01/21/98 03/03/98 03/28/98 04/16/98 05/29/98 06/20/98 06/27/98
07/20/98 08/28/98 09/21/98 10/23/98 11/20/98 12/23/98 _





World Mega Battle Tournament 1997: Grand Final


 January 21, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan
Budokan Hall drawing 9,200
  1. Wataru Sakata beat Herman Renting (3:24) via submission.

  2. Masayuki Naruse beat Dominque Deligny (19:24) via submission.

  3. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Sione Latu (1:58) via submission.

  4. Bitsadze Tariel TKO Hans Nyman (6:31).

  5. Akira Maeda beat Volk Han (4:24) via submission for third place in the Mega Battle Tournament 1997.

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Mikhail Ilioukhine (18:12) via submission to win the Mega Battle Tournament 1997 and become the first RINGs Openweight Champ.
Tournament Bracketing

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Battle Genesis III


 March 3, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall drawing 1,450
  1. Akihiro Gono beat Tatsuya Kurahashi (7:07) vi asubmission.

  2. Christopher Haseman beat Minoru Tanaka (12:01) via submisison.

  3. Alexander Otsuka beat Wataru Sakata (30:00) via decision.

  4. Masayuki Naruse beat Troy Ittensohn (8:22) via submission.

  5. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Sergei Sousserov (9:27) via submission.
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Fighting Integration


 March 28, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan
NK Hall drawing 6,200
  1. Valentijn Overeem TKO Kenichi Yamamoto (6:39).

  2. Bob Gilstrap beat Grom Zaza (30:00) via points in a "vale tudo" match.

  3. Masayuki Naruse TKO Sander Thonhauser (10:37).

  4. Mikhail Ilioukhine beat Hiromitsu Kanehara (14:03) via submission.

  5. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Nikolai Zouev (10:20) via submission.

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Dick Leon-Vrij (7:46) via submission.
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Fighting Integration II


 April 16, 1998 in Osaka, Japan
Furitsu Gym drawing 7,600
  1. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Sander Thonhauser (6:26) via submission.

  2. Gogitidze Bakouri beat Wataru Sakata (8:44) via submission.

  3. Masayuki Naruse beat Andrei Kopilov (7:19) via submission.

  4. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Joop Kasteel (7:49) via submission.

  5. Valentijn Overeem beat Kiyoshi Tamura (3:56) via submission.

  6. Volk Han beat Akira Maeda (5:43) via submission.
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Fighting Integration III


 May 29, 1998 in Sapporo, Japan
Nakajima Sports Center drawing 3,200
  1. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Lee Hasdell (30:00) via decision.

  2. Kenichi Yamamoto beat Christopher Haseman (12:39) via submission.

  3. Grom Zaza beat Joop Kasteel (5:54) via submission.

  4. Mikhail Ilioukhine beat Masayuki Naruse (13:52).

  5. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Volk Han (10:10) via submission.

  6. Bitsadze Tariel TKO Kyoshi Tamura (3:39) to win the RINGs Openweight Title.
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Battle Genesis IV


 June 20, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan
Korakuen Hall drawing 1,880
  1. Akihiro Gono TKO Tomoki Kanuka (1st - 2:27).

  2. Yasuhito Namekawa drew Minoru Toyonaga (15:00).

  3. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Wataru Sakata (2nd - 0:56) via submission.

  4. Masayuki Naruse beat Daniel Higgins (10:46) via submission.

  5. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Kenichi Yamamoto (9:15) via submission.
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Fighting Integration IV


 June 27, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan
NK Hall drawing 4,240
  1. Yasuhito Namekawa KO Troy Ittensohn (2nd - 1:43).

  2. Wataru Sakata beat Willie Peeters (1st - 1:45) via submission.

  3. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Sander MacKilljan (1st - 3:25) via submission.

  4. Hans Nyman beat Vladimir Klementiev (4:44) via submission.

  5. RINGs Light Heavyweight Champ Masayuki Naruse beat Kenichi Yamamoto (11:07) via submission.

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura drew Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (30:00).
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Captured


 "Akira Maeda Retirement Show"
July 20, 1998 in Yokohama, Japan
Yokohama Arena drawing 17,800
  1. Gilbert Yvel beat Orjal Bekov (1st - 2:28) via submission.

  2. Christopher Hazemann TKO Boris Jeliazkov (8:30).

  3. Joop Kasteel KO Paul Varelans (7:27).

  4. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Dick Leon-Vrij (4:22) via submission.

  5. Volk Han beat Kenichi Yamamoto (8:24) via submission.

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Wataru Sakata (9:48) via submission.

