K-1 HEROS 3 9/7/05

K-1 HEROS 3

Ariake Coliseum,Tokyo, Japan

9/7/05 ??? in Attendance

“WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO WITNESS THE BIRTH OF NEW HERO!” Welcome back to HEROS and the 2005 Middleweight tournament! You might have noticed the GIANT tournament board atop the arena, and the absolutely sikk set featuring flames and giant monsters. This tournament feels BIG as we enter into the meat of the tournament as we have our quarterfinal and semi-final bouts tonight!

We are once again greeted by the HEROS attack helicopters (its good to see you again) before this kicks off in the Tokyo Ariake Coliseum, a large indoor sporting arena. Built in the 80's by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, it mostly holds professional tennis matches and pro-wrestling/MMA shows as well. I could not find a number for the attendance at HEROS 3 but it seems to be close to the 10,000 person capacity that this coliseum has.

Oh the entrances have already started for our opening quarterfinal bout! Genki Sudo comes out to blaring trance music and a group of marching helmeted men with giant streams of steam emerging from their heads. This is the showmanship we expect from Sudo and his Che Guevara adorned MMA shorts! He is competing with Kazuyuki Miyata, the attractive (K-1 really would like you to know this) Olympic wrestler and family man with 6% bodyfat.

ROUND 1 begins with a lil Sudo shenanigans before Miyata brings this whole thing to the ground with a quick trip. Miyata is powerful, and can sit up and control from closed guard easily. Sudo tries to slip out but Miyata catches him, dealing punishment with ground and pound. WOW Sudo tried for an Achilles but the sly Miyata saw it, slipped away, then caught Sudo with a very slick head and shoulder throw. THE STRENGTH OF MIYATA! As they stand Miyata slips in a hard knee to the body then tries for a single leg on Sudo and is defended well, but the frustrated Sudo pulls guard. Sudo has ability from the bottom that Miyata doesn't have at this point in his fighting career, but that still doesn't keep him from eating big punches from Miyata. As I say that, Sudo also gets stomped before scrambling back up. Sudo seems to have caught on to Miyata's tricks as he is able to shut down both takedown attempts as the first of two rounds ends. OH SHIT Masakatsu Funaki is on he commentary team! Nice to see Maeda spreading these paydays around.

ROUND 2 opens with Genki Sudo landing a left jab immediately, signaling that he is done with getting worked like in the first round. They clinch up and Sudo is able to score, bringing the stone giant of this HEROS middleweight class down (a strange, all encompassing weight class). Sudo amazingly butt hops from guard with Miyata's legs under him to full mount, and Miyata is able to sweep despite Sudo aiming for that neck. Sudo goes for a armbar while being on the bottom of the guard, spooking Miyata and giving Sudo enough room to push away. At this point, Sudo is stopping every takedown attempt by Miyara, and a particularly egregious shot leads to a frustrated Miyata eating a knee. Sudo lands again so Miyata shoots in, getting stuffed. Sudo backs off then lands a sick axe kick all the way down to the midsection of the down Miyata. Sudo takes the back and after failing to lock on the choke switches positions by swinging his legs around and wins with the armbar! Genki Sudo is such a beast being able to shut down an olympic wrestler and because oft this his square on the giant tournament bracket moves up a position!

[I would like to note here that despite Genki Sudo being amazing, he had a decision loss early in his career to our favorite KINGDOM trainee Minoru Toyonaga!]

These promo packages hyping this tournament are awesome and replete with lots of mid 2000s kitsch

this looks like something from myspace.....  i love it

The next quarterfinal bout is between street dude Hiroyuki Takaya against the very intense (hes meditating in front of a castle in the hype footage!) Remigijus Morkevicius! The video package shows Morkevicius with his very old grandma which kinda bums me out to be quite honest. 

ROUND 1 begins and Morkevicius is already kneeing Takaya in the clinch like... 10 times within the first 30 or so seconds. Takaya brings Morkevicius down with a trip to neutralize the onslaught; he's no slouch when it comes to kickboxing but he had to stop the initial kickboxing explosion that starts every fight with Morkevicius in it. While Morkevicius has an advantage in the stand up, his skills on the ground are poor and Takaya is really putting it to him. After eating numerous punches, Morkevicius is able to sweep and get out of a choke attempt from the back but then Takaya responds with a reallllllly almost there kimura. As they stand up in the corner, Takaya is staying very tight so as to avoid knees to the body until he trips Morkevicius once again. Takaya is eating Morkevicius' lunch and dinner here at the end of the first round, but he isn't able to finish it before the bell.

