4/25 ASTRA - Yoshida's Farewell Event - Fighters missing weight

Astra is hosting the final fight in Hidehiko Yoshida's long career. The event will take place in Nippon Budokan, and it should be a perfect setting for this event. Yoshida will face Kazuhiro Nakamura, a team mate and friend in this fight. He also outweights his opponent with almost 20kg going in.

3 fighters missed weight in the weigh-in, but the fights will go as planned. Naoyuki Kotani managed to cut the 0.1kg and make weight on his second attempt, but Jorge Masvidal and Che Mills also missed weight.

Also on this card, Enson Inoue will return to the ring against Antz Nansen.

There are lots of good fights on this card, that can only be seen by the people in attendence or by ordering it on SkyPerfect PPV.

Main-Event - Hidehiko Yoshida Retirement Fight:
11. Open: Hidehiko Yoshida (113.0kg) 9-7-1 vs. 13-10-1 Kazuhiro Nakamura (95.7kg)

10. Feather: Michihiro Omigawa (65.0kg) 9-8-1 vs. 13-3-0 Micah Miller (65.0kg)
9. Light-Heavy: Enson Inoue (92.9kg) 11-8-0 vs. 1-0-0 Antz Nansen (94.5kg)
8. Welter: Ryo Chonan (76.8kg) 17-10-0 vs. 6-5-1 Jung Hwan Cha (76.1kg)
7. Light: Naoyuki Kotani (70.1kg→70.0kg) 20-9-7 vs. 19-5-0 Jorge Masvidal (70.5kg)
6. Light: Daisuke Nakamura (69.3kg) 20-12-0 vs. 9-4-2 Ganjo Tentsuku (69.5kg)
5. Welter: Yuya Shirai (76.9kg) 18-8-0 vs. 8-3-0 Che Mills (77.4kg)
4. Feather: Tatsunao Nagakura (64.8kg) 5-0-0 vs. 8-7-1 Akihiko Mori (64.8kg)

Opening Fight:　
3. Heavy: Seigo Mizuguchi 7-5-0 vs. 0-1-0 Baru Harn
2. Middle: Yusuke Sakashita 6-2-0 vs. 6-10-2 Kenji Nagai
1. Bantam: Ryosuke Komori 4-2-0 vs. 7-11-6 Takumi Murata

Discuss in the FORUM

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10/6 DREAM 11 - Fights Announced

FEG have announced the first semi-final in the Super-Hulk tournament. Not unexpectedly, Minowaman will take on the giant Hong Man Choi. Of course I was expecting the other semi-final to be announced as well... But Gegard Mousasi is out because of an injury, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou currently stands without an opponent. It will most likely be one of the fighters from the 1st round. I will have a wild guess that it will turn out to be Bob Sapp, it just makes the most sense to me...

Also announced is a very interesting matchup between JZ Calvan and U-Files Daisuke Nakamura.

Added:
Super-Hulk Semi-Final:
Ikuhisa Minowa 42-30-8 vs. 2-2-0 Hong Choi Man

Light: Daisuke Nakamura 20-10-0 vs. 14-3-1 Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante

Previously Announced:
Lightweight Title Fight:
Joachim Hansen (champion) 19-7-1 vs. 21-4-0 Shinya Aoki (challenger)

DREAM Featherweight GP Semi-Finals:
Hideo Tokoro 22-16-1 vs. 11-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
Joe Warren 2-0-0 vs. 5-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
Reserve: Kazuyuki Miyata 7-7-0 vs. 11-5-3 Daiki "DJ Taiki" Hata

SuperHulk Semi-Finalists:
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 6-4-0

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3/8 DREAM 7 - LIVE Results

I will be posting results and some short comments here. Am at home, enjoying the event live on SkyPerfect.

For play-by-play, Sherdog will do the honors, that means that I can sit back and relax with a few friends and beers.

If you have some questions relating to the event, please feel free to leave a comment (if you get an error message, click the "Post Comment" button again).

It should be a very good and exciting event, and it will start a couple of hours after the UFC event finishes (4PM Japan time).

Some background reading:
My preditions
Some Betting Odds (so many sites out there for this..)
Presenting the Featherweights (Sengoku and DREAM

Other sites to follow the event on:
Sherdog PbP
BloodyElbow

Spoilers if you read on!

The live broadcast has started, and we should soon be watching the first fight.

DREAM 7 is dedicated to the memory of Helio Gracie, both Kazushi Sakuraba and Yuki Nakai was in the ring to honor his memory.

Results:
1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
The fighters are making their way to the ring, it looks like there would be no problem getting a ticket, but its still early. I think this might be one of the better fights though.

Round 1
Bibiano gets the takedown early, and is working for side control. Bibiano has been on top so far, but the damage is limited to some punches and the ref stands it up. Bibiano gets yellow card, and looks puzzled, the crowd agrees.
Otsuka looks nervous,and he has a bloody nose that seems to attract his attention. So far Bibiano should be ahead.

1st round is over and I think Otsuka has looked nervous. Bibiano won this round, but it is judged as one.

Round 2
Bibiano gets Otsukas back early in the 2nd, but Otsuka just stands up and is able to get out. IMO Otsuka is showing his skills only in defense today, normally he is a very offensive fighter and I think it looks like he is afraid of losing. Otsuka is hit with a knee that almost ends the fight, but he is able to continue to fight back.

This should be a decision to Bibiano.
The judges agree 3-0 Bibiano.

