Every sport has a breeding ground for its future stars. In the case of mixed martial arts, the worlds of grappling, kickboxing and amateur wrestling are most likely to spawn the next Demian Maia, Mirko CroCop or Brock Lesnar. Collectively, these sports fall under the umbrella of “combat sports.” Every Wednesday, MMA DieHards reports on the biggest happenings in each of these realms of combat.

Kickboxing & Muay Thai
by Rob Tatum

Rarely is there a chance to showcase major US based events, however, on Dec. 5, Stand Up Promotions held its “King’s Birthday Celebration” in Commerce, Calif. The main event saw Malaipet take on Kevin Ross, with both fighters moving out of their familiar weight classes. After five round of action, it was Ross who secured the unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-45).

Elsewhere in the world, Thailand has reclaimed the King’s Cup, as Yodsaenklai Fairtex earned a decision victory over last year’s champion Cosmo Alexandre. The back and forth battle concluded the eight man tournament, but was marred by confusion after both fighters believed it was going more than three rounds. Alexandre was visibly upset with the outcome.

To reach the finals, Yodsaenklai defeated Vusi Colossa in the opening round and UK fighter Jordan Watson in the semi-finals, both by decision. Alexandre also won his first two bouts by decision against an overmatched Jesse Miles in the opening round and Alex Vogel in the semis.

Japanese promotion Sengoku Raiden Championships has announced a high-profile kickboxing bout for its New Year’s Eve show. Recent S-Cup champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk will face K-1 MAX veteran Hiroki Nakajima. The 70 kg (154 lb.) matchup adds the type of big names that Sengoku needs to compete with the typically larger FEG events, especially Dynamite!!, which takes place the following day.

Dutch based promotion ”It’s Showtime” recently announced that K-1 MAX Champion Giorgio Petrosyan has been forced to drop out of his fight with Pajonsuk. The promotion has secured Andy Souwer to take Petrosyan’s place and the fight will take place Saturday, Dec. 11. The event will be streamed live at Showtime Fights.

In other “It’s Showtime” news, the promotion has revealed its 2011 plans, further legitimizing their stance as the No. 2 kickboxing organization behind K-1. They will open the year on March 6 in Amsterdam with two big-name fights between heavyweight champion Hesdy Gerges and Daniel Ghita, as well as Artur Kyshenko taking on Gago Drago. The promotion will then move to Belgium at the end of March and will hold its premiere Amsterdam ArenA show in May. The event will serve as the 2011 European Qualifying GP for the K-1 World Grand Prix. Finally, on July 3, the promotion will hold a 70 kg (154 lb.) eight man tournament in Sochi, Russia. Participants include: Petrosyan, Souwer, Yoshihiro Sato, Gago Drago, Murat Direkçi, Evgeniy Kurovskoy, Chris Ngimbi and Dzhabar Askerov. Other bouts announced for the event are Hesdy Gerges facing Alexey Ignashov and L’houcine Ouzgni taking on Artur Kyshenko.

Despite rumors of a US expansion for “It’s Showtime” in the coming year, no dates were mentioned. However, England, Germany, Greece, and Spain are all being targeted as potential event locations during 2011.

Semmy Schilt (photo courtesy of FEG)

With less than a week to go before the K-1 World Grand Prix Final 8, Hesdy Gerges finally has his opponent for Dec. 11 at the Ariake Colloseum. Although Gerges was originally slated to participate in a reserve fight, instead he will face Yusuke Fujimoto in a super fight to mark Fujimoto’s retirement.

Since the Grand Prix is the world’s premier kickboxing event, it seems appropriate to provide some analysis and predictions to event’s exciting fight card.

Super Fight #1 – Tsutomu Takahagi vs. Hidekazu Kimura

This fight matches two lesser known competitors, and despite Takahagi’s less than stellar 2-6 record in K-1 bouts, he is the much larger fighter. I expect the size and power advantage to yield a KO of Kimura.

Super Fight #2 – Hesdy Gerges vs. Yusuke Fujimoto

It’s fitting that this is Fujimoto’s retirement bout as there is little in his arsenal to defeat the rising Gerges. Unless Gerges makes the mistake of letting it go to the judges, where Fujimoto could pick up a gift decision, I believe it will be an ugly going away party for Fujimoto.

