Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round

Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round was a mixed martial arts event held by Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. It took place at Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on December 16, 1994. The event began the 2 day, 16 man tournament to crown the first ever champion of Pancrase and featured the Opening Round and Quarterfinals of the tournament.

Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
Information
PromotionPancrase
DateDecember 16, 1994[1]
VenueSumo Hall [1]
CityTokyo, Japan[1]
Attendance11,000[2]
Event chronology
Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round

The tournament was one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to that date and featured some of the best fighters in the world at the time, including future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, and Maurice Smith, and top Japanese fighters Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki and Manabu Yamada.

Background

The King of Pancrase tournament was a two-day tournament spanning from December 16, 1994 to December 17, 1994. The Opening Round and Quarterfinals took place on Day 1 and the Semifinals and Finals took place on Day 2 at the King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round. The winner of the tournament would become the first ever champion of Pancrase.

The King of Pancrase Tournament drew 11,000 fans each night at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan (also known as Sumo Hall).

Results

The tournament was seeded based on skill, matching #1 seeds with #4 seeds and #2 seeds with #3 seeds in the opening round. The tournament #1 seeds were Minoru Suzuki, Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki. The opening round saw a large upset as Frank Shamrock, who was making his MMA debut, knocked off #1 seed Bas Rutten via Majority Decision.

Main card

King of Pancrase Tournament Quarterfinals
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Masakatsu Funaki def. Vernon White Submission (armlock) 1 5:37
Ken Shamrock def. Maurice Smith Submission (arm-triangle choke) 1 4:23
Manabu Yamada def. Frank Shamrock Submission (ankle lock) 1 8:38
Minoru Suzuki def. Jason DeLucia Submission (heel hook) 1 2:04
King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round
Masakatsu Funaki def. Todd Bjornethun Submission (armbar) 1 2:20
Vernon White def. Leon van Dijk Submission (heel hook) 1 3:45
Maurice Smith def. Takaku Fuke KO (knee) 1 2:48
Ken Shamrock def. Alex Cook Submission (heel hook) 1 1:31
Frank Shamrock def. Bas Rutten Decision (majority) 1 10:00
Manabu Yamada def. Christopher DeWeaver Submission (heel hook) 1 2:44
Jason DeLucia def. Thomas Puckett KO (head kick) 1 0:48
Minoru Suzuki def. Matt Hume Decision (lost points) 1 10:00

King of Pancrase Tournament bracket

Opening Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
            
1  
16  
 
 
8  
9  
 
 
5  
12  
 
Frank Shamrock 8:38
4  
13  
 
 
6  
11  
Ken Shamrock SUB
Maurice Smith 4:23
3  
14  
 
 
7  
10  
Vernon White 5:37
Masakatsu Funaki SUB
Masakatsu Funaki SUB
15  

See also

References

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