  7. RINGs Openweight Champ Bitsadze Tariel KO Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (7:43).

  8. Akira Maeda beat Yoshihisa Yamamoto (20:00) via decision.
Guests: Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Animal Hamaguchi, Junji Hirata, Antonio Inoki, Don Nakaya Nielson, Nobuhiko Takada, Genichiro Tenryu, Kotetsu Yamamoto, and Kazuo Yamazaki.

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Fighting Integration


 August 28, 1998 in Niigata, Japan
City Gym drawing 3,480
  1. Yasuhito Namekawa beat Daniel Higgins (14:28) via submission.

  2. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Grom Zaza (10:17) via submission.

  3. Yoshihisa Yamamoto beat Nikolai Zouev (13:30) via submission.

  4. Wataru Sakata beat Kenichi Yamamoto (20:00) via points.

  5. Bitsadze Tariel KO Volk Han (4:06).

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Masayuki Naruse (24:33) via submission.
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Fighting Integration VI


 September 21, 1998 in Yokohama, Japan
Bunka Gym drawing 4,170
  1. Yasuhito Namekawa beat Ryuki Ueyama (15:00) via points.

  2. Lee Hasdell KO Kenichi Yamamoto (10:56).

  3. Wataru Sakata TKO Christopher Haseman (12:21).

  4. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Willie Peeters (6:57) via submission.

  5. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka beat Mikhail Ilioukhine (12:00) via submission.

  6. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Yoshihisa Yamamoto (18:52) via submission.
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World Mega Battle Tournament 1998: First Round


 October 23, 1998 in Nagoya, Japan
Aichi Gym drawing 4,550
  1. Masayuki Naruse beat Yasuhito Namekawa (4:50) via submission.

  2. Team Netherlands (Hans Nyman, Dick Leon-Vrij, & Joop Kasteel) beat Russia "A" Team (Volk Han, Mikhail Ilioukhine, & Sergei Sousserov).
    • Nyman KO Sousserov (2:59).
    • Ilioukhine beat Nyman (2:54) via submission.
    • Leon-Vrij KO Ilioukhine (2:50).
    • Han beat Leon-Vrij (2:01) via submission.
    • Kasteel KO Han (2:21).

  3. Kiyoshi Tamura beat Vladimir Klementiev (7:51) via submission.

  4. Japan "A" Team (Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Hiromitsu Kanehara, & Wataru Sakata) beat Team Bulgaria (Dimitri Petkov, Todor Todorov, & Boris Jeliazkov).
    • Sakata beat Todorov (5:14) via submission.
    • Yamamoto KO Jeliazkov (6:01).
    • Petkov beat Yamamoto (3:32) via submission.
    • Kanehara beat Petkov (4:55) via submission.
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World Mega Battle Tournament 1998: First Round


 November 20, 1998 in Osaka, Japan
Furitsu Gym drawing 4,380
  1. Yasuhito Namekawa drew Lee Hasdell (20:00).

  2. Team Georgia (Bitsadze Tariel, Grom Zaza, & Bitsadze Ameran) beat Team Australia (Christopher Haseman, Daniel Higgins, & Troy Ittensohn).
    • Tariel beat Higgins (0:22) via submission.
    • Tariel TKO Ittensohn (0:42).
    • Haseman TKO Tariel (1:57).
    • Ameran TKO Haseman (1:32).

  3. Hiromitsu Kanehara beat Dave van der Veen (7:24) via submisison.

  4. Russia "B" Team (Nikolai Zouev, Andrei Kopilov, & Vladimir Klementiev) beat Japan "B" Team (Kyoshi Tamura, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, & Masayuki Naruse).
    • Naruse TKO Klementiev (2:16).
    • Kopilov TKO Naruse (2:32) via submission.
    • Tamura beat Kopilov (1:35) via submission.
    • Zouev beat Tamura (3:17) via submission.
    • Zouev beat Kohsaka (10:00) via points.
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World Mega Battle Tournament 1998: Semi-Finals


 December 23, 1998 in Fukuoka, Japan
International Center drawing 5,500
  1. Team Netherlands (Hans Nyman, Dick Leon-Vrij, & Joop Kasteel) beat Japan "A" Team (Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Hiromitsu Kanehara, & Wataru Sakata).
    • Sakata TKO Leon-Vrij (12:29).
    • Kanehara beat Nyman (9:04) via submission.
    • Kasteel TKO Masayuki Naruse (8:33).

  2. Kiyoshi Tamura TKO Kenichi Yamamoto (11:26).

  3. Team Georgia (Bitsadze Tariel, Grom Zaza, & Bitsadze Ameran) beat Russia "B" Team (Nikolai Zouev, Andrei Kopilov, & Vladimir Klementiev).
    • Zouev TKO Ameran (4:01).
    • Zaza beat Zouev (2:28) via submission.
    • Kopilov TKO Zaza (4:12).
    • Tariel KO Kopilov (2:18).
    • Tariel beat Klementiev (5:17) via submission.
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