2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
The fighters are in the ring.

Round 1
As expected, Joe Warren is going for takedowns, but so far is unable to make it stick. Chase is looking good on his feet so far. Beebe looks like he is getting tired in the 2nd half of the round and Warren is able to take him down. The momentum is changing a bit now. Beebe gets a big cut over his left eye from a knee, the end of the round was all Warren.

The doctor stops the fight due to the cut on Chase Beebe, Joe Warren wins his debut.

3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
The fighters are in the ring now, and "Wicky" is now known as the MMA Monkey.

Round 1
So far, Cullum has been very agressive and been able to take the fight to the ground. "Wicky" gets out of what looks like a very good arm-bar attempt, but Cullum is spending a lot of energy. "Wicky" is not able to get the space he needs to far. "Wicky" is very busy defending on the ground, this is a very good jiu-jitsu fight so far. Cullum has been cut by a knee and some counter punches, but he is still winning this fight so far. Cullum gets mount and this time makes it count, but "Wicky" scrambles and gets guard.

Round 2
Cullum has come in with a VERY good gameplan, the fight has been all ground so far and "Wicky" has not been able to get anything going. Finally "Wicky" gets something going, but the time is almost up.

"Wicky" got to show a little bit, but Cullum should get this decision in a very good fight. Cullum really showed that he is quality fighter.

Cullum gets the decision 3-0

4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
Round 1
This fight starts slow, Ishida is very careful in going forwards and then goes for a takedown. Nakamura is going for a Kimura. Nakamura scrambles, but Ishida gets out on top. Nakamura is very technical, but Ishida is showing strength is getting out of kimura attempt. Nakamura gets a small cut, looks like it is from the glove, not a puch. The doctor checks it, and the fight continues. This is turning into a ground fight with Nakamura on the bottom.

Round 2
The 2nd round is continuing like the first, Ishida is on top and Nakamura is scambling to get out. Nakamura is going for a leg-lock in the dying seconds, but time runs out. I would give this to Ishida.

Decision goes to Ishida 3-0

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Round 1
The fighters are standing off in the start, as expected Aoki goes for a takedown and gets mount. Like a spider Aoki takes the back and continues to work for a choke, Gardner fights it off so far. Gardner is able to get out and runs away to make Aoki stand up. Aoki quicky gets the back and Gardner deceides to say "hello Japan", Aoki uses that to sink in the choke and gets the submission by rear-naked choke. One of the most stupid things I have seen....

Break - No News...

6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri
Fighters are entering the ring for the first after the break.

Round 1
Ebanez didnt make weight and gets yellow card. Kawajiri gets the takedown, as expected, but Ebanez is able to get back up. Kawajiri gets the back and attempts to get a rear-naked in. Eventually the rear-naked choke sinks in, a convinsing win by Kawajiri.

Kawajiri wants to fight JZ Calvan at DREAM 9! That would be an awesome fight!

7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Micah Miller comes in wearing long tights, dont know if he will wear them in the fight but this is one fight I have been looking forward to!

Round 1
Miller looks a lot taller than I expected. Maeda is running around the reach so far and they almost fall out of the ring. Maeda takes Miller (who is compered to Aoki by Japanese commentators) down. Maeda is not making much progress on top, Miller is showing off his guard. The ref stands it up and gives a yellow (I dont know who), the fight goes straight back to the ground, Miller on bottom. Miller goes for an omopalata, but Maeda gets out. The fights been all Miller so far.

Round 2
Miller looks a lot more tired than Maeda, but he is leading after the 1st round. Miller is tired but continues to go forward and try for takedowns. Maeda is still looking good and the fight could go either way. Just as the bell rings Miller has an arm-bar attempt going. I would give it to Miller.

Maeda gets the decision 3-0, and I am surprised!

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Round 1
Looks like Won is not going for takedowns yet, but I expect that to change soon. Very quiet start to the fight. Takaya throws a body kick that allows Won to take him down, but it looks like Takaya will get right back up. The fight has been mainly standup, but very little action.

Round 2
Takaya closes in and a straight right hits the target. The ref steps in to save won as Takaya continues the GnP. Takaya by TKO.

Main-Event - Featherweight Round 1:
9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Round 1
Yamamoto shows he has power in his punches, but it only takes Imanari to the ground (where he wants to be). Imanari has Yamamoto in his guard, but is unable to do anything. He is going for a gogopalata, but the ref stands it up. Nothing really happens on the feet and Yamamoto gets another takedown. Imanari sweeps and gets on top, still no sign of a foot lock that everyone is expecting. Instead he goes for an arm-bar. Yamamoto gets out on top and is in Imanari's guard. Imanari continue to go for the gogopalata when the bell rings.

Round 2
Imanari gets another yellow as Yamamoto is on top and Imanari is inactive ont he bottom. Imanari is keeping his dstance, and to be honest its pretty boring. Yamamoto gets another takedown and is on top. Imanari uses the rubber guard, like he has all fight, and Yamamoto gets up. The fight ends with Yamamoto on top, like most of the fight, and he should get this decision.

Imanari get the decision 2-1!

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DREAM 7 - Predictions

I normally don't do this, but I am seeing that some fans think this is the weakest DREAM card yet. These things are always subjective, but I would wait until after the event to judge. The fact that you don't know the fighters doesn't make them bad... I see fighters on this card that I know nothing about, and that makes me more interested. FEG has seen them worthy of a spot, and I want to see if they can live up to that.

