5/29 DREAM 14 - RESULTS

Dream has another one in the books. A strong card, but without any heavyweights or light-heavyweights (now that the GP was scratched).

Lots of strong featherweights on the card though. Add to that the legends of "Mach" Sakurai, Sakuraba and Minowa, what more can you ask for?

Spoilers if you read on.

Gracie broke the curse when he won the judges decision, he was simply the better man on the ground. Sakuraba had his chances though, and what the ref was thinking when he in the last round tried to pull up Ralek's pants I have no idea. Still a deserved victory.

Nick Diaz proved too strong on the ground for the legend "Mach" Sakurai, meaning that 2 of the really big Japanese stars lost on this card.

Other Japanese fighters made sure that the home crowd had plenty to cheer for though. "Kid" looks to be back on track with a quick KO win, and Minowa is staying on track with a submission win in the 1st round.

Hiroyuki Takaya has secured his spot at the #1 featherweight contender as he got a strong KO win over Joachim Hansen.

Osawa and Miyata edge out split decision wins

8. Welter: Nick Diaz Def. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai by armbar Round 1 3:54
7. 88kg: Ralek Gracie Def. Kazushi Sakuraba by Decision 3-0
6. Feather: Hiroyuki Takaya Def. Joachim Hansen by KO Round 1 4:27
5. Feather: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto Def. Federico "Kiko" Lopez by KO Round 1 1:41
4. Feather: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura Def. Hideo Tokoro by KO Round 1 2:10
3. Feather: Kazuyuki Miyata Def. Takafumi Otsuka by Decision 2-1
2. Feather: Kenji Osawa Def. Yoshiro Maeda by Decision 2-1
1. Open: Ikuhisa Minowa Def. Imani Lee by rear-naked choke Round 1 4:16

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5/29 DREAM 14 - Weigh-in

FEG held the weigh-in for the 14th DREAM earlier today, broadcast live on their website.

Lots of good fights on the card, and Minowaman is giving up 70kg in this fight! Can he do it again?

If you, like me, are wondering about the difference in weight for the featherweights. Nightmare of Battle has the answer:

"As you can see from the weigh-in results everything isn’t as it should. All Featherweight fights on the card are contracted at different weights.

KID/Lopez is at 60kg
Takaya/Hansen is at 65kg
Tokoro/Wicky is at 63kg
Miyata/Otsuka is at 64.5kg
Maeda/Osawa is at 61kg
Mach/Diaz is at 76.6kg

As you can see, it appears that Kiko Lopez missed weight, I am not sure if he weighed in again though. Also, I am sure the fight would still be on.

Main-event:
8. Welter: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (76.5kg) 35-10-2 vs. 21-7-0 (76.0kg) Nick Diaz

7. 88kg: Kazushi Sakuraba (86.5kg) 26-12-1 vs. 2-0-0 (87.4kg) Ralek Gracie
6. Feather: Joachim Hansen (65.0kg) 19-9-1 vs. 12-8-1 (65.0kg) Hiroyuki Takaya
5. Feather: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (59.8kg) 17-3-0 vs. 4-2-0 (62.0kg?) Federico "Kiko" Lopez
4. Feather: Hideo Tokoro (63.0kg) 26-21-1 vs. 10-5-1 (62.8kg) "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura
3. Feather: Kazuyuki Miyata (64.2kg)8-7-0 vs. 10-4-1 (64.4kg) Takafumi Otsuka
2. Feather: Yoshiro Maeda (60.7kg) 26-8-2 vs. 15-9-2 (61.0kg) Kenji Osawa
1. Open: Ikuhisa Minowa (88.0kg) 45-30-8 vs. 1-2-0 (150.0kg) Imani Lee

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Fight Order for 5/29 DREAM 14 and 5/30 The way of Shooto 03

This weekend there will be 2 HUGE events in Japan! Shooto have put together an awesome card for Sunday, and of course the DREAM event on Saturday will be huge.

Lots of great fights on both cards, and here are the fight orders:

DREAM is putting on some awesome featherweight matchups, and add to that some true legends in Japan and this should be an interesting event. "Kid" will be desperate for a KO win here, and former lightweight champion Joachim Hansen will be looking to put his mark on the Dream featherweight division. Of course the crowd will be looking for a show and FOTN performance from Tokoro again.

Former olympic wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata will take on another wrestler when he faces DEEP champion Takafumi Otsuka.

