARING KING
11/30/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. King of CONDOR: Michiyoshi Takase (c) vs. X

8/16/08 ~CATCH THE FLYING DREAM ~ GP FINALS @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE OPENING MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS RESERVE FIGHT ~ RED CORNER ~ GOMI, HIDEO [70 kg / 173 cm / PANKRATION / JAPAN] ~ VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ FUJII, HACHIRO [70 kg / 170 cm / BOXING / JAPAN]

Round one begins with Hideo Gomi making a mistake by trying to exchange punches with the former boxing champion Fujii. Fujii lands a solid body shot, sending Gomi backing away. From that point on, Fujii begins to close the distance, keeps Gomi from getting the takedown, and begins to blast away at Gomi's midsection. Gomi fights against Fujii's grip, but can't seem to break free as Fujii lands at will with body shots that clearly begin to take their toil. Gomi breaks free, but is immediately crushed by a right straight by Fujii, sending Gomi crashing to the mat. Fujii follows it up with two shots to Gomi's unmoving body before the referee leaps in, declaring the contest for Fujii

THE SECOND MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX SEMI FINAL~ RED CORNER ~ ITO, YOSHIRO [70 kg / 175 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ GABRIEL MORAIS [70 kg / 183 cm / JIU JITSU / BRAZIL]

Round one begins with Ito trying to land the jab, but Morais uses good movement to avoid it. Morais attempts to take Ito down, but Ito avoids, only to have Morais pull guard. However, Ito immediately is able to escape and stands back up. Morais attempts to goad Ito into engaging him on the ground, but Ito doesn't bite. They end up against the ropes with both landing nothing shots to the body of the other. They trade submission attempts using guillotines with neither man coming close before Morais suddenly sweeps Ito to the ground with seconds left. Right at the gong, Ito tries to lock Morais in an armbar, but the round expires before it can finish. Morais.

Both men come out tentative in round two with neither trying anything significant...However, out of nowhere, Ito suddenly shoots in and takes Morais down, but then equally as odd Ito immediately stands up and lets Morais up. Morais seems confused, but eventually stands back up before pulling guard to pull Ito back down. Morais almost immediately throws up a Triangle Choke, but Ito escapes only to nearly be armbared but he escapes again and flees to the feet. Ito gets in close, and lands several body shots as the gong rings to signal the end of the round. Ito.

Round Three begins with a bang as Gabriel Morais immediately shoots in and takes Ito down on his back for the first time. Ito seems to be out of his element as Morais easily manages to transition from guard to side mount. Ito tries to defend, but his guard is nowhere good enough to contain Morais. Morais sets up for a keylock, but Ito defends well. Morais suddenly applies incredible strength on Ito's arm, gets the hold, and Ito immediately taps out to the keylock.

THE THIRD MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX SEMI FINAL ~ RED CORNER ~ TAKASE, MICHIYOSHI [70 kg / 173 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ UEMATSU, YUKI  [66 kg / 168 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Yuki Uematsu comes out attacking Michiyoshi Takase's legs with low kicks as round one begins. Uematsu lands several low kicks while using good head movement to avoid Takase's punches...Uematsu clinches, but Takase takes advantage with several strong body blows, before pushing Uematsu back and absolutely crushing Uematsu as he steps back with a cross. Uematsu stumbles backwards, but manages to keep from falling as Takase begins to pour on the assault with shots. Uematsu takes them, and attempts several takedowns, but none work as Takase blasts away on Uematsu as the round ends. Takase.

Uematsu comes out with another strategy as the second round begins, retreating the second Takase throws anything, trying to goad Takase into over extending himself. It works, as Takase throws an errant high kick and Uematsu immediately takes him down. However, Uematsu's victory is immediately negated as Takase pushes Uematsu off and reaches his feet. Uematsu continues to use good movement to avoid Takase's power shots, and Takase continues to throw them. Takase lands two solid body shots before the round ends. Uematsu.

Uematsu's strategy once again changes for round three, as he immediately grabs onto Takase and pulls guard, using his guard to keep Takase on the ground. However, the strategy doesn't fully pay off as Takase begins to throw shots from Uematsu's guard with enough power to make Uematsu lessen his guard, and Takase passes to side control. Uematsu holds onto Takase for dear life until the referee stands them up, and awards Uematsu a yellow card for stalling. Uematsu continues to use good movement to avoid Takase's shots, but Takase's glove catches some skin on Uematsu's face and opens up a sizeable gash as the round ends. Takase.

Yuki Uematsu used three different strategies to try and keep Takase at bay, but none of them worked, and the incredibly gifted Takase looks to pick up yet another win.

Judge 1: Michiyoshi Takase (64 to 6)
Judge 2: Michiyoshi Takase (62 to 11)
Judge 3: Michiyoshi Takase (60 to 7)

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ SONODA, SHINJIRO [70 kg / 173 cm / NANTO SEIKEN / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ MURATA, KINSHIRO [66 kg / 163 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN]

Both men come out hyper aggressive for round one, with Sonoda scoring first blood with a glancing high kick. From there, the two exchanges a furious assault of kicks and punches, but neither man can score anything or any substance until the round expires with neither man being much worse for wear. Murata.

Sonoda once again comes out strong, but so does Murata and the two continue to wing shots but none hit. Sonoda lands several knees, but is then accidentally headbutted by Murata. Or one would hope it was accidental, as Murata shows no ill effects and immediately blasts the off balance Sonoda with a hook, followed by a flying knee. To the young fighter's credit, he holds on, but Murata pours on the offense, with Sonoda surviving merely on instinct until the round expires. Murata.

Something is clearly wrong with Sonoda in round three, as he seems to be off his mark for the entire round. Murata lands 1-2's at will on Sonoda, with only the occasional return shot as Sonoda's movements are sluggish from the damage. Murata lands several knees to try and drop the young man, but Sonoda holds on once again as the round expires. Murata.

The nature of this fight will be questionable. Murata hit a headbutt that did not seem to effect him, but clearly hurt Sonoda. It's a lesson for the young man. One has to wonder if President Kazu Kobayashi won't do anything about this, if it can be proven that was an intentional headbutt. One has to wonder if the judges saw the headbutt or not as well.