The real reason some fighters are lesser known is that few featherweights have, up until now, fought overseas. Also keep in mind that this GP is at 63.5kg, which might actually make it closer to a bantamweight GP (depending on what you are used to watching).

It is a long time since I have done this, but I will give you my predictions.

A word of warning: I suck at predicting fights, and you might do better going with the opposite picks of mine. I never put money on the fights and if you do, please base that on your own predicitions.

1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
This match up looks awesome to me, Bibiano is famous for his jiu-jitsu and that is key here. Otsuka's base is wrestling, but he is a bred MMA fighter with few weaknesses.

Otsuka will try to keep this fight standing, but it will hit the ground at one point. Otsuka will try to make it later.

I think it will be an entertaining fight that will go the distance. If it does, I think its because Otsuka is successful and he gets the decision.

2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
These are 2 fighters that I know virtually nothing about. Chase Beebe has the MMA experience, a veteran of WEC he lost his 2 last fights and will be looking to get back on the winning track.

Joe Warren, all I know is that he is a very good wrestler and has some solid training partners. Could he be another King Mo? We will have to wait and see, but he has everything to gain in this fight.

I would go for Chase Beebe, but its just because of his experience.

3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
Abel Cullum is another of the fighters I am looking forward to seeing here. I have seen a few of his fights and his jiu-jitsu is very good. The key here will be his take downs though.

"Wicky" is a guy that fans of Japanese MMA will be very familiar with, even though he will make his debut on the big stage tomorrow. "Wicky" is one of the more exciting and unorthodox fighters out there, and unusually for Japanese fighters, this guy does not want to go to the ground.

Key for "Wicky" will be to get into the right rhythm, and I think he will enjoy the big stage. Cullum needs to make his take downs stick, he does not want to stand with "Wicky".

I see Abel Cullum being hit late in round 1, and will predict a TKO win for "Wicky". Remember: 10 minutes 1st rounds.

4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
This is an awesome match-up, and a chance for Daisuke Nakamura to climp into the top 10 lightweights.

Ishida is a fighter that in some ways seems to fly under the radar, a very quiet and unassuming guy, but in the ring he means business. He has only been submitted once in his career, that was to Caol Uno in the DREAM tournament last year. He quickly redeemed himself by a spectacular fashion in his US debut.

Nakamura has quietly built an 8 fight winning streak, his last loss being to Vitor Ribeiro. He is a well rounded fighter, and is often involved in very exciting fights.

Key for Ishida will be to get Nakamura to the ground and I think he has the wrestling to do that, but once there he needs to keep Nakamura on his back. That is where he can start his GnP. I think Ishida's wrestling and strength will be too much for Nakamura. Ishida will get the decision.

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
We are getting into 2 fights that I wont go into too much details... Everyone knows Shinya Aoki and what he will be looking to do, I know nothing about David Gardner.

Aoki will win this one by submission, I hope it will be something exciting.

I know what you are thinking, whats with this match-up??? It is because Aoki is fighting in the welterweight GP next month. It is worth noting that this fight is at welterweight.

Before the next fight, there is a short break. Look for welterweight GP news here.

6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri
I have very little knowledge of Ross Ebanez, but I do know a bit about Kawajiri.

I hope Kawajiri pulls it together here. He will get the win, I hope its not be decision.

7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
This match-up is very hard to predict for me, it makes it a good one. But I also have not seen enough of Micah Miller to know what Maeda is up against.

Maeda I think is a bit unpredictable and it seems to be against taller and aggressive fighters. Miller is taller, I don't know if he is aggressive enough.

This fight has delayed this post for a few days now, gut feeling says Miller will take it.

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Hiroyuki Takaya is a very experienced fighter, he is taking on a Korean Judoka in Kim Jong Won. Won is making his MMA debut, and Dong Sik Yoon has said he is very impressed by his striking. I don't think he should try to strike his way to a win here though.

Hiroyuki Takaya will take this if he comes in shape, I am worried about his weight cutting "skills" (stamina) especially in the later part of round 1. Takaya by decision.

9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
If you dont know what to expect fromt the main event, you have not followed Japanese MMA closely (and there is nothing wrong with that). Imanari is famous for his leg-locks, Yamamoto will try to keep this fight standing for as long as it takes to wreck Imanari's face (see the Tokoro fight).

Imanari is not going to waste time on his feet, look for him to dive in and go for a leg. The whole world will know what to expect here.

I see this fight ending in the first few minutes, it could be by a Yamamoto KO/TKO. More likely is a Imanari submission though.

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Fight Order

FEG have announced the fight order for Sunday's Featherweight GP Round 1. The main event is the fight between Masakazu Imanari and Atsushi Yamamoto, and I cant see it going the distance.

The night will be kicking off with a fight that I think might be fight of the night, Otsuka vs. Bibiano. It should be a close fight and I think it will be very entertaining.

This event is all about the featherweights, but there will be other big names on the card as well, including Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Mitsuhiro Ishida.

Main-Event - Featherweight Round 1:
9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri

Break

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Betting Odds

Here are the betting lines from Sportsbook.com. I have never used any betting company, so if you have experience, good or bad, it would be good to hear about it.

Anyway, the odds seem ok. Kawajiri and Aoki are going in as huge favorites, but thats probably to be expected. If I were looking for value, I would go for Otsuka.