Super Fight #3 – Sergei Kharitonov vs. Singh Jaideep

Both fighters have had mixed results in the last year. Jaideep put on a miserable performance earlier in the year against Gokhan Saki, but has gotten back on track recently to retain his J-Network title. Kharitonov, meanwhile, looked thoroughly outclassed against Daniel Ghita during the qualifying tournament, but bounced back nicely against Takumi Sato, earning a first-round TKO. If Kharitonov shows the patience and footwork he showcased against Sato, he should put the lights out on Jaideep.

Tournament Reserve Fight – Ewerton Teixeira vs. Errol Zimmerman

The tournament’s reserve bout is a rematch of a 2008 Grand Prix bout in which Zimmerman handed the Brazilian Teixeira his first kickboxing defeat. Since then, the Kyokushin stylist has shown marked in improvement in his game, and I expect that Teixeira will get his revenge on Saturday night. Both men participated in the Final 8 in 2008 and 2009, but were each eliminated in the round of 16 this year.

Quarterfinal #1 – Mighty Mo vs. Peter Aerts

In a fight that matches the raw power and iron chin of Mighty Mo against the crisp technique of K-1 legend Peter Aerts, it will likely come down to who has more heart. Neither of these fighters will go down without a fight, but look for Aerts to pick apart Mo as he makes yet another run at the K-1 crown.

Quarterfinal #2 – Semmy Schilt vs. Kyotaro

Another intriguing first-round matchup pits the enormous 6’11″, nearly 300-pound Schilt against the 6-foot, 220-pound Kyotaro. Schilt is a four-time World Grand Prix champion, as well as the reigning K-1 Super Heavyweight title holder. Kyotaro, on the other hand, has held the K-1 heavyweight belt and defended it against the likes of Aerts and Gokhan Saki. I believe that Schilt’s size will be too much for Kyotaro in this fight and Schilt will be well on his way toward his fifth K-1 crown.

Quarterfinal #3 – Gokhan Saki vs. Daniel Ghita

On paper, it appears that this is the most evenly matched opening-round bout. Saki has gotten back on track in 2010 after a rough outing in 2009. The Romanian, Ghita, is one of the rising stars in K-1, whose only defeat came at the hands of the Schilt. Saki holds an experience advantage, but I believe it will be Ghita’s precise attack that will win this bout for him.

Quarterfinal #4 – Alistair Overeem vs. Tyrone Spong

Another bout with a significant size disadvantage will put the 6’5″, 255-pound Overeem against the smaller, faster 6’2″, 200-pound Spong. Overeem has exhibited true knockout power unlike any K-1 fighter since he began to focus more heavily on the sport in late 2008. He still has holes in his game, as he splits time training for his MMA career, but I don’t believe Spong will be able to expose them. My prediction is a first-round KO for Overeem.

Predicted Semifinal #1 – Peter Aerts vs. Semmy Schilt

If my predictions hold true, this will mark the fifth meeting between these two legends of the sport inside a K-1 ring. The pair has split their previous four bouts, with Aerts claiming a decision in 2008. Since that bout, Schilt has not lost in K-1. Despite how enjoyable it would be to see Aerts take another crack at the title, I expect Schilt to move on to the final.

Predicted Semifinal #2 – Daniel Ghita vs. Alistair Overeem

This contest is a coin flip. Neither fighter has a ton of K-1 experience, although both are experienced fighters. Both have fallen short against elite competition (Ghita against Schilt, Overeem against Remi Bonjasky), however Overeem does hold a 2008 knockout of Badr Hari. As much as I would enjoy seeing an Overeem-Schilt final, I believe Ghita will show better technique and walk away the victor.

Predicted Final – Semmy Schilt vs. Daniel Ghita

Schilt dominated Ghita from bell to bell in their 2009 fight, and there is little to make me believe it won’t happen again. Schilt will likely cruise to a decision win and claim his fifth K-1 crown.

Amateur Wrestling
by Staff, The Open Mat

With a scrappy 3-1 victory over number No. 3 Nick Bedelyon of Kent State, not only did Alan Waters of Missouri pull off the upset, but he also made the difference in Missouri’s 19-15 victory over Kent State. The talk for many was that Waters matched up very well with Bedelyon and that it could be the difference in the dual. Well, the crystal balls seemed to be spot on, as the true freshman frustrated Bedelyon on his feet and scored two back points in a 3-0 match. At 19-0 Waters has planted his name in the mix at 125 pounds this season.

