The show took place at a 500-plus seated live house / multi-purpose event hall located in Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, the famous red light district in Tokyo. This MARS ATTACK 01 was a small "house show" designed for a cable TV broadcast, but it had a rich international presence full of surprises.

Rodrigo Damm's wrestling skill and his ability to control the opponent on the ground got him a win.

The line-up included two international super fights, Rodrigo Damm from Brazil against Hwang Ju Dong from Korea, and Carina Damm, Rodrigo's sister, taking on a Japanese MMA star on the rise, MIKU, who has an impressive MMA record of 10-1.
Then there was a four-man middleweight (185 lbs & under) tournament to determine the Japanese representative in the upcoming world middleweight tournament scheduled to begin on August 26th, and a trial bout to decide the competitor for the next year's lightweight tournament.
On top of this, MFC (Mixed Fighting Championship) matchmaker and MFC welterweight champ Eddie Alvarez were at ringside.
They came all the way from the east coast to announce the new affiliation between the two organizations.
And, there is a new set of rules MARS began testing in this show.

These MARS rules are basically MMA rules similar to the one used by the MFC. No elbow shot to the head, and no kicking to the head of a grounded opponent. Of course, a fighter can win the bout with KO, TKO, referee's stoppage, submission or doctor's stoppage.
The only difference is that there is no such thing called three judges scoring the bout.
When the fight goes all the way till the end, it is all about how many points the fighter lost during the fight.
Each fighter, in the three five-minute round bouts, will have 30 points in the beginning. Yes, MARS has decided to test administering a so-called “lost point” system.
When a fighter executes a throw, double leg and single leg takedown, or lifts the opponent up above the shoulders for a slam, three points will be deducted from the opponent.

Carina Damm went for a backhand blow but it wasn't enough to floor MIKU, so she took it to the ground for a finish.

On the ground, if a fighter snaps on a submission or chokehold for more than three seconds, and if the referee calls it a "catch" then three points will be deducted from the opponent.
When a fighter controls the opponent on the ground for more than three seconds with a, mount position, back-mount position, or knee on the belly position, one point will be deducted from the opponent for being controlled.
At the end, the fighter with more points in hand, in other words, the fewest lost points, would win the bout.
This way, decisions no longer have to be relied upon the view of three judges, and by indicating the points throughout the bout, the fighters, corner men, and even the fans can get a firm idea on which fighter is winning the bout.

Fighters didn't seem to mind this new set of rules so the show began exactly 30 minutes after six pm on Friday night.
The first surprise came in the second bout of the evening. It was the bout between Brazilian wrestling champ Rodrigo Damm and a former national-class judo player Hwang Ju Dong, the first of two international super fights

Both came out striking in the beginning.
Apparently Ju Dong has been concentrating on improving his boxing skill. He was quick, and his punches looked sharp, especially his right straight which had a good snap on it.
But Rodrigo, a Brazilian wrestling champion, knew what to do. He shot in, picked up Ju Dong, and slammed him head first onto the canvass. After the bout, Ju Dong admitted “I don’t remember anything after that point.”
However Ju Dong held on. Rodrigo went for a kimura but somehow Ju Dong defended and the fight was back in the standing position.
Ju Dong still kept his aggressive style, moved forward with right left combinations but that cost him the fight.
Ju Dong stepped in with a right straight but Rodrigo landed a stiff right hook. Ju Dong went down but got up quickly. Then Ju Dong shot in but Rodrigo sprawled, went around on the back finishing the fight with a slick rear naked choke.
Before the bout, many predicted domination by Rodrigo but Ju Dong’s unbendable spirit and unexpectedly polished MMA skill actuallymade this a very exciting fight.

MFC welterweight champion Eddie Alvarez talking to the fans from the ring.

