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Shooto promoter Sustain resurrected the classic “Vale Tudo Japan” series on Oct. 30 at JCB Hall in Tokyo where some of the venerable Shooto stars and alumni on the card earned emphatic victories at the memorable event.

In one of the two five-rounders under the specially designated VTJ rule, current Shooto 143-pound champion “Lion” Takeshi Inoue solidified his champion status in the Shooto history book by defeating the former champion, Alexandre “Pequeno” Franca Nogueira via TKO in Round 4.

“Pequeno,” the former Shooto champion, continues his devolution from the undisputed featherweight king of the world into a relic in the fast-evolving world of MMA: He has lost four of his last five fights, dating back to 2005.

Shooto pioneer and longtime fan favorite, Rumina Sato, restored himself to the winning column by making a quick work of Cory Grant via KO in the first round. Grant, fellow Team Quest member of Sato’s original opponent, Joe Warren, came in as a last-minute replacement after Warren was unable to come to terms with Sustain over the provisions of the match.

Shooto bantamweight star, Mamoru Yamaguchi broke his year-long hiatus to pound out Guamanian prospect, Jesse Taitano in the first round.

In the main event of the night, former PRIDE lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi, edged past KOTC lightweight champ, Tony Hervey, after five rounds via unanimous decision. The victory is the second in a row for the former lightweight kingpin after a deflating two-fight losing streak that led to his fall from grace.

Yet, Gomi’s performance was hardly what his fans expected from the “Fireball Kid” who once tore through his competition in PRIDE.

Hervey gave Gomi all he can handle, and forced him to muster every last ounce of grit to pull out a victory — at one point, Gomi seemed to have exausted his gas tank, raising the specter of his loss to Nick Diaz at PRIDE 33.

Once again, a thick cloud hovers over Gomi’s future, as he seemingly has lost the luster of his reign in PRIDE.

When Gomi took the mic immediately after the fight, he was out of breath and struggled to deliver his words to the crowd. He apologized to the crowd for his performance and admitted to the lack of preparation.

Curiously enough, the announcement he had in store for the fans in JCB Hall that he alluded to during the pre-fight press conference was his desire to challenge K-1 icon, Masato on New Year’s Eve. Not surprisingly, Gomi retracted his words: Masato is now set to face the newly crowned K-1 MAX winner, Georgio Petrosyan.

Full results:

Takanori Gomi def. Tony Hervey via unanimous decision (47-45, 46-45, 46-44) R5 5:00
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue def. Alexandre Franca Nogueira via TKO (punches) R4 2:58
Rumina Sato def. Cory Grant via KO (punches) R1 3:20
Tito Jones def. Tenkei “Fujimiya” Oda via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-29) R3 5:00
Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire def. Kenichiro Togashi via TKO (doctor stoppage) R1 2:05
Mamoru Yamaguchi def. Jesse Taitano via TKO (punches) R1 4:41
Jung Ming Kang def. Yoichiro Sato via KO (punches) R1 2:48
Kosuke “Jukucho” Eda vs. Masato Sannai was ruled a majority draw (19-19, 18-19, 19-19) R2 5:00

For our complete Vale Tudo Japan 2009 archive click here.

The participants for Vale Tudo Japan 2009 gathered at Garden Palace Hotel in Tokyo today for the official weigh-in and pre-fight press conference.

VTJ ‘09 will take place at JCB Hall in Tokyo, and the main card will kick off at approximately 5AM ET Friday morning.

Aside from Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira’s lone struggle to shed the pounds, there were no weighty issues at the scale: While Pequeno skipped the official weigh-in and press conference to drop to the 65kg for his non-title bout with current Shooto lightweight champion, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue, all other fighters were on weight.

Former Pride FC lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi will square off with current KOTC champ, Tony Hervey in the main event of the night for his putative farewell bout in Japan. With his streak of insipid performances during the recent years still fresh in the collective memory of the MMA world, Gomi will have all eyes on him scrutinizing the quality of his performance and level of motivation.

“Lion” Takeshi Inoue and “Pequeno” Nogueira meet in a showdown between past and present champions, and longtime Shooto fan favorite, Rumina Sato, faces Cory Grant, a Team Quest prospect and late replacement for the original opponent, Joe Warren.

From Takanori Gomi:

“(Reflecting on the weigh-in and pre-fight press conference) I don’t feel enough tension and nerves in the air. Shooto has always been like my hometown and it is a tremendous upside, but the tension needs to be running higher. Since the battle has already begun, everyone needs to be able to feel the visceral, spine-tingling vibe. I have attended pre-fight press conferences that were awash in suspense for events like PRIDE Bushido. I really want to recreate the same vibe in my fight against Hervey. As for my motivation (heading into his last fight in Japan)… there is something that just crossed my mind, but I want to win tomorrow in an exciting fashion and then take the mic because I have something I want to share with everyone.”

Here are the official Vale Tudo 2009 weigh-in results:

Main Event – VTJ Rules – 5R x 5 min.
Takanori Gomi (71kg / 156.5 lbs) vs. Tony “Lionheart” Hervey (70.9kg / 156.3 lbs)

VTJ Rules – 5R x 5 min.
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue (65kg / 143.3 lbs) vs. Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira (65kg / 143.3 lbs)

VTJ Rules – 3R x 5 min.
Rumina Sato (63kg / 138.9 lbs) vs. Cory Grant (63kg / 138.9 lbs)

VTJ Rules – 3R x 5 min.
Tenkei “Fujimiya” Oda (66.9kg / 147.5 lbs) vs. Tito Jones (65.2kg / 143.7 lbs)

Shooto Welterweight Championship Bout – 3R x 5 min.
Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire (69.8kg / 153.8 lbs) vs. Kenichiro Togashi (69.9kg / 154.1 lbs)

Shooto Rules – 3R x 5 min.
Mamoru Yamaguchi (55.7kg / 122.8 lbs) vs. Jesse Taitano (55.1kg / 121.5 lbs)

Shooto Rules – 2R x 5 min.
Yoichiro Sato (75.8kg / 167.1 lbs) vs. Jung Min Kang (75.4kg / 166.2 lbs)

Shooto Rules – 2R x 5 min.
Kosuke “Jukucho” Eda (62kg / 136.7 lbs) vs. Makoto Sannai (61.8kg / 136.2 lbs)

For all the latest on Vale Tudo Japan 2009 click here.