Judge 1: Shinjiro Sonoda (76 to 63)
Judge 2: Shinjiro Sonoda (70 to 63)
Judge 3: Shinjiro Sonoda (72 to 63)

THE FIFTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ NAITO, YOSHIKAZU [70 kg / 165 cm / CHITO-RYU KARATE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ KINJIRO TAKEDA [70 kg / 170 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Both men come out swinging to begin round one, with both connecting with solid shots to the other. However, a strong uppercut convinces Takeda that this isn't the wisest choice as he begins to actively look for a takedown. Naito shows off an impressive sprawl and balance, refusing to be taken down. Takeda pulls guard, getting Naito down to the ground, but the Karate blackbelt is quick to pull himself free, motioning Takeda to stand with him which Takeda is less then excited about. Seconds later after standing up, Takeda shoots in again, but eats a massive knee strike to the face that busts Takeda's face, but Takeda manages to turtle up as the round expires. Naito.

Round two begins with a bang as Takeda practically runs across the ring and nails Naito with a running start with a hook to send Naito scrambling backwards. Takeda's attempts to finish Naito quickly fail, with the two ending up clinched as Naito desperately tries to recover. Naito works well from within, landing solid knees and body shots to try and weaken Takeda, but the round ends with only Takeda landing a significant shot. Takeda.

Naito must be feeling confident in round three, as he clearly is employing a strategy of trying to run the clock down. Takeda would push forward, but Naito would retreat from Takeda, while landing shots and kicks from a distance, then kneeing his way out when Takeda came too close. Takeda finally grapples with Naito and attempts to submit him and take him down with a standing neck crank or headlock, but Naito survives and fights his way free as the round expires. Naito.

Kinjiro Takeda was clearly the aggressor throughout the fight, but Yoshikazu Naito landed far more overall strikes and nearly had Takeda out in round one with a vicious knee. It will be interesting to see how the judges rule the fight.

Judge 1: Yoshikazu Naito (44 to 41)
Judge 2: Yoshikazu Naito (44 to 37)
Judge 3: Yoshikazu Naito (46 to 38)

THE SIXTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ HOSOKAWA, TOKIMITSU [70 kg / 172 cm / GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER IWAMURA, RYOJIRO[70 kg / 180 cm / WING TSUN / JAPAN]

From the opening gong, Ryojiro Iwamura's odd style gives Tokimitsu Hosokawa problems as Iwamura actually tries to place his own hand on Hosokawa's like they do in traditional Wing Tsun...The plan somewhat works, as Iwamura uses natural balance to avoid takedowns while grabbing Hosokawa and landing many knees and inside punches from the clinch. Iwamura uses good movement to avoid the shots Hosokawa tries, and at range continually retreats and uses evasion to visibly frustrate Hosokawa. Iwamura lands several knees as the round expires. Iwamura.

Round two sees Hosokawa come out more aggressive with the idea of catching the slow burning Iwamura off guard, but Iwamura continues to use evasion and his odd style of "continual contact" to frustrate Hosokawa, leading to Hosokawa visibly headbutting Iwamura's face! The referee gives Hosokawa a yellow card and warns him that if it happens again, he will be disqualified. When the fight restarts, Hosokawa explodes at Iwamura and wrestles him to the ground for the first time. Hosokawa manages to get some separation to land punches, but Iwamura answers by closing his guard tightly, holding Hosokawa to him for the rest of the round. Hosokawa.

Ryojiro Iwamura uses the same gameplan he's used all fight long in the opening few minutes of the round. Getting close to Hosokawa, avoiding the punches and blocking the takedowns while landing solid shots from inside. Hosokawa's left side is visibly red and somewhat raw from Iwamura's body attacks, but that doesn't stop Hosokawa from managing to take Iwamura back down to the ground. Once again, Iwamura's answer is to close his guard, but this doesn't stop Hosokawa from blasting away from inside the guard with several strong punches as the round expires. Hosokawa.

It will be difficult to judge this fight. Iwamura landed far more shots and one could argue that he controlled the fight...but his style of evasion, tactically retreating, and closing in could be seen as odd. On the flipside, Hosokawa did absolutely nothing standing, but did get two takedowns and worked the ground well in round three.

Judge 1: Ryojiro Iwamura (48 to 29)
Judge 2: Ryojiro Iwamura (46 to 28)
Judge 3: Ryojiro Iwamura (49 to 28)

THE SEVENTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ SAKURO, TSUBASA [70 kg / 173 cm / JUDO / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ KATAKURA, MASANAKA [66 kg / 163 cm / KICKBOXING / JAPAN]

As expected, Masanaka Katakura comes out highly aggressive, throwing whirlwind kicks and punches, but the well built Sakuro takes them and simply ignores them. Sakuro catches Katakura's kick and takes him down. Katakura closes his guard, but Sakuro easily passes, grabs onto Katakura's arm and applies a keylock from the half guard. Initially Katakura is in no danger and he fires off punches to try to get Sakuro to let go, but then Sakuro applies a staggering amount of brutal power to Katakura's arm and forces the former kickboxer to submit!


THE FINAL MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX FINALS ~ RED CORNER ~ GABRIEL MORAIS [70 kg / 183 cm / JIU JITSU / BRAZIL] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER ~ TAKASE, MICHIYOSHI [70 kg / 173 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN]

The CONDOR FC GP Finals are here, and both men came in looking well rested. Neither man can find range early on in the fight, and on a takedown attempt Morais's head smashes into Takase's. The referee claims it was a foul by Takase and gives him a yellow card...After a break period, Morais is deemed fine to compete, and he immediately rushes at Takase. After some jockeying, Morais finally succeeds in getting Michiyoshi Takase to the ground for the first time in CONDOR FC! However, Takase latches onto Morais with all his strength as the round expires. Morais.

Round two begins with Morais throwing a bad lowkick, which Takase immediately makes him pay for with a vicious overhand right that staggers Morais. Takase pours on the offense, working the body and the head with clinical technical striking keeping Morais guessing on where he'll hit next. In desperation, Morais latches onto Takase in the final seconds of the round and pulls guard. However, Takase uses his own strength to break free and stand back up motioning for Morais to do the same as the round expires. Takase.

Gabriel Morais makes the same mistake he made in round two as the third stanza begins. Morais throws a hook, but Takase ducks under and then absolutely blasts Morais with a straight to the face. With Morais reeling, Takase lands another overhand right followed by a combination to nearly drop Morais...However, the tough Brazilian shows his guts by not falling and instead catching a kick and taking Takase to the ground! The two jockeys for position on the ground with Takase trying to fight free of Morais's anaconda like grasp...However, Morais suddenly tries for a keylock, but Takase escapes. It proves to be a rouse as Morais suddenly slips below and locks an ankle hold in. Morais wrenches, and pulls with all his power as Takase's is turned in a disgusting angle, but Takase refuses to submit to the hold, after over thirty seconds in the hold, Takase manages to fight free and bound to his feet, obviously favoring his leg. Takase begins to angrily motion for Morais to stand with a look of anger drawn across his brow. Morais tentatively stands up, but is immediately *CRUSHED* by a flurry of punches by Takase! Morais crumbles to the ground and Takase pounces, but Morais now shows his own tenacity by immediately covering up and working to his feet. However, Takase lands a murder of body shot while being behind Morais that makes Morais almost bend over in pain, followed by a second one. Morais begins to defend his body so Takase winds up and blasts Morais from behind with an uppercut to the chin, followed by yet another body blow. Takase finally whiffs on a body blow, and Morais immediately capitalizes with a spinning standing kimura! Morais pulls on Takase's arm, but Takase in his absolute fury breaks free easily. Morais backs away as the furious, injured, and breathing heavy Takase stalks him as the round expires. Takase.