Tatsuya Kawajiri -575
Ross Ebanez +375

Shinya Aoki -1100
David Gardner +600

Mitsuhiro Ishida -185
Daisuke Nakamura +155

Masakazu Imanari -185
Atsushi Yamamoto +155

Hiroyuki Takaya -175
Jong Won Kim +145

Yoshiro Maeda -155
Micah Miller +125

Chase Beebe -140
Joe Warren +110

Takafumi Otsuka +165
Bibiano Fernandes -205

Akiyo Nishiura +105
Abel Cullum -135

Some additional odds from MMA Underdogs/Bodog.

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Kawajiri Fighting

Tatsuya Kawajiri is one of the bigger stars in Japan at the moment, his KO win on NYE against Kozo Takeda with K-1 rules was certainly noticed (along with the other upsets under K-1 rules). This time he will compete under MMA rules, and against a very experienced opponent.

This time Kawajiri is taking on the American Ross Ebanez from BJ Penns gym. He is a veteran of ROTR and EliteXC, other than that, I know very little but I am sure that will change soon.

Both fighters have faced Eddie Alvarez, and lasted almost to the second as long (7:35 for Kawajiri and 7:32 for Ebanez).

With just over 1 week to the event, I think the card is just about complete now.
Added:
Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri

Previously Announced:
Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

Featherweight GP 1st Round:
Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
"Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Ishida vs. Nakamura Announced

At yesterday's DEEP event, it was announced that Mitsuhiro Ishida will face Daisuke Nakamura at DREAM 7. This will of course not be a GP fight, but one of the non-GP fights on the card.

Daisuke Nakamura had an amazing 2008, winning all of his 7 fight and only once going the distance. His last loss came to Vitor Ribeiro, and he has only 1 loss in his last 12 fights. This should be a very good fight.

Another one will be the fight between Shinya Aoki and David Gardner. Aoki expressed an interest in fighting on the DREAM 7 card, even though he is scheduled for DREAM 8 as well. DREAM has granted him that request, and I am sure the Japanese fans will be looking forward to that fight. David Gardner is an experienced opponent and he has been to Japan before. On that occation, he was fighting in Cage Force and he lost to Koutetsu Boku.

DREAM 7 is shaping up to be a very good card, main focus will be on the featherweight GP, of course.

Announced:
Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

Previously announced:
Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
"Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum

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12/31 DYNAMITE! - Pictures and Thoughts

It was a very good night of fights, and I think the Japanese crowd left very satisfied. It was strange watching DREAM fighter after DREAM fighter KO K-1 fighters... It was just that sort of night. I knew Overeem was a good kickboxer, but I would not have predicted a KO win for him against Hari.

Kawajiri said in he after-fight speach that is was scary going in to the ring with K-1 rules, and maybe thats why the DREAM fighters did well... Maybe the K-1 fighters felt too comfortable going in...

Personally, the card was missing one fight. I had been looking forward to Hansen vs. JZ for a very long time. Injuries do happen though, it was just unfortunate timing. From what I understand, the injury occured in training just before the event. The doctors would not let Joachim Hansen fight on the day, but I hope he will make a speedy recovery and return!

Minowaman kicked off DREAM 1 and this year he got to kick off Dynamite! as well. His fight was predictable, he took his much bigger opponent down and finished him with a toe-hold. Leg-locks is really proving to be very popular in Japan lately.



He used the only tactic he could, get Zimmerman to the ground and go for a submission. It worked and Minowaman quickly had ahold of a leg. Zimmerman had no choice but to tap.



Next it was time for the K-1 Youth tournament, and I have to say, I am not a fan... From memory, I think the fights last year were better.. It is clear what the FEG is trying to do with this tournament though, it has a feel of the Japanese Highschool Baseball tournament (which is very popular)



After the youth tournament semi's were done, they put on a fight between 2 established K-1 stars. Artur Kyshenko took on Yoshihiro Sato in what was a highly anticipated fight. Kyshenko took a deserved but close decision.



Daisuke Nakamura and Hideo Tokoro put on an awesome display of grappling! I wish this fight continued a bit more... Nakamura needed 2 attempts to finish Tokoro by an arm-bar. Between these, Tokoro himself had his chances. A very high paced and exciting fight!



Andy Ologun was the only K-1 fighter of the night to have success against a MMA fighter. He did that with MMA rules too! BIG KO win against Pancrase fighter Yukio Sakaguchi.



After the Youth final and a break, it was time to introduce DJ Oozuma. He came on with a show that resembled his friend Akihiro Gono.



He introduced a matchup that I thought before the event might have been fixed. After what unfolded, it was clearly not. Inviting Bob Sapp to brawl is just a BAD idea!



Semmy Schilt was able to show that he can still finish people on the ground, and with the plans of crowning a DREAM heavyweight champion in 2009, I have a feeling he will be in with a chance.



Shibata charged out, and it looked like he took Sakurai by surprise. But once Sakurai regained his composure, there was no doubt who were the better fighter.



In a fight that was promoted as a battle between the neighboring prefectures of Saitama (Takeda) and Ibaraki (Kawajiri). K-1 fighter Kozo Takeda took on DREAM fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri. I guess this fight set the mood for the rest of the night. Kawajiri had much better hands than Takeda, who was unable to get the fight into his pace. Kawajiri's uppercuts opened Takeda up, and Takeda went down 3 times in less than 3 minutes.





