DynamiteUSA/ Making Us Long For The Days Of PRIDE
A quick review could not quite do when talking about what it is that first made MMA so commercially appealing, and DynamiteUSA was a definite reminder of the Japanese power of pop. When it comes to putting on a spectacle, nobody does it better, and in alliance with EliteXC/StrikeForce; FEG gave us yet another glimpse of the Japanese tradition of putting on an MMA show. Although only days before the show half the card had shifted, plagued by the various circumstances that surround putting on a fight, the debut of Dynamite came off rather well in terms of an all out spectacle, including chariot driven Ben Hurr like entrances by the gladiators, backed by the beautiful coliseum traced by California’s blue outdoor lighting. Adding to the Olympian spirit there was a lighting of the torch, which included decadent hero Sir Dennis Rodman and the big sleepy gladiator Hong Man Choi, who did not get medical clearance to fight on this particular evening against debutante Brock Lesnar. Of course don’t forget the power of the superior sex, as the Brazilian samba echoed off the hips of voluptuous Amazonian women, followed by the big Korean drumming tradition that also featured some talented femmes.

Debut
For Johnny Morton, Bernard Ackah the “Japanese TV charisma” personality from the Ivory Coast proved to have too much natural striking skill. Although Morton immediately launched the offensive, opting for football styled takedown attempts.
The problem here was that Ackah was not holding on to a “pigskin” and was able to defend the tackles. It was then in frightening fashion that Johnny went down, loosing his head you might say. Unfortunately it was a serious enough trauma from a right hook to require immobilizing the debuting fighter, who was eventually removed in a stretcher and taken in an ambulance to the hospital.

Variation On Theme
The theme for the night was quick endings, and although Ruben Villarreal never turns down a fight even to the mightiest of foes, this time it wasn’t Bas Rutten but Mighty Mo. K-1 fighters are perhaps the most dangerous in the world not only due to skill, but their signature size as well, and Mighty Mo Siliga is an especially large Samoan mountain of a man. The theme of the night was quick finishes, and one and a half minutes into the contest from the back mount it seemed that Mo cracked Ruben’s left cheek bone with a left from behind and underneath. The fight was stopped by TKO as fracturing strikes had done the damage.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the evening had been waiting to happen, and the large Korean community which showed up on this beautiful Cali night was not disappointed after all as their man Dong Sik Yun was able to make a quite a comeback after being given a beating throughout the first round by the quick and athletic Kick Boxer Melvin Mahoef. But there is a reason why these two men where matched up, the endless conflict of grappler vs. striker, and it was in the second round that the Korean finally got a grip on the slippery striker and caught him in a bear trap called the arm bar.

The Treat
Although the fights were brief and the rituals in between seemed sometimes to be very long, it was thanks to that brevity of battles that allowed us hardcore fans to behold the talented dynamo Tokoro. A man who stepped from the broom to the armlock, from washing windows to putting away opponents, Hideo Tokoro is truly an expert in disposing of things in an efficient manner. This time it was a British lad named Brad “One Punch” Pickett, whose nickname tells his opponents everything they need to be warned of, and of course Tokoro nipped this specimen at the source. Brad Pickett never had a chance to do his thing, and the Japanese Janitor had no time for monkey business bringing on a squeaky clean armbar. Pickett is a Cage Rage champion who was hoping for that perfect punch, but he forgot he was fighting the man who fought the man (Royce Gracie) in tonights main event to a draw, although many considered it a victory for Tokoro.

Japan
Yes, that’s where the legendary first match happened and this was a thousand miles away in another era of the sport, with different rules, under GP circumstances and now with a much more limited fight time.
So finally it was up to the man in the Proresru Mask a man who proved in Japan the might of a Proresru (Pro Wrestler) in the complete combat stage, and in particular the power of Saku against an entire clan whose roots are steeped in Conde Coma’s teachings. So here we were full circle, Kazushi Sakuraba had come from Brazil while the Braziian was fighting in his new homeland.

The only real problem in this bout was the pace, which encountered technical stalemates, and with the entire bout barely the length of one round of their previous PRIDE encounter, it was indecisive to say the least. It was a big night full of expectation, but anyone knows that you can never quite rekindle the same fire so many years down the road. Although the same energy level and youth was lacking, it was replaced by a deepened respect, which each fighter displays towards another after so many years and hard fights. In that sense, this fight was Japanese styled, two warriors showing respect rather than utilizing what the Japanese refer to as “UFC Style” which translates to super aggressive, looking for that immediate kill, victory by any means possible. This was perhaps what some of the local dingbats began booing about during this fight, something that would never occur in Japan.
Unlike the Royce - Tokoro encounter, this match did not have an automatic draw clause and therefore the Gracie Pride was restored and Sakuraba and Royce both could have gone another five rounds I’m sure.

Outro
I suppose what gave this show a lot of potential was the international width of talents which it presented to the American PPV audiences, reminding us that there is indeed a whole other world of mixed martial arts which occurs outside the octagon. It’s an international spectacle that most North American organizations are lacking in their flow, it’s a spectacle wrapped in a mystery hidden in a riddle. Although this show resembled past Dynamite shows, it didn’t have the same powder keg attached to the wick, although it did make a fool like me long for those great big Japanese shows such as PRIDE Bushido. That was pure class, and one must wonder where those warriors are right now? Unfortunately not fighting at the moment.
Oh yeah, Brock Lesnar, following the Pro wrestling tradition of stepping into MMA, this is a huge man who is yet to be tested by a true MMA technician. He's definitely a big athletic former amateur wrestling champion.