Main-event:
8. Welter: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai 35-10-2 vs. 21-7-0 Nick Diaz

7. 88kg: Kazushi Sakuraba 26-12-1 vs. 2-0-0 Ralek Gracie
6. Feather: Joachim Hansen 19-9-1 vs. 12-8-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
5. Feather: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-3-0 vs. 4-2-0 Federico "Kiko" Lopez
4. Feather: Hideo Tokoro 26-21-1 vs. 10-5-1 "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura
3. Feather: Kazuyuki Miyata 8-7-0 vs. 10-4-1 Takafumi Otsuka
2. Feather: Yoshiro Maeda 26-8-2 vs. 15-9-2 Kenji Osawa
1. Open: Ikuhisa Minowa 45-30-8 vs. 1-2-0 Imani Lee

Shooto is putting on no less than 3 title fights! Not only that, but the return of Ryota Matsune. There are good fights from the opening bell on this one too!

Lightweight World Title Fight:
8. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue 18-3-0 vs. 20-4-2 Hatsu Hioki

Welterweight World Title Fight:
7. Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire 15-2-0 vs. 13-3-2 Yusuke Endo

Bantamweight World Title Fight:
6. Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Ryuichi Miki

5. 62kg: Rumina Sato 25-14-2 vs. 15-1-1 Ryota Matsune
4. Feather: Akitoshi Tamura 14-8-2 vs. 10-1-2 Masakatsu Ueda
3. Feather: Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas 8-2-0 vs. 6-1-2 Hiromasa Ogikubo
2. Welter: Kotetsu Boku 16-6-2 vs. 14-3-1 Yoshihiro Koyama
1. Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-3-3 vs. 16-9-3 Wataru Miki

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5/29 DREAM 14 - "Kid" Yamamoto Added

FEG have announced the addition of Japanese star "Kid" Yamamoto to Dream 14. His opponent will be Team Quest's Federico "Kiko" Lopez. This fight was supposed to be on the Strikeforce undercard, but has been moved to the Dream 14 event. Both fighters are coming of 2 straight losses, "Kid" losing to "Kiko"'s team-mate, Joe Warren. No doubt that "Kid" will be the crowd favorite here, but both fighters will be eager to start another winning streak. It will be interesting to see what Warren has been able to teach his team-mate.

Picture from GBRing.com


Added:
Feather: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-3-0 vs. 4-2-0 Federico "Kiko" Lopez

Previously Announed:
Feather: Joachim Hansen vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Feather: Hideo Tokoro vs. "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura
Feather: Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Takafumi Otsuka
Feather: Yoshiro Maeda vs. Kenji Osawa
88kg: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ralek Gracie
Welter: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Nick Diaz

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12/31 Fields Dynamite! - RESULTS

The event is underway in Saitama. I will be posting results in HDNet time, since that is what most people are watching (still earlier than Japan).

And I can promise that there will be upsets!

Over 37,000 in attendence in a sold out SuperArena!

Read on for spoilers.


K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Semi-Finals:
1. Reserve: Ryuya Kusakabe vs. Tsukasa Fuji
2. SF 1: Masaaki Noiri Def. Hiroya by decision
3. SF 2: Shota Shimada Def. Katsuki Ishida by Decision

Super Hulk Tournament Final:
4. Minowaman Def. Sokoudjou by TKO Round 3
Minowa floors Sokoudjou with a right late in the 3rd round, just about the 1st punch thrown in the round.

5. K-1: Ray Sefo Def. Yosuke Nishijima by Decision
Very one sided fight that somehow goes the distance.

K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Final:
6. Final: Masaaki Noiri Def. Masaaki Noiri by Decision

DREAM vs. Sengoku (3x5min.):
7. DREAM vs. SRC: Hiroshi Izumi Def. Katsuyori Shibata by Decision 3-0
Izumi gets a decision in a fight that could have gone either way. Some would say this was controversial.

8. DREAM vs. SRC: Michihiro Omigawa Def. Hiroyuki Takaya by TKO Round 1
Sengoku is off to a flying start. As expected, these fighters didnt wait to exchange! Omigawa pulls of a small upset! Sengoku is in the lead 2-0!

9. DREAM vs. SRC: Akihihiro Gono Def. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai by armbar round 2
Gono pulls out another win for Sengoku!! 3-0 now!

10. DREAM vs. SRC: Melvin Manhoef Def. Kazuo Misaki by TKO Round 1
Manhoef gets the first win for Dream, usual style just came out more carefully this time. Misaki is complaining (maybe rightly) of an early stoppage.

