My favorite Japanese translation site at Suki MMA has some interesting quotes that came from the post-fight speech at World Victory Road: Sengoku. Here's the small excerpt that Suki claims was said after the bout:

"After the fight, Gomi said, Ludwig was a very good fighter. This victory was brought by an accident and I will fight him again. Thank you for coming to see my fight held on a weekday. I have good company to work with and....

He was in tears and couldn't continue. He got the applause of fans and said, I will train hard and continue fighting. Thank you for supporting me."

Gomi is a great fighter, and he proved to me that he is still a dangerous striker with the ability to counter and attack with dynamite power. I'm still not understanding the point of a rematch, or why Gomi is discrediting his victory to the fact that Ludwig was bleeding and the fight had to be stopped.

Although the fight didn't last long, it was clear that Gomi's standup skills were crisp, precise, and damaging. Not only did he catch Ludwig with a great counter punch, but he also managed to crush him earlier in the bout with the blow that eventually created the gash on his nose. Precision power punching won Gomi that fight, and that's what he's known for. Does Ludwig deserve a rematch because the cut ended the fight? I think it's safe to say that most of the hardcore fanbase would rather see Gomi take someone else on after displaying a striking clinic on Ludwig's face. Take the credit you deserve, Gomi. Ludwig was outclassed on the feet, and I don't see it going any other way.

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)

It is official, Takanori Gomi has decided that the cage is a place where he just isn't quite ready for yet. Gomi has reportedly been booked for the World Victory Road's debut event in Tokyo at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gym on March 5th. There is no opponent for Gomi as of yet, but of course, people want to see Nick Diaz step up to the table.

Gomi is now added to the list of fighters who are arguably  #1 ranked in their respective divisions, but have managed to stay away from the tragedy of being defeated in the Octagon. Most fans will simply state that he is afraid, but there may be other reasons.

The biggest reason could be the money. Gomi stands to make more cash with Japanese sponsors and television in the Land of the Rising Sun. He is also one of the more popular PRIDE standouts with the media. His purses in each matchup he takes will most likely be much more considerable in Japan than they would be in the States with the UFC. Reportedly, Gomi stands to make around $190,000 dollars a fight. We all know the UFC would never pay that amount, especially when they have BJ Penn, the dominator of Gomi, at the top of the division. Imagine Gomi coming in making more money than Penn. Another Couture situation?

It'd be refreshing to see Gomi improve his ground game, and head to the UFC later in the year with a tenacity to win. Will it happen? Probably not, but it'd be a wish that would be on my list for Christmas. If Gomi stands to make nearly 200k per fight in Japan, it's a sure bet he won't be leaving the Japanese market.

Rumors surfaced this week regarding a potential deal in the works to bring the PRIDE lightweight champion in Takanori Gomi to the UFC. The rumor mill churned with news that Frankie Edgar had been offered a fight with Gomi, but Gomi declined the offer. Multiple conspiracy theorists and entire forum communities are on the case. The fact is that the deal probably never happened and the fight was never offered to Edgar.

Edgar's management fired a disheartening shot to MMA fans on the UG forum after the rumor had hit the 'Net (link is to Sherdog post from the UG post, too lazy to find the original UG post):

Not true he was never offered that fight, we heard a rumor that the ufc was trying to put it together but as of today frank does not have an opp for april 3rd. And the ufc never offered him a fight with gomi.

Other than the fact that his management team has horrible writing abilities, it looks like Edgar was never offered the fight, and the Gomi rumor is a complete waste of time. We do know that the UFC is most likely talking to Gomi, and we all saw the pictures of Gomi at UFC 79. In my personal opinion, Takanori Gomi should ship out to Japan and earn a living there until he improves some significant pieces of his skillset.

Why the hate?

First and foremost, my opinion of Gomi relies on the simple fact that his losses have been to better grapplers. BJ Penn ran the most surprising clinic of skill from Gomi's back that we have seen when pitting two of the world's top class athletes against one another at any given time. At no point in the fight was Gomi in a position to ever win, and he was on the defensive for nearly the entire fight. Marcus Aurelio showed us that a great BJJ ground game can also defeat the "Fireball Kid", and grappling tournament footage has shown that Gomi's back is still the place to be if you get into a battle with him. Matt Serra's win over Gomi showed much of the same style that Penn used on him in an actual MMA fight.

Sean Sherk, Frankie Edgar, and nearly any good, talented grappler or wrestler that can utilize the cage effectively has a shot at beating Gomi. Gomi has some good wrestling and some powerful hands, but I think the UFC may be a bit much for a man who can make millions in Japan in sponsorships and purses. Gomi has, however, defeated some top notch wrestlers in Japan such as Ishida and Kawajiri, both very tough fighters. Ishida recently destroyed Melendez in the first round of their matchup at Yarennoka with some impressive wrestling. Gomi would have a good chance against some of the UFC fighters mentioned above, but I believe it'd be a tough task.

The bottom line is that I would be very surprised if he signed with the UFC, but if he wants to prove he's the best lightweight in the world, it's the place to be. It obviously would show that he wants to fight the best in the world, even at the expense of losing out on some money that he could have made in his home country. It may bring the dog out in Takanori Gomi and cause him to really take his ground game more seriously and evolve his ground skills to be dangerous. We should all give some respect to Gomi if he takes the plunge to be a UFC lightweight fighter and try to prove to us that he's willing to make the sacrifices that we've heard about in the past regarding the UFC contract situation. Fedor's situation and the criticism he has received because he didn't take a deal that would help solidify his legacy is exactly why a Gomi deal would be unbelievable.