Since some of these fights are old guy vs. old guy, this is my disclaimer. If one of these idiots shows up completely out of shape, it isn’t my fault. Thanks, management.

Kazuo Misaki vs. Logan Clark

Looks like another attempt at Zuffa to get a win overseas in a win-win situation for them. A lower ranked fighter beats a well-known Japanese fighter? Didn’t work for Rani Yahya.

Anyways, Misaki has looked good in his last two fights. His battle with Akiyama was ruled a No Contest due to an illegal soccer kick KO, but the moments leading up to the KO still showed some improvements from Misaki. His striking was definitely a danger for Akiyama.

Clark is coming to Japan from the WEC. While he sports an 11-1 record, he’s fought a lot of subpar competition. If Misaki is truly on the rebound from his losses in PRIDE, Clark could be in for a rude awakening. After all, how can I pick against a guy who beat Baroni, Henderson, Kang, and Shooto champ Siyar Bahadurzada. I can’t.

Leland’s Prediction: Kazuo Misaki via decision
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Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Maurice Smith

Battle of the veteran MMA gods, Yoshida is coming off a loss to Josh Barnett at Sengoku I while Smith is back after a win over Rick Roufus at Strikeforce at the Dome, the most boring card ever!  At least YAMMA had Butterbean rolling on the floor.

Yoshida has fought much better competition over his career, although he’s lost nearly every single battle against top 10 competition. He’s a judoka with some decent submission game, but he’s been fighting on a less regular basis lately.

Maurice Smith hasn’t fought regularly in nearly 7 years, but has recently begun to make his way back into the sport. Smith has some decent standup and submissions, but I doubt he can catch Yoshida with a punch or submit him. Yoshida should have the edge, and his judo skills will likely be the culprit in putting Smith on his back. I’d like to think Yoshida can submit Smith in this one.

Leland’s Predictions: Hidehiko Yoshida via submission, Round 1
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Nick “The Goat” Thompson vs. Michael Costa

This should be a win for Thompson all the way. Thompson has great wrestling, grappling, submissions, and some decent striking along with very good cardio. He’s a well-rounded athlete who can take it to opponents from the get-go or wear them down gradually. It’s a shame he hasn’t made his way back to the UFC just yet.

Costa has some submission abilities along with KO power, but it’s likely that Thompson will use his wrestling to control the fight on the ground.

Leland’s Predictions: Nick Thompson via TKO/KO, Round 1
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Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Travis “I need a room with a” Wiuff

Fujita has fought the best in the world at Heavyweight. In fact, he’s only lost to top competition in the sport. He has a solid wrestling background and heavy, heavy hands coupled with the hardest chin we’ve ever seen in the sport. It’s next to impossible to knock Fujita out.

I don’t expect Travis Wiuff to try to knock out Fujita, but I will expect Wiuff to try to take Fujita down for some lay n’ pray fun. Wiuff has some ground and pound capabilities and is able to pull off choke submission from time to time, but against another wrestler like Fujita, we could see Wiuff falling like a tree.

Leland’s Prediction: Kazuyuki Fujita via TKO/KO, Round 2
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Quick Picks
Mu Bae Choi vs. Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz: I haven’t seen the legacy of “Pe de Pano” in the UFC, but I’ve heard it’s quite humorous. Regardless, Choi will have some wrestling abilities in this fight while Cruz has the jiu-jitsu background to counter. I’ll go with Cruz due to his credentials in the grappling department and flexibility. Cruz via submission, Round 2

Kazuo Takahashi vs. Fabio Silva: Takahashi has a weak chin, and Silva loves to strike, what more could you ask for in a match tailor made for Fabio to win. Silva via TKO/KO, Round 1

Sanae Kikuta vs. Chris Rice: Kikuta hasn’t fought since 2006 in PRIDE, but he’s still a very tough submission fighter. He doesn’t have the finishing power for the KO, and he’s had problems submitting opponents in his more recent battles, but Rice is a straight up striker from Britain. Look for Kikuta to take this one to the floor quickly and end it. Kikuta via submission, Round 1