11. DREAM vs. SRC: Hideo Tokoro Def. Jong Man Kim by Decision 3-0
Fight of the night so far!!!

12. DREAM vs. SRC: Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Kazunori Yokota by Decision 3-0
HUGE War, Kawajiri was the better fighter and it looked like the armbar at the end should finally put Yokota away. It is now 3-3 between Sengoku and Dream, Dream have levelled the score!!

13. DREAM vs. SRC: Masanori Kanehara Def. Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto by Decision
Another fight of the night candidate! Kanehara had a very strong round 2, and it was enough even though Kid came on strong in the end of round 3.

15. DREAM vs. SRC: Alistair Overeem Def. Kazuyuki Fujita by KO Round 1
Huge knee sends Fujita out of the ring. Fujita is grabbing his head, but not getting up! It is 4-4 between Sengoku and Dream!

17. Dream (3x5min): Gegard Mousasi Def. Gary Goodridge by TKO Round 1
Mousasi took Goodridge down with ease and Goodridge never really had an answer.

DREAM vs. Sengoku (3x5min.):
THe fight between DREAM and Sengoku comes down to the 2 champions!
16. DREAM vs. SRC: Shinya Aoki Def. Mizuto Hirota by submission round 1
Aoki litterally took Hirota's arm off, as Hirota didnt tap. I have no idea what it was though.

14. Sengoku: Hidehiko Yoshida Def. Satoshi Ishii by Decision
Yoshida used his experience and got a close win here. A knee to the groin of Yoshida earned Ishii a red card (point reduction) in round 2 that could have tipped the fight in Yoshida's favor.

Main Event:
18. K-1 (5×3 minutes, 1×3 ext.): Masato Def. Andy Souwer by Decision
A good fight to end the night, and Masato's career!

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12/31 Fields Dynamite! - Fight Order

The fight order for tomorrows Dynamite! event is announced. Not surprising that Masato gets the honor of fighting in the main event in his last fight.

I am surprised that the last fight to be announced, Mousasi vs. Goodridge is the co-main event though... I was expecting it to be Ishii vs. Yoshida, OR the clash of champions Aoki vs. Hirota.

This card is huge, 18 fights and a lot of the top fighters in Sengoku and DREAM. There are fighters I wish were on the card, I think especially in the lightweight division there are some big names missing.

I also think K-1 fans will be disappointed at this year's card. It has ended up being a MMA event, I think due to the cooperation with Sengoku. The result is 2 K-1 fights (not counting the Koshien tournament (which is really the undercard).

Main Event:
18. K-1 (5×3 minutes, 1×3 ext.):Masato vs. Andy Souwer
17. Dream (3x5min): Gegard Mousasi vs. 23-19-1 Gary Goodridge

16. DREAM vs. SRC: Shinya Aoki 22-4-0 vs. 12-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
15. DREAM vs. SRC: Alistair Overeem 31-11-0 vs. 15-8-0 Kazuyuki Fujita

14. Sengoku: Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

13. DREAM vs. SRC: Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto 17-2-0 vs. 15-7-5 Masanori Kanehara
12. DREAM vs. SRC: Tatsuya Kawajiri 25-5-2 vs. 11-2-3 Kazunori Yokota
11. DREAM vs. SRC: Hideo Tokoro 25-21-1 vs. 21-10-3 Jong Man Kim
10. DREAM vs. SRC: Melvin Manhoef 23-6-1 vs. 22-9-2 Kazuo Misaki
9. DREAM vs. SRC: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai 35-9-2 vs. 30-15-7 Akihihiro Gono
8. DREAM vs. SRC: Hiroyuki Takaya 12-7-1 vs. 8-8-1 Michihiro Omigawa
7. DREAM vs. SRC: Katsuyori Shibata 4-6-1 vs. 0-1-0 Hiroshi Izumi

K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Final:
6. Final: Winner of SF 1 vs. Winner of SF 2

5. K-1: Ray Sefo vs. Yosuke Nishijima
4. Super Hulk Tournament Final: Minowaman vs. Sokoudjou

K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Semi-Finals:
3. SF 2: Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada
2. SF 1:Hiroya vs. Masaaki Noiri
1. Reserve: Ryuya Kusakabe vs. Tsukasa Fuji

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12/31 Fields Dynamite! - Changes and Additions

There has been a change to the SRC "Team" on the Dynamite! card. Jong Man Kim is stepping in for an injured Marlon Sandro. Kim is a very good fighter, but he has not had a win since his very surprising upset of Hatsu Hioki in 2007, or 7 fights.

