Bosco Baracus
22-01-2008, 23:34
http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/news/2008_01/10911.jpg
Kazuo Misaki (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=1829) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=1829@@Kazuo%20Misaki)) will lock horns with Siyar Bahadurzada (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5453) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5453@@Siyar%20Bahadurzada )) on March 5 at World Victory Road's inaugural Sengoku event, the promotion announced Tuesday.
The bout will be a true champion-versus-champion fight at Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo. Misaki, 31, became the last PRIDE welterweight tournament (183-pound) champion when he defeated Denis Kang (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=935) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=935@@Denis%20Kang)) in the finals of the Bushido Grand Prix in 2006.
Bahadurzada, eight years younger than his opponent, is the defending Shooto light heavyweight (183-pound) champion. The Dutch Afghan claimed the title of MMA's oldest promotion with a unanimous decision over Misaki's countryman Shikou Yamashita (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=1310) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=1310@@Shikou%20Yamashita) ) in July 2007.
Misaki, who also holds a win over Dan Henderson (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=195) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=195@@Dan%20Henderson)), demanded a strong opponent for his WVR debut. He was delighted when the fight was announced.
"Bahadurzada is the current Shooto light heavyweight champion and a difficult opponent for me," Misaki said. "The fight will be a true collision of power and skill, and it is [appropriate] that it is held at Sengoku because the promotion is looking for the strongest fighters in the world."
Bahadurzada is preparing for the bout with his teammates at Golden Glory. "I want to prove why they call me the ‘Afghan Killa,'" he said. "Fighting against Misaki is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I'm going to give everything I got for the Japanese fans."
Also announced was a 183-pound battle between Chute Boxe's grim brawler Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and Olympic judo silver medalist Makoto Takimoto (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=11814) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=11814@@Makoto%20Takimoto) ).
The 33-year-old judoka fought perhaps the strongest fight of his MMA career on New Year's Eve when he defeated former UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=253) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=253@@Murilo%20Bustamante) ) via split decision in an action-packed fight. A teammate of Hidehiko Yoshida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5920) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5920@@Hidehiko%20Yoshida) ) and Kazuhiro Nakamura (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=6943) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=6943@@Kazuhiro%20Nakamura )), Takimoto also holds wins over former Cage Rage British middleweight champion Zelg Galesic (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=11217) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=11217@@Zelg%20Galesic)) and Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=12755) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=12755@@Dong%20Sik%20Yoon) ).
Santos is one of the last remaining well-known fighters fighting out of the Chute Boxe camp, which has taken an unparalleled bloodletting of stars in the past couple of months. He will move down to middleweight for the first time in his 10-year career for the fight against Takimoto.
Notably, Santos has another bout Feb. 1 in Canada. At Hardcore Championship Fighting's "Destiny" event, the 30-year-old Muay Thai specialist from western Brazil will step into the cage with fellow PRIDE veteran Gegard Mousasi (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=7466) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=7466@@Gegard%20Mousasi)). With only 33 days between the two fights, "Cyborg" won't have much time to recover from a possible injury.
"‘Cyborg' is a very aggressive fighter," Takimoto said. "Above everything else, he attacks relentlessly in order to knock out his adversary. I will have to be prepared."
Santos, on the other hand, assessed his opponent in his famously nonchalant way: "I don't know much about Takimoto, but master Rudimar [Fedrigo] told me that he beat Murilo Bustamante (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=253) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=253@@Murilo%20Bustamante) ) on New Year's Eve, which is not an easy thing to do. Regardless of that, I will beat him down and knock him out. The Chute Boxe fighters fight with pride."
Already announced for the March 5 show is yet another middleweight encounter between Phil Baroni (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=278) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=278@@Phil%20Baroni)) and former ADCC winner Sanae Kikuta (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=252) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=252@@Sanae%20Kikuta)). Despite some discrepancy in the booking of the fight, the classic confrontation between striker and grappler appears like it will take place on the card.
Headlining the event will be Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5920) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5920@@Hidehiko%20Yoshida) ). While no opponent has been announced for the 38-year-old world-class ground fighter, WVR's management is in negotiations with grappling wunderkind Roger Gracie (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=19854) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=19854@@Roger%20Gracie)).
Pancrase veteran Ryo Kawamura (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=13514) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=13514@@Ryo%20Kawamura)) and Gracie Fusion fighter Fabricio Monteiro (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=10621) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=10621@@Fabricio%20Monteir o)) will also fight on the card.
