ASTRAL 5. DYNAMISM is headlined by the title fight between Shin Ya (5-1) and veteran Shingo Takeda (9-7) for the ASTRAL Welterweight Championship. Though Ya lost his previous bout, circumstances gave him the opportunity to face Takeda for the vacant title. Takeda won his last fight via submission, and Ya has won 5 fights via submission. It’ll be interesting to see if Takeda will bring the fight to the ground against the dangerous Ya. Takeda has the experience and stand-up skills to contend with Ya. Takeda has a solid takedown defense, stuffing 84% of takedowns in his 16 professional fights. Takeda should see a decision victory over Ya if he continue his takedown defense success.
The co-main event of the evening features Japan’s Rumina Sato (6-6) and USA’s Maia Bee (2-0) and should decide who the next contender for the Welterweight Championship will be. Sato is coming into the bout with a submission victory over main event fighter Shin Ya while Bee is coming off 2 knockout victories. Bee has recently fought at ASTRAL 4. ROMANEX, but his quick knockout victory allowed him to fight Sato. Sato’s experience and ground game should take over the match, though Bee may unleash a vicious headkick quickly. Should be a very interesting fight to watch, keep your eyes on this one, folks.
ASTRAL newcomer, German born Peter Martin (5-8) takes on Japan’s Tatsuya Kimura (2-1) in the light-heavyweight division. Martin has reeled off 4 victories in a row, despite losing 8 in a row before that. Obviously he has the experience advantage over Kimura here, and it will be interesting to see if he continues his streak or begins a new one. Looking at the fighting backgrounds of these two fighters, it looks to be a very even match-up. Both are well-rounded and look to prefer the ground game as they have 5 submissions amongst their 7 combined victories. Martin’s experience should help him in this fight, but in a ground battle, anyone can one.
Mirko Vucinic (4-3) takes on rookie Yuki Tamura (0-0) who enters his first professional bout. Tamara has superior boxing and wrestling, but will face a tough first fight against a more-well rounded “Nightmare” Vucinic. Vucinic comes in winning 3 fights in a row, and 2 via knockout before 30 seconds had even passed. This fight has the makings to be a war and possibly fight of the night. Tamura should look for his first professional victory to come if he lets his hands fly, though Vucinic could also put him to sleep and experience “The Nightmare” that his conquests have experienced.
The lightweight fight between Rafael Diias (4-3) and Thomas Dvargledare (5-1) features another two fighters who enjoy the ground game and employing submissions. Diias is coming off a loss while Dvargledare is coming in with a victory. If the fight goes to the ground, it may be a coin flip as to who will walk away the victor. However, if Diias decides to keep it standing, he may very well have the upper hand.
Don Quixote (3-2) and Akira Kambei (1-1) face off at 145. The 4 combined victories have all come by way of submission. Quixote may have an advantage in the stand-up and clinch games, as his muay thai is superior to that of Kambei’s. However, his 3 victories have come by submission, and he may wish to stick to what works for him. Quixote looks to continue his modest win streak and Kambei looks to rebound from his first career loss. The fight will most likely be taken to the ground and finished via submission by either fighter.
In the 265+ division, Kazuki Ito (1-2) faces off against rookie Daisuke Shiga (0-0). It is hard to judge the outcome of the bout, as both fighters have not had many fights to predict how they will fare. Ito is easily better-rounded, though Shiga is a remarkable wrestler. Shiga should look to take the fight to the ground and expect Ito to try to keep it standing. This fight going to a decision would not surprise me.
John Reaper (1-0) takes on Kwon Lee Hong (0-0) in a match that will decide where the 2 stand amongst other middleweight fighters in ASTRAL. The fight seems to be pretty balanced, with Hong being the better boxer and Reaper being the BJJ student. Their wrestling abilities look to be quite even, which may prove to be a problem for Reaper. If he can’t take Hong to the ground, he will get picked apart by Hong’s punches. If Reaper takes it to the ground, it’ll be a whole different story.
Jongwoo Park (1-1) faces Jigaro Kano (2-1) in the ring. Both fighters have wins only through submission. Park is a BJJ brown belt, and Kano is a stronger wrestler. Kano should use his wrestling to fend off of Park’s takedowns and submission attempts. On the other hand, Park should mix it up with his muay thai skills to keep Kano off balance before following up with a takedown. Park is looking for a big victory here to solidify his standing in ASTRAL.
Lee Wong (2-1) takes on Jong Man Kim (1-0) in the lightweight division. Kim has Wong outclassed in boxing and wrestling, through Wong is stronger in muay thai. It could either be a battle between boxing and muay thai or Kim may decide to take it to the ground. Either way, this fight has the makings of a solid fight to start the night off.
ASTRAL.5, "DYNAMISM"
Fri. June 11th, 2010
Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Hayashi's Lounge)
170: Welterweight Championship (Decision Match): Shin Ya (5-1) vs. Shingo Takeda (9-7)
170: Maie Bee (2-0) vs. Rumina Sato (6-6)
205: Peter Martin (5-8) vs. Tatsuya Kimura (2-1)
185: Mirko Vucinic (4-3) vs. Yuki Tamura (0-0)
155: Rafael Diias (4-3) vs. Thomas Dvargledare (5-1)
145: Akira Kambei (1-1) vs. Don Quixote (3-2)
265+ Kazuki Ito (1-2) vs. Daisuke Shiga (0-0)
185: John Reaper (1-0) vs. Kwan Lee Hong (0-0)
145: Jongwoo Park (1-1) vs. Jigaro Kano (2-1)
155: Lee Wong (2-1) vs. vs. Jong Man Kim (1-0)