ROUND 2 starts and Morkevicius is landing with leg kicks and knees, but its not long till Takaya starts to send some back. Takaya is starting to land clean shots while walking down a desperate and tired Morkevicius, tying up and eventually bringing it back to the ground. Takaya gets to full guard and just slowly pummels Morkevicius like a kid on the playground until the ref ends this. Remigijus Morkevicius' onslaught at the beginning was bested, and as a result the street tough Hiroyuki Takaya bullied him throughout. HIS SQUARE ADVANCES UP THE BRACKET (it is very cool that they have constructed such a grandiose device).

OH SHIT It's the Killer Bee “KID” Yamamoto here to do battle with Royler Gracie! Kid is obviously being pushed as the top star of this tournament, and while HEROS has done well to tell the backstories and build interesting characters around all these fighters, KID has had the most promotion by far. It's clear who they want the winner to be. Royler Gracie is skilled, and when I disparage the family its not because of a lack of any skill, its because they are extremely wealthy and represent exclusivity and a bourgeois mentality in the martial arts which is something I find reprehensible! Compare the cost for attending a BJJ gym to the cost of taking Judo, Karate, Boxing, etc. in your local area. But.. the family is talented and I'm sure this will be a good fight!

These guys start off a bit stand offish, both keeping distance with Gracie front kicking and Kid waiting to strike. Gracie eats a punch to get the takedown but Yamamoto manages to slip out. Gracie gets a loose standing guillotine on before it breaking up and Yamamoto scoring with a trip. Yamamoto has a wrestling background from his youth so he is not a chump in this position, but he's a bit turtled up in guard for a bit before standing up and bringing it to a more comfortable space. Yamamoto almost connects with two hooks but Gracie is able to deflect them though they were clearly felt telling by the grimace he made. Gracie continues to kick to keep Kid back but Yamamoto starts mixing in leg kicks to weaken Gracie's base as the round comes to an end. This has been uneventful!

KID Yamamoto's family

THE SECOND ROUND BEGINS! Kid Yamamoto is much more aggressive this time, attacking and hurting Royler Gracie on the outset of the round. Yamamoto lands some nice shots to the body then BAM. Royler Gracie threw a skimming knee but ate a massive ducking counter right hook that floored him and instantly ended this. This was a boring fight that ended in explosive fashion! KID YAMAMOTO RISES IN POSITION ON THE BRACKET!

Our last quarterfinal battle of the night is between the “Pioneer” Caol Uno and the “New Star” Hideo Tokoro! Caol Uno is so baddass and the clips they show in the pre fight package include his UFC run (I have been playing UFC Sudden Impact (PS2) lately and his move set is so good) and him working in a clothing store (he is fashionable certainly). We see Tokoro in his small apartment and on his job as a janitor contrasted with images of his amazing win at HEROS 2 and his new found fame on the cover of magazines (its 2005 so those things still mattered then).

ROUND 1 begins and both men are punching but nothing is landing quite yet. Tokoro gets Uno into the corner and Uno responds by continually punching until the ref breaks them up for inaction. Caol Uno lands a few well placed shots to Tokoro's head while Tokoro can't get anything to land and swings a bit wildly. In the midst of raining punches, Tokoro manages to clinch but eats the trip from Uno who immediately achieves an up/down position and proceeds to lay some smackdown on our kind friend Tokoro. Uno is weary of upkicks and decides to hold on to Tokoro's ankles, mixing in kicks to the legs and sickening punches to the head. Tokoro finally grabs an ankle bringing Uno down and in the fray almost gets a Kimura on from the bottom. His attempt fails and the bell rings to close the first round.

ROUND 2 begins and as quick as Uno lands a takedown from a caught kick we realize that kick hit him in the groin so he has to take a breather. Immediately as we resume, Uno lands a hook from the top so Tokoro scrambles to his feet. He catches a kick from Uno and fucking just wallops him in return. Uno is able to get Tokoro back down but that punch clearly shook him. As Tokoro tries to get out of the guard he eats some sick shots so the ref calls it for a second as he sees how bloody Tokoro's nose is. HAHA the fight starts again and Tokoro just threw a wild front flip kick that landed on Uno and now he has an armbar on HOLY SHIT. Uno is able to get free but that was a flipping kick to armbar transition which I am sure I have never seen in my life! The fight is back to the up/down position and Uno is controlling it strongly, landing punches to Tokoro's poor head any time he tries to make moves left or right. They re-position them as they got under the ropes before Tokoro manages to bring it back up and he lands a few shots to Uno. As quick as its up, its back down and Uno is putting the hurt on Tokoro until HOLY SHIT he brings Uno back down with a kimura takedown but it slips. Uno tries a choke but it slips as both dudes are so tired and beaten. The match ends and we see both smiling and hugging. Hideo Tokoro gives Caol Uno a full bow which Uno has none of, tapping his shoulder to get his attention then giving Tokoro a full bow of his own as the crowd cheers. Caol Uno wins this energetic and tiring quarterfinal bout by unanimous decision and HE MOVES UP IN THE GIANT BRACKET.