Even more impressive was the KO win for Overeem over Hari. I really think Overeem has gained a lot of comfidence in 2008 and he will be a force in 2009!



Then it was time for the ring girls to take to the ring. They had very little work to do this event, so it was easy to forget they were there...



After the break Crocop entered the ring to take on Hong Man Choi. It will be the last time we see him for a while, as he will have to take time off for a knee reconstruction. I really hope it goes well and we get to see Crocop back to his usual self at the end of 2009. He did show that he could throw the left high-kick, even against a guy as big as Hong Man Choi. However it was a leg-kick that won the fight for him.



Gegard Mousasi have announced that he will compete in the ADCC championships in 2009, for Dynamite he took on Japanese K-1 star Musashi, with K-1 Rules. Gegard showed why you should never underestimate him! He is very mentally strong and really handed it to his opponent.





Next in the ring was Mark Hunt against the very late replacement Manfred Manhoef. It was a very quick win for Manhoef and I think Hunt didnt know what hit him... It was really a fight he needed to win... Manhoef didnt care though, a very strong KO win to the Dutchman.



Alvarez made the ultimate mistake against Aoki... A body kick. Aoki got ahold of his leg and was able to work Alvarez to the ground. Shinya Aoki got a big win and Alvarez his first loss in Japan.





And since I am out of town, with limited computer capabilities... I am unable to upload the remining pictures. It also means that updates will be somewhat slow the next few days, but I hope to be back in time for Sengoku!

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12/31 Dynamite! - Results Live

Event of the year is starting in 4 hours (3PM Japan time) in Saitama. I will be there, but focus will be taking pictres, not updating results. I will try to get results updated during the breaks though. Sherdog should have live PBP going, so they should be quicker with the results.

I am very happy that Manhoef stepped in on so short notice, and the fight with Hunt should be very interesting.

Time for me to get to the arena! If you read on, there will be spoilers when the event starts!

It is announced that "Hellboy" vs. JZ fight is cancelled!! It is due to injury on "Hellboy", the doctor stopped the fight!

The event is underway and I really hope the injury is not serious! I know Joachim was well prepared and it is very sad....

19. Main-Event: DREAM-Rule: Kiyoshi Tamura Def. Kazushi Sakuraba by Decision 3-0
18: DREAM-Rule: Joachim Hansen vs. "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante Cancelled :(
17: DREAM-Rule: Shinya Aoki Def. Eddie Alvarez by Heel-hook Round 1 1:32
16. DREAM-Rule: Melvin Manhoef Def. Mark Hunt by KO Round 1 0:18
Huge win for Manhoef! A right hook puts Hunt down!

15. K-1-Rule: Gegard Mousasi Def. Musashi by KO Round 1 2:32
Its been an awesome night for DREAM figthers fighting K-1 rules! What's going on??

14. DREAM-Rule: Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic Def. Hong Man Choi by TKO Round 1 6:32
Crocop announced that he will have a knee reconstruction in 2 days. He is looking forward to his next fight, but he will have to recover for 6 months.

--BREAK--

13. K-1 Rule: Alistair Overeem Def. Badr Hari by KO Round 1 2:02
HUGE KO, and a BIG win!

12. K-1-Rule: Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Kozo Takeda by TKO (3 down) Round 1 2:47
Crushing victory to Kawajiri!

11. DREAM-Rule: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai Def. Katsuyori Shibata by TKO Round 1 7:01
10. DREAM-Rule: Semmy Schilt Def. Mighty Mo by Triangle choke round 1 5:31
Schilt showed that he still has ground game!

9. DREAM-Rule: Bob Sapp Def. Kinniku Mantaro by TKO Round 1 5:22

--BREAK--

8. K-1 Youth Tournament Final: HIROYA Def. Koya Urabe by Decision 3-0(after extention)

7. DREAM-Rule: Andy Ologun Def. Yukio Sakaguchi by KO Round 1 3:52
Sakaguchi looked like he had Andy in a triangle, but was unable to finish. Andy took advantage when the ref stood them up.

6. DREAM-Rule: Daisuke Nakamura Def. Hideo Tokoro by arm-bar round 1 2:43
Tokoro might have injured his arm, and this was a very exciting fight while it lasted.

5. K-1-Rule: Artur Kyshenko Def. Yoshihiro Sato by Decision 2-0
4. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Hiroya Def. Shota Shimada by Decision 3-0
3. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Koya Urabe Def. Tatsuya Kusakabe by TKO Round 3 2:29
2. DREAM-Rule: Ikuhisa Minowa "Minowaman" Def. Errol Zimmerman by Toe-hold round 1 1:01

Opening Fight:
1. K-1 Youth (Reserve): Taishi Hiratsuka Def. Daizo Sasaki by KO Round 2 1:00

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Manhoef steps up!

Last minute changes to the Dynamite card! Jerome is out due to the flu and FEG has been working hard to find a replacement, it is announced now that Melvin Manhoef steps in!!

I have to say that I am very excited about this change, Manhoef is giving up A LOT in weight, but he is a very good fighter and this could go either way.

I really look forward to this one! Hope Manhoef get paid well to step in on so short notice!

