Sengoku ‘Ninth Battle’ Preview

Kazuo Misaki (21-9-2) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9)

The Storyline: Sengoku would have loved to crown another Japanese champion in January, but Brazilian Jorge Santiago knocked out Nakamura and then submitted former Pride welterweight grand prix winner Misaki, effectively thwarting those plans. With no other worthy challengers available at the moment, the promotion has taken those two fallen heroes and will have them fight each other for the right to get a second crack at the belt holder.

Neither man has looked particularly strong in the last year. Misaki sputtered to wins over Shooto champion Siyar Bahadurzada and unheralded American Logan Clark before falling to Santiago. Meanwhile, Nakamura botched his run in the UFC by fighting a weight class too heavy; he looked uninspired in his wins over Paul Cahoon and Yuki Sasaki back in Japan, as well. Which of these two former Pride mainstays can up the ante one more time and earn another title shot?

The Breakdown: Nakamura has victimized much bigger names -- Murilo Bustamante, Kevin Randleman and Igor Vovchanchyn come to mind -- but Misaki has fought and defeated tougher in-their-prime opponents, like Flavio Luiz Moura, Dan Henderson and Denis Kang. “The Grabaka Hitman” should also have the edge in the striking department and overall experience. Nakamura, meanwhile, has youth and power on his side.

Surprisingly, neither fighter has ever lost to a Japanese opponent. Nakamura’s inter-Japanese battles are behind much of the criticism he faces in his home country, as many fans and experts felt he lost his fight against Yuki Kondo on New Year’s Eve in 2005; his bout with Yoshihiro Nakao in September 2006 remains one of the most lackluster encounters inside the Pride ring.

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The Prediction: This bout represents a continuation of the Grabaka-Yoshida Dojo rivalry, which climaxed in January when Grabaka boss Sanae Kikuta won a split decision over Hidehiko Yoshida. In the past, Misaki has always raised his game to the next level when he was threatened by a domestic challenger. See his knockout of Yoshihiro Akiyama, which was later ruled a no contest, as a reminder of the former Dream star’s ace status. Misaki’s game appears to be more versatile at this point, which gives him the tools to win a unanimous decision.