Also added to the card is Gegard Mousasi, who will take on the veteran Gary Goodridge in a MMA rules fight. Goodridge is riding a 4 fight losing streak and is facing the former DREAM middleweight title holder and current StrikeForce champion, Mousasi, who has a 14 fight winning streak.

Added:
MMA: Gegard Mousasi vs. 23-19-1 Gary Goodridge

Change:
Hideo Tokoro 25-21-1 vs. 21-10-3 Jong Man Kim

Previously Announced:
DREAM Vs. SRC:
Shinya Aoki 22-4-0 vs. 12-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
Tatsuya Kawajiri 25-5-2 vs. 11-2-3 Kazunori Yokota
Melvin Manhoef 23-6-1 vs. 22-9-2 Kazuo Misaki
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto 17-2-0 vs. 15-7-5 Masanori Kanehara
Hiroyuki Takaya 12-7-1 vs. 8-8-1 Michihiro Omigawa
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai 35-9-2 vs. 30-15-7 Akihihiro Gono
Katsuyori Shibata 4-6-1 vs. 0-1-0 Hiroshi Izumi
Kazuyuki Fujita 15-8-0 vs. 31-11-0 Alistair Overeem

K-1 Fight:Ray Sefo vs. Yosuke Nishijima

MMA: Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
K-1 (5×3 minutes, 1×3 ext.):Masato vs. Andy Souwer
Super Hulk Tournament Final: Minowaman vs. Sokoudjou

K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Finals:
Final: Winner of SF 1 vs. Winner of SF 2
Reserve: Ryuya Kusakabe vs. Tsukasa Fuji
SF 1:Hiroya vs. Masaaki Noiri
SF 2: Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada

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12/31 Fields Dynamite! - The Champions will Fight

FEG and WVR have announced 2 additional fights for the NYE Dynamite! event. Everyone was hoping for a DREAM title fight between Aoki and Kawajiri, but that will not happen. Instead Dream champion Shinya Aoki will take on Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota in a fight that should be very interesting. No doubt Hirota will need to keep this off the ground, while Aoki will be desperate to get it there.

The other fight added could end up being a very good fight. Dream title challenger Tatsuya Kawajiri will take on Sengoku title challenger Kazunori Yokota. Yokota has had a very good 2009 and will be looking to end on a high. Kawajiri will be looking to cement himself as the #1 challenger for Aoki's title when 2010 starts.

A lot on the line in both these fights. There will be 2 more K-1 fights added to the card.

***UPDATE***
Melvin Manhoef vs. Kazuo Misaki has been added to the card during Christmas. Should be a good fight, everyone knows what Manhoef is planning. I am interested in seeing what Misaki is planning to counter though.


Added:
DREAM vs. SRC:
Shinya Aoki 22-4-0 vs. 12-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
Tatsuya Kawajiri 25-5-2 vs. 11-2-3 Kazunori Yokota
Melvin Manhoef 23-6-1 vs. 22-9-2 Kazuo Misaki

Previously Announced:
DREAM Vs. SRC:
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto 17-2-0 vs. 15-7-5 Masanori Kanehara
Hiroyuki Takaya 12-7-1 vs. 8-8-1 Michihiro Omigawa
Hideo Tokoro 25-21-1 vs. 15-1-0 Marlon Sandro
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai 35-9-2 vs. 30-15-7 Akihihiro Gono
Katsuyori Shibata 4-6-1 vs. 0-1-0 Hiroshi Izumi
Kazuyuki Fujita 15-8-0 vs. 31-11-0 Alistair Overeem

K-1 Fight:Ray Sefo vs. Yosuke Nishijima

MMA Fight: Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
K-1 (5×3 minutes, 1×3 ext.):Masato vs. Andy Souwer
Super Hulk Tournament Final: Minowaman vs. Sokoudjou

K-1 Koshien (Highschool) Tournament Finals:
Final: Winner of SF 1 vs. Winner of SF 2
Reserve: Ryuya Kusakabe vs. Tsukasa Fuji
SF 1:Hiroya vs. Masaaki Noiri
SF 2: Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada

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12/31 Fields Dynamite! - Fights Announced

FEG have announced an additional 6 fights for the Dynamite card today

6 fights are DREAM vs. SRC. "Kid" is returning to take on Sengoku featherweight champion Masanori Kanehara. And Hiroshi Izumi will have his 2nd MMA fight against Katsuyori Shibata.

