Ballet of Violence

Judo Chop: Katsunori Kikuno's Standing Crucifix Neck Crank on Eddie Alvarez at DREAM.12

Absolutely phenomenal fight, if you haven’t seen it yet.  Dramatic.

DREAM.12 featured Bellator champ (and #3 ranked lightweight in the world on the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings) Eddie Alvarez, a fighter who epitomizes the combination of boxing and wrestling that has become a mainstay of MMA. His opponent was the fast-rising Katsunori Kikuno whose success with Kyokushin karate, an eccentric Sanchin dachi stance and use of crescent kicks have made him a cult favorite with those of us who are fascinated with the successful use of “traditional martial art” styles that were long believed to be of extremely limited effectiveness in MMA.

11 November 2009 • Eddie Alvarez Katsunori Kikuno Dream Judo Chop Bloody Elbow Kid Nate