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DREAM 13 RESULTS: Ennis' Blow-by-Blow coverage of HDNet broadcast event featuring Josh Barnett's MMA return
Mar 22, 2010 - 10:10:37 PM DREAM 13 RESULTS: Ennis' Blow-by-Blow coverage of HDNet broadcast event featuring Josh Barnett's MMA return

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By: Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist

I must admit that I'm far too much of a lightweight (no offense to actual lightweights) to have gotten up at 3:00 this morning to watch this event live, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to seeing the latest offering from Dream. We've got some interesting fights here between Josh Barnett's latest, Joachim Hansen's foray into featherweight and KJ Noons's return to MMA among some good undercard contests, so let's do this.

FIRST FIGHT: JIMMY AMBRIZ vs. IKUHISA "MINOWAMAN" MINOWA (Openweight)

ROUND ONE
Minowa shoots immediately and Ambriz sprawls, landing some hammerfists in the process. Ambriz moves into side control. Minowa pulls him into half guard and Ambriz tries to posture up. He lands a couple of right hands and looks to pass. Minowa spins and gives up his back. Ambriz lifts him for a suplex and slams him back down face first, landing some more punches to the sides of the head. Minowa spins back and gets Ambriz in half guard. Ambriz looks for an arm triangle but Minowa escapes. Back into half guard. Minowa looks to roll for a leg lock, but can't catch it. Ambriz has Minowa's back again and resumes raining punches to the side of Minowa's head. Minowa looks for another kneebar by rolling, but he's unable to get a leg, and we're back in the same position with Minowa eating shots. Ambriz gets one hook in from the side and continues to punish. Not much for Minowa to do here, as this is what should happen with this kind of size disparity. Minowa stands again and Ambriz again picks him up and slams him face first to the canvas. More of the same from Ambriz, and the referee stands them up, somehow issuing Minowa a yellow card for stalling. I wouldn't call getting beat up stalling, but you know. Whatever. They square off tentatively, and Ambriz is tired. Right hand lands for Minowa. They engage again and a brawl ensues with both men landing a few shots. Overhand right lands for Minowa. Left hook by Minowa. The speed advantage is starting to manifest itself, but Ambriz is walking through these shots. Another left hand by Minowa, and Ambriz is doing nothing besides breathing heavily. Leg kick by Ambriz and Minowa answers with an overhand right. Hard inside leg kick by Minowa, and another. Minowa continues to look for the overhand right, but misses this one. They continue to slowly circle each other as the round ends. Despite the last few minutes, I'd give Ambriz the edge thus far.

ROUND TWO
We pick up where we left off, with Ambriz moving slowly and both men circling as Minowa looks for the left hook-overhand right combo. Ambriz wanders in and lands a knee to the head of Minowa, backing him into the corner. He drags the fight back to the ground and lands in Minowa's half guard again. The ref moves them to the center of the ring, and Ambriz looks to pass. He does so and gets the mount. Minowa spins immediately. It looks like Ambriz is about to take his back, and then Minowa flips and reverses Ambriz, landing in the half guard himself. Minowa fakes a punch from the half guard, then flips over and grabs a heel hook, forcing the tap.

RESULT: Minowa by submission.

STAR RATING: (**) I'm not much for these Minowa freak show fights, but it was fine for what it was.

RAMIFICATIONS: None. Minowa will continue to do his thing, and Ambriz will go back to being considered for last minute replacements.

SECOND FIGHT: KATSUNORI KIKUNO vs. KUNIYOSHI HIRONAKA (Lightweight)

ROUND ONE
These names are bound to test my ability to type quickly. Kikuno comes in quickly with a flurry and backs Hironaka up into the ropes. He lands a few knees to the thighs in the process. The ref separates them and they move back to the center. High kick by Kikuno and they clinch against the ropes again. Hironaka looks for a trip with the over-under but they separate. Right hand by H, and Kikuno answers with a kick to the body followed by a big right hand that puts Hironaka out.

RESULT: Kikuno by KO in round one

STAR RATING: (***-) Not much to it, but it was a definitive ending and a good fight while it lasted.

RAMIFICATIONS: It's hard to tell ramifications sometimes with the Japanese promotions, but Kikuno may have earned a shot at Shinya Aoki with this performance.

THIRD FIGHT: YOSHIRO MAEDA vs. COLE ESCOVEDO (Featherweight)

Escovedo enters looking menacing to the strains of "Wherever I May Roam" by Metallica, which is excellent.

