Ambience
On a moderately tempered NYC Chinatown evening, the amateur bouts which included both men and women kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts set the expectations for the finale very high. Indeed the night brewed and came to a head inside the Capitale’s luxurious dome with superb professional bouts.

Longo Serra man Luke Cummo kept the winning streak going.

With the arrival of two bombardiers from Japan, Combat At The Capitale III was set up to be an explosive event, and indeed it was. Not only did I discover a great little Vietnamese sandwich shop under the buildings massive frame, eventually the night unfolded like a spring, uncoiling with more and more intensity until the house was shaken. And we’re talking about a marble foundation that is over one hundred years old. Although both Japanese fighters lost by decision, they put on a hell of a show, and despite the jet lag they upped the stock of the entertainment. The mostly American audience got to see a supreme display of heart and skill and it was because Naoki Samukawa and Susumu Daiguji in particular, were an incredible pleasure to watch. The speed, technique, flow and spirit in both of these men were undeniable. The Japanese fighters may have lost the decision in New York City, but they deemed so much awe and respect from the audience, as well as bringing out the best in Derek Riddick and Shennen Maceo, who both rose to the honor. Also in the professional bouts of the night, Luke Cummo and Alex Xaver both made their professional Muay Thai debuts, with Cummo completely outclassing and overwhelming the younger fighter.

Riddick’s aggressive American style, kept Samukawa on his toes and slightly off rhythm.

Japan vs. USA
The Samukawa Riddick Muay Thai bout was truly a contrast in styles. Riddick with a Muay Thai background came out very aggressively and utilized his upper body strength to score more points in the first couple rounds. When they stepped in Samukawa was about a head taller than Riddick, but Riddick’s back and upper torso were noticeably wider, and would play a great role in his victory by decision.
By the time the third round came, Samukawa was better able to establish his rhythm and started working the legs more and more from the outside. Derek closed the distance getting in tight, utilizing the clinch to tie up the Japanese fighter, and would throw hooks to the body and head until broken up by referee Fred Fitzgerald. As the fight wore on, Riddick started getting gassed and it seemed as if Samukawa's patience and leg chopping was starting to pay off.
But in the fifth and final round, Riddick was able to turn up the pressure a bit and successfully neutralized Samukawa’s attack, which seemed to fade a bit in the end. Although it was a very close fight in the end, and the momentum seemed to have shifted towards the Japanese fighter, the judges gave it unanimously to Derek Riddick. Derek’s Muay Thai experience paid off in the end, as Samukawa could have employed more kicks and avoided Derek's world of the clinch and boxing.
Samukawa commented afterwards, “…I started feeling a bit of the weariness of the jet lag and couldn’t quite get into my rhythm. I felt a little off.” Meanwhile Kru Phil Nurse warrior Riddick came with a plan and trained extremely hard for this great opportunity in his rising professional career. Riddick is now 3-0 in all his Capitale appearances.

Rhythm and rhyme, rhythm and speed, Daiguji and Maceo was a dead heat.

The Great Warrior
Shennen Maceo utilized his frontal kick to keep the shorter man at bay and also took advantage of his boxing skills. Daiguji was lightning fast, had incredible head motion, rhythm, axe like kicks and hands, but much too light to damage Maceo. Daiguji’s hands were so quick his kicks so inspirational and he definitely took over in the mid rounds. Unfortunately though right at the end of the first round, Daiguji stepped into a straight hand, which sent him back and to the floor as the TSK fans (half the house) roared. But this man is a real professional, stood up, shook it off; mad at himself raising the gloves as they were sent to their corners.
He came back aggressively throughout the rest of the fight. He knew he had to score a knock down. Head motion, speed, and low kicks, trying to get inside, the fight evened out as it went on. In the third Daiguji chopped Maceo’s legs hard out from under him, but no count was considered. Instead of the Muay Thai rules initially agreed to, these were K-1 rules, it looked like a knock down.
In the fourth round Maceo was taking a lot of leg kicks, but he insisted with his power and larger frame. In his head he must have known that his size was an impediment for the slim, 5’6’ Daiguji. In the fifth round, just as in the previous bout, the American fighter kicked it back up a notch, enough to win the judges unanimous nods. In this bout, the knock down made all the difference in the world. Otherwise it was a dead heat.
Like a true classy gentleman, Maceo shook Daiguji’s hand once more in the locker room, in respect of a great warrior. They both knew they had put on a hell of a fight, and they brought the house down.
When we asked Daiguji about the discrepancy in weight, he is naturally 135 lbs, and choosing to fight at 140 lbs. (Maceo who is taller and naturally walks with more weight on, could only agree to 140lbs for the match.)
“No I don’t care about the weight. I accepted the fight at this weight and I want a rematch.’

In a battle of reflexes, Maceo blocks a winding left kick from Daiguji.

Serra/Longo
Luke Cummo became the fourth Serra Longo man in a row to win a fight this week, following his training partner Pete Drago Sell’s lead after taking out Phil Baroni in UFC 51, and Evil Joe Diable’s flying knee shot earlier in the evening. Somehow the rest of the team must be feeling empowered by that electricity of overcoming the odds, and tonight, he was the third to be victorious. But for Cummo, this was his professional Muay Thai debut, and he was extremely well prepared. “Actually, my first three Muay Thai fights were without head gear or chin guards.”
From the bell, Cummo unveiled his arsenal, utilizing beautiful high kicks, clinches, knees, all the tools of Muay Thai. Xaver from the first sound of the bell had to experience the wrath of a pro MMA fighter who is extremely well conditioned and finely focused.
In the third round, after Cummo eased the tension and simply worked his game, the referee stopped it with about 40 seconds left in the match. Now Cummo will prepare for Ring of Combat in March as he gets a title shot in the welterweight division.

Closer
In the end, Combat at the Capitale III turned out to be most impressive event yet, presented by Louis Neglia and Ray Longo. The appearance of these extremely charismatic Japanese fighters was an incredibly jolting injection of adrenaline and style, which has now set the standards very high for this event. It will be interesting to see if the producers of this show can out do themselves yet again, and bring on extremely stylized dynamic warriors from across the pacific once again. Without a doubt in anyone’s mind, this show was a pure SUCCESS.

More photos from Combat at the Capitale III in Bout Review USA Gallery!

Combat at the Capitale III Report in Japanese >>