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While many Sengoku cards have been distinguished by carefully crafted matchups and talented prospects, World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 13 has a lot of squash matches and fighters that are quite frankly garbage. This is a promotion in its death throes, and fans can only hope that elite fighters like Marlon Sandro don’t get put on the shelf for inordinate amounts of time in the confusion when Sengoku finally breathes its last.
Champ Masanori Kanehara (+240) vs. Marlon Sandro (-250) – for Sengoku featherweight title 
Masanori Kanehara is the current, undeserving featherweight titleholder, who has improved his game and become a top-level talent, but has also been done several favors and had many lucky breaks in his path to the title. Marlon Sandro is phenomenally talented, with lights-out submissions as well as uncoachable and massive natural striking power. Kanehara will have a wrestling advantage here, but at some point over the proper five rounds of a title fight, Sandro will either get on top and find a submission or simply land a big punch and seal the deal. Kanehara just cannot stand up to Sandro’s offensive output. Marlon Sandro by TKO round 3.
Hiroshi Izumi (-300) vs. Chang Seob Lee (+300)
Izumi is an Olympic medalist, despite his everyman looks, against an overweight guy without much athletic talent. If Izumi just has a brain fart and tries to bang it out, he’ll probably put Lee out, although he could actually work a judo game and get a submission. Izumi seems like one of those crossover athletes that thinks MMA is just a brawl and never even tries to use his real talents in the ring, so you can expect hays to be flying around the ring, ending with Lee getting laid out. Izumi by KO round 1.
Yasubey Enomoto (+225) vs. Sanae Kikuta (-285)
Sanae Kikuta is a legend of the sport and is being given an overmatched opponent here for a gift win. Kikuta’s grappling is just going to be too much for Enomoto. Sanae Kikuta by decision.
Maximo “Maxi” Blanco (-190) vs. Rodrigo Damm (+160)
Any Maximo Blanco fight absolutely guarantees wildness and excitement. The man is a walking explosion, and you never know what you’re going to get, but you are promised some buckwild behavior. Blanco just goes into the ring and gets crazy with suplexes and strikes, and it usually results in his opponent becoming nearly decapitated and unconscious. Sometimes it results in all that and then Blanco goes nuts and gets himself disqualified. Rodrigo Damm is actually a pretty solid fighter all-around, but Maximo will have none of that and is just going to punt this man in some bizzare and exciting fashion. Damm just cannot stand up to the kind of bucking out Blanco will bring, and at some point a hard part of Blanco’s body will connect with a soft part of Damm’s and he’ll go down hard. Maximo Blanco by KO round 1.
Omar de la Cruz (-105) vs. Keita Nakamura (-115) – welterweight grand prix opening round
This is a close fight, but Nakamura has a big grappling advantage. Nakamura doesn’t always put his best foot forward, as happened when Rob Emerson really busted him up. If Nakamura can really push forward and try to make this a grappling match, he should take it, but if de la Cruz can put his stamp on the fight early, he should be able to crack Nakamura and get the decision. This one is really in the hands of Nakamura and the judges. Keita Nakamura by decision.
Jae Sun Lee (+160) vs. Takuya Wada (-170) – welterweight grand prix opening round 
Takuya Wada should be able to squeak by Jae Sun Lee, who just doesn’t have much in terms of offense. Takuya Wada by decision.
Shigeki Osawa (-500) vs. Katsuya Toida (+350) 
Shigeki Osawa is going to get his gangster wrestle on in this fight. Osawa is a monster wrestler, and he could have a pretty interesting fight with a slick grappler like Toida. We’ll have to see some new aspects of Osawa’s game to beat up on Toida. Osawa is a far superior athlete, but he’s going to have trouble just controlling Toida. He’ll either have to get rough and just slam him around, or out-strike him with whatever standup Osawa has developed. This is a good developmental fight that shouldn’t really threaten Osawa. Osawa by decision.
Hidetada Irie (+350) vs. Ryo Kawamura (-550)
Ryo Kawamura is going to crush Irie. Kawamura is by no means a high level fighter, but Irie still has no business being in the ring with him. This is just going to be a whipping. Ryo Kawamura by TKO round 1.
