The show, which emanated from the Saitama Super Arena in the city of Saitama and was televised live on network TV in Japan, featured a mix of bouts that were contested under K-1 and also MMA rules.

In some unusual matchmaking, MMA stars such as Alistair Overeem, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and DREAM middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi were all pitted against K-1 stars in K-1 rules bouts. And in a major surprise, all three were victorious.

Overeem knocked out K-1 “bad boy” Badr Hari following a left hook that was delivered at 2:07 of round 1 with Mousasi also winning his bout in the first round over the similar-named Musashi at 2:32. Kawajiri, a top ten ranked lightweight fight by virtually every major rankings poll, completed the trifecta of first round KO upsets after he finished Kozo Takeda with a left hook knockdown that was preceeded by a knockdown caused by a flying knee.

The event also featured familiar MMA stars competing in bouts governed under MMA rules such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Mirko Cro Cop, and Shinya Aoki. In the main event, Japanese legend Sakuraba lost his second consecutive fight after losing a unanimous decision to Kiyoshi Tamura.

Cro Cop, a former veteran of PRIDE and the UFC, was successful in defeating 7’2” kickboxer Hong Man Choi via TKO at 6:32 of round 1 after the referee called the stop to the fight due to Choi favoring his knee after being the recipient of several major leg kicks. After the bout, Cro Cop reportedly announced a six-month hiatus from fighting in order to undergo knee surgery.

Aoki also became the first-ever lightweight champion of the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts after he submitted Eddie Alvarez with a heel hook at 1:32 of round 1. WAMMA officials were not on hand to present Aoki a belt as an agreement between the organization and FEG could not be worked out in time. According to WAMMA officials, the organization decided to sanction the bout independently after both Alvarez and Aoki consented to accepting the title in the event that they won. Aoki is expected to be presented the title at a ceremony to be held at a later date.

“Dynamite!!” also featured one of the year’s biggest upsets, with middleweight Melvin Manhoef stepping in to face super heavyweight Mark Hunt on short notice after Jerome LeBanner pulled out of the fight. Despite the tremendous disparity in weight, Manhoef needed just 18 seconds into the fight to knock Hunt out.

Other results included Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa submitting Errol Zimmerman at 1:01 of round 1; Bob Sapp TKO’ing professional wrestler Akihito Tanaka (competing under the identity of an Japanese Anime character known as “Kinniku Mantaro”); Semmy Schilt submitting Siala “Mighty Mo” Siliga at 5:31 of round 1; and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai TKO’ing Katsyuyori Shibata at 7:01 of round 1.

The 17-bout event had originally been planned to consist of 18 fights but a non-title match between DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen and Gesias Calvancante was cancelled at the last minute after Hansen could not gain medical clearance.

Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli rematch rumored for K-1 Dynamite!! 2008

Okay, I can see where this makes some sense. If you know anything about Japanese MMA you know that they like freakshows. I would say that Kimbo Slice, while trying to be a legit MMA fighter, qualifies as a freakshow in Japan. Right along the lines of Bob Sapp. And Seth Petruzelli, is well, not a draw there at all but Kimbo sure would be. Bob Sapp is a freaking god over there and he’s just awful at MMA. His looks, his personality, and his charisma make him popular. It has nothing to do with his skill or lack thereof. Kimbo in Japan is what makes the most sense for him right now even if he has to fight Petruzelli again. We all know that Kimbo will more than likely lose to Petruzelli a second time but his aura and his personality will do him wonders in Japan, win or lose.

Mirko Cro Cop’s nuts are okay, set to fight Alistair Overeem on New Year’s Eve

According to a recent interview, Cro Cop is back to training and getting ready for a fight with the man who made mincemeat out of his testicles (particuarly the right one), Alistair Overeem. Now I have no doubt that not only will we not see the Cro Cop of old but we won’t even see the same Cro Cop we saw in the last fight. Overeem, if he can keep from kneeing the Croatian square in the nuts, should be able to control this fight just like the last one. Cro Cop has admitted that his knee is injured and will need surgery immediately after the fight so what makes him think he’ll be able to defeat Overeem on a bum knee? Overeem should be able to effectively take Cro Cop down and beat him in the face or submit him rather easily. I know Cro Cop wants to avenge his nuts but he’s in for a beating, folks.

Patrick Cote thinks he messed Anderson Silva up bad

If you saw the interview with Patrick Cote where he basically said that he “f-cked Silva up” then you’ll recognize not only the fact that Patrick Cote is a terrible liar but that he’s also hammered. And bragging that you took Anderson Silva into the third round is really the most ridiculous thing to gloat about. You didn’t take Anderson Silva into the thrid, round. Anderson Silva took you to the third round. In fact, he practically carried you there. If Cote doesn’t think Anderson Silva could have ended the fight at practically any moment then he’s nuts. You didn’t get the better of Silva, you were behind on the scorecards, and you definitely do not deserve a rematch. End of story.

Anderson Silva wants to fight on November 15, Chuck Liddell fight rumored

Whoa, calm down Andy. November 15 might be pushing it a bit. We know you’re game for it and came away from the fight with Patrick Cote unscathed but finding an opponent with the balls to fight you on three weeks notice is next to impossible. I mean Brandon Vera wouldn’t fight Machida on short notice. What makes you think anyone, besides James Irvin again, would fight you on November 15? Chill out, take your time off, revel in the fact that you’re a badass and then come back at light heavyweight and start tearing fools apart at 205 lbs. It only makes sense and the rumored fight with Chuck Liddell would not only be a big payday but also an opportunity to show the world that you’re a very legitimate threat at 205 lbs. If Anderson Silva fights Liddell do you think there’s anyone, besides a hardcore Liddell fan, picking Chuck to win that fight? Not a chance. Destroy Chuck and start on a path for two titles, that’s the next logical step for Silva.

That does it for this week’s edition of Sprawl ‘N Brawl. The news this week is slim but things are going to heat up here in the next couple of weeks as we ramp up for Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture at UFC 91. Keep it tuned to Five Ounces of Pain for all your MMA news and rumors!

Cro Cop also confirmed that he will be fighting on an injured knee that will require surgery almost immediately after the fight.

“I’ve had several operations this year, and I’ll have to undergo another one straight after the NYE event. It’s frustrating to have to undergo all these operations but that’s the sportsman’s life. Many others have had it worse then me,” the Croatian said during the interview.

The first bout between the two, which was mostly controlled by Overeem’s ground game, ended in a no contest due to inadvertent groin strikes. Overeem hit Cro Cop with two strikes to the groin, the second strike sending Cro Cop to the mat for good. The pain was so unbearable that Cro Cop was unable to continue. During the broadcast, commentators Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice were notified that Cro Cop’s right testicle had been knocked back up inside his body.

Cro Cop has not been too successful since signing with the UFC in 2006, going 2-2 in his last four fights with wins over lackluster opponents in Eddie Sanchez and Tatsuya Mizuno and losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo plus the no contest with Overeem.

Overeem, on the other hand, was riding a three fight win streak into last month’s fight with Cro Cop, notching wins over Paul Buentello, Tae Hyun Lee, and Mark Hunt.

K-1 Dynamite!! 2008 is set to feature five kickboxing matches and five MMA fights including a bout between American Top Team’s Gesias Calvancante and DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen.