SAITAMA, December 31, 2008 -- On a fight night full of spectacular KOs and deft submissions, it was the stunning upsets that really stood out. MMA fighters Alistair Overeem and Gegard Mousasi shocked K-1 stars Badr Hari and Musashi in K-1 bouts; while in another big surprise, diminutive MMA-fighter-turned-K-1-sensation Melvin Manhoef become the first man to KO big Mark Hunt with punches.

The latest installment in Japanese New Year's tradition, FieLDS DYNAMITE!! 2008 featured eleven DREAM MMA Rules bouts in a variety of weight classes; a quartet of K-1 Rules contests; and the culmination of the inaugural K-1 Koshien high school tournament. The fightsport extravaganza was held before a sellout crowd the Saitama Super Arena.


DREAM MMA Rules Bouts

Dutch dynamo Melvin Manhoef wasn't even supposed to be in the ring tonight, but when Jerome LeBanner's influenza knocked him out of the event, New Zealand slugger Mark Hunt needed an opponent for his Heavyweight bout. On less than 24 hours notice, Manhoef -- who weighs some 40kg/88lbs less than Hunt -- accepted the fight

The bell rang, and after sizing up his opponent for moment, Hunt barreled in with his fists flying. Manhoef however met the attack soundly with a left and then a right to send Hunt to the mat. In a flash, Manhoef stepped over the downed Kiwi and began pounding down the punches. With Hunt neither defending nor attacking, the referee dove in to stop it. The crowd went wild.

"I'm a small guy, only 88 kilos [194lbs] , but I can fight!" shouted Manhoef from center ring. "So now I want to fight Hong-Man… No! I'm joking!"

Three-time K-1 World GP Champion Semmy Schilt of Holland met Samoan-American slugger Mighty Mo in a Heavyweight (93.1kg/205lbs+) test of the standup fighters' MMA skills.

From the start pair closed to the clinch, where Mo's attempts to grab Schilt's legs were answered by knees. When they did go to the mat, Mo was on top, where he hoped to use Schilt's size against him, but Schilt long legs from the guard kept Mo at bay. The Samoan stood and passed promisingly with the right, before being drawn into a triangle choke from which he could not escape. Schilt with the submission victory.

Innovative grappler Shinya Aoki, a Japanese Judoka, took on American wrestler Eddie Alvarez in a Lightweight (70kg/154lbs) bout. This is the fight that didn't happen at the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix 2008, when injury kept semifinal winner Alvarez from advancing to the final.

After both fighters had tested the distance, Aoki dove in for the leg takedown. The pair tumbled to the mat but Alvarez escaped. Aoki elected to stay down, comically attempting to chase down his opponent with a crab-walk. Alvarez smiled, and the referee told Aoki to stand. Alvarez now threw a kick, which Aoki grabbed to precipitate another visit to the mat. The fighters went north-south, and it wasn't long before Aoki had the American fighter's heel in his hands and started to twist. Alvarez also grabbed a handy heel, but could do nothing with it. A desperate flip by Alvarez only got him in more trouble, and the tapout and cry of pain came soon afterward.

A commanding performance by Aoki, who screamed from center ring, "America! Listen to me! Don't think Japan's weak, we're strong! And we're coming to challenge you!" Alvarez, meanwhile, was taken to a local hospital.

The Main Event, a Middleweight (80kg/176lbs) contest, featured a couple of Japanese living legends -- submission specialist Kazushi Sakuraba, nicknamed "The Gracie Hunter" for his success against MMA's most celebrated family; and pro-wrestler Kiyoshi Tamura, a contemporary of Sakuraba's who has also enjoyed an illustrious career.

The fighters, who will both turn 40 in 2009, lacked some of the vigor of their earlier years, but nonetheless made a fair go of it. After a Tamura low kick, Sakuraba dove in with a single leg takedown and the pair went to the mat, Sakuraba's position spoiled by a reversal that landed Tamura on top. The two would remain in that position for most of the 10-minute first round. Tamura did some damage here, passing Sakuraba's guard with hammers and punches; while Sakuraba kept his legs high in an apparent attempt at a triangle choke. Tamura stayed clear of the trap, picking his spots to fire in punches, many of which made decent contact.

The second saw an increasingly fatigued Sakuraba fighting increasingly defensively. Tamura also pulled back here, and both fighters were re-stood and cautioned for lack of action. Tamura stung Sakuraba with a couple of low kicks before executing a single-leg takedown, and although Sakuraba got top position in the next trip to the mat, it was still Tamura putting the strikes through. Some late maneuvers by Sakuraba failed to get anywhere, and Tamura took the win by unanimous decision.

At Welterweight (75kg/165lbs), it was Japanese fighters Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata bolted in from the bell to a violent collision with his opponent, but when they went to the mat it was Sakurai who took full mount to pound in hard punches to Shibata's face. Sakurai then switched to a stifling side mount to punish his opponent with hammer punched and knees. The hapless Shibata just couldn't get out from under the barrage. The ground and pound may lack in finesse but here it was effective, as the referee finally stepped in to call it for Sakurai.

Croatian MMA star Mirko CroCop stepped in against Hong-Man Choi of South Korea. In a Heavyweight bout. CroCop is known for his dangerous high kicks, but could he get them up on the 218cm/7'2" Choi?

Circling clockwise, CroCop started with a hit-and-retreat strategy, darting in kicks to Choi's legs and body and just missing with a high kick before getting locked up in a bear hug that went to stalemate. A lack of engagement earned both fighters yellow cards midway through the 10-minute first round, before a CroCop kick landed below the belt, resulting in a time stoppage and recovery period for Choi. After resumption, a CroCop left kick caught the inside of Choi's left knee. The big Korean took one awkward step forward, then collapsed to the mat in a heap of pain.

"I know it wasn't the most exciting fight, but to fight a giant I had to do what I did, I had to be smart," said CroCop, who then announced that upcoming reconstructive surgery on a lingering knee injury is expected to keep him out of the ring for at least six months.

A couple of Japanese Lightweights, Hideo Tokoro and Daisuke Nakamura, stepped in at 70kg/154lbs.

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