ROUND ONE
Leg kick to start by Maeda, and he looks for a big right-left combo. Another leg kick lands for Maeda, and he catches Escovedo with an overhand right as he comes in for a leg kick of his own. Wicked uppercut lands for Maeda, and he lands a kick to the body. Escovedo backs him up with a body kick and a head kick, and Maeda asks for a minute after catching a toe in the eye (I guess.) They restart, and Escovedo lands a leg kick as Maeda comes in. Maeda looks for an exchange and doesn't land much, and Escovedo continues to look for kicks to keep him at bay. Maeda comes in and misses with a flying knee and Escovedo shoves him back. More kicks by Escovedo. Body shot by Maeda lands and he wings an uppercut. Left hand lands for Maeda, and Escovedo lands a leg kick followed by a high kick that absolutely starches Maeda. Beautiful knockout by Escovedo. That looked almost like a push kick right to the chin. That was a great combo as Maeda dropped his hands and head when the leg kick landed and put himself in prime position to be knocked out with the high kick.

RESULT: Escovedo by KO in round one

STAR RATING: (***) Fast-paced throughout, though not much landed outside the knockout blow. That was a fun one to watch with a great ending.

RAMIFICATIONS: Escovedo continues his improbable comeback, making it 5-0 since he recovered from a staph infection that sidelined him for the better part of three years and almost paralyzed him. I'll be interested to see if he can turn that comeback to gold in Dream, or anywhere else for that matter. (Escovedo was the WEC champ that preceded Urijah Faber's reign.) Maeda definitely has a place in Dream, though. He never has a boring fight.

FOURTH FIGHT: RYO CHONAN vs. ANDREWS NAKAHARA (Welterweight)

The good entrance music continues as Nakahara enters to "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

ROUND ONE
They circle briefly and Chonan lands a nice right hand. They scuffle briefly and Chonan lands another right. Chonan misses an uppercut and Nakahara misses a roundhouse. Low kick lands for Nakahara. My feed cut out here for a minute here, and Nakahara has Chonan in a bit of a triangle attempt about a minute later. Another feed interruption and Chonan is in side control with about two minutes left in the round. Nakahara tries to lock down a leg but Chonan escapes briefly. Nakahara then pulls him back into full guard, where Chonan lands a few punches. The ref stands them up and gives Nakahara a yellow card with about 1:30 left in the round. Nakahara lands a punch, but Chonan lands a nice jab and a big left hook, followed by another jab. Chonan backs him up and lands an uppercut, then proceeds to dart in and out, picking Nakahara apart. Nakahara looks for an inside leg kick that catches Chonan square in the jewels. I mean that was a hard kick directly in the groin. The doctor comes into the ring and puts on some gloves…I'm not sure what he was planning on doing, but apparently the idea was enough to help Chonan recover. They restart, and Nakahara looks much more crisp off the bat. Chonan lands a couple of straight right hands and Nakahara lands a big leg kick, and the round is over. I didn't see the whole round, but from what I can tell Chonan is well ahead thus far.

ROUND TWO
Left hand by Chonan to start, and Nakahara lands a nice leg kick. Nakahara whiffs a high kick, and Chonan lands a nice leg kick to counter. Left-right combo by Chonan, and he continues to pepper with the jab. Leg kick by Chonan, and more jabs. Leg kick lands for Nakahara and he misses a high kick. Chonan wanders in and backs out before taking any damage. Nice right hand lands for Nakahara. Big uppercut by Chonan. Nakahara recovers and they exchange briefly, nakahara lands a nice left hand. Chonan shoots and Nakahara lands a right hand, then follows with a nice right hook and a knee to the head. They begin to exchange big shots with nakahara landing the more significant blows – winging right hooks and knees to the head. Chonan ducks under and grabs a single leg, which Nakahara thwarts, but Chonan persists by grabbing a double and slamming Nakahara to the mat. Nakahara landed some really nice shots there, and Chonan showed a great chin. Chonan transitions into mount and grapevines the leg before getting a higher mount. The ref moves them closer to the middle of the ring, and Chonan lands some elbows to the shoulder, followed by some punches to the sides of the head. This sequence continues until the round, and the fight, ends. I'd give the fight to Chonan, but Nakahara definitely acquitted himself well here.

RESULT: Chonan by unanimous decision

STAR RATING: (***) I missed some of it, but what I did see was a lot of fun to watch; especially the second round. Chonan could have easily gone down in that exchange, but he showed some great endurance.

RAMIFICATIONS: I have no idea, though Chonan looked better than I remember seeing him in a while.

FIFTH FIGHT: KJ NOONS vs. ANDRE "DIDA" AMADO (Lightweight)

ROUND ONE
They come out quickly but Amado immediately lands a low kick that catches Noons in the groin. After the delay, my feed cuts out for a second, but Noons lands a right hand as Amado comes in for a flying knee. Noons looks for jabs to the body. More jabs by Noons, and Amado lands a low kick. Unfortunately my feed cut out another minute here, but Noons comes in with a hook to the body as Amado continues to work the leg kicks. Noons with another body punch, and he comes in with an uppercut-body punch combo. Uppercut by Amado, and he lands an inside leg kick. Body punch again by Noons. He's really digging those shots in there, and he lands another as Amado counters with a left. Big left hand lands for Noons. Inside leg kick by Amado and Noons lands another big body shot. Back to the body for Noons as Amado lands a left hook counter. Big left hand to the body by Noons. AT&T kills me with another missed minute and a half, and Noons lands another body shot. Noons ducks a bit and Amado lands a head kick. Leg kick by Amado. Left hook by Amado and he blocks an uppercut by Noons. More body shots by Noons and Amado lands a knee. Not much of note until the end of the round, as they exchange jabs and leg kicks and body shots. This has been a pretty close fight – I'd probably give it to Noons by a hair so far as he's landed the more significant shots (which is not saying much.)

ROUND TWO
Amado runs across and looks for a flying knee and he misses completely. Spinning back kick misses as well, but he lands a nice leg kick. Noons with the jabs, and Amado lands a left. Body shots by Noons , and he looks for a big hook. Uppercut misses for Amado, and we're back to pawing at each other with all the big shots being blocked. Noons lands a nice combo and a left hand, and Amado lands a left hand counter. Noons looks for a body shot and goes a bit below the belt. After the rest, Noons lands a left uppercut and Amado counters with a left. He begins to gesture to the crowd and then misses an overhand right. Amado continues to move backwards as Noons follows with peppering shots. Body shot by Noons and a right hand misses. Overhand right misses for Amado. Amado has to know he's behind, yet he continues to work only defense against peppering shots. Amado lands a counter right hand after Noons goes to the body again. Amado with a knee from the Thai clinch, and Noons has an overhand right blocked. Knee by Amado misses, and the fight is over. I can't see this going any way but to Noons. Amado had no offense other than the occasional counter that did no damage.

RESULT: KJ Noons by unanimous decision

STAR RATING: (**) Not much going on here. Noons tried his hardest, but Amado would not engage.

RAMIFICATIONS: Noons will go back to Strikeforce, and he can't be far away from a lightweight title shot at this point, since he abandoned his title at the fake weight class of 165 lbs in EliteXC so long ago. I would imagine he'll get (maybe) one more fight and then take on the winner of Melendez-Aoki. Too bad for "Dida" – he started out so promising at 6-0-1, and he's lost four straight against the top dogs. Not sure what's next for him.

SIXTH FIGHT: JOSH BARNETT vs. SIALA "MIGHTY MO" SILIGIA (Heavyweight)
The only time I've seen Mo that I remember is the highlight against Hong Man Choi. He didn't look so big at that time. He's way bigger than he looked – bigger than Barnett. Leg kick lands for Barnett, and Mo lands a big right hand. Mo backs up and lands a big left hook that drops Barnett briefly. Barnett grabs the clinch and muscles Mo into the corner after landing a knee to the guts. He looks for a takedown, but the ref separates them. Leg kick by Barnett and Mo throws an uppercut. Front kick by Barnett. Body kick by Barnett. Jab lands for Mo, and another big leg kick by Barnett. Jumping left hook misses for Mo, and Barnett lands a big kick directly up the middle of Mo's groin. Add to it the fact that Barnett is wearing wrestling boots and it's not a good combination. Barnett looks nonplussed as the delay stretches on to seven minutes. You'll excuse me if I fast-forward through this. When the delay reaches nine minutes, they announce a three minute delay. Gotta love the Japanese events. Barnett leaves the neutral corner (where his cornerman is behind him, mind you) to tell Mo that he'll accept a knee to the balls if Mo wants. Schiavello calls this potentially the greatest "balls recovery" we've seen should Mo choose to continue. At about 12 minutes (I believe,) the fight does indeed resume. Overhand right misses for Mo, and he sprawls to avoid the takedown. Uppercut misses for Mo. Leg kick by Barnett, and he misses a head kick. Body shot lands for Barnett, and a big leg kick. Barnett lands a jab. Mo looks to be tired here, but he lands a left hook. Knee to the body by Barnett, and Barnett gets the takedown amidst Mo's grabbing the ropes. Barnett looks for a kimura and elicits the tap without fully cranking the hold. Afterwards Mo does indeed throw a knee to the nether-region of Barnett before exiting the premises.