Also a K-1 fight is announced. Veteran Ray Sefo is returning to take on former boxing champion Yusuke Nishijima.

DREAM Vs. SRC:
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto vs. Masanori Kanehara
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Hideo Tokoro vs. Marlon Sandro
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Akihihiro Gono
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Izumi
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Alistair Overeem

K-1 Fight:Ray Sefo vs. Yosuke Nishijima

Previously Announced:
MMA Fight: Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
K-1 (5×3 minutes, 1×3 ext.):Masato vs. Andy Souwer
Super Hulk Tournament Final: Minowaman vs. Sokoudjou

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10/6 DREAM 11 - Results

A very strong card from DREAM, and with 2 title fights it might be the best they have put on so far.

On the weigh-in yesterday Miyata turned some heads as the muscular former lightweight turned up with close to no bodyfat.



One of the highlights of this card is the return of DREAM champion Joachim Hansen. He is returning to defend his title, and it will be his first title defence and his first fight since winning the title in July last year.



The DREAM featherweight title holder will also be deceided today in a tournament that is looking very interesting.

Results will be updated as they become available.

Main-Event - Featherweight GP Final:
9. Bibiano Fernandes Def. Hiroyuki Takaya by decision 2-1
Very good fight to end the night!!

Lightweight Title Fight:
8. Shinya Aoki (challenger) Def. Joachim Hansen (champion) by armbar Round 2 about 4:40
Aoki gets grounded by an upkick, the ref stops the fight and gives Aoki time to recover. The judge is staying it was a groin kick first...

7. Middle: Kazushi Sakuaba Def. Rubin Williams by Kimura Round 1
*Sakuraba still wearing a bandage on his left underarm, looks like he is still suffering from the broken arm he suffered against Manhoef.

There is a break and some Dream 12 participants are announced and asked to say a few words (quick translation):
Yoshiro Maeda - "I will take Chase Beebe's head off"
Kuniyoshi Hironaka - "I am the Cage Force champion and I have a lot of experinence in a cage. " "If I win in impressing fashion I would like a shot at the title"
Koichi Kikuno - "I am the DEEP champion and it will be an exciting fight".

6. Light: Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Melchor "Barracuda" Manibusan TKO Round 1

Super-Hulk Semi-Finals:
5. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Def. Bob Sapp by TKO Round 1
4. Ikuhisa Minowa Def. Hong Choi Man by heel-hook Round 2

The winners will meet on NYE at the FEG Dynamite! event

DREAM Featherweight GP Semi-Finals:
3. SF2: Bibiano Fernandes Def. Joe Warren by arm-bar round 1 (very early)
Warren is saying he didnt tap, Bibiano showes him the middle finger and leaves the ring.

2. SF1: Hiroyuki Takaya Def. Hideo Tokoro by TKO Round 2
1. Reserve: Kazuyuki Miyata Def. Daiki "DJ Taiki" Hata by Decision 3-0

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10/6 DREAM 11 - Sakuraba Added/Fight Order

This video started the speclations around wether Sakuraba will be fighting in DREAM 11. Sakuraba has not fought since Dynamite! on NYE, and even then he didnt look 100% after breaking his arm against Melvin Manhoef in June 2008.



It has now been confirmed that Sakuraba will take on American pro-boxer Rubin Williams.

This video have also been released. To me the most interesting thing here, except from the fact that "Hellboy" is fired up, is that he seems to be working with Hayato "Mach" Sakurai for this fight (and we all remeber what he did to Aoki...).



Fight Order:
Main-Event - Featherweight GP Final:
9. Winner Tokoro/Takaya v. Winner Fernandes/Warren

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

7. Middle: Kazushi Sakuaba 24-12-1 vs. Rubin Williams
6. Light: Tatsuya Kawajiri 24-5-2 vs. 2-2-0 Melchor "Barracuda" Manibusan

Super-Hulk Semi-Finals:
5. Ikuhisa Minowa 42-30-8 vs. 2-2-0 Hong Choi Man
4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 6-4-0 vs. 10-5-1 Bob Sapp

DREAM Featherweight GP Semi-Finals:
3. SF2: Joe Warren 2-0-0 vs. 5-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
2 SF1: Hideo Tokoro 22-16-1 vs. 11-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya

1. Reserve: Kazuyuki Miyata 7-7-0 vs. 11-5-3 Daiki "DJ Taiki" Hata

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10/6 DREAM 11 - Lightweight Title Fight Official

This is hardly a surprise announcement, but now it is official. Joachim Hansen will defend his lightweight title against Shinya Aoki. I guess you could question wether Aoki should be the first to get the title shot, but Aoki has defeated Eddie Alvarez and Vitor Ribeiro since losing the final last year.

