After yesterday's craziness, I'm almost fearful of posting these, but here we go...

Like the Heavyweight division, it's been a quiet summer in the MW rankings, although there was a bit of movement in the top 10 as a pair of upset loses drop Artur Kyshenko down to #6, while Hinata makes his way up to #9. 

Many of the top names will be taking part in the 2nd portion of the MAX Final 16 on October 3.  That card will include #1 Giorgio Petrosyan, #6 Kyshenko, #12 Gago Drago, #20 Mike Zambidis, #22 Chahid Oulad El Hadj, #24 Su Hwan Lee, and #25 Mootje Khamal.  Winners on October 3 will move on to the MAX Finals on November 8, where they will be joined by #4 Albert Kraus, #8 Yoshihiro Sato, and #10 Yuichiro Nagashima, who have already qualified.  That's a decent line-up for sure, but it's not the clear top fighters that we're seeing in the Heavyweight Grand Prix, as 5 of the top 10 are not in the MAX GP this year.  Among those left out: #3 Buakaw Por. Pramuk, who is currently M.I.A. and has had a pretty inactive year.  As a whole, it's hard to not feel some disappointment in this year's MAX GP.

Two of those top 10 fighters left out of the GP will meet each other on September 18 as #2 Andy Souwer faces #9 Hinata for Shootboxing.  That's a great fight, but the fact that it has cost both men a spot in the GP leaves something of a bitter taste.

Also from the top 10, #5 Nieky Holzken will face L'houcine Aussi Ouzgni for It's Showtime on September 12.  Aussi typically fights at 77kg, and Holzken is very big for the 72kg weight class, so I imagine this will be above the 72kg limit.  This could be a really fantastic fight that is getting a bit lost in the shuffle, but is one of this fall's fights I am most looking forward to.  Holzken will also be in action for United Glory on October 16 against Sahin Yakut.

That Sept 12 card will also include #14 Khem Sitsongpeenong v. Rachid Belaini, #12 Gago Drago v. Mohammed Medhar, and #17 Leroy Kaestner v. Youness el Mhassani.  It's Showtime also has a card on December 18 including #25 Mootje Khamal v. Mosab Amrani.

Finally, in a much anticipated rematch, on October 17 #19 John Wayne Parr will face Yodsaenklai Fairtex.  Yod is on a bit of a downward slide this year - this will be a great test of where he stands.

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Another video from the SportAccord Combat Games in Beijing this past week.  Here we have the 75kg finals between Yodsaenklai Fairtex (blue) and Artem Levin (red).  Enjoy.

There is some excellent discussion of this fight over at MyMuayThai.  Here's their breakdown of why Levin won:

This is just like Olympic boxing... it's an entirely different game. You're going to have to out work and out point your opponent. Levin is used to fighting in this format, I think he and Kyshenko are regulars on the world amateur tournament scene.

Like all fights you've got to go in with a game plan. You have to consider the rules, the format and your opponent. I think Levin had all 3 figured out. I don't think Levin would have fought Yod the same way in a pro fight.

Levin was catching a lot of Yod's kicks... without the shin protection, it just simply wouldn't have happened. Yods game is all about cracking the shell, it's just not going to happen with two fighters of this caliber.

I saw Levin landing a lot of elbows, (which are scoring). I think if you took another fighter who was used to fighting in this format, they would have made more of an effort to avoid those elbows. What I'm trying to say is, I don't think Yod perceived that he was in any real danger from those elbows and didn't adjust his fight game.

Hat's off to Levin, can't wait for the rematch.

I like this analysis a lot.  The only thing I would add is that, yet again, Yodsaenklai doesn't seem to be putting in maximum effort here.  This has become something of a trend with him over the past year.  For much of that time, he was so far above his opponents that even coasting through the late rounds was enough to gain the victory.  But here, for the 2nd time this year, that casualness costs him the win.  I still think he has the potential to beat any fighter on any given night, but I would like to see him display that full potential on a regular basis. 