RESULT: Barnett by submission in round one

STAR RATING: (**-) This was pretty much a joke after the groin shot. Mo had no gas left and no answer at all for Barnett on the mat.

RAMIFICATIONS: Barnett's quest to cling to relevance is only slightly successful here as he fought a kickboxer on short notice in a fight that no one really cared about. It'll remain to be seen what kind of fights Barnett can get, either because of being ducked or due to inability to fight for Strikeforce. I don't imagine we'll see too much of Barnett for a while, but we'll see.

SEVENTH FIGHT: BIBIANO FERNANDES vs. JOACHIM "HELLBOY" HANSEN (Featherweight Title Fight)

ROUND ONE
Leg kick lands immediately for Fernandes, and Hansen answers with a kick to the body. Another leg kick for Fernandes, and he misses a head kick. Fernandes takes Hansen down but gets back to the feet. Hansen scrambles back up and eats a body shot. Leg kick by Fernandes. Right hand for Hansen, as Fernandes looks to clinch. They clinch against the ropes until the ref separates them. Right hook by Hansen and a leg kick, which Fernandes answers in kind. Body kick by Hansen, and he checks a leg kick. Jab by Hansen, and Fernandes counters with a right. Leg kick by Fernandes, and Hansen lands a body kick. Left hand by Hansen, and fernandes lands a leg kick. Not a whole lot happening so far. Hansen wings a right hand and Fernandes takes him down via the clinch. Fernandes in the half guard. Fernandes passes, but Hansen scrambles back to the feet. Hansen has landed a few shots here, but nothing hard. Were I to guess beforehand, I would say Hansen would have big power at 145, but I'm not seeing it yet if that's the case. Hansen looks pretty lanky. He lands a big leg kick, though. They clinch and exchange briefly before the ref separates them. Left hand misses for Hansen, and Fernandes counters with a left of his own. Body punch by Hansen, and a right hand. Leg kick lands for Fernandes. Fernandes shoots and gets the takedown. Fernandes stands and Hansen looks for the upkick. Hansen stands back up, and Fernandes lands a right hand. Overhand right misses for Fernandes, and he throws a flying knee that only partially connects. He goes to slap hands with Hansen and Hansen throws a right hand. He grins and slaps hands with Fernandes afterwards. Hansen has a big left hook blocked and Fernandes counters with a right hand that staggers Hansen. Fernandes backs him up against the ropes, and they separate. Hansen has recovered, and they go back to the slow-paced kickboxing until the round ends. Fernandes has the advantage thus far.

ROUND TWO
Hansen lands a big inside leg kick and has a right hook blocked. Fernandes shoots and takes Hansen down, then looks for a leglock. Hansen escapes and they're back on the feet. Right hand lands for Fernandes as a counter to Hansen's knee. Leg kick by Hansen. They exchange jabs and Hansen lands a leg kick. Fernandes catches a kick and throws Hansen to the ground. Hansen promptly lands a couple of nice upkicks and is able to stand when Fernandes comes forward. Knee to the head by Hansen, and he looks to be getting more comfortable. They clinch and are separated. Leg kick by Hansen, and he misses a right hook. Fernandes misses an overhand right and they clinch against the ropes. Knee to the gut by Hansen. Uppercut lands for Hansen and Fernandes grabs the clinch. They're separated again. Hansen cannot seem to hurt Fernandes so far. Fernandes eats a knee as he shoots and the work back to the feet. They exchange a bit without either man really getting the better of the other. It's a pretty even fight as the bell sounds to end the fight (for some reason title fights are no different than regular fights here as far as number of rounds.) Tough call – I think I'd give it to Fernandes by a little. Hansen seems to agree as he looks surprised when one judge calls it for him, but Fernandes retains with a split decision win.

RESULT: Fernandes by split decision.

STAR RATING: (***) Not bad, but pretty pedestrian quite honestly. I have a feeling I might be in the minority with that opinion, but hey. I just wasn't overly impressed. Maybe it was because I was expecting more rounds and I was just getting warmed up. But Hansen couldn't seem to hurt Fernandes, and Fernandes landed a couple of big shots on Hansen and was able to take him down at will. Fernandes's striking was better tonight, but he still has a ways to go with it.
RAMIFICATIONS: We'll see if Hansen sticks around at featherweight…I wonder if Fernandes was really that much better or if the cut had a detrimental effect on "Hellboy." It looks like Fernandes called out Hiroyuki Takaya (whom he beat for the title by split decision) after the fight, so that could be the next fight on the horizon for Dream's featherweight kingpin (though Takaya himself is coming off of a TKO loss to Michihiro Omigawa at December's "Dynamite!!"event.

[Josh Barnett photo courtesy of Affliction]