A situation develops in the corners during the break as Morais's corner furiously works on him...suddenly a towel comes flying in from their corner! Michiyoshi Takase immediately climbs to the second rope of his corner and begins to celebrate to the cheers of the crowd as he has become the first ever CONDOR FC Champion!

Kazu Kobayashi came into the ring to present newly crowned champion Michiyoshi Takase with his trophy, and new championship belt. Takase gingerly took both items from Kobayashi, receiving polite applause and cheers for his victory. Gabriel Morais had to be helped out of the ring, apparently having had passed out on the stool between rounds from the beating he had taken...

In his post fight interview, Takase admitted that Morais had severely hurt him...His ribs were hurting from the combined fights tonight, and that he had felt "pops" in his ankle from the ankle lock in round two...but said that at SONIC SPEED, he was trained to be able to ignore pain to get the job done, and had turned the pain into aggression. The interviewer asked Takase who he would want to make his first defense against, but Takase answered that he'd have to see how badly damaged his ankle was first before jokingly saying that he wanted to face President Kazu Kobayashi! Kobayashi at ringside simply smiled at the joke. Takase seriously answered that he didn't know...saying that whenever he was required to defend his championship, he would against anyone. With that, Michiyoshi Takase was announced for the first time as the first ever King of CONDOR to a rousing round of cheers and applause!

CONDOR Fighting Championships
~ CATCH THE FLYING DREAM
August16th, 2008
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,600 fans

1. CONDOR FC GP Reserve Fight: Hachiro Fujii defeated Hideo Gomi at 2'45 in R1 by KO from a Straight
2. CONDOR FC GP Semi Finals: Gabriel Morais defeated Yoshiro Ito at 1'28 in R3 by submission with a Keylock
3. CONDOR FC GP Semi Finals: Michiyoshi Takase defeated Yuki Uematsu by Unanimous Decision
4. Shinjiro Sonoda defeated Kinshiro Murata by Unanimous Decision
5. Yoshikazu Naito defeats Kinjiro Takeda by unanimous decision
6. Ryojiro Iwamura defeated Tokimitsu Hosokawa by unanimous decision
7. Tsubasa Sakuro defeated Masanaka Katakura at 1'33 in R1 by submission with a keylock
8. CONDOR FC GP Finals: Michiyoshi Takase defeated Gabriel Morais at 3'00 in Rd3 by TKO from corner stoppage to become the first King of CONDOR

[CONDOR] CONDOR FC GP Finals Announced!

Kazu Kobayashi held a press meeting in Tokyo to announce the finals of  the CONDOR FC Grand Prix to crown the first ever champion of the promotion. Kobayashi was surrounded by eight new Japanese faces as he began the meeting. Kobayashi explained that these were the eight new fighters that CONDOR FC has signed, with full intentions to broaden the promotion in terms of size. Kobayashi introduced each man, they'd step forward, and Kobayashi would explain who they were and their abilities...Here are some of the highlights, summarized...

Kinshiro Murata (25) (5-4-0), who's style is that of Muay Thai fights out of the SONIC SPEED gym that Michiyoshi Takase fights out of. Murata is a never tiring, never ending bullrush of motion and power striking. He has a critical weakness to the ground, but has been working on his sprawl. However, standing he is a an incredible threat to anyone.

Tsubasa Saburo (30) (0-0-0) is a Judo stylist having made the Japanese team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to place. Saburo is a fearsome grappler up close and was known as the "Lion of Oita" for his fearsome attacks and ferocity. He has not been tested to striking yet, but all accounts from his training say he has come along well.

Ryojiro Iwamura (23) (2-0-0), is an oddity. A Wing Tsun star, Iwamura has transitioned to MMA with some success. Iwamura is a patient fighter, always looking for openings. He uses the Wing Tsun philosophy of staying close to the opponent at all times to good effect by closing the distance and clinching. He does not have any real finishing skills as of yet, but his style makes him a dangerous opponent to face, and hard to figure out.

Yoshikazu Naito (27) (3-1-0), is a blackbelt in Chito-ryu Karate. Naito is a gifted student, as he has developed an overall MMA game even if his Karate background dominates. He is incredibly patient, border lining fanatical but the second an opponent shows an opening, Naito strikes. Naito's "counterstriking" style could give opponents headaches.

Kinjiro Takeda (28) (7-4-0), is a rare type of fighter. Much like Yuki Uematsu, Takeda is a gifted strategist in battle. Incredibly tactical, he makes up for his lack of power and speed by using a fearsome grappling game mixed with an ability to know when to strike to finish an opponent. However, he has a weakness in that he never knows when to quit. His four previous losses were heavy beatings that were eventually stopped.

Shinjiro Sonoda (18) (1-0-0), is a very young gifted fighter. Sonoda is a fighter who loves to play to the ground and taunt his opponents. He loves to entertain, and in fact has given himself the style of "Nanto Seiken", a fictional fighting style from the popular anime Hokuto no Ken. Sonoda is gifted overall, with a talent towards using his fists, but he lacks in no one dimension. Sonoda could be someone to watch in a few months.

Masanaka Katakura (31), (0-2-0) is the elder statesman of the group. Katakura is a long time kickboxer known for his incredible speed and ferocity of his attacks. What sets him apart from fighters like Michiyoshi Takase or the above Kinshiro Murata is that Katakura has virtually no striking power whatsoever. What he uses to make up for it, is incredible speed, a fanatical attack, and a never emptying gas tank. He has poured himself into trying to defend against takedowns as of late, resulting in a strong base.

Tokimitsu Hosokawa (27), (1-0-0) is a former Amateur Greco Roman wrestler, placing eighth in all of Japan in 2005. For the last two years, Hosokawa has trained off and on for MMA while coaching wrestling. Hosokawa is explosive. Incredibly strong, and athletically gifted Hosokawa has taken to MMA well. However, a big question mark is his heart as Hosokawa has given up in the past and could be a question mark in the future.

