World Victory Road
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Overview
World Victory Road is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization that operates in conjunction with the Japan Mixed Martial Arts Federation.
WVR events to date, go under the name of Sengoku. Sengoku being the time of great military conflict from the middle of the 15th century until the beginning of the 17th century.
The organization is headed up by president, Naoya Kinoshita and is broadcast on Japanese channel, Fuji TV and American cable station, HDNet.
History
World Victory Road held their first event, Sengoku: First Battle, on March 5, 2008 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, in Tokyo, Japan. WVR was the first of two Japanese promotions to be born in 2009, with DREAM being the other.
While DREAM focused on recreating the experiences of the PRIDE Fighting Championships, WVR focused on building a different style of promotion up with the focus being on former PRIDE standouts, Takanori Gomi and Kazuo Misaki.
In 2009, WVR received a boost when it announced it had signed TV deals with Japanese channel, Fuji TV and American Cable channel, HDNet which also airs DREAM.
Rules and Judging
The rules and judging for World Victory Road differ from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts in various ways.
Rounds
- Non-title bouts feature three, five minute rounds.
- Championship bouts feature five, five minute rounds.
Judging
- Bouts are judged under the 10-point must system with the winner of a round gaining 10 points and the loser being awarded 9 or less.
- At the end of three rounds, each round score is added together to find the winner.
- Points can be deducted for violations of the rules for which the judges are forced to add into their calculations.
- A dominant round can result with a score of 10-8 or below and tied rounds are possible.
Rules
World Victory Road for the most part shares the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (as practiced in North American promotions e.g. UFC) however it has some notable differences such as:
- Knees and stomps are allowed to the head of a downed opponent
- Elbows and soccer kicks to the head are not allowed.
Weight Classes
World Victory Road features six weight classes ranging from featherweight to heavyweight:
- Bantamweight - 60 kg. (132 lbs.)
- Featherweight - 65 kg. (143 lbs.)
- Lightweight - 70 kg. (154 lbs.)
- Welterweight - 76 kg. (167 lbs.)
- Middleweight - 83 kg. (183 lbs.)
- Light Heavyweight - 93 kg. (205 lbs.)
- Heavyweight - Over 93 kg. (205 lbs.)
Current Champions
Divisional Champions
For the full history of Sengoku's divisional champions see List of World Victory Road Champions.
| Weight Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight (132 lbs.) | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
| Featherweight (143 lbs.) | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
| Lightweight (154 lbs.) | Satoru Kitaoka | January 4, 2009 | 0 |
| Welterweight (167 lbs.) | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
| Middleweight (183 lbs.) | Jorge Santiago | January 4, 2009 | 0 |
| Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
| Heavyweight (205+ lbs.) | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
Tournament Champions
| Year | Weight Division | Champion | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Lightweight (154 lbs.) | Satoru Kitaoka | Kazunori Yokota |
| 2008 | Middleweight (183 lbs.) | Jorge Santiago | Kazuo Misaki |
| 2009 | Featherweight (143 lbs.) | TBD | TBD |
Events
List of World Victory Road Events
External Links
http://www.sengoku-official.com/pc/index.html - Sengoku Official Website
--Sam Cupitt 04:11, 24 April 2009 (UTC)