The semi-finals are here! Backstage reporters are giving a report on the scene backstage as the fighters prepare for their second bout of the night! We also see some clips of Genki Sudo, a practicing Buddhist, studies some books before he hikes up to mountain to a shrine to pray. What a cool guy!

It is ROUND 1 of the first Semi-final bout of the night between Sudo and Hiroyuki Takaya. This begins as a kickboxing affair with minimal contact until a minute in Sudo puts Takaya to the corner with a driving double leg. Takaya is able to get up and has to use soooooo much force to get Sudo off him almost like pushing off some horrible octopus that has attached to ones body. Sudo lands a quick backfist and he has Takaya very frustrated as Sudo's movements combined with his immense grip strength in the guard and clinch have him confounded. After some kickboxing, Takaya is able to bring Genki Sudo down in the last 30 seconds of the round but is too tired to do anything as the bell rings.

ROUND 2 is on! Sudo goes in for a double then switches up tripTakaya but it doesn't stick and they are both back to their feet. Sudo narrowly avoids some big strikes from a Takaya who wants to end this with some loaded up punches. Takaya has Sudo backing up until Sudo pulls guard and brings Takaya down. He threatens a heel but Takaya is able to break away and they are back up again. Genki Sudo lands a sick series of body knees then a counter punch, wraps around Hiroyuki Takaya's back and waist, and then finishes this with a armbar quickly transitioned into a very cleannnnnnn triangle choke. Sudo makes this look easy and advances to the FINALS!

OUR FINAL FIGHT OF THE NIGHT is between Caol Uno and KID Yamamoto so you know this one is gonna be fucking poppin' (especially with Yamamoto's dancehall entrance). ROUND 1 starts and these guys are already so heated up and I gotta say that Caol Uno's white shorts, knee pads, and white with black accents NIKE wrestling shoes are so fucking sikkkkkkk. Back to the fight, Uno is the more aggressive of the two but KID has this uncanny accuracy with his counter shots. This definitely feels more even than previous fights in the tournament, both of these guys are serious legends and we see that readily here. Despite Yamamoto's reputation, he shows some sportsmanship here despite the hot nature of this tournament. HEROS is a fun place, not a mean place! Right as I say all this Uno is nailed in the nuts once more, but he recovers quickly. This round has been a very controlled bout of kickboxing that I have enjoyed but I always find myself at a lack for words in describing this kind of action. The round ends as neither guy has a real edge, but as the replay is shown I realize KID has been landing a fuck ton of body knees that will surely pay dividends in the second round.

LMAO ROUND 2 starts and after an aggressive takedown from Uno, Yamamoto runs off and threw the ropes with Uno attached to his back. That was a bit silly but I understand why Yamamoto would pull a stunt like that as it brings it back to a kickboxing affair. Uno is landing as well so Yamamoto really is not safe here either and repeatedly takes leg and midsection kicks. You also see how much larger Caol Uno is than the Killer Bee during this fight which just adds to the absurdity of this Middleweight class which seems to include like... everyone below 180? KID Yamamoto is short but he is a scary dude and is showing that by hitting Uno in the face with hard counter straights. As Uno comes in for a takedown attempt, Yamamoto stops it and catches Uno with a shot that opens up a cut right above his left eye that gets the match stopped temporarily. Its bleeding a good bit but its not getting into his eye so the doctors after a long while let the fight go on. They are back to striking and after a clinch into the ropes the ref STOPS THE FIGHT. The winner is KID Yamamoto after the ref stopped the fight due to too much blood! An anti-climactic ending to a fun bout, sadly caused by the fact that HEROS was aired on TBS in Japan during primetime which meant that too much blood gets this thing stopped. This is one of those moments that makes me want full Vale Tudo rules!

Caol Uno's positivity and joy is grand in the face of KID's machismo

As the event wraps up, Genki Sudo and KID Yamamoto are in the ring and will be fighting in the FINALS of the 2005 Middlewight Tournament at K-1 DYNAMITE 2005! HELL YEAH its the big guy AKIRA MAEDA here to congradulate and hold the shoulders of these small men he is proud of. He is a good bit taller than Sudo but dwarfs Yamamoto by MILES. Maeda is a fair man and loves these small fighting men as much as their larger compatriots!

That one ended abruptly but hey! We are almost done with the first year of the HEROS promotion! Isn't that something?! Before we reach DYNAMITE and the new year of 2006, we are gonna make a stop in South Korea and Lithuania for our first HEROS international events. Just like with RINGS, we are seeing shows promoted under the HEROS banner internationally with local talent and some HEROS Japan guys coming in as well. Instead of two separate posts, I'll be discussing those jointly since honestly I really am craving to see the finals of the Middleweight tournament. Let us continue our search for THE NEXT HERO OF MMA!