The other super fight created a new grudge.
Rodrigo’s sister, Carina Damm, finally made her Japanese debut against a grappling star MIKU.
This was a classic match-up between a sprawl and brawl fighter vs. a grappling and submission specialist.
However, MIKU surprised everyone by stepping in forward throwing punches right off the bell.
Carina was taken by surprise for a second, immediately firing back, but by then MIKU was already too close, getting an under hook, pushing Carina to the ropes. Carina held on but eventually they both went down and MIKU ended up on top. Points were deducted from Carina. However MIKU couldn't pass Carina's guard for more than 90 seconds and the fight was back in the standing position.
MIKU, again, stepped in with punches getting inside but this time, Carina executed a throw and three points were deducted from MIKU. Carina tried to improve her position but MIKU's guard was airtight.
In the second round, Carina first engaged in a standing battle. She nailed a beautiful backhand blow but it was not stiff enough to floor MIKU.
Then Carina changed her strategy. She took MIKU down getting the back mount, and going for a rear naked choke. MIKU rolled around escaping and then tried to stand up but Carina was persistent. With her legs, Carina hooked MIKU's right leg pulled her back down to the ground, then quickly got the back mount, and this time, went for an armbar.
MIKU yelled, "She is grabbing my glove!"
The referee checked but did not see any problem, then Carina extended MIKU's left arm, and MIKU had no choice but to tap.
After the fight, backstage, MIKU complained that Carina grabbed her glove to place herself in an armbar position and asked for a rematch.
MARS official referee did not see Carina grabbing MIKU's glove so this was a clear win by Carina but MIKU is not happy. She is demanding a revenge match at Ryogoku Sumo Arena on August 26th.
Both Carina and Rodrigo Damm are scheduled to fight in the August 26th show but opponents were still yet to be determined. Is MIKU going to get another shot at Carina?
We will soon find out.

During the second intermission, MARS President Yuki Amano and MFC Matchmaker Miguel Iturrate announced an affiliation between MARS and MFC.

This show was also about a four-man middleweight tournament.
Hidemi Mihara, last year's ADCC Japan trial winner, from Dokonjonosuke Mishima's MMA Dojo Cobra-kai, took away the spotlight from Kozo Urita.
Before the tournament, almost all experts has chosen Urita, the disciple of Shooto founder Satoru Sayama, to win the right to complete in this summer’s world middleweight tournament but Mihara was too lanky and skillfull for Urita.
In the semi-final, both Mihara and Urita finished their opponents in the first round, so they were fresh going in to the final. But Mihara’s strategy prevailed.
Instead of standing against a hard striker, Mihara concentrated on take downs and positioning on the ground. Mihara dominated the ground game and created a huge point advantage midway through the last round.
At that point, the only way for Urita to win was to score a KO or submission and at the last one-minute mark of the fight, Urita somehow snapped on a heel lock. Mihara screamed, looked like he was ready to tap, but he held on for sixty seconds and the fight was over.
Mihara captured the right to compete in the world tournament beginning August 26th.

During the intermission, MFC welterweight champion Eddie Alvarez stepped into the ring, as did MFC matchmaker Miguel Iturrate along with MARS president Yuki Amano to announce the affiliation between MFC and MARS.
As a part of this affiliation, MFC champion Eddie Alvarez will be fighting in the Main Event in the August 26th MARS show at Ryogoku Sumo Arena, and one American fighter recommended by the MFC will be competing in the upcoming middleweight world tournament.
Also, MARS announced that they would host a tournament, named MFC Challenge, in the September, October, and December shows. The winner of this tournament will get a right to fight in the MFC in the year 2007.

This was a very exciting show for a small "house show" And it seems like the fans, surely understand that something new has already begun.
The fans are also feeling that, something new and unexpected definitely will happen in the August 26th show.

Hidemi Mihara, 2006 ADCC Japan Trial winner, captured a right to compete in the MARS middleweight world tournament scheduled to begin on August 26th at Ryogoku Sumo Arena.

Other Photos & Official Results MARS 07/21/2006 >>