The 141-pound weight class was a real tough one at the Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational. Michigan’s Kellen Russell rose to the occasion with a pair of impressive victories. In the semifinals, he scored a huge pin in a little over a minute against Illinois’ Jimmy Kennedy. (In-depth coverage)

As expected the Oklahoma State-Minnesota match was a down-dirty barn burner.  The Cowboys won a razor-close dual victory, 17-16, over Minnesota. The match everyone was waiting for Clayton Foster (OSU) vs. Sonny Yohn (MN), did not disappoint and saw Foster come away with a 7-4 victory. Both teams have a lot of new faces this season, but don’t seem to have missed a step at all and it will be fun to see how they stand up in there conference schedules.

Penn State does well at Nittany Lion Open (photo courtesy Penn State Athletics)

The rumor is that the Rutgers bus can be heard singing “Hakuna Matata” and “In the Jungle” all the way back to New Jersey after the day Mario Mason enjoyed. Mason knocked of three Nittany Lions en route to his Nittany Lion Open title. First, he beat redshirt Dylan Alton, 7-6, in the quarterfinals. Then another tough Lion prospect, James English, in the semifinals, 3-1. Finally the leader of the pride, No. 2 Frank Molinaro, was victimized in the finals, 3-2. Maybe this is the momentum the Minnesota transfer and former No. 1 recruit from Blair Academy needs to propel him back into the conversation of contenders at 149 pounds after an up-and-down start of the season. (In-depth coverage)

Maryland’s Mike Letts threw his name into a wide-open 174-pound field with an impressive run at the Nittany Lion Open. Letts beat a seasoned NCAA tournament veteran in Alex Caruso from Rutgers. Then in the finals it was dapper dandy Ed Ruth of PSU that went down to defeat, 9-4. This after Ruth was on a fast track to a title with two falls, two tech falls and a win over All-American Scott Giffin of Penn. The 174-pounders will be a fun weight to follow all season. As of right now, it seems to be Mack Lewnes of Cornell and then close your eyes and pick‘em, with Letts certainly in that mix. (In-depth coverage)

We mentioned once this season about how impressive Penn State’s David Taylor and Andrew Alton have been. On Sunday, the duo barely broke a sweat as Alton recorded five falls, including a 39-second fall, over Zach Kemmerer in the finals. The only wrestler not to count the lights against Alton was UNC’s Danny Lopes, who lost 7-5. Lopes has quietly been putting together a solid campaign. Taylor was just as impressive, recording tons of back points all the way to the final, where he handled Virginia Tech’s Jesse Dong, 9-3. Another PSU freshman, Frank Martellotti, continues to wrestle really tough, capturing a title at 125 pounds. The only point he gave up all day was in a 17-1 tech fall of Virginia’s Gabriel Gomez.

Penn State will need these three to continue wrestling at this level because the hosts got a blow Sunday with an injury to All-American Quentin Wright. He might be back soon but, by all accounts, it wasn’t a pretty sight. (In-depth coverage)

Top 10 Teams in DI Wrestling

1. Cornell
2. Penn State
3. Oklahoma State
4. Minnesota
5. Iowa
6. Wisconsin
7. Boise State
8. Oklahoma
9. Illinois
10. Oregon State

A complete listing of individual and team rankings can be found at The Open Mat website, our partners.

Grappling & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
by Bryan Henderson

(L to R) Reis, Assis and Chsiev (photo courtesy of Grapplers Quest)

João Assis’s amazing year continued at the Grapplers Quest 2010 World Series of Grappling on Dec. 4 in Asbury Park, N.J. The 2010 World’s Best Grappler winner can now add another top honor to his mantle, as he came in first in the No-Gi Advanced Absolute division.

ADCC North American trial winner Rustam Chsiev placed second behind Assis, while Bellator veteran Wilson Reis finished third.

Other winners in the Advanced division of the World Series included Jimmy Santiago at bantamweight, Sidemar Honorio at flyweight, Patrick Sabatini at featherweight, Chris Ulbricht at lightweight, Garry Tonan at welterweight, Matt Secor at middleweight, Tom Manelski at cruiserweight, Derek Picinich at light heavyweight and Carlos Edwardo Farias at superweight.

The World Cup Jiu-Jitsu Championship took place in Sao Paulo last weekend. Three-time roosterweight champion Bruno Malfacine defeated another world champion in Pablo Silva. Sérgio Moraes was the other big winner at the event, capturing the absolute division and defeating Alexandre de Souza for the World Cup belt.