Tim Leidecker and Jordan Breen contributed to this report
Kazuo Misaki (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=1829) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=1829@@Kazuo%20Misaki)) will lock horns with Siyar Bahadurzada (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5453) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5453@@Siyar%20Bahadurzada )) on March 5 at World Victory Road's inaugural Sengoku event, the promotion announced Tuesday.
The bout will be a true champion-versus-champion fight at Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo. Misaki, 31, became the last PRIDE welterweight tournament (183-pound) champion when he defeated Denis Kang (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=935) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=935@@Denis%20Kang)) in the finals of the Bushido Grand Prix in 2006.
Bahadurzada, eight years younger than his opponent, is the defending Shooto light heavyweight (183-pound) champion. The Dutch Afghan claimed the title of MMA's oldest promotion with a unanimous decision over Misaki's countryman Shikou Yamashita (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=1310) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=1310@@Shikou%20Yamashita) ) in July 2007.
Misaki, who also holds a win over Dan Henderson (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=195) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=195@@Dan%20Henderson)), demanded a strong opponent for his WVR debut. He was delighted when the fight was announced.
"Bahadurzada is the current Shooto light heavyweight champion and a difficult opponent for me," Misaki said. "The fight will be a true collision of power and skill, and it is [appropriate] that it is held at Sengoku because the promotion is looking for the strongest fighters in the world."
Bahadurzada is preparing for the bout with his teammates at Golden Glory. "I want to prove why they call me the ‘Afghan Killa,'" he said. "Fighting against Misaki is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I'm going to give everything I got for the Japanese fans."
Also announced was a 183-pound battle between Chute Boxe's grim brawler Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and Olympic judo silver medalist Makoto Takimoto (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=11814) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=11814@@Makoto%20Takimoto) ).
The 33-year-old judoka fought perhaps the strongest fight of his MMA career on New Year's Eve when he defeated former UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=253) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=253@@Murilo%20Bustamante) ) via split decision in an action-packed fight. A teammate of Hidehiko Yoshida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5920) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5920@@Hidehiko%20Yoshida) ) and Kazuhiro Nakamura (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=6943) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=6943@@Kazuhiro%20Nakamura )), Takimoto also holds wins over former Cage Rage British middleweight champion Zelg Galesic (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=11217) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=11217@@Zelg%20Galesic)) and Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=12755) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=12755@@Dong%20Sik%20Yoon) ).
Santos is one of the last remaining well-known fighters fighting out of the Chute Boxe camp, which has taken an unparalleled bloodletting of stars in the past couple of months. He will move down to middleweight for the first time in his 10-year career for the fight against Takimoto.
Notably, Santos has another bout Feb. 1 in Canada. At Hardcore Championship Fighting's "Destiny" event, the 30-year-old Muay Thai specialist from western Brazil will step into the cage with fellow PRIDE veteran Gegard Mousasi (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=7466) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=7466@@Gegard%20Mousasi)). With only 33 days between the two fights, "Cyborg" won't have much time to recover from a possible injury.
"‘Cyborg' is a very aggressive fighter," Takimoto said. "Above everything else, he attacks relentlessly in order to knock out his adversary. I will have to be prepared."
Santos, on the other hand, assessed his opponent in his famously nonchalant way: "I don't know much about Takimoto, but master Rudimar [Fedrigo] told me that he beat Murilo Bustamante (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=253) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=253@@Murilo%20Bustamante) ) on New Year's Eve, which is not an easy thing to do. Regardless of that, I will beat him down and knock him out. The Chute Boxe fighters fight with pride."
Already announced for the March 5 show is yet another middleweight encounter between Phil Baroni (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=278) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=278@@Phil%20Baroni)) and former ADCC winner Sanae Kikuta (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=252) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=252@@Sanae%20Kikuta)). Despite some discrepancy in the booking of the fight, the classic confrontation between striker and grappler appears like it will take place on the card.
Headlining the event will be Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5920) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5920@@Hidehiko%20Yoshida) ). While no opponent has been announced for the 38-year-old world-class ground fighter, WVR's management is in negotiations with grappling wunderkind Roger Gracie (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=19854) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=19854@@Roger%20Gracie)).
Pancrase veteran Ryo Kawamura (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=13514) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=13514@@Ryo%20Kawamura)) and Gracie Fusion fighter Fabricio Monteiro (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=10621) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=10621@@Fabricio%20Monteir o)) will also fight on the card.
Tim Leidecker and Jordan Breen contributed to this report