The complete and final card for tomorrow then:
19. Main-Event: DREAM-Rule: Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
18: DREAM-Rule: Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
17: DREAM-Rule: Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
16. DREAM-Rule: Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 22-5-1 Melvin Manhoef
15. K-1-Rule: Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
14. DREAM-Rule: Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi
--BREAK--
13. K-1 Rule: Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari
12. K-1-Rule: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
11. DREAM-Rule: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 33-8-2 vs. 2-5-1 Katsuyori Shibata
10. DREAM-Rule: Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
9. DREAM-Rule: Bob Sapp 9-3-1 vs. Kinniku Mantaro
--BREAK--
8. K-1 Youth Tournament Final: Winner Fight 3 vs. Winner Fight 4
7. DREAM-Rule: Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0 vs. 1-1-0 Andy Ologun
6. DREAM-Rule: Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
5. K-1-Rule: Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
4. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
3. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe
2. DREAM-Rule: Ikuhisa Minowa "Minowaman" 40-29-8 vs. Errol Zimmerman

Opening Fight:
1. K-1 Youth (Reserve): Daizo Sasaki vs. Taishi Hiratsuka

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Jerome LeBanner is OUT!

Just so there is no misunderstanding. It was announced at the press conference today that Jerome LeBanner is out of tomorrow's Dynamite event! This is of course a huge disappointment for himself and his fans.

That means that FEG has 1 day to dig out a worthy opponent! This is the biggest show of the year, and there should be lots of fighters jumping at this chance, but 1 day? I just hope they find someone. The card is solid, but I would have liked to see Mark Hunt get another fight this year.

So, with that last minute change, here is what the card looks like:

Fight Order:
19. Main-Event: DREAM-Rule: Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
18: DREAM-Rule: Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
17: DREAM-Rule: Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
16. DREAM-Rule: Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. TBA
15. K-1-Rule: Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
14. DREAM-Rule: Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi
--BREAK--
13. K-1 Rule: Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari
12. K-1-Rule: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
11. DREAM-Rule: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 33-8-2 vs. 2-5-1 Katsuyori Shibata
10. DREAM-Rule: Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
9. DREAM-Rule: Bob Sapp 9-3-1 vs. Kinniku Mantaro
--BREAK--
8. K-1 Youth Tournament Final: Winner Fight 3 vs. Winner Fight 4
7. DREAM-Rule: Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0 vs. 1-1-0 Andy Ologun
6. DREAM-Rule: Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
5. K-1-Rule: Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
4. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
3. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe
2. DREAM-Rule: Ikuhisa Minowa "Minowaman" 40-29-8 vs. Errol Zimmerman

Opening Fight:
1. K-1 Youth (Reserve): Daizo Sasaki vs. Taishi Hiratsuka

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Press Conference

At the press conference in Shinjuku today, it was confirmed that LeBanner has come down with the flu. There is still hope that Mark Hunt will get a fight tomorrow, but of course, it is very short notice.



Most of the attention from the Japanese media was today directed at the last 3 fights. They have a habbit of not asking "soup" questions, and today was no exception. They asked Joachim Hansen, JZ Calvan, Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki "What kind of fight you would like to have tomorrow?". As always, the answer was "an entertaining fight".



JZ and Joachim Hansen showed eachother a great deal of respect and both admitted that it will be a difficult battle. They both have a big fan base in Japan, and it will be an awesome fight!



Eddie Alvarez has brought it family this time, and his fight with Aoki is the final that should have been. Aoki has definately made an effort to become a more complete fighter after his loss to Hansen in DREAM 5, but I dont thing we are likely to see him bang with Alvarez.



Bob Sapp is a very popular fighter in Japan, and I think he actually got the biggest cheer. He said that Kinniku Mantaro will meet his worst nightmare tomorrow... Reality! Kinniku Mantaro was unable to answer, due to the mask...





As most of you would have seen, Crocop has spent a lot of time training with a Crotian basketball player. He highlighted the value of this in front of his fight with Hong Man Choi. I am really looking forward to it, it is a difficult challenge for both fighters and Choi should not be underestimated! I shouldnt need to remind anyone what Fedor looked like last NYE (I know he won, but HMC has a vicious GnP).



For tomorrow, I will be there. To my knowledge, if you are in Japan, but not in the arena, the earliest you can see this is at 7PM on TBS. This will of course be a edited version. There is a PPV on SkyPerfect, but this starts at mid-night.



I will try to give updates from the arena, but it will be impossible to give these live. I will give updates, but most likely in the breaks. Check in and I will do my best to have the results up as early aas possible!

Also, appologies for the pictures... I was all the way in the back and used the zoom as best I could, but people kept getting in the way. :) Anyway, here are some more.

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Weigh-In

The weigh-in for this year's Dynamite is out of the way. Andy Ologun is the only fighter that has to weigh in again after missing weight by .4kg.

To sum it up, Sakuraba looks as fit, he has clearly worked hard for this fight. Both "JZ" and "HellBoy" look extremly fit for this one, and it should be fight of the night (IMO).

Nightmare of Battle is reporting that the Aoki vs. Alvarez fight will be for the WAMMA lightweight title. I really dont know how these titles work, and I have not seen anything about it in the Japanese media...

Though it might not be the most anticipated fight for the hardcore fans, the Japanese fans love Bob Sapp.

There is a rumor that Jerome LeBanner is not able to fight... He did not weigh in today, but it is open weight and he was not the only one. Mark Hunt weighed in like normal and there was NO indication that this fight is cancelled.

The public press-conferance will be in Shinjuku later tonight, and I will be there to cover that too!