Next up for Yod is the John Wayne Parr rematch in October.  Not to take anything away from Parr, but if Yod loses there, it may become more clear that his run at the top is over.

via www.itsshowtime.nl

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It's Showtime is back in action this weekend for the first time since their Amsterdam Arena show back in May.  This Sunday, September 12, they will be hosting an event at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam with the kind of strong card the company is known for.  There have been a few changes since the card was initially announced, and the final, complete line-up is as follows:

Part 1
Joep Beerepoot VS Murthel Groenhart
Ramzi Tamiditi VS Imro Main
Kem Sitsonpeenong VS Rachid Belaini
Ricardo van den Bos VS Rico Verhoeven
Leroy Kaestner VS Youness El Mhassani
Chris van Venrooy VS Mosab Amrani

Part 2
Robin van Roosmalen VS William Diender
Volkan Duzgan VS Stefan Leko
Rustemi Kreshnik VS Hesdy Gerges
It's Showtime World Title 61 kg max:
Sergio Wielzen vs Michael Peynaud
Mohammed Medhar VS Gago Drago
Lhoucine "Aussi" Ouzgni VS Nieky Holzken

On the plus side of changes, Khem Sitsongpeenong, one of the top 70kg fighters out of Thailand today, makes his return to It's Showtime after challenging Giorgio Petrosyan earlier this year.  He faces Rachid Belaini in what should be a very good undercard fight.

On the main card, I am most looking forward to the main event between Nieky Holzken and L'houcine Ouzgni.  Holzken is a fighter who doesn't get enough praise outside of Europe.  In the past two years he's gone 13-1, with his only loss coming against Buakaw, and some big wins, including a victory against It's Showtime 77kg champion Cosmo Alexandre in May.  He's a powerful fighter at this weight, and he combines that strength with excellent stamina and tactical knowledge.  Aussi is another somewhat unheralded fighter, but he too is very talented.  He looked great early this year at the Amsterdam Fight Club show, and is next in line to challenge Cosmo.  This is one of the real fights to watch this fall.

Other key fights on this card include Gago Drago making his return to action against Mohammed Medhar.  Drago always puts on a good show, and this should be no exception.  Hesdy Gerges has his first outing since winning the It's Showtime heavyweight strap as he faces Rustemi Kreshnik.  It's Showtime crowns the first champion in their new 61kg weight class as Michael Peynaud faces Sergio Wielzen.  And fan favorites Willian Diender and Stefan Leko are both in action as well.  Good show overall, and we will have more coverage this week.

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David Terrell had Evan Tanner in a deep guillotine choke. Terrell's guard was closed, and he was putting his all into the choke. It looked like the fight was all but over. Suddenly Evan escaped the choke, and without even pausing to take a breath, he started to punish Terrell against the cage with punches and elbows. Color commentator Joe Rogan proclaimed "Evan Tanner is a warrior!"

This is one of the many memories I have of Evan Tanner.

If you are reading this, you probably know about Evan Tanner. You most likely know that he was a mixed martial artist from Amarillo Texas who originally taught himself how to fight off of Gracie instructional tapes. You most certainly know that he won the vacant UFC middleweight title in a thrilling come from behind victory against the highly touted David Terrell at UFC 51. And sadly you know that on September 3^rd 2008, Evan Tanner rode his motorcycle into the southern California desert to go camping. Evan went on a hike away from camp, intending to visit a spring 5 miles away from his camp. Once there he would refill his canteens and return back to camp. Unfortunately, when he got to the springs he found that they were dry. Being stranded in the 118 degree heat was too much. Authorities believe Evan Tanner passed away due to heat exhaustion sometime between September 4^th and 5^th, although he was not found until September 8^th .

But this story isn't about Evan Tanner the fighter. It's not about Evan Tanner, UFC champion. It's not about Evan Tanner's death two years ago in a southern California desert. It is instead about Evan Tanner the man, and how history will remember him.

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Mitsuhisa Sunabe became the #1 contender to the flyweight King of Pancrase by defeating Noboru "Shinpei" Tahara with a third round slam knockout. Photo courtesy of: Daniel Herbertson (Sherdog.com)

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DREAM made some big fight announcements for DREAM.16 at their press conference today while Pancrase held another exciting event. Headkicklegend.com is the only place where you can get this kind of an in-depth Japanese MMA weekend recap. DREAM news will be after the jump.

-Pancrase held it's eighth edition of it's "Passion Tour" on Sunday at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan.