Joachim Hansen suffered an injury before his fight on New Years Eve last year, and this will be his first fight in over a year.

There are rumors that a middleweight titlefight featuring Paulo Filho is in the works too. A surprise considering it was expecting to be another re-match of "Jacare" and "Mayhem".

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:
Ikuhisa Minowa 42-30-8
Hong Choi Man 2-2-0
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 6-4-0
Gegard Mousasi 25-2-1

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10/6 DREAM 11 Featherweight GP Finals - Fights Announced

DREAM have announced the featherweight GP semi-finals lineup. It is looking very good, the fights for the semi-finals have been rumored and known for a while. However, there is a very interesting reserve fight here. Kazuyuki Miyata, considered the king of take-downs in the Japanese media (after pulling out some spectacular suplexes in his last couple of fights), will take on a guy that is very hard to take down, DJ Taiki. DJ Taiki should of course have been in this GP, he had to give up his spot due to an injury, and Hideo Tokoro took his place.

The semi-finals will have an all Japanese semi-final between Hiroyuki Takaya and crowd favorite Hideo Tokoro. The other semi-final will see the former dark-horse, now favorite in many eyes, Joe Warren, take on BJJ genious Bibiano Fernandes.

I just have to say that I would love to see Miyata vs. Warren, but for now there are some awesome matchups and the tournament is wide open. I think Joe Warren might be the favorite in my book, but honestly, anyone can take this. And dont forget, the fighters in the reserve fight are still in this! As always, the final will be on the same night.

On the card might Japanese stars "Kid" Yamamoto and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Nothing official, but Dream promoter Sasahara has mentioned that he would like to have them on the card. Of course, whats also rumored are 2 title fights (light- and middleweight).

What will be on the card is the SuperHulk tournament semi-finals. This card should be awesome!

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:
Ikuhisa Minowa 42-30-8
Hong Choi Man 2-2-0
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 6-4-0
Gegard Mousasi 25-2-1

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Awesome Fights!!! (Shooto Edition) Part 1

Thought I would put together some of my favorite fights, its just been too long since I have done stuff like that...

When I started looking around I found too many fights, especially Shooto fights there are too many. So I deceided to split it up a bit. This first post will be Shooto fight up to 2005.

Unfortuanately, I was not able to find all the fights I was looking for, but this is a good start and I hope there are some fights there that you havent seen!

The number of fighters that have come through Shooto is amazing, and you will see some of todays stars early in their career.

Fights below are:
-Joachim Hansen vs. Rumina Sato (Shooto 3/18-2003)
-Takanori Gomi vs. Dokonjonoske Mishima (Shooto "End of Year Show 2002" 12/14-2002)
-Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hatsu Hioki (Shooto 7/13-2003)
-Frank Trigg vs. Hayato Sakurai (Shooto "R.E.A.D. Final" 12/17-2000)
-Akira Kikuchi vs Jake Shields (Shooto "End of Year Show 2004" 12/14-2004)


Joachim Hansen vs. Rumina Sato (Shooto 3/18-2003)

joachim hansen vs rumino sato
Uploaded by havenhurt -

Takanori Gomi vs. Dokonjonoske Mishima (Shooto "End of Year Show 2002" 12/14-2002)

Takanori Gomi vs Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Uploaded by 55Archangel -

Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hatsu Hioki (Shooto 7/13-2003)

Hatsu Hioki vs. Hiroyuki takaya
Uploaded by platypus101 - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

Frank Trigg vs. Hayato Sakurai (Shooto "R.E.A.D. Final" 12/17-2000)

Shooto - Frank Trigg vs Hayato Sakurai
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Akira Kikuchi vs Jake Shields (Shooto "End of Year Show 2004" 12/14-2004)

Akira Kikuchi vs. Jake Shields
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5/26 DREAM 9 - Results

This is the first ever DREAM event that I have not been able to watch live, and I am only reading Play-by-Play from BloodyElbow.com. Of course there were lots of things to look forward to here, the SuperHulk Tournament got Minowa back where he loves to be, taking on the big guys.

Other things to look for in this event, a Middleweight title fight and 2nd round in the Featherweight GP. Don't forget about the lightweight battle between JZ and Kawajiri, it could determine the next challenger for the lightweight title (I am hearing rumors that there will be a title fight before this challenger gets his shot though).