19. Main-Event: DREAM-Rule (84.0kg):
Kazushi Sakuraba 82.7kg
Kiyoshi Tamura 83.6kg

18: DREAM-Rule (70.0kg):
Joachim Hansen 69.3kg
Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante 70.0kg

17: DREAM-Rule (70.0kg):
Shinya Aoki 69.9kg
Eddie Alvarez 69.2kg

16. DREAM-Rule (+93.1):
Mark Hunt 130.4kg
Jerome Lebanner

15. K-1-Rule (Open):
Gegard Mousasi 97.8kg
Musashi 103.8

14. DREAM-Rule (+93.1kg):
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
Hong Man Choi 148.5

13. K-1 Rule (open):
Alistair Overeem 115.2kg
Badr Hari

12. K-1-Rule (70.0kg):
Tatsuya Kawajiri 70.0kg
Kozo Takeda 69.9kg

11. DREAM-Rule (80.0kg):
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 79.7kg
Katsuyori Shibata 79.8kg

10. DREAM-Rule (+93.1kg):
Semmy Schilt 129.6kg
Mighty Mo 136.6kg

9. DREAM-Rule (+93.1):
Bob Sapp
Kinniku Mantaro 102.3kg

8. K-1 Youth Tournament Final: Winner Fight 3 vs. Winner Fight 4

7. DREAM-Rule (75.0kg):
Yukio Sakaguchi 70.8kg
Andy Ologun 75.4kg

6. DREAM-Rule (68.0kg):
Hideo Tokoro 66.0kg
Daisuke Nakamura 67.4kg

5. K-1-Rule (71.0kg):
Yoshihiro Sato 71.0kg
Artur Kyshenko 71.0kg

4. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final)(62.0kg):
Hiroya 62.0kg
Shota Shimada 62.0kg

3. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final)(62.0kg):
Tatsuya Kusakabe 60.7kg
Koya Urabe 62.7kg

2. DREAM-Rule (Open):
Ikuhisa Minowa "Minowaman" 91.5kg
Errol Zimmerman 109.1kg

Opening Fight:
1. K-1 Youth (Reserve) (62.0kg):
Daizo Sasaki 61.2kg
Taishi Hiratsuka 60.5kg

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Fight Order - 19 (!) Fights on the Card!

FEG have added Errol Zimmerman vs. Minowaman to Dynamite! The fight has been rumored and the Japanese fans should be happy to see "Minowaman" on the card. The fight will be the opening fight for the main card. Errol Zimmerman will have his MMA debut against the very experienced "Minowaman".

Not unexpected, Tamura vs. Sakuraba is the main event, before the Tamura/Sakuraba battle will be the fight between Hellboy and JZ.

FEG have also added a reserve fight in the K-1 Youth Tournament. The tournament is where FEG promotes and builds the new talent. Last year YUDAI won the tournament by defeating HIROYA by split decision. Since then HIROYA have had 4 K-1 fights, and Yudai has not had any. This tournament provided some very good fights last year, and hopefully that continues this year.

As far as I am concerned, just the last 6 fights would have been a good event. This will be event of the year, without a doubt!

Have to be said though... First time since 2003 that Fedor is not fighting in Japan on NYE...

Fight Order:
19. Main-Event: DREAM-Rule: Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
18: DREAM-Rule: Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
17: DREAM-Rule: Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
16. DREAM-Rule: Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 3-1-1 Jerome Lebanner
15. K-1-Rule: Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
14. DREAM-Rule: Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi
--BREAK--
13. K-1 Rule: Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari
12. K-1-Rule: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
11. DREAM-Rule: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 33-8-2 vs. 2-5-1 Katsuyori Shibata
10. DREAM-Rule: Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
9. DREAM-Rule: Bob Sapp 9-3-1 vs. Kinniku Mantaro
--BREAK--
8. K-1 Youth Tournament Final: Winner Fight 3 vs. Winner Fight 4
7. DREAM-Rule: Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0 vs. 1-1-0 Andy Ologun
6. DREAM-Rule: Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
5. K-1-Rule: Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
4. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
3. K-1 Youth Tournament (semi-final): Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe
2. DREAM-Rule: Ikuhisa Minowa "Minowaman" 40-29-8 vs. Errol Zimmerman

Opening Fight:
1. K-1 Youth (Reserve): Daizo Sasaki vs. Taishi Hiratsuka

Read more...

12/31 Dynamite! - Card Complete (?)/Public Press Conference

FEG finally confirmed the fight between Overeem and Hari yesterday. Of course, this had already been confirmed by both sides so there was no surprises. The fight will be K-1 Rule and it should be a good one.

Of course, K-1 rule should mean that Badr Hari comes in the favorite. But Overeem has competed with these rules before and should come in with a weight advantage. I would also guess that he will get the support of the Japanese crowd.

In addition to this fight, FEG announced yesterday that a public press conference will be held on December 30. This will be held in Shinjuku Station Square starting at 4.30PM and will of course feature the fighters, promoters and match-makers. I will be there covering it too.

So, it seems this year's Dynamite! card is complete (there might still be additions though). It should be an awesome event, as always!

The fights in no particular order:
K-1 Rule:
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari

DREAM Rule:
Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi
Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 3-1-1 Jerome Lebanner
Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0 vs. 1-1-0 Andy Ologun
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 33-8-2 vs. 2-5-1 Katsuyori Shibata

K-1 Youth Tournament Semi-Final (Final held same night):
Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Fight Odds ***UPDATED***

I have updated this post with more odds on the bottom, these are from www.bet-at-home.com curtisy of http://freefightvideos.blogspot.com

There are lots of good fights coming up on the Dynamite card, the first odds are out and I am getting them from BestFightOdds.com. It was the first time I have seen this page and I recommend you check it out if you are of the betting kind. They have the odds for several events and bookmakers making it easy to compare! A very useful tool!