Japanese journeyman, Yuji Sakuragi upset light heavyweight King of Pancrase and Sengoku veteran, Ryo Kawamura, with a first round TKO in the non-title main event. Sakuragi put Kawamura down with a right hook then proceeded to flurry on Kawamura for the ref stoppage. It's expected for the two to rematch for the King of Pancrase title sometime later this year.

In the co-feature, Manabu Inoue defended his bantamweight King of Pancrase title against Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi with a competitive majority decision victory. The three judges had it 29-28, 30-29, 29-29. "Akai" was deducted a point in round 2 for a strike to the back of the head and grabbing the ropes, that point cost "Akai" a draw on two scorecards.

Japanese women's MMA veteran, "Windy Tomomi" Sunaba, picked up her third straight victory this year. She took a unanimous decision victory over Fit NHB product, Monica Lovato. Although "Windy Tomomi" edged out both rounds (the fight was only a two round affair), the bout was described as a "fun, great fight" on Tony Loiseleur's Sherdog.com live chat during the event.

In the "holy s#*t" moment of the card, Mitsuhisa Sunabe knocked out Noboru "Shinpei" Tahara with a brutal slam in the third round of their flyweight title eliminator. Tahara tried to lock up an armbar; Sunabe then picked him up and hit a powerbomb-type of slam. Sunabe proceeded with a several more punches to the already unconscious Tahara before the ref mercifully stepped in. With the win, Sunabe earned a rubber match for the flyweight championship against reigning champion, Kiyotaka Shimizu.

Full "Pancrase: Passion Tour 8" results here.

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After an interminably slow summer in the world of kickboxing, things have finally started heating up for the fall.  Almost none of the top 25 has been in action in the past few months, but between now and the end of the year, we could see a lot of changes.

Of course, the biggest date coming up is October 2 when we get the K-1 Final 16.  Tons of top fighters announced there including #1 Semmy Schilt, #3 Alistair Overeem, #4 Errol Zimmerman, #5 Badr Hari, #6 Ewerton Teixeira, #7 Kyotaro, #11 Jerome Le Banner, #12 Ruslan Karaev, #18 Freddy Kemayo, and #25 Ben Edwards.  According to the latest rumors, we may also see #8 Peter Aerts, #9 Gokhan Saki, and #10 Hesdy Gerges.  That's every fighter in the top 12, with the exception of #2 Remy Bonjasky, who is currently on the sidelines recovering from eye surgery. I also would expect #16 Daniel Ghita, and perhaps #14 Tyrone Spong to be on this card as well, either in the Final 16 or in a reserve fight.

Amazingly, this is not the only card in the next month to feature a wealth of top 25 action.  On October 16, United Glory hosts the first round of their world series event.  Current names announced include Zimmerman, Saki, and #19 Brice Guidon.  Since this is only two weeks after the Final 16, it's entirely possible Saki and/or Zimmerman could be forced to drop out.

It's Showtime also has a busy few months.  On September 12 they will host #10 Gerges v. Rustemi Kreshnik, and on December 18 it will be Gerges up again facing Rico Verhoeven, along with #15 Ashwin Balrak v. Anderson "Braddock" Silva.

One final exciting fight to note.  On September 19 in Muay Thai action, in will be #13 Nathan "Carnage" Corbett v. #23 Pavel Zhuravlev.  A lot of people are critical of Corbett, claiming he seldom faces top competition, so it will be good to see him in there against a top 25 opponent.

Overall, that only leaves five top 25 fighters currently unaccounted for - Samedov, Manhoef, Ignashov, Catinas, and Sefo.  Should be a fantastic fall.

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I happened to rewatch this fight today, and was reminded what a great fight it is, so thought I would share.  This is Ernesto Hoost v. Francisco Filho from April 25, 1999 in the main event of K-1 Revenge '99.  As the name implies, this was a "revenge" match, as Hoost had defeated Filho in the semi-final round of the 97 GP en route to winning the crown. 

