24 Nov TobyImada:YamatoDamashiiInThe201S-Cup.
Toby Imada made yet another unexpected tournament run in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The two-time Bellator Fighting Championship lightweight finalist shocked a pair of highly-regarded opponents on his way to the finals of the 2010 S-Cup, Shoot Boxing’s biennial one-night, eight-man tournament. The rules of shoot boxing allow for traditional kickboxing strikes (punches, kicks) as well as standing submission attempts and point-earning throws.
Imada was announced as a participant just four days prior to the tournament, a late replacement for fellow MMA vet Charles Bennett after the fighter formerly known as “Krazy Horse” was unable to leave the United States due to a revoked visa.
Slotted against Takaaki Umeno in the opening round, most observers viewed Imada as they had Bennett: a sacrificial lamb for Shoot Boxing’s super welterweight champion. Things did not go as expected, however, and after weathering untold leg kicks from Umeno, Imada scored a stunning upset knockout at the last possible second. The official time was 3:00 of the third and final round.
Advancing to the semifinals, Imada faced another tall task in three-time S-Cup and two-time K-1 Max champion Andy Souwer. There, Imada’s black belt in judo would come into play, as a pair of throws scored him crucial points and earned him another massive upset. Imada took a three-round split decision over the tournament favorite with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 27-28.
In the evening’s last match, Imada met two-time K-1 Max champ and fellow shoot boxing neophyte Buakaw Por. Pramuk. The muay Thai stylist won a pair of unanimous decisions over Hiroki Shishido and Henri van Opstal to advance to the finals, but needed less than two rounds to end Imada’s Cinderella story. Pramuk battered Imada with right hands and leg kicks, dropping him five times en route to a technical knockout victory at 2:29 of the second round.
