» Fighter: Kazuhiro Nakamura

Regardless who wins the middlweight matchup at UFC 102 in Portland Saturday, Demian Maia (10-0) and “Great” Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) might get a second shot at each other 25-27 September at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships 2009 in Barcelona.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC’s “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent “Uirapuru” Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).

Read More About UFC Champ Georges St. Pierre, Strikeforce Heavyweight Contender Fabricio Werdum Among Grapplers at 2009 ADCC…

The rise of Japanese lightweight Mizuto Hirota (10-3) left many breathless Sunday after he upset Sengoku lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) by TKO at 2:50 of round four at Ninth Battle in Tokyo.

Masanori Kanehara (5-2) stole the Featherweight Grand Prix Championship in a controversial final that featured Kanehara despite losing his semi-final fight by unanimous decision to Hatsu Hioki (16-3-2) versus Michihiro Omigawa (4-8) who was given a hometown free pass into the finals after majority draw on the cards versus Marlon Sandro (13-1) in the semi-finals.

Strikeforce middleweight champ “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (23-9-2) strangled judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura’s (13-10) hopes of challenging Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) in a guillotine at 3:03 of round one, leaving Kaz’ out on the mat. Denied a title challenge himself by Sengoku after pleading guilty to interfering with the duties of a public official following a March traffic stop, Misaki said nothing after playing spoiler, refusing the microphone in the ring.

Read More About Akihiro Gono Leaves on Stretcher, Kazuo Misaki Just Leaves at Sengoku…

Sengoku lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) and challenger Mizuto Hirota (9-3) both made weight for their main event at Ninth Battle in Tokyo Sunday.

Kitaoka weighed 69.9 kg while Hirota tipped the scales at 70 kg.

The card also features the semi-finals and finals of Sengoku’s featherweight grand prix and all competing fighters also made weight.

Read More About Kitaoka, Hirota Make Weight For Sengoku Title Fight…

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.

PRIDE veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8) has been released from his UFC contract, according to the current print edition of The Wrestling Observer.

Nakamura lost his last three fights, including both he fought in the UFC: he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Fighters.com’s second-ranked light heavyweight “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) in September, and was TKO’d in the first round by seventh-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) in May.

Between the two losses he was fined and suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for marijuana use.

Fighters.com was live in Las Vegas 24 May to witness the fights that shook-up June’s Welterweight Rankings.  What a night!

Of course, “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (29-6) remains Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion and will defend his UFC title versus eighth-ranked Forrest Griffin (15-4) 5 July in Las Vegas.

But, Jackson’s nemesis from the past, “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1), closed in on a rematch with the champion he’s conquered twice before.

Silva demolished “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) in 36 seconds, jumping five spots to the fifth ranking and sending Jardine down two rungs to number six.

If he takes out Griffin, Jackson may first have to unravel the riddle that is his new top contender, “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0), before a rematch with Silva.

Machida retired previously ninth-ranked “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) from the top ten and the UFC in a unanimous decision “W”.  Can we all say “elusive”?

Machida’s win welcomed a fellow undefeated Brazilian, another Silva in fact, to replace “The Axe Murderer” at number ten.

Read More About Fighters.com June Light Heavyweight Rankings…

“Satisfying!  Very satisfying,” described Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked lightweight and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1) after defeating fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) by TKO after the third round at UFC 84 in Las Vegas Saturday.

Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki determined that Sherk was unable to continue after a Penn flurry at the cage that left Sherk on the mat at the end of the third round.

The three five-minute rounds were fought entirely standing up, resembling a boxing match.

Penn worked a slicker boxing style set-up with a long, snapping jab.  Sherk threw left and right hooks in a stiff, technical style.

Penn established his jab in the first round as Sherk pressured.

Sherk clinched to muffle “The Prodigy’s” reach advantage; but, Penn landed an uppercut to break the clinch.

Sherk attempted to counter with his own jab, but threw it short as Penn followed down the pipe with his left.  Sherk clinched again; but, Penn threw him off.

Sherk began round two with a cut under his right eye from Penn’s relentless jabbing.  He shrugged his shoulders before the bell, disappointed with his first-round performance.

But, the Minnesotan took the fight to Penn in the second round.  Penn clinched inside Sherk’s left/right hook combo and hammered knees to “The Muscle Shark’s” body.

Again, Penn clinched; but, Sherk overwhelmed him with a flurry.  Penn pushed out of the clinch.

Unable to solve Penn’s boxing riddle, Sherk began to test his leg kick; but, Penn answered with a left hook.

Penn had all the answers Saturday night.

Read More About Penn Works Over Sherk, Axe Murder Is Back at UFC 84…