Anyway, only 1 site has Dynamite! odds up so far, BetCRIS.

The odds are currently:
Joachim Hansen -115
Jz Cavalcante -115

Eddie Alvarez -115
Shinya Aoki -115

Semmy Schilt -600
Siala Siliga +450

Daisuke Nakamura -110
Hideo Tokoro -120

From what I have seen, JZ started out the favorite but "HellBoy" has even the odds out. Not much value currently, but if you belive in Mighty Mo it should be good odds.

Additional odds:
Hideo Tokoro - 1,65
Daisuke Nakamura - 2,00

Jerome Lebanner - 1,45
Mark Hunt - 2,50

Joachim Hansen - 1,70
J.Z. Calvancanti - 1,95

Kazushi Sakuraba - 1,50
Kiyoshi Tamura - 2,35

Mirko Filipovic - 1,35
Hong Man Choi - 2,90

Semmy Schilt - 1,12
Mighty Mo - 5,50

Shinya Aoki - 1,80
Eddie Alvarez - 1,80

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - 2 Fights Officially added

FEG have announced 2 additional fights for Dynamite! All I can say is that this is not the type of opponent I was hopeing Sakurai would face... Shibata won his 2 first MMA fights, since then he is yet to taste victory. Sakurai should really have his eyes on the DREAM title belt.

Yukio Sakagushi is takeing on Bobby's brother (that's how he is known in Japan...). But this is a matchup I like. Sakaguchi is a puncher, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with Ologun. Will this fight go to the ground? Ologun is not really an MMA fighter, even though he has had 2 fights previously. Ologun is happy to go the distance, Sakaguchi has NEVER gone past round 1. I really think it could be a fun fight!

The card is taking shape and 15 fights are officially announced. I am keeping the Overeem vs. Hari fight as a "rumored fight", since its not confirmed from FEG yet.

Added:
Dream-Rule
Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0 vs. 1-1-0 Andy Ologun
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 33-8-2 vs. 2-5-1 Katsuyori Shibata

Rumored:
K-1 Rule:
Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari

Previously announced:
K-1 Rule
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko

DREAM Rule
Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi
Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 3-1-1 Jerome Lebanner
Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

K-1 Youth Tournament Semi-Final (Final held same night):
Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - CroCop Confirms his opponent! **UPDATED**

**UPDATE** This is also confirmed by FEG today.

**UPDATE 2** FEG has confirmed that "Kid" Yamamoto will NOT fight this NYE. They also confirmed that Yukio Sakaguchi will fight! Sakaguchi went into the Pancrase rankings earlier this year after a huge KO win over Yuichi Ikari. He is also brother of famous actor Kenji Sakaguchi and son of famous pro-wrestler Seiji Sakaguchi.

There has been alot of speculation around who Crocop would be fighting on NYE. He has now conformed on his blog that he is fighting Hong Man Choi.

I'm excited to let you know that I have accepted DREAM's offer to fight against Hong-man Choi on December 31 at Dynamite show. We arranged all details and the contract has been signed - the fight is officialy on.

The fight will be contested under MMA Rules, and I am looking forward to it. Both fighters will be very eager to get back on the winning track.

Added:
DREAM Rule:
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic 23-6-2 vs. 1-1-0 Hong Man Choi

Previously announced:
K-1 Rule
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko

DREAM Rule
Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 3-1-1 Jerome Lebanner
Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

K-1 Youth Tournament Semi-Final (Final held same night):
Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe

Confirmed Participants:
Yukio Sakaguchi 3-3-0

Possible Participants:
Masato
Caol Uno
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Masakatsu Funaki
Katsuyori Shibata
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Junichi Sawayashiki
Yasuhiro Kido
Taishin Kohiruimaki

Read more...

12/31 DYNAMITE! - Fights Added

Dynamite added some announcements today, following all the Sengoku announcements yesterday I expected something. The big announcement is Semmy Schilt's return to MMA rules (at a major event), he will be taking on Mighty Mo. This might end up to be more like K-1 rules, but it should be a good fight. It will be interesting to see if we get to see what Schilt is like on the ground now.

Hideo Tokoro should get a real test against Daisuke Nakamura. Tokoro will be giving up around 10kg in this fight (normally) and it will be a challenge for him.

They have also added the K-1 fight between Yoshihiro Sato and Artur Kyshenko.

This will, as always be a very good event.

DREAM Rule:
Semmy Schilt 25-14-1 vs. 3-0-0 Mighty Mo
Hideo Tokoro 21-14-1 vs. 18-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

K-1 Rule:
Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko

Previously announced:
K-1 Rule
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda

DREAM Rule
Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante
Mark Hunt 5-4-0 vs. 3-1-1 Jerome Lebanner
Shinya Aoki 18-3-0 vs. 15-1-0 Eddie Alvarez

K-1 Youth Tournament Semi-Final (Final held same night):
Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe

Possible Participants:
Masato
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
Caol Uno
Hideo Tokoro
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Masakatsu Funaki
Katsuyori Shibata
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Junichi Sawayashiki
Yoshihiro Sato
Yasuhiro Kido
Taishin Kohiruimaki
Mirko Crocop
Hong Man Choi

Read more...