Once again, this morning, live from the Studio Coast in Tokyo, Japan, Pancrase returned with an action-packed Pancrase 309 fight card topped by featherweight king Isao Kobayashi.
In the main event, it was a featherweight title contest. The always-exciting Bellator veteran Isao Kobayashi looked to defeat the last man to beat him, Guam’s Kyle Aguon. Except this time with King of Pancrase gold on the line. In a potential title-eliminator at bantamweight, Japanese-Brazilian ace Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha took on HEAT title-holder Takeshi Kasugai.
Pancrase 309 would also feature former welterweight kings Hiromitsu Miura and Gota Yamashita, former female boxing champion Raika Emiko, and Croatian Mirko Cro Cop disciple Aleksandar Rakas, among others. Check out the full results of the card below.
Featherweight Championship:
Isao Kobayashi def. Kyle Aguon via Split Decision
– Their first fight ended in a three-round split decision that went in Aguon’s favor. In the rematch, we saw world-class, top of the line fighting. It was a fantastic contest that saw Kobayashi showcase a higher-level of fighting. Early on, it was Isao Kobayashi who had his moments. Aguon came back late in the fight, however. Staggering Kobayashi in the closing moments. On commentary, they make mention of the fact that these two could very well have a third fight in the future. And with two close split decisions call in their first two bouts, it’s hard to disagree. Regardless, ISao Kobayashi retains his title.
Bantamweight Title-Eliminator:
Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha def. Takeshi Kasugai via Unanimous Decision
– The theme of this fight was how the winner may very well stamp their shot at the bantamweight title that is currently held by Rafael Silva, despite a recent loss in a champion vs. champion bout under the ONE Championship banner. Yamaniha considers Silva a friend. Yamaniha dropped Kasugai with a big shot in the opening round, allowing him to get in a dominant grounded position for a brief period of time. In round two, similar happened after Yamaniha sent Kasugai reeling with a hellacious right-hand. Kasugai entered the third-round with much urgency, and it showed. He went after Yamaniha aggressively. Eventually getting the Japanese-Brazilian to the ground and doing his best to pound away at Yamaniha from top position, knowing he needed a finish. It was more of the same to close out round three. Kasugai went for it, even securing a tight guillotine before the bell. Great third round aside, it was simply too little, too late for Takesh Kasugai. Two big knockdowns in rounds one and two respectively, followed by plenty of ground attack and control secured the win for Yamaniha.
Main Card:
Tatiane Fontes def. Yoko Higashi via Split Decision
Emiko Raika def. Anne Karoline via Split Decision
Hiromitsu Miura def. Gota Yamashita via TKO (Punches) at 1:08 of Round 1
Aleksandar Rakas def. Kenta Takagi via Submission (RNC) at 2:02 of Round 2
Shinichi Taira def. Ukyo Abe via Unanimous Decision
Prelims:
Teppei Suwabe def. Ryo Iseki via Split Decision
Jouou DATE def. Toru Fujii via Unanimous Decision
Tatsuki Okano def. Yuma Nakajima via Split Decision
Keisuke Tachibana def. Masaya Oshiro via KO (Punch) at 3:32 of Round 2