Jorge Masvidal vs. Rodrigo Damm: This should be an interesting fight. Damm holds some decent wins including a submission stoppage over Kultar Gill. He’s definitely going to try to get this to the floor where it favors him. Masvidal has a well rounded skillset though, and he’s got some able striking to punch out Damm. His training at American Top Team can only help him defend against the submission. Masvidal via decision

The rebirth of the Japanese mixed martial arts scene will slowly begin its ascension on Wednesday at National Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Many fans are touting the arrival of promotions like World Victory Road, DREAM, and the coalition of K-1 and former DSE staffers as the second coming of the old PRIDE style format to the sport of mixed martial arts. The card certainly shows the seriousness of WVR’s entry into the Japanese market. The main event will feature Takanori Gomi vs. Duane Ludwig with supporting matchups featuring Josh Barnett vs. Hidehiko Yoshida and Shooto champion Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Kazuo Misaki.  Sengoku has the makings of providing us with a great midweek event to get the ball rolling into the weekend.

Main Event
Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi (27-3) vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig (16-7)

Gomi is coming off a layoff that has seen him “sit the bench” since February 24, 2007 due to his contractual problems that resulted from the PRIDE/Zuffa buyout. The big question in this matchup will be whether or not Gomi will have ring rust, and if he can get inside on Ludwig’s reach and power. Gomi has excellent striking, dynamite in his hands, and is known for having a very solid wrestling game that can neutralize opponents on the ground. He’s still arguably the #1 ranked Lightweight in the world due to his numerous wins over top 10 talent, but he has recently fallen off many rankings due to his inactivity. Although this matchup may not bring him back to the top, it’s a good fight for Gomi to work his way back into the “groove” of things.

Ludwig will have a tough challenge ahead of him. There is no doubt that Ludwig possesses the punching power to put Gomi out, but Gomi’s chin is tough and his technical prowess in the standup game is world class. The x-factor is whether or not Gomi will try to put Ludwig to the mat and use his wrestling to enable a ground and pound game on Ludwig. Ludwig’s biggest weakness is on his back whether it be trying to defend submissions or avoid punches. Gomi’s highest percentage to avoid damage while inflicting massive damage could be by putting Ludwig in that very position.

Gomi trying to stand with Ludwig could create some fireworks, but a sure fire winning strategy could see Gomi putting Ludwig on his back early and trying to pound him out. Either way, I think Gomi has a few more skills that he can pull from in order to win this fight.

Leland’s Prediction: Takanori Gomi via TKO, Round 2

Siyar Bahadurzada (13-1-1) vs. Kazuo Misaki (18-8-2)

Could this be the coming out party for Siyar Bahadurzada? It’s definitely a step up in competition for the native of Afghanistan. Bahadurzada’s skillset consists of some good wrestling skills coupled with some adequate striking that has been known to stun, devastate, and eventually stop opponents on the ground. The only big flaws in Bahadurzada’s credentials revolve around his strength of record. He has only recently taken on some stiffer competition in Shiko Yamashita and Nathan Schouteren, but Misaki is a considerable step up in competition.

Misaki has had mixed results in the last two years. He’s fought some of the best competition out there in Dan Henderson, Paulo Filho, and Frank Trigg. Although Trigg is older nowadays, he implemented an excellent wrestling game against Misaki and cruised to a decision win over him. Misaki has managed to get some big wins over Kang, Henderson, and Baroni during 2006 though, which significantly up his potential to get his name back in the picture.

Misaki isn’t known as a great finisher. He has potential to finish on the floor, but his hands are known as being dangerous in the standup when he is technically precise in his strikes. His record wouldn’t indicate him as being a devastating striker though. This presents an interesting difference in both fighters’ styles. Siyar doesn’t have overwhelming standup, and Misaki has had flashes of brilliance in his standup at times. It could prove to be a breaker for Siyar in this fight. With the big step up in competition for Siyar and Misaki’s inability to finish opponents late in his career, we may see a dominant win by Misaki, but by way of decision.

Leland’s Prediction: Kazuo Misaki via decision

Josh Barnett (20-5) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (7-5-1)