After Hosokawa had been introduced, Kobayashi thanked them all, and dismissed them. After the eight had filed out, Kobayashi produced a list of the new CONDOR FC Rankings, ranking everyone on their merits that have fought thus far in the promotion.

CONDOR FC RANKINGS:

1. Michiyoshi Takase (2,700)
2. Yuki Uematsu (2,600)
3. Gabriel Morais (2,600)
4. Yoshiro Ito (2,300)
5. Hachirou Fujii (1,700)
6. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura (1,500)
7. Hideo Gomi (1,500)
8. Natsuo Nozaki (1,500)
9. James Scott (1,500)
10. Masanori Ito (1,300)
11. Hernando Perra (1,300)
12. Lee Jung Hyun (1,000)
13. Jacob Loevaas (800)
14. Riley Jacobs (500)
15. Naoyuki Fuchida (300)
16. Akira Kitaoka (275)
17. Takeshi Yamada (0)

UNRANKED: Kong Sheng-Hui, Tsubasa Saburo, Kinshiro Murata, Ryojiro Iwamura, Yoshikazu Naito, Kinjiro Takeda, Shinjiro Sonoda, Masanaka Katakura, Tokimitsu Hosokawa

Kobayashi, with as much dramatic flush as he could muster, announced that the CONDOR FC GP would culminate on 8/19 at the Tokyo Korakuen Hall. The eight men introduced previously would all be fighting, along with the semi finals and final of the tournament.

At this point, Kobayashi introduced Yuki Uematsu, and explained that by random draw, Yuki Uematsu had been given the ability to choose who he would face in the semi finals. The grizzled veteran wasted no time before saying he wanted to face Michiyoshi Takase! With that Kobayashi introduced the other three men, and each gave statements to the press in attendance while sitting behind a table.

Michiyoshi Takase seemed surprised that Yuki Uematsu had called him out after his domination of former boxing champion Hachiro Fujii, but Takase called the fight "interesting", saying that Uematsu must have a plan to have called him out, and was eager to see what he had in store.

Yuki Uematsu revealed why he had called out Takase, saying that he felt that Takase may have a weakness he can exploit. He also said that he considers Takase the strongest in the field, and wanted to wage war against the best.

Yoshiro Ito seemed to be furious at Uematsu's comments that Takase was the "strongest", saying that he too had won all his fights thus far in CONDOR and had knocked out the heavy favorite Hideo Gomi with little problem. Ito slammed his fist down on the table and demanded that no one overlook him in this tournament.

Gabriel Morais was last to speak, through an interpreter. Morais was smiling, and happy to be there as he called all three other men "warriors" and said that he was proud to have made it this far...but said that his #1 goal was to win the championship and display it to his family and friends in Brazil!

With that, Kazu Kobayashi called an end to the press meeting and announced the lineups for CONDOR's very first big event!

CONDOR Fighting Championships
~ CATCH THE FLYING DREAM
August16th, 2008
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. CONDOR FC Reserve Fight: Hideo Gomi vs. Hachiro Fujii
2. CONDOR FC GP Semi Finals: Yoshiro Ito vs. Gabriel Morais
3. CONDOR FC GP Semi Finals: Michyoshi Takase vs. Yuki Uematsu
4. Shinjiro Sonoda vs. Kinshiro Murata
5. Yoshikazu Naito vs. Kinjiro Takeda
6. Tokimitsu Hosokawa vs. Ryojiro Iwamura
7. Tsubasa Sakuro vs. Masanaka Katakura
8. CONDOR FC GP Finals: Y. Ito/Morais vs. Takase/Uematsu

[CONDOR] 7/6/08 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE FIRST MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ HERNANDO PERRA [70 kg / 183 cm / FREE STYLE / BRAZIL} ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ RILEY JACOBS [70 kg / 178 cm / BOXING / UNITED STATES}

Round one began very slowly, with neither fighter wanting to make any serious mistakes. However, Hernando Perra scored the first strike as he blasted Jacobs with a surprising spinning backfist. Jacobs was reeling, but Perra could not finish him, and Jacobs managed to hold on for the rest of the round. Perra.

Round two saw Jacobs come out aggressive, having cleared the cob webs with several body shots. The two fighters accidently cracked heads, with Perra obviously getting the worst of it. Jacobs poured it on with technical striking skills but Perra held his own and refused to go down. With seconds left, Perra landed a staggering straight but Jacobs simply absorbed it as time ran out. Jacobs.

Hernando Perra came out strong for round three, while Jacobs's overall damage was begining to show. Perra landed several weak glancing shots before trying for a low kick that missed. Perra left himself hanging, and Jacobs landed a massive uppercut that sent Perra stumbling backwards. Jacobs threw a barrage, but Perra managed to avoid most before shooting in for a takedown that did not get. The round expired with both men breathing heavily. Perra.

In terms of damage, Perra wins. In terms of significant shots, Jacobs wins.

Judge 1: Perra
Judge 2: Perra
Judge 3: Perra

Hernando Perra wins by unanimous decision.

THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER ~ NAKAMURA, AKASHI [70 kg / 180 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ KITAOKA, AKIRA [66 kg / 168 cm / GRECO ROMAN WRESTLING / JAPAN]

Round one begins with a bang as the smaller Kitaoka lands a massive straight right to Nakamura's chin. Nakamura stumbles, but then launched a desperate low kick that catches Kitaoka as he steps forward and staggers him. Kitaoka shoots in, but is met with an uppercut from Nakamura stumbling Kitaoka again. Kitaoka's knees buckled and he dropped to guard. Nakamura isn't interested in engaging him, and after several seconds Kitaoka is forced to stand. Kitaoka rushes forward, grabs Nakamura and hits a strong bodyblow before dropping Nakamura with a slam. From there, Kitaoka lands several strong punches but Nakamura is equally as agressive using an active guard to keep Kitaoka from passing his guard. The round expires with Kitaoka not being able to do anything significant with his takedown. Nakamura.

Round two begins with both men being slow off the starting blocks. Nakamura in particular uses this extra time to get his breath back, but his relaxed state allows Kitaoka to shoot in and get the takedown with a double leg. Nakamura once again tries to use an active guard to keep Kitaoka at bay, but Kitaoka changes plans and simply begins to fire barrages from the guard. Kitaoka lands solid shot after solid shot, with Nakamura's guard not helping, but keeping him from taking massive damage as the round expires. Kitaoka.

Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura looks worried as round three begins, as he moves from an aggressive standup policy to protecting from the takedown. Kitaoka over commits himself to a shoot, and Nakamura catches him in a guillotine. Nakamura puts everything he has into it, but Kitaoka slips his head free after a few seconds. The fight pace, and the guillotine seem to have taken a toil on Kitaoka, as his movements are suddenly slower and his breathing heavy. Nakamura begins to land more punches on the slowed Kitaoka. Kitaoka backs away from Nakamura, but it proves to be a trick as Nakamura closes the distance, Kitaoka grabs him and drops him to the ground. Instead of hitting strikes, Kitaoka tries desperately to catch his wind, and the few strikes he tries Nakamura avoids as time runs out. Nakamura.

Nakamura controlled more of the match with his striking, takedown avoidance, and a near submission, but Kitaoka got a takedown in every round, and dominated round two. It could go either way.

Judge 1: Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura
Judge 2: Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura
Judge 3: Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura

Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura wins by unanimous decision.

THE THIRD MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND ~ RED CORNER ~ ITO, YOSHIRO [70 kg / 175 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ GOMI, HIDEO [70 kg / 173 cm / PANKRATION / JAPAN]

Gomi comes out throwing jabs in round one, with multiple landing on Ito. However, Ito doesn't flinch and simply comes at Gomi. Gomi uses his speed to avoid many of Ito's early shots, but a strong low kick causes a big welt to appear on Gomi's leg, and slows his movement. Ito begins to land shots, including very strong knee shots in a clinch to hurt Gomi, but not enough to drop him. Gomi has no answer for Ito's barrage as time expires. Ito.

Round Two begins with Ito continuing to land at will on Gomi, including clinching and dirty boxing Gomi and working the body. Gomi lands an overhand right once he broke free that momentarily stuns Ito, before shooting in...Ito snuffs the takedown and lands an absolutely murder of a knee to Gomi's face, stunning him immensely. Ito then lands several punches to the stunned Gomi who is on all fours, but time runs out before Ito can finish Gomi. Ito.

Round Three begins much the same as the other rounds, with Ito landing on Gomi at will. A body blow causes Gomi to visibly flinch and favor his side, as Ito continues to target it. None of Gomi's shots seem to have any power behind them as Ito simply walks through them. Ito lands hooks, jabs, straights on the near defenseless Gomi, who clinches desperately to try and make it to the decision. Ito seems to be enjoying himself, as he begins to cheer that he's won the fight before the fight's even finished...Gomi can do nothing about it, but hold on as the round expires. Ito.

This should be an easy decision by Yoshiro Ito. Hideo Gomi tried, but he was clearly out struck by Ito, who used speed and power to dangerous effect.

Judge 1: Yoshiro Ito
Judge 2: Yoshiro Ito
Judge 3: Yoshiro Ito

Yoshiro Ito wins by unanimous decision

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND ~ RED CORNER ~ GABRIEL MORAIS [70 kg / 183 cm / JIT JITSU / BRAZIL] ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ JAMES SCOTT [70 kg / 185 cm / FREESTYLE WRESTLING / UNITED STATES]

Round one begins with James Scott once again showing how one dimensional he is, as he simply bullrushes into Gabriel Morais into a corner trying for a takedown. Morais and Scott land some punches, but nothing dramatic as Morais defends well against Scott's takedowns. Scott never can get Morais to the ground, but neither man does anything of note as the round expires.  Even.

Scott shoots in to start round two, but Morais blocks it with a guillotine attempt. Scott breaks it with sheer strength. Scott lands a strong uppercut in the clinch, and after seconds of jockeying for position in a clinch makes Morais fold like an accordian with a brutal body shot to the liver. Scott leaps on Morais and into Morais's guard. Morais is incredibly active on the ground, trying for ankle sweeps, and a guillotine choke, but Scott powers out of both. Scott lands some shots as the round expires. Scott.

In an odd switch, Morais begins to actively look for a takedown, probably thinking he can catch the pure wrestler in a submission. Scott, who probably has the same idea, defends against it. Morais then switches gears and pulls guard to get the fight to the ground. Scott tries to immediately make Morias regret the decision with ground and pound, but leaves himself vulernable as Morais grabs him in a guillotine. Scott fights his way free, but leaves himself unstable and Morais sweeps him. Morais tries for a knee lock, but when that doesn't work he scrambles for top control. Morais passes to side control, before seemlessly grabbing Scott's leg out of the blew and twisting it with an ankle hold! Scott immediately taps out, giving the win to Gabriel Morais.

Gabriel Morais winns by ankle hold in Round 3 2'40

THE FIFTH MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND ~ RED CORNER ~ UEMATSU, YUKI  [66 kg / 168 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ ITO, MASANORI [70 kg / 178 cm / SUBMISSION WRESTLING / JAPAN]

Masanori Ito comes out strong against the much older Yuki Uematsu, landing with a body shot and some punches. Uematsu tries to take Ito down, but Ito grabs his head to avoid it. Ito responds with his own takedown, taking Uematsu down with ease. This proves to be an immensely bad decision, as Uematsu immediately throws his legs up and catches Ito within seconds of hitting the ground, forcing Ito to submit to a triangle choke!

Yuki Uematsu wins with a Triangle Choke at 2'10 in Round 1.

THE FINAL MATCH ~ CONDOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND ~ RED CORNER ~ TAKASE, MICHIYOSHI [70 kg / 173 cm / MUAY THAI / JAPAN] ~ VERSUS ~ BLUE CORNER ~ FUJII, HACHIRO [70 kg / 170 cm / BOXING / JAPAN]

Takase starts round one with a shock as he lands a massive superman punch to Fujii's face. Takase tries a highkick, but misses and Fujii grabs him from behind. The two fight each other for a few seconds before Fujii lets go and lands a glancing body shot on Takase. Takase responds with a 1-2 of a body shot of his own and a low kick. The two continue to throw heavy, as Fujii lands another strong body shot. Takase responds with an uppercut that staggers the former boxing champion. Takase fakes with a jab, Fujii avoids and Takase blasts him with a hook that sends Fujii backing away. Fujii stumbles backwards and Takase throws a massive barrage of punches, the last catching Fujii flush and he collapses backwards for the instant KO!

Michiyoshi Takase wins by KO at 1'55 in Round 1

CONDOR Fighting Championships 3~ GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND
July 6th, 2008
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,100

1. Hernando Perra defeated Riley Jacobs by unanimous decision
2. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura defeated Akira Kitaoka by unanimous decision
3. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Yoshiro Ito defeated Hideo Gomi by unanimous decision
4. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Gabriel Morais defeated James Scott at 2'40 by Submission in R3 with a Ankle Hold
5. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Yuki Uematsu defeated Masanori Ito at 2'10 by Submission in R1 with a Triangle Choke
6. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Michiyoshi Takase defeated Hachiro Fujii at 1'55 in R1 by KO with a Barrage of Punches

CONDOR FC ~ 6/24/08 ~ CONDOR FC GP?!

