In the main event, Hiroyuki "Streetfight Bancho" Takaya outpointed Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes to win the DREAM Featherweight Championship. Fernandes had originally bested Takaya to win the title by split decision in the finals of the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix. This time it was a unanimous decision verdict and Takaya was on the winning end. Takaya had been heavily pushed in the promotion of this event, so this victory has solidified him as one of the top new stars in Japanese MMA.
The co-main event featured another very significant win for Japanese MMA. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri manhandled former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson for 3 rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. Earlier this year, DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki traveled to America, where he was subsequently embarrassed by Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez in a 5-round shellacking. The competitiveness of Japanese lightweights in comparison to American lightweights was called into question, however, Kawajiri proved more than capable of competing with Thomson and actually outwrestled the American fighter. This was a huge victory for Kawajiri that has renewed the Strikeforce vs DREAM rivalry.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai has now lost 4 straight fights. Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High used wrestling to control Sakurai and was awarded a split decision victory. While it wasn't the prettiest of victories, it was a win nonetheless for High. Sakurai, who is now in his fifteenth year in the sport, should, but probably won't, consider retirement.
Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis quite literally knocked the ear off of Kazushi Sakuraba's head. Sakuraba, who has a serious case of the cauliflower ear, took a blow to the head that tore the top of his ear from the side of his head. With his ear dangling in the wind, Sakuraba made his way to the corner where the ringside doctor immediately stopped the fight. Afterward, Sakuraba apologized, saying "sorry my ear came off." At this point, calling for Sakuraba's retirement is pointless. I've relegated myself to the fact that Sakuraba is either going to die in the ring or physically be unable to walk to the ring before he retires.
Although Jerome "Geronimo" Le Banner hadn't competed in an MMA fight in over 5 years, he proved to be a game opponent for rising star Satoshi Ishii, who made his MMA debut a year ago at Dynamite!! 2009. Le Banner lasted the duration of the fight with Ishii, but in the end it was Ishii whose hand was raised in victory via unanimous decision.
Alistair "The Reem" Overeem, less than 3 weeks after winning the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010, the Super Bowl of kickboxing, has now won the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Championship. Overeem needed just 19 seconds to put away Todd Duffee, who accepted this fight on short notice. Kudos to Duffee for stepping up to the plate, but he got quickly struck the f-ck out. Overeem appears unstoppable.
Sergei Kharitonov made quick work of an undersized Tatsuya Mizuno. As soon as I saw the two fighters square off in the middle of the ring, I thought Mizuno was about to get hurt, and boy did he ever. Kharitonov landed a vicious knee that dropped Mizuno like a sack of potatoes. Goodnight, Irene!
Hiroshi Izumi used his size and grappling advantage to dominate an uninspired Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa. In a fight that seemed to play out in slow motion, the plodding Izumi rode Minowaman for two plus rounds before eventually winning by TKO via pitter-patter punches in the third round. This fight was bowling shoe ugly.
Hideo Tokoro may very well have set a new record for the most armbar attempts in a fight against Kazuhisa Watanabe, a professional boxer making his MMA debut. Tokoro tried submission after submission on Watanabe, but to no avail. Watanabe made this a fun fight with his bully antics, facial expressions and body gestures while throwing wild punches and tepid kicks that kept getting him taken down. Unfortunately for Watanabe, his submission defense was the best, and only, part of his game, which lead to one long two and a half round submission attempt by Tokoro.
Caol Uno made his long-awaited featherweight debut, however, against the Olympic wrestling of Kazuyuki "Little Hercules" Miyata, a successful debut it was not. Uno is now 0-4-1 in his last 5 fights and may very well have fought for the last time. Miyata, on the other hand, has now won 6 straight fights and has put himself in line for a possible DREAM featherweight title shot.
In the opening fight of the nearly 7-hour event, Andy Ologun squeaked by Katsuaki Furuki, a recently retired pro baseball player making his MMA debut. Unlike other professional athletes who've tried their hand at MMA, Furuki showed he had taken his training very seriously and just might have a career in MMA now that his baseball days are behind him. Ologun isn't exactly a world-beater, but he's incredibly athletic and Furuki held his own for a good portion of the fight, including mounting Ologun on several occasions.
In non-MMA bouts, "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura and Tetsuya Yamato fought to a draw under K-1 MAX rules, and DREAM Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi won a unanimous decision over K-1 star Kyotaro under K-1 rules. This was a significant crossover victory for an MMA fighter over an established kickboxing powerhouse.
DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki fought cross-dressing kickboxing star Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima in a mixed rules fight, with the first round under K-1 kickboxing rules and the second round under DREAM MMA rules. As was expected, Aoki stalled for most of the first round, using illegal clinches and repeated dropkick attempts to buy himself time. While Aoki was warned several times by the referee, he was blatantly cheating and really should've been disqualified before the first round ended. In an ironic twist of fate, justice was served 4 seconds into the second round, when Nagashima knocked Aoki unconscious. With the fight under MMA rules, Aoki sloppily went for a takedown and ate a knee. Nagashima followed up with some hammerstrikes and Aoki was out cold for quite some time.
Bob Sapp was supposed to fight disgraced sumo wrestler "Wakakirin" Shinichi Suzukawa in an IGF special rules fight, Pancrase-style with no gloves and only open-hand strikes, however, it was announced that Sapp would not be competing because he had "lost the will to fight." The announcers elaborated that Sapp had attempted to renegotiate his contract backstage before the fight, which is not the first time he's tried to pull such a stunt. Hopefully, a lesson has been learned here and promoters will stop offering Sapp fights. It's been many a moon since Sapp has done anything but cash a check for a fight. This time he didn't even get to do that.
DYNAMITE!! 2010
{Featherweight Championship}
Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8) won by UD over Bibiano Fernandes (8-3)
[20:00] - 3 Rounds
Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6) won by UD over Josh Thomson (18-4)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Jason High (12-3) won by SD over Hayato Sakurai (35-12)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
{Welterweight Championship}
Marius Zaromskis (14-5) won by TKO over Kazushi Sakuraba (26-15)
[2:16] - Round 1 - doctor stoppage
Satoshi Ishii (4-1) won by UD over Jerome Le Banner (3-2)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
{Interim Heavyweight Championship}
Alistair Overeem (34-11) won by KO over Todd Duffee (6-2)
[0:19] - Round 1 - punches
Sergei Kharitonov (17-4) won by KO over Tatsuya Mizuno (8-7)
[1:25] - Round 1 - knee
Hiroshi Izumi (4-1) won by TKO over Ikuhisa Minowa (47-32)
[12:50] - 2:50 Round 3 - punches
Hideo Tokoro (27-23) won by SUB over Kazuhisa Watanabe (0-1)
[12:50] - 2:50 Round 3 - armbar
Kazuyuki Miyata (11-7) won by UD over Caol Uno (25-14)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Andy Ologun (3-1) won by UD over Katsuaki Furuki (0-1)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8) won by UD over Bibiano Fernandes (8-3)
[20:00] - 3 Rounds
Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6) won by UD over Josh Thomson (18-4)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Jason High (12-3) won by SD over Hayato Sakurai (35-12)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
{Welterweight Championship}
Marius Zaromskis (14-5) won by TKO over Kazushi Sakuraba (26-15)
[2:16] - Round 1 - doctor stoppage
Satoshi Ishii (4-1) won by UD over Jerome Le Banner (3-2)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
{Interim Heavyweight Championship}
Alistair Overeem (34-11) won by KO over Todd Duffee (6-2)
[0:19] - Round 1 - punches
Sergei Kharitonov (17-4) won by KO over Tatsuya Mizuno (8-7)
[1:25] - Round 1 - knee
Hiroshi Izumi (4-1) won by TKO over Ikuhisa Minowa (47-32)
[12:50] - 2:50 Round 3 - punches
Hideo Tokoro (27-23) won by SUB over Kazuhisa Watanabe (0-1)
[12:50] - 2:50 Round 3 - armbar
Kazuyuki Miyata (11-7) won by UD over Caol Uno (25-14)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Andy Ologun (3-1) won by UD over Katsuaki Furuki (0-1)
[15:00] - 3 Rounds
Updated MMA win-loss records with total fight time in brackets.
UD = Unanimous | SD = Split Decision | SUB = Submission
MADMAN AWARDS
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Bibiano Fernandes
KO OF THE NIGHT: Sergei Kharitonov (knee) over Tatsuya Mizuno
SUB OF THE NIGHT: Hideo Tokoro (armbar) over Kazuhisa Watanabe
QUICKEST WIN: Alistair Overeem over Todd Duffee in 19 seconds
BIGGEST UPSET: Hiroyuki Takaya (+160) over Bibiano Fernandes
BIGGEST WINNER:) Hiroyuki Takaya
BIGGEST LOSER:( Todd Duffee
Dynamite!! 2010 Insane Preview Prediction Results:
1 - RANDY ROWLES: 9-3 (14.5 pts)
2 - AARON MENARD: 9-3 (13.5 pts)
3 - MAT PARÉ: 7-5
2 - AARON MENARD: 9-3 (13.5 pts)
3 - MAT PARÉ: 7-5
