13 Lucky in Osaka, Kitazaki Squeaks By in Tokyo

While most of the MMA world tuned-in to Las Vegas for UFC 84 last weekend, three of Japan’s noblest promotions put on shows in Osaka, Tokyo, and Sapporo respectively.

Pancrase Results

Pancrase held its fourth iteration of its 2008 Shining tour in Azelea Taisho Hall in Osaka Sunday.

In the main,  event, “13″ Daisuke Hanazawa (9-9-5) scored his first “w” of 2008 with a two-round UD over Takefumi Hanai (2-4-2), Hanai’s third consecutive loss.

Featherweight Soyu Tanabe (4-3-1) knocked out Pancrase regular Kenji Takeshige (4-7-1) at 3:44 of the first round.

Middleweight Masahiro Toryu (5-3-3) denied Shuji Morikawa (0-2-1) his first “W” by submitting him in a guillotine choke at 3:36 of round one.

In other fights, Kenji Shimada (4-2) knocked out Takashi Hasegawa (3-6-3) at 1:58 of round one.

“Strasser” Kiichi Kunimoto (5-2) won a two-round UD over “Yuushi Edaori” Yu Shiori (5-1).

Isao Hirose (2-0) also scored a decision unanimously over “Punch” Nobuhiro Yamauchi (4-3).

DEEP Results

Three-hundred-and-fifty miles away in Tokyo Saturday night, DEEP continued its clubDEEP series at Shinjuku FACE.

In the main event, Toshiaki Kitada (7-3-2) and “Nukinpo!” Ippo Watanuki (7-6-2) fought to a two-round draw in a featherweight match-up.

Welterweight Yasushi Kitazaki (8-4-1) won a two-round split decision over Sotaro Yamada (5-4).

Lightweight Takafumi Otsuka (6-2-1) slammed Isamu Sugiuchi (7-7-2) at 3:51 of round one and pounded out a TKO.

Middleweights Yoshitomo Watanabe (6-7-2) and Ryoji Suzuki (3-2-1) fought to a draw.

“IMN Grappling” Kazuya Hirose (1-0) spun a back fist into American Guy Delameau‘s head, knocking him cold at 1:40 of round one.

Shooto Results

Sunday in Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, Shooto put on its second GIG NORTH show.

“Mach” Hayato Sakurai‘s (32-8-2) student Tomonori Taniguchi (3-5-2) won a two-round unanimous decision over Sapporo boy Daisuke Ishizawa (3-5).

Another of Sakurai’s students, Kunio Nakajima (1-2-1) scored his first “W” with a majority decision over local “Aniki” Hidekazu Asakura (1-4).

Light heavyweight Akihiko Adachi (4-4-2) TKO’d winless Nobuyasu Fujikawa (0-2-2) one minute into the second round.

Undefeated Sapporo product Fumihiro Kitahara (2-0) tapped “Cat” Hayato Sato (1-5-1) in an armbar at 2:46 of round two.

In his pr debut, Yusuke Sato (1-0) knocked out Tatsuya Yamamoto (1-1) with a flying knee in just 56 seconds.

Mach Dojo’s “KG Shinto” Hiroki Kuga (1-1) won a unanimous decision over Sapporo’s winless Yoshiki Noguchi (0-3).

Finally, hometown featherweight “Mitsuru” Atsushi Kobayashi (1-0) debuted victoriously with a first-round TKO of “Yokosai” Toshihiko Yokoyama (1-3) at 3:48.