Newer fans may not be quite as familiar with Filho.  A Brazilian Kyokushin fighter, Filho made a huge splash in his K-1 debut in 1997 when he KO'd then GP champion Andy Hug in 1 round.  A brutally accurate striker, Filho stopped an absolute who's who of K-1 stars over his career - Hug, Aerts, and Sam Greco among them.  He never quite reached the very top levels on a consistent basis, but his big wins are all very impressive, and he definitely is one of the major players of this era in K-1.  Hoost of course, was one of the top 3 fighters in K-1 in 1999 and already well on his way to establishing his legend.

For the pre-fight video and entrances, click here.

Amazing KO there, as Filho finds his spot and lands a series of brutal blows, putting Hoost out cold.  It's performances like these that made him such a threat to any fighter.

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The K-1 World MAX Final 16 has been broiled in rumors lately, with fighters reporting signing on for fights on Korea on October 3rd with the K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 being on October 2nd. Most just wrote this off as them getting the dates wrong, or due to international time changes, giving a different date. Well, it turns out that K-1 has booked the Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul, Korea for two nights in a row. 

The K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 will go down on October 2. The K-1 World MAX Final 16 will happen on October 3. Other than announcing the K-1 MAX show, the other "announcement" was that Giorgio Petrosyan will indeed participate in the K-1 World MAX Final 16.

K-1 MAX has thankfully found a home for this year, now all we have to do is wait for the fights to be announced.

Did Yodsaenklai take home the gold in Beijing?

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The Muay Thai portion of the 2010 SportAccord Combat Games in Beijing has wrapped up with surprising results in both of the most watched weight classes.

First up, in the 71kg division, Artur Kyshenko's upset loss in the semi-finals to Thailand's Teerapong Dee set up a final between Teerapong and HKL's #24 ranked Marcus Oberg.  Teerapong once again defeated his more high profile opponent, taking a close split decision to take home the gold medal.  Oberg ends up with silver, while Kyshenko and Zhang Xiao Long earn bronze.

The other highly anticipated final was at 75kg, where international star Yodsaenklai Fairtex (competing under his given name of Yodthanong Phorat) faced Artem Levin of Russia.  These two men met before in 2008 with Yodsaenklai coming out the winner.  In what has to be seen as something of an upset, Levin claimed his revenge in Beijing, defeating Yod via split decision.  This marks Yod's 2nd loss in 2010 - a distinct drop for the man who dominated international Muay Thai competition for the past several years.  Prior to these losses, Yodsaenklai had only lost once since 2005.  Levin wins the gold, Yodsaenklai takes silver, with Vasel Tereshonok and Jesse Lacombe at bronze.

Overall, in Muay Thai events, Thailand was the only country to claim multiple gold medals, taking home the top spot in 4 of the 11 weight divisions. 

Outside of Muay Thai, MMA fighter and former BodogFIGHT champion Tara LaRosa represented the US in wrestling competition.  LaRosa made it to the bronze medal stage, where she was eliminated by France's Oceane Talvard.

Finally, kickboxing competition started yesterday.  The only name of note in that category is Chinese K-1 fighter Xu Yan.  Yan was defeated Gregor Stracanek in the quarter final round.

For complete results of all the action in Beijing, click here.

Jan Plas (Far Right) in Thailand

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It has been reported today that Jan Plas, the founder of the Mejiro Gym in the Netherlands has passed away in his jail cell at the age of 65. Jan Plas is best known for being the trainer of Peter Aerts, who went on to be one of the most successful kickboxers on an international level. Plas founded the Mejiro Gym in 1978 after numerous trips to Japan to study kickboxing with Kenji Kurosaki. In many ways, Plas is seen as one of the godfathers of kickboxing for the Dutch.

The first way is, obviously, that the Mejiro Gym is one of the most famous and accomplished kickboxing gyms in the world. Plas founded the Mejiro Gym to bring Japanese Kyokushin style kickboxing mixed with Muay Thai to the Netherlands. Plas was also instrumental in the formation of the NKBB, The Dutch Kickboxing Association.

Plas found himself in prison after being tied in with the Netherlands' notorious underworld, which came at a high price. He was involved in drug trafficking as well as money laundering, which turned into a family business of sorts, with his two children, who served as Dutch police officers, helping him. Plas found himself in a sticky situation, where he would have to betray his family or hardened criminals to save himself, and either one could end in pain. His death was reported as a suicide without any real details yet.

Regardless of his criminal connections, the kickboxing world has lost a true legend.