Well, it sure looked like Dream.1 was a good event. Despite the fact that the most anticipated fight was a “No Contest” due to illegal elbows. At first when I saw the fight I thought that Aoki was pussing out. But after seeing the replays more closely, Calvacante certainly did elbow him at the base of the cranium and the top neck. Certainly a dangerous proposition because of the fragility of C1-C2 spinal areas located in the area. Damage to these could and usually do cause certain death.

But I do question just how hurt he was. The fight was going completely Gesias’ way considering the fact that Aoki just could not take him down. We really didn’t get to see Aoki work his magic, which is JuJitsu. Once on the ground, it would have been interesting to see the outcome. Perhaps in the 2nd (and longer) round Calvancante may have tired and been susceptible . But that possiblity appeared doubtful as Calvancante was doing a good job pacing himself. And it’s not like he was going for the more exhausting take downs and submissions. If anything Aoki would have been the more gased of the two. I think Gesias would have won the bout. Not because he’s more talented than Aoki, but that he’s a match up problem for him ergonomically. Small and compact vs. lanky and long. especially at that weight, it’s a tall order for Aoki to overcome. I think that Aoki should move up in weight to more comfortably accommodate his frame.

Here’s the vid:
from www.dailymotion.com posted with vodpod

Mirko Cro Cop was back to his old stuff, in the more familiar squared ring he prefers. My have the mighty have fallen. He used to be unstoppable, now he’s got to have condition in order to be successful. I almost wish he had never fought in the cage.

so, it looks as if Dream has given him a tomato can to destroy, to get him back on track.

Here’s the vid:
from japsican.vodpod.com posted with vodpod

And lastly, and perhaps my personal favorite of fighters, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai fought Hidetaka Monma in a fight that he was supposed to win. Again, it seems that the Dream.1 promotion is easing their stars back into fighting with some easy fights. (except for Calvancante and Aoki)

Here’s the video of the easy win:

from japsican.vodpod.com posted with vodpod

Here are the rest of the results of the contest.
-Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “J.Z.” Calvancante rule a No Contest (Due to Illegal Elbow)
-Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Kultar Gill by Unanimous Decision, R2
-Eddie Alvarez def. Andre “Dida” Amade by TKO at 6:47, R1
-Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Tatsuya Mizuno by TKO (Strikes) at 0:56, R1
-Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Jung Bu Kyung by Unanimous Decision, R2
-Katsuhiko Nagata def. Artur Oumakhanov by Unanimous Decision, R2
-Luiz “Buscape” Firmino def. Kazuyuki Miyata by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 7:37, R1
-Joachim Hansen def. Koutetsu Boku by Unanimous Decision, R2
-Hayato “Mach” Sakurai def. Hidetaka Monma by TKO (Strikes) at 4:12, R1
-Ikuhisa Minowa def. Lee Gwan by Submission (Kneebar) at 1:25, R1

It should be noted that there are rumors that Dream.1 will be shown on Mark Cuban’s HDnet from here on out. Which is a good thing for MMA fans and MMA in general! Good looking out Mark! Yet again, someone is doing something for the sport of MMA that the UFC fails to do. Remember folks, the UFC is not in MMA to raise the level of the sport, they’re in it to be the ONLY game in town. They’re in it for themselves. Support HDnet and CBS and NBC with the adding of Strikeforce and EliteXC to their programming.