After over a month with no news, CONDOR FC President Kazu Kobayashi suddenly revealed to the Tokyo media the new CONDOR FC Rankings that reflect the last show...

CONDOR FC RANKINGS

1. Hachirou Fujii (2,000)
James Scott (2,000)
2. Yoshiro Ito (1,800)
Masanori Ito
Yuki Uematsu
Gabriel Morais (1,800)
3. Michiyoshi Takase (1,700)
Hideo Gomi (1,700)
4. Natsuo Nozaki (1,500)
5. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura (1,000)
Lee Jung Hyun (1,000)
6. Hernando Perra (800)
Jacob Loevaas (800)
7. Riley Jacobs (700)
8. Akira Kitaoka (475)
9. Naoyuki Fuchida (300)
10. Takeshi Yamada (0)

Kobayashi then announced a CONDOR FC GRAND PRIX to crown the first champion in CONDOR FC! Kobayashi stated that he had originally planned to do a decision match, but with so many people after two shows being neck and neck, this would be the best way to decide it...The eight top ranked fighters in CONDOR will fight over two shows to crown the first champion. The fighters include

Hachirou Fujii
James Scott
Masanori Ito
Yuki Uematsu
Gabriel Morais
Yoshiro Ito
Michiyoshi Takase
Hideo Gomi

Kobayashi then revealed that the event will take place in July, on the sixth at Korakuen Hall! Kobayashi spoke briefly on the fights...

Hernando Perra and Riley Jacobs is the classic battle between two different styles. Perra is a ground fighter, while Jacobs is a stand up fighter. Kobayashi said it will be "interesting" to see which style wins.

Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura versus Akira Kitaoka should be interesting. Nakamura held his own against Michiyoshi Takase, while Kitaoka was beaten by Yoshiro Ito soundly. Kobayashi wondered aloud if Kitaoka's wrestling could carry him to victory...

In the first tournament match, Yoshiro Ito takes on Hideo Gomi...Ito showed a great overall game against Akira Kitaoka, but Kobayashi said this will be a massive step up in competition for him against Hideo Gomi. Gomi's overall game is one of the best in CONDOR, with crisp boxing, and ground work. Kobayashi called this a "toss up".

The second tournament match sees the two gaijins face off...James Scott has racked up two wins in CONDOR, but Kobayashi was actually dismissive of Scott, saying that he's shown "nothing but ability to hold people", hence the making of this fight. Gabriel Morais is a fantastic BJJ fighter, with good punching abilities. Kobayashi said that we'll see what both men can do in this fight.

The third tournament match sees Yuki Uematsu take on Masanori Ito. Both men scored submission victories in their debuts in CONDOR, but both are highly skilled and dangerous as the other. Masanori Ito is very strong, and able to out power opponents on the ground, while Uematsu relies more on his form and game plans. Kobayashi wistfully asked if Masanori Ito's physical style of fighting would be enough to overcome Yuki Uematsu's mental tenacity.

The main event sees one of the few truly "drawing" fights in CONDOR FC. Former boxing champion Hachirou Fujii takes on the "golden boy" of CONDOR FC, Michiyoshi Takase! Both men scored victories in their CONDOR FC debuts, but Fujii easily knocked out Riley Jacobs, while Michiyoshi Takase won the decision over Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura. Kobayashi praised both their strengths, but said this was a battle between two "devil storm" types of fighters, and a battle between the skills of Boxing and Muay Thai. Kobayashi said that no matter what happened, the end result would be memorable for ages to come.

CONDOR FC.3 ~ GRASP THE GOLD
GRAND PRIX OPENING ROUND
July 6th, 2008
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Hernando Perra vs. Riley Jacobs
2. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura vs. Akira Kitaoka
3. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Yoshiro Ito vs. Hideo Gomi
4. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Gabriel Morais vs. James Scott
5. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Yuki Uematsu vs. Masanori Ito
6. CONDOR GP Opening Round: Michiyoshi Takase vs. Hachiro Fujii

CONDOR FC.2 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE FIRST MATCH ~ RED CORNER - NATSUO NOZAKI
[70 kg / 170 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - JACOB
LOEVAAS [70 kg / 185 cm / KICKBOXING / NETHERLANDS]



Both fights came in cautiously, but it was Loevaas who scored the first
two blows with a hook and a low kick combination. However, Nozaki fired
back with an overhand right that cracked Loevaas. However, despite
trying his best to avoid it, Nozaki was able to take Loevaas down to
the ground, where the fight remained for the rest of round one. Nozaki
nearly had a submission with a neck crank, but Loevaas survived. Round
two saw much of the same, as Loevaas kept loading up his shots, but was
unable to connect with them. Nozaki eventually got Loevaas to the
ground, and tried several submissions but Loevaas escaped them all. In
the closing seconds of round two, Loevaas sweeped Nozaki but was unable
to do anything with it. Round three saw Loevaas try for a desperate
flying knee, but Nozaki avoided it and took Loevaas to the ground,
where the fight remained without activity for the rest of the round.
Due to controlling the entire fight, Nozaki won by unanimous decision.



THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER - GABRIEL MORAIS [70 kg / 183 cm / JIU
JITSU / BRAZIL] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - TAKESHI YAMADA [70 kg / 173 cm /
KICKBOXING / JAPAN]



Takeshi Yamada came out aggressive, trying to use Morais's head for
batting practice, however, after a minute of this he left himself open
and Gabriel Morais shot in for the takedown. After another minute of
working for position, Morais grabbed a keylock in the closing seconds
of round one, and secured it, forcing Yamada to submit giving Morais
the submission victory!



THE THIRD MATCH ~ RED CORNER - JAMES SCOTT [70 kg / 185 cm /
FREESTYLE WRESTLING / USA] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - NAOYUKI FUCHIDA [70
kg / 178 cm / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]



James Scott immediately came out firing off takedowns, but Fuchida
managed to avoid them all until finally being taken down to the ground.
Scott spent the rest of round one firing off weak ground and pound as
Fuchida desperately attempted to escape from Scott, but was unable to
do so as round one ended. Round two saw them end up in the clinch where
Scott landed several strong short uppercuts until Fuchida turned his
back on Scott to escape...Scott then threw Fuchida to the mat from
behind and finished the round off dropping strong ground and pound as
Fuchida survived the beating to round three. Round three went exactly
as rounds one and two had went. Scott landed some shots before taking
Fuchida down, and used his wrestling to land some punches and hold
Fuchida there. The fight expired with Fuchida never coming up with the
answer for Scott's wrestling. All three judges gave it to Scott easily,
earning the unanimous decision.