There is a HUGE upset!!!! And a dramatric end...

A very interesting card, and there are spoilers if you read on.

Main-Event - Middleweight Title Fight:
10. Ronald "Jacare" Souza 10-2-0 vs. 22-6-0 Jason "Mayhem" Miller No Contest!
Jacare suffered an illegal soccer kick that opened a cut on his forehead. The doctors stopped the fight and it has been ruled a no contest.

Featherweight GP Round 2:
9. Joe Warren Def. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto by split decision!!!
8. Bibiano Fernandes Def. Masakazu Imanari by Decision 3-0
7. Hiroyuki Takaya Def. Yoshiro Maeda by TKO Round 1

In the intermission, the following fights are announced for DREAM 10:
Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho
Unconfirmed: Katsunori Kikuno vs. Andre "Dida" Amade

6. Hideo Tokoro Def. Abel Cullum by rear-naked choke Round 2

No-Tournament:
5. Light: Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante by Decision 3-0

Super Hulk Tournament:
4. Gegard Mousasi Def. Mark Hunt by Kimura Round 1
3. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Def. Jan “The Giant” Nortje by TKO Round 1
2. Choi Hong Man Def. Jose Canseco by Strikes (tapout) Round 1
1. Ikuhisa Minowa Def. Bob Sapp by Achilles Lock Round 1

vg

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5/26 DREAM 9 - Fight Order

DREAM has been early with the fight order this time, and this event will be a bit different than the previous DREAM events, thanks to the addition of the "Super Hulk Tournamnet". FEG have also announced ticket discounts for fans who go to both DREAM 9 and 10. They are clearly trying to appeal more to the casual fans with these additions.

The event has many interesting fights though. "Kid" is returning, and I was expecting him to return to a main event. But there is a title fight on the card, so it will rightly take the spot as the main event.

"Kid" is taking on the American wrestler, Joe Warren, in the 2nd round of the featherweight tournement. It will be interesting to see if ring rust will play a part in his return from injury.

The main event is the DREAM Middleweight title fight between "Jacare" and crowd favorite "Mayhem" Miller (they are both crowd favorties though). The title was vacated by Gegard Mousasi, because he is moving up in weight.

Mousasi might be moving up in weight, but he is still a lightweight in thee Super Hulk Tournament where he will be taking on Mark Hunt in the 1st round. Hunt was once considered one of the top heavyweights in the world, now he is in desperate need of a win. Dispite having a big weight advantage over his opponent might still be considered the underdog in this fight.

Minowaman will be in the opening fight, it is becoming something of a tradition for him. This time he is back to taking on much bigger opponents, this time its Bob Sapp and I am sure they will put on a show that will get the Japanese fans going.

Main-Event - Middleweight Title Fight:
10. Ronald "Jacare" Souza 10-2-0 vs. 22-6-0 Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Featherweight GP Round 2:
9. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Joe Warren
8. Masakazu Imanari 16-6-1 vs. 4-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
7. Yoshiro Maeda 24-6-2 vs. 10-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
6. Hideo Tokoro 21-16-1 vs. 14-2-0 Abel Cullum

No-Tournament:
5. Light: Gesias "JZ" Calvancante 14-2-1 vs. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

Super Hulk Tournament:
4. Gegard Mousasi 24-2-1 vs. 5-5-0 Mark Hunt
3. Jan “The Giant” Nortje 2-5-0 vs. 5-4-0 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
2. Choi Hong Man 1-2-0 vs. Jose Canseco
1. Ikuhisa Minowa 41-30-8 vs. 10-3-1 Bob Sapp

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5/26 DREAM 9 - Super Hulk Tournament

FEG have announced the Super Hulk Tournament. Round 1 will take place at DREAM 9, and is in some ways back to what the Japanese fans love. If you like "freakshow" fights, open weight tournament etc. This is the tournament for you!

3 of the fighters are taller than 2 meters, Minowaman will be the shortest at 1.75. Also making his MMA debut will be the former baseball star Jose Canseco. In 2005 Canseco made headlines by admitting using steroids while he was playing baseball.

Mark Hunt is also in this tournament, he will face Gegard Mousasi in the first round. Hunt was at one time ranked among the worlds top heavyweights, and will be desperate for a win here after 4 straight losses.

The rules will be "DREAM based", so expect a bit different rules.