“I want to fight BJ Penn again. He knows I’m the unique guy of this division able to knock him out. It would be the biggest champions fighting. Imagine how this match would be … but it’s not close to coming true. I don’t want to talk over UFC … Mr. Dana White is a great manager and I respect him but is a person hard to deal with. I’m not an art martial beginner, I am a MMA champion. What about him? What would he be?”

-- Former Pride FC lightweight deity Takanori Gomi talks to Tsutaya Online about his fighting future as he prepares for Tony Hervey at Vale Tudo Japan 2009 on Oct. 30. “The Fireball Kid” flirted with a stateside move a few years ago when Zuffa — the UFC parent company — purchased the Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion; however, he decided to stay loyal and close to home, competing in front of the fans who watched him ascend to stardom in the “Land of the Rising Sun.” He was persuaded once again to fight on US soil until Affliction MMA collapsed and left him high and dry. Will he ever compete for the UFC? And if so, does he have any chance of avenging his 2003 submission loss to current lightweight champion BJ Penn?

At the press conference held today in Tokyo, the leading Shooto promoter, Sustain has unveiled the partial lineup for the upcoming Vale Tudo Japan 2009.

The announcement of the opponent for Takanori Gomi (30-5, 1 NC) highlighted the presser: Sustain representative, Kazuhiro Sakamoto admitted that the search for Gomi’s opponent in what will likely be the former PRIDE lightweight king’s last bout had gone astray and took much longer than expected.

Alas, with about two weeks left until the show that is scheduled for Oct. 30 at JCB Hall in Tokyo, Sakamoto and Co. secured Gomi’s opponent in the current King of the Cage lightweight champion, Tony Hervey (11-4).

Hervey, a twenty four year-old Warren, MI native, holds notable victories over Victor Valenzuela and Alberto Crane. With a background in wrestling, muay thai, and taekwondo, Hervey is a fleet-footed southpaw who is equally sound offensively and defensively on the feet: A proficient striker who is adept at slipping and weaving through punches, he also boasts explosive takedown and fierce, ground-and-pound.

Sakamoto commented that Hervey is a “lithe, aggressive, and dangerous opponent” whom no fighter can trifle with — if this will indeed be Gomi’s last fight in Japan, Hervey should more than fulfill his role in the momeroble occasion. He added that, while Hervey is still unknown in US, he likely will gain recognition in near future, and thus a good measuring stick for Gomi’s success in the US.

Gomi, who attended the press conference, seemed cautious about facing the promising albeit little-known prospect. He noted that Hervey likely will be a tricky opponent due to his explosiveness, agility, southpaw stance, and his arsenal of kicks. Comparing Hervey to his past opponents, Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett and Luiz Azeredo, Gomi promised a fast-paced action from the opening bell that will live up to its billing as the main event.

Gomi seems fully focused on the bout, as he has put aside his pursuit of professional surfing license and been hauled up in the gym. He also reiterated his desire to challenge himself overseas, citing UFC as one of his potential destinations.

Gomi-Hervey is scheduled for the five-round main event under the special “VTJ” rule we previously reported on. The title match between “Lion” Takeshi Inoue and Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira will also proceed as a five-rounder under the VTJ rule. On the other hand, the 155-pound title bout between Kenichiro Togashi and Nova Uniao prospect, Willemy Chiquerim will be contested as a three-rounder.

The additional bouts announced at the presser include a bantamweight bout between Mamoru Yamaguchi and Jesse Taitano under the Shooto rule and 143 lbs. bout between Tenkei Fujimiya and Tito Jones. Also, this year’s 167-pound rookie tournament champion, Yoichiro Sato has been added to the line-up against as-yet unnamed opponent.

Elsewhere, the Shooto legend, Rumina Sato is still without an opponent. Sakamoto stated that, per Sato’s wish, he has been looking stateside for an opponent, listing Urijah Faber’s gym as one of the places he has contacted.

Here is the current VTJ line-up:

71kg/156 lbs. – VTJ Rules – 5R x 5 min.
Takanori Gomi (30-5, 1 NC) vs. Tony Hervey (11-4)

65kg/143 lbs. – VTJ Rules – 5R x 5 min.
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue (16-3) vs. Alexandre Franca Nogueira (13-5-2)

Shooto Welterweight (70kg/155.3 lbs.) Title Match – 3R x 5 min.
Willamy Chiquerim (14-1) vs. Kenichiro Togashi (10-6-5)

56kg/123.5 lbs. – Shooto Rules – 3R x 5 min.
Mamoru Yamaguchi (20-5-3) vs. Jesse Taitano (7-5-2)

65kg/143 lbs. – Shooto Rules – 3R x 5 min.
Tenkei Fujimiya (7-4-2) vs. Tito Jones (6-3)

Rumina Sato (24-14-2) vs. TBA

Yoichiro Sato (5-1-1) vs. TBA

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates on Vale Tudo Japan 2009 as they become available.