THE SEMI FINAL ~ RED CORNER - LEE JUNG HYUN [68 kg / 170 cm / TAE
KWON DO / KOREA] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - HIDEO GOMI [70 kg / 173 cm /
PANKRATION / JAPAN]



Both fighters threw shots to open up round one, but it was Gomi who
landed the hardest shot. A one two jab into a cross sent Hyun stumbling
across the room, until suddenly the Tae Kwon Do fighter pulled guard,
sucking Gomi to the ground! The tactic proved to be more of a way to
regain his mental facilities as he held Gomi as much as he could until
round one expired. Round two was hardly a barnburner, as Gomi took Hyun
down early and then used his superior ground skills to slowly grind on
the Tae Kwon Do fighter until the round expired. Round three was unlike
round one or two, as the two suddenly decided to stand and trade. Hyun
worked the clinch while throwing strong kicks to Gomi, who instead
stayed in a dirty boxing style. In the closing seconds of the round,
Hyun got Gomi to the ground and tried for a toe hold, but Gomi sweeped,
only to have Hyun scramble but give up his back, yet still climb to the
feet as the round expired. Hideo Gomi was awarded the unanimous
decision for doing more damage and controlling the pace of the fight.



THE MAIN EVENT ~ RED CORNER - HACHIROU FUJII [70 kg / 170 cm /
BOXING / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - RILEY JACOBS [70 kg / 178 cm /
BOXING / USA]



Unlike every other fight on the card, this fight was not going to the
ground. Jacobs and Fujii came in aggressively, and worked angles in
what was almost a pure boxing fight with smaller globes. Riley
attempted to stay out of Fujii's reach, but Fujii would dash inside and
work the body of Jacobs. Eventually, his constant barrage of body
punches began to pay off as Jacobs was visibly flinching from each blow.
Fujii poured on the body shots, until he was landing absolutely
crushing blows to Jacobs' body, one after the other. Jacobs tried to
create distance for himself, but backed up right into a barrage of
punches from Fujii in the corner, until the referee leaped in between
them to get the stoppage!



CONDOR FC.2 ~ SOAR THE CHALLENGE

5/19/08

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

900 fans



1. Natsuo Nozaki defeated Jacob Loevaas by unanimous decision

2. Gabriel Morais defeated Takeshi Yamada at 2:25 in Round 1 by submission with a Keylock

3. James Scott defeated Naoyuki Fuchida by unanimous decision

4. Hideo Gomi defeated Lee Jung Hyun by unanimous decision

5. Hachirou Fujii defeated Riley Jacobs at 2:45 in Round 1 by TKO from punches

CONDOR FC ~ 5/17/08 ~ CONDOR FC joins BATTLEFUSION!

In a surprise announcement, it was revealed that CONDOR FC has joined the Pro-Wrestling network of promotions called BATTLEFUSION. CONDOR FC becomes the first MMA promotion to join the pro-wrestling network!

Kazu Kobayashi said that while inter-promotional work would be "difficult" due to CONDOR's structure, he welcomed the opportunity for further exposure for his small promotion to the wrestling world!

CONDOR FC's next event is just two days away...

CONDOR FC 2 ~ SOAR THE CHALLENGE
5/19/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Natsuo Nozaki vs. Jacob Loevaas
2. Gabriel Morais vs. Takeshi Yamada
3. James Scott vs. Naoyuki Fuchida
4. Lee Jung Hyun vs. Hideo Gomi
5. Hachirou Fujii vs. Riley Jacobs

CONDOR FC ~ 4/29/08 ~ News

Kazu Kobayashi called a press conference following CONDOR FC's debut show at Tokyo Korakuen Hall. Kobayashi gave candid thoughts to the media, saying that building CONDOR would be a "challenge" but one that he was comitted to doing! WIth that in mind, Kobayashi revealed that CONDOR FC had began to expand their roster with three new signings. From Korean, a former National level Tae Kwon Do fighter Lee Jung Hyun. From Brazil, the BJJ specialist Gabriel Morais, and from Japan, the teammate of Hideo Gomi, Natsuo Nozaki...

Kobayashi gave thoughts on the first event, saying the main event had exceeded all his expectations. Kobayashi praised both men for their incredible fight, and said that he had awarded both men with high praise post-fight...Nakamura was one of the two fighters with a cut during the event, but that he had been fine, but wouldn't be fighting for a while.

After revealing that Kobayashi revealed the plans for CONDOR FC...to crown a champion by July! When someone asked why the wait, Kobayashi stated that CONDOR FC would use a ranking system, and when July came, the two top fighters on that ranking system would fight for the championship... Kobayashi called it a "mad dash to first" with the fighters before July comes around. Kobayashi didn't reveal any specifics of the system, but that is it point based off various factors in the fight. With that Kobayashi revealed the current rankings of CONDOR FC

CONDOR FC RANKINGS
1. Yoshiro Ito (1,800)

Masanori Ito

Yuki Uematsu
3. Michiyoshi Takase (1,700)
4. James Scott (1,500)
5. Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura (1,000)
6. Hernando Perra (800)
7. Naoyuki Fuchida (500)
Takeshi Yamada (500)
9. Akira Kitaoka (475)

Unranked: Hideo Gomi, Jacob Loevaas, Riley Jacobs, Hachirou Fujii, Lee Jung Hyun, Natsuo Nozaki & Gabriel Morais

Kobayashi then revealed the next event for CONDOR FC, called "Soar the Challenge" and will once again originate at Tokyo Korakuen Hall...Kobayashi said that they had put together a fight that would intrigue fans as two former high level boxers will collide in the MMA world as Riley Jacobs from the United States will step onto Japanese soil to fight Hachirou Fujii! The show will also see the CONDOR FC debuts of Natsuo Nozaki, Jacob Loevaas, Gabriel Morais, Lee Jung Hyun & Hideo Gomi!

CONDOR FC 2 ~ SOAR THE CHALLENGE
5/19/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (2,100)

1. Natsuo Nozaki vs. Jacob Loevaas
2. Gabriel Morais vs. Takeshi Yamada
3. James Scott vs. Naoyuki Fuchida
4. Lee Jung Hyun vs. Hideo Gomi
5. Hachirou Fujii vs. Riley Jacobs

CONDOR FC 1 ~ TAKE THE FLIGHT

CONDOR FC’s debut show saw a disappointing 1,119 fans gather for the event…However, before the show, president Kazu Kobayashi came out to greet the fans and announced that after the show tonight, details on the next CONDOR FC event would be revealed, along with other major information adding that CONDOR FC would be around for time to come!

