So I'm home again now, and it's great to be back and getting some much needed rest. Had probably the best week of my life in Tokyo, but was pretty glad to get home on Saturday. We arrived in Tokyo Sun afternoon, and were all pretty worn out from the flight. I worked out immediately, to help with the jetlag, and shed a few pounds. Monday night, when it was time to start cutting weight, I had nine pounds left to go, and felt really good. I did a workout, dopping about 5 pounds, and went to sleep. Tues I woke up and dropped the last 4 pounds about two hours before weigh ins. After weigh ins I enjoyed a few good meals and got lots of rest. On fight day, I felt great. We got to the arena, settled in, and waited for the show to start. I felt good warming up, and felt good walking out. The fight itself was a good one for me. I felt comfortable in the ring, and confident in my hands. Won by tko late in the second round. After the fight I was able to say a few words to the crowd in Japanese. They loved it. I was feeling pretty good about that. I've been studying Japanese for the last few months, and definitely feel like it was worth the time and effort. In my victory speech I mentioned I was thirsty for a beer, and was pleasantly surprised to have a few fans hand me cans of beer as I walked back to the locker room. We stayed in Japan for two days after the fight. It was a lot of fun. On Thursday we took the subway to another part of the city, and did some shopping for clothes and souveniers. On Friday we took a bus tour out of the city, saw some of the countryside outside of Tokyo. We went halfway up Mount Fuji, took a boat across a lake somewhere in the mountains, then rode a cable car up another mountain for an incredible view of the valley below. It was by far the best day of the week. Japan is a very beautiful country. Now that I'm home I'm going to take a few days to relax but want to stay active and in shape. I'm going to see my doctor on Tuesday, to get my hands X-rayed. I hurt them both in the fight, and think I may have fractured a bone or two. I will avoid any training until I've talked to the doctor about it. By the end of the week though, I want to be at least doing cardio every day to keep my fitness level up. If my hands are broken, I guess I'll be on vacation for a few weeks. Will be back here after I find out what's goin on. Later... Joe
The hard training camp paid off as Joe defeated his opponent, Takenori Sato via TKO strikes in the second round. Below is the play by play fight from Sherdog.com.
Takenori Sato vs. Joe Doerksen Round 1 Doerksen kicks the body with his right foot. Sato returns fire with the same strike. Doerksen lands a right hand and down goes Sato. Doerksen swarms with punches and referee Ryogaku Wada watches closely. Sato gets to guard and clears the cobwebs. Doerksen punches from the top position and fights off a leg attempt. Sato stands and Doerksen suplexes him to the canvas. Sato sweeps and begins to punch with his right hand from the top. Doerksen gets to his feet and Sato follows. Doerksen is thrown to the mat, but he’s able to control the scramble. Sato looks for a guillotine choke before the bell. Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Doerksen Rob King scores the round 10-9 Doerksen Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Doerksen Round 2Sato lands a clean left-hook counter to the chin. Doerksen lands a low kick that knocks Sato off balance. Doerksen attacks with punches and Sato gets to guard. Doerksen pounds the body with his right hand as Sato keeps tight positioning. Sato sweeps. Sato passes guard and then gives up dominant position with a weak armbar attempt. Doerksen begins to hit the body and he passes to half guard and then mount. Referee Wada gives Doerksen no time to work before standing the fighters for no explainable reason. The move doesn’t faze the Canadian, as he lands a right and left hook that hurt his opponent. Sato goes down to avoid punishment and Doerksen finishes with punches until Wada steps in at the 4:27 mark.
