» Fighter: Jorge Santiago

Polish middleweight Mamed Khalidov (14-3-1) and Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will rematch for Santiago’s title at Sengoku in Tokyo March 7, according to Sherdog.

Read More About Sengoku: Mamed Khalidov Versus Jorge Santiago to Rematch for MW Title…

Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will fight Mamed Khalidov (14-3-1) in a non-title bout and American “Monster” Kevin Randleman (17-13) will matchup versus Bulgarian light heavyweight Stanislav Nedkov (3-0) at Sengoku Eleventh Battle in Tokyo November 7, Sengoku announced Friday.

Santiago of Brazil hasn’t fought since submitting “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (22-9-2) at Sengoku north of Tokyo January 4.

Khalidov of Poland debuted in the United States with a second-round TKO of brief The Ultimate Fighter 8 contestant Jason Guida (18-22) at ShoXC east of Chicago in October 2008.  Last May, Khalidov knocked out former PRIDE fighter Daniel Acacio (14-5) at KSW 11 in Warsaw.

Read More About Jorge Santiago’s, Kevin Randleman’s Opponents Announced for Sengoku’s 11th Battle…

Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will defend his title at Sengoku Eleventh Battle in Tokyo 7 November, Sengoku announced on its website Friday.

Also announced are former UFC heavyweight champion “Monster” Kevin Randleman (17-13), who now competes at 185 pounds, and former UFC lightweight Michihiro Omigawa (3-7).

No opponents were announced for any of the fighters.

A report Thursday claimed that Randleman could fight “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0), but Fighters.com has not confirmed that report.

While it had been previously announced that Sengoku 7 would feature “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-4) versus the Lightweight Grand Prix winner, and “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2) versus the Middleweight GP winner, World Victory Road made it official Friday.

Fighters.com’s second-ranked lightweight Gomi will face Satoru Kitaoka (21-9-7), and ninth-ranked middleweight Misaki will face Jorge Santiago (18-7).  The first-ever WVR titles in both weight classes will be on the line.

Heavyweight Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1) is also on the card.

Gomi will fight for the belt despite losing his last fight versus Red Devil Sports Club’s Sergey Golyaev (8-5) 1 November at Sengoku 6 via split decision.

Kitaoka won the lightweight tournament at the same event by submitting sixth-ranked Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2) with a first-round heel hook, then defeating Kazunori Yokota (7-1-2) via unanimous decision.

Misaki last fought in September at Strikeforce versus “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-10).  Riggs was felled via TKO in round two.

Santiago submitted Siyar Bahadurzada (9-3-1) via first-round heel hook and TKO’d  Kazuhiro Nakamura (12-8) in round three to win the middleweight tournament at Sengoku 6.

Yoshida submitted “Mo” Maurice Smith (13-13) by neck crank at Sengoku 3 in June.

“Afghan Killa” Siyar Bahadurzada (14-3-1) spoke exclusively with Fighters.com after his controversial victory over “Cyborg” Evangelista Santos (16-12) by TKO due to injury in the first round of Sengoku’s Middleweight Grand Prix.

As a child, Bahadurzada immigrated to the Netherlands from war-torn Afghanistan, but became stuck there without a passport as his fight career took off.  In July 2007, he was finally allowed to travel to Japan to fight (and beat) Shiko Yamashita (10-4-3) for the Shooto title.

Fighters.com: Can you describe the difference between your feelings when you first arrived in Holland after leaving Afghanistan, then when you first arrived in Japan to fight after being stuck in Holland?  Holland must’ve been both a place of refuge from war-torn Afghanistan, but then like a cage keeping you from furthering your fight career?

Siyar Bahadurzada: When I first came to Holland I felt like I was given a second chance.  I just went for it and kept trying to make something out of my life.  I learned to speak Dutch in almost six months.  I was [studying] very hard and, besides, not to forget, I’m pretty gifted in learning languages. I can speak several languages very well.

But, when I went to Japan, I felt different.  Coming to Holland was different because I was saved from the war; but, when I came to Japan, I felt like, “Now it is my time to shine.  My 15 minutes of fame is on!”  I feel invincible when I’m in Japan.  Somehow, the environment in Japan drives me to my limits, motivates me to take one step more and go for my dreams!

Read More About Bahadurzada: “I will beat Misaki. He knows it!”…

World Victory Road has officially added their Middleweight Grand Prix to Sengoku 6, taking place 1 November in Saitama, Japan.

The winner of the tournament will face Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) for the first-ever middleweight belt 4 January in Saitama at Sengoku 7.

Kazuhiro Nakamura (12-8) will face Yuki Sasaki (22-14-1), and Jorge Santiago (18-7) will face “Afghan Killa” Siyar Bahadurzada (14-3-1).

The event already features a lightweight tournament to determine an opponent for Fighters.com’s second-ranked lightweight “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-3) at Sengoku 7 for the title.

The bouts remaining in the lightweight tournament are Satoru Kitaoka (21-8-9) versus sixth-ranked Eiji Mitsuoka (14-5-2), and Kazunori Yokota (7-1-3) versus Mizuto Hirota (10-2).

WVR also announced that Fighters.com’s Fighter of the Month “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (1-0) will fight, although an opponent has not yet been determined.

“GameBred” Jorge Masvidal (14-3) versus Seung Hwan Bang (5-2) is also official.

Joe Doerksen (40-12) revealed through MySpace Tuesday that he has agreed to fight Izuru Takeuchi (25-9-6).

Read More About Sengoku 6 to Include MW Grand Prix; Lawal, Masvidal, and Doerkson Also on Card…

MMA rookie “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (1-0) upset “Diesel” Travis Wiuff (53-12) by first-round TKO at 2:11 Sunday night in Tokyo.

Lawal staggered Wiuff with a right Superman punch, then rushed in with a double-leg takedown at the ropes.  Lawal leapt on Wiuff and finished him off with ground’n’pound.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion “Xande” Alexandre Ribeiro (1-0) TKO’d Takashi Sugiura (1-3) in the last minute of his anticipated MMA debut.

Read More About Lawal Upsets Wiuff in MMA Debut, Ribeiro Also Victorious at Sengoku 5…

World Victory Road announced on Thursday the opponents for Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8), Jorge Santiago (17-7), and “Xande” Alexandre Ribeiro (0-0) for the upcoming Sengoku 5 event in Tokyo, 28 September.

Paul Cahoon (10-11) will participate in the Middleweight Grand Prix versus Nakamura, as will “Pink Pounder” Logan Clark (11-2) versus Santiago.  Takashi Sugiura (1-2) will face Ribeiro in a light heavyweight match-up.

Cahoon is coming off a unanimous decision loss to “Machine” Ian Freeman (19-7-1), who took his light heavyweight belt, at Cage Rage in May.  It was his first loss in six fights.

Nakamura lost his last fight to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) due to a leg injury, at UFC 84 in May.

Read More About WVR Names Opponents for Nakamura, Santiago, and Ribeiro…

World Victory Road announced Friday a middleweight tournament for Sengoku 5 at the Yoyogi National First Gymnasium in Tokyo 28 September.

The first four competitors named for the tournament are Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8), “Cyborg” Evangelista Santos (16-11), Jorge Santiago (17-7), and Siyar Bahadurzada (13-3-1).

Nakamura, a PRIDE veteran, fought most recently in the UFC.  He was 0-2 in the organization, falling to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) with a leg injury in May.

Nakamura will make his debut as a middleweight at the upcoming event.

Santos, from the Chute Boxe, Academy, won his last fight by submitting Makoto Takimoto (4-4) with an Achilles lock at Sengoku 1 in March.

American Top Team member Santiago won his last five fights, most recently submitting Yuki Sasaki (21-14-1) via armbar at Sengoku 2 in May.

Shooto Light Heavyweight Champion Bahadurzada lost his Sengoku debut in March, tapping to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2)’s guillotine.

Sunday in Tokyo at Sengoku II, Fighters.com’s third-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (22-5) ground out a unanimous decision over “Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-8) in a match battled mostly on the mat.

Heavyweight “Monster” Kevin Randleman (17-12) also pulled out a UD over Pancrase star Ryo Kawamura (8-3-2).  The decision was considered controversial.

Monson and Randleman are scheduled to fight on a 24 June card in Charlotte.

Highly-touted Roger Gracie (2-0) remained undefeated after tapping MMA vet Yuki Kondo (48-22-6) in a rear naked choke at 2:40 of round one.

“Kiss” Yoshihiro Nakao (7-1) called out “Ironhead” Kazuyuki Fujita (15-6) after knocking out Kiwi “Big” Jim York (9-2) 46-seconds into round two.

American Top Team welterweight Jorge Santiago (17-7) fought off near-submissions before finding his own submission of Grabaka’s Yuki Sasaki (21-14-1) in a third-round armbar at 2:10.

Lighweight Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2) took only 4:15 to sink a rear naked choke submission in on “Crazy” Kwang Hee Lee (5-1).

Xtreme Couture welterweight “Quicksand” Mike Pyle (16-5-1) locked in a triangle choke to tap “Handler” Dan Hornbuckle (15-2) at 4:52 of round one.

Welterweight Pancrase vet Satoru Kitaoka (20-8-9) submitted Aussie Ian James Schaffa (7-5-1) in a guillotine choke in just 50 seconds to begin the night.