THE FIRST MATCH ~ RED CORNER - AKIRA KITAOKA [168 cm / 66 kg / Greco-Roman Wrestling / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - YOSHIRO ITO [175 cm / 70 kg / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Both fighters came together immediately, with Ito trying to work close in with short punches and uppercuts, however, Kitaoka tried to get Ito to the mat, and after a minute finally succeeded in doing so. From there, Yoshiro Ito tried valiantly to contain Kitaoka's relentless ground and pound, along with attempts to pass guard. Round one ended up being a stalemate on the ground, but Ito took many shots. Round two began with an immediate shift in tactics by Ito, as he begun to exploit Kitaoka's weak stand up game with incredible body shots to the midsection of Kitaoka. Kitaoka tried desperately to get Ito to the ground, but Ito stood steadfast and continued to land body punches...After several hard shots, Kitaoka suddenly motioned to the referee and verbally submitted at 2:21 in round two!

THE SECOND MATCH ~ RED CORNER - MASANORI ITO [178 cm / 70 kg / Submission Wrestling / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - TAKESHI YAMADA [173 cm / 70 kg / Kickboxing / JAPAN]

Takeshi Yamada begun the fight by trying to keep the distance with weak punches and kicks, however, he let his guard down and Ito suddenly shooted in with a takedown catching Yamada by surprise...From there, Ito worked a Keylock and nearly had the hold locked in tight before he suddenly let go of the hold and transitioned into a beautiful knee bar! The knee bar caught Yamada by surprise and quickly the kickboxer submitted without much of a fight!

THE THIRD MATCH ~ RED CORNER - YUKI UEMATSU [168 cm / 66 kg / FREE STYLE / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - NAOYUKI FUCHIDA [178 cm / 70 kg / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

Yuki Uematsu immediately dropped to guard within the opening seconds of the fight, resulting in almost a minute of posturing from both fighters...However, Uematsu leaped to his feet and landed several sudden blows on Fuchida before taking him down to the mat! Uematsu worked for an armbar, but Fuchida showed his own skills by sweeping Uematsu in the closing seconds of round one before heading into the second round. In the second round, they traded weak blows before Uematsu once again landed a strong shot on Fuchida leading directly to a second takedown. However, Fuchida's guard manages to contain Uematsu from doing any damage or getting progress. However, Uematsu suddenly grabbed Fuchida by the head and yanked violently upwards using his strength to secure a Can Opener on Fuchida! With no recourse, Fuchida submitted before any permanent damage could occur!

THE FOURTH MATCH ~ RED CORNER - JAMES SCOTT [185 cm / 70 kg / Freestyle Wrestling / USA] ~VERSUS~ BLUE CORNER - HERNANDO PERRA [183 cm / 70 kg / FREE STYLE / BRAZIL]

James Scott's tactic began evident immediately as he shooted in for a takedown and secured it seconds into the fight. Hernando Perra attempted to use his guard to control the movements of Scott, but Scott used his power to "grind" on Perra, doing some damage and forcing him to loosen his guard until Scott was able to get to side mount at the end of the round but was unable to seal any type of deal before the round could end. However, a blow at the end of the round opened up a cut below one of Perra's eyes that his corner couldn't stop the bleeding from...Scott's game plan remained the same, but Perra was able to keep Scott from getting the takedown. A minute into the round, time was called and the doctor came in to evaluate the cut...After some time, the cut was closed and Perra was allowed to continue. Scott attempted to close the distance, but Perra landed a strong uppercut that rocked Scott, but the American still managed to yank Perra to the ground again. Scott once again began to "grind" on Perra in an attempt to wear the Brazilian out, and the round ended with Scott landing blows on Perra's face. Round Three began quick with Perra throwing blows that rocked Scott, but Scott this time took Perra down a minute in, and unlike the first two rounds proceeded to simply hold Perra down at all costs...Perra tried to fight Scott, but the American's power was too much, and he hugged Perra until the round ended...James Scott did just enough to receive the Unanimous Decision over Hernando Perra...

THE MAIN EVENT MATCH ~ RED CORNER - MICHIYOSHI TAKASE [173 cm / 70 kg / Muay Thai / JAPAN] ~VERSUS~ AKASHI "TIGER" NAKAMURA [180 cm / 70 kg / FREE STYLE / JAPAN]

With the title of "signboard" fighter for CONDOR FC hanging in the balance, both fighters came out swinging. Takase landed a jab, but Nakamura came over the top of that with a cross...This seemed to infuriate Takase who unleashed a brutal assault of crosses, hooks, and uppercuts! Nakamura took all the blows on the chin, and kept fighting as blood began to pour out his face from a cut near his eye. However, Nakamura's favor turned as he caught a kick from Takase and took the Muay Thai fighter to the ground! Takase fought to get free, but Nakamura was able to hold on to him until the round ended, giving Nakamura a welcome respite. Round two began with Takase storming across the ring, only to end up in a clinch with Nakamura...Nakamura then lifted Takase and DROVE him headfirst into the mat! Nakamura stayed in guard for a long portion of time, still trying to clear his head from the assault earlier, but gave Takase time to recover...In the closing portions of Round Two, Nakamura suddenly tried for a Can Opener that Uematsu had used earlier...Takase fought and was able to escape as round two ended! Round three began with a vicious uppercut from Takase that opened Nakamura's cut up further forcing the doctor to come in and deal with it...Nakamura was allowed to continue the fight. Takase landed a jab, but again had no answer for Nakamura's driving takedown...However, Takase managed to fight his way out offt he ground and back up! Nakamura fired a low kick, but Takase countered with a one-two to Nakamura's midsection and head that stunned him! Nakamura retreated, but Takase stormed forward with a stream of punches to Nakamura's face, followed by a clinch and a VICIOUS body punch that made Nakamura crumble to the mat! Instead of finishing, Takase showed his youthful inexperience by letting Nakamura stand back up with seconds left in round three...With that, the third and final round finished...However, despite Nakamura's ground control, Takase had down enough damage to earn a unanimous decision!

CONDOR FC 1 ~ TAKE THE FLIGHT
4/29/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,119 fans

1. Yoshiro Ito defeated Akira Kitaoka at 2:21 in Round 2 by Verbal Submission from Body Punches
2. Masanori Ito defeated Takeshi Yamada at 1:35 in Round 1 by Submission from a Kneebar
3. Yuki Uematsu defeated Naoyuki Fuchida at 1:59 in Round 2 by Submission with a Can Opener
4. James Scott defeated Hernando Perra by Unanimous Decision
5. Michiyoshi Takase defeated Akashi "Tiger" Nakamura by Unanimous Decision