This card will also see the featherweight 2nd round, and FEG are really going all out. They are desperate to improve on their TV ratings and it is looking like a very interesting event that I think will draw casual fans as well.

Super Hulk Tournament:
Ikuhisa Minowa 41-30-8 vs. 10-3-1 Bob Sapp
Jan “The Giant” Nortje 2-5-0 vs. 5-4-0 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Gegard Mousasi 24-2-1 vs. 5-5-0 Mark Hunt
Choi Hong Man 1-2-0 vs. Jose Canseco

Previously Announced:
Middleweight Title Fight:
Ronald "Jacare" Souza 10-2-0 vs. 22-6-0 Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Light: Gesias "JZ" Calvancante 14-2-1 vs. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

Featherweight GP Round 2:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Joe Warren
Hideo Tokoro 21-16-1 vs. 14-2-0 Abel Cullum
Yoshiro Maeda 24-6-2 vs. 10-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
Masakazu Imanari 16-6-1 vs. 4-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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5/26 DREAM 9 - Kawajiri vs. J.Z.

DREAM 9 will be held in Yokohama Arena on May 26. The card was already looking very good, and now FEG has announced another big fight that has been rumored for a while.

JZ Clavan is one of the most popular lightweights out there, and he will return to the ring after more than a year off. Last year he had a controversial loss to Shinya Aoki in the 1st round in the lightweight GP, they needed 2 attempts to get a result.

Tatsuya Kawajiri reached the semi-final in the same GP, and only Eddie Alvarez was able to deny him a spot in the final in a FOTY candidate.

This is a fight between two of the top lightweights out there and a very good addition to an already stacked card.

Added:
Light: Gesias "JZ" Calvancante 14-2-1 vs. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

Previously Announced:Middleweight Title Fight:
Ronald "Jacare" Souza 10-2-0 vs. 22-6-0 Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Featherweight GP Round 2:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Joe Warren
Hideo Tokoro 21-16-1 vs. 14-2-0 Abel Cullum
Yoshiro Maeda 24-6-2 vs. 10-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
Masakazu Imanari 16-6-1 vs. 4-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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5/26 DREAM 9 - Title Fight Announced

FEG have announced that Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi has vacated his title, it has been well known for a while that Mousasi was planning to move up in weight and DREAM needs a Middleweight champion.

They do have some very good candidates, and FEG have announced that 2 of the most popular fighters from their GP last year will fight for the title. Finalist Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza will take on crowd favorite Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

This card is looking very good now, and I would expect another

Added:
Middleweight Title Fight:
Ronald "Jacare" Souza 10-2-0 vs. 22-6-0 Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Previously Announced:
Featherweight GP Round 2:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Joe Warren
Hideo Tokoro 21-16-1 vs. 14-2-0 Abel Cullum
Yoshiro Maeda 24-6-2 vs. 10-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
Masakazu Imanari 16-6-1 vs. 4-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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5/26 DREAM 9 - Featherweight Round 2 Announced, KID Returns!

FEG have announced that "KID" Yamamoto will make his return to the ring in this event, in the 2nd round of the featherweight GP he will face the wrestler Joe Warren. To be honest, it is as close to a dream opponent "Kid" could get, he has the wrestling experience and should be able to handle Warren in a MMA fight. However, "Kid" has not been in the ring since December 2007 and ring rust might come into play here.

Though I have a feeling the Yamamoto vs. Warren fight will be the main-event, there are some other very interesting matchups in the 2nd round.

DJ Taiki is not having much luck... The doctors have put a stopper to his advancement in this GP. He won a decision victory over Hideo Tokoro, but was injured in his qualifying fight with Shoji. I have a feeling the eye injury had not healed properly, and Tokoro will advance. Hideo Tokoro had his 1st round fight on April 5, he has to recover quickly to take on Abel Cullum.

2 fighters that are experienced at this level, Yoshiro Maeda and Hiroyuki Takaya, will face off in the 3rd fight announced.

The last fight announced is sure to get some attention, foot-lock specialist Masakazu Imanari is taking on the BJJ specialist Bibiano Fernandes. Both these fighters have a lot of fans in Japan, and around the world. This should be an interesting fight that I expect (or hope) will go to the ground early.

Featherweight GP Round 2:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 17-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Joe Warren
Hideo Tokoro 21-16-1 vs. 14-2-0 Abel Cullum
Yoshiro Maeda 24-6-2 vs. 10-6-1 Hiroyuki Takaya
Masakazu Imanari 16-6-1 vs. 4-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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