Inside DREAM 10

With the July 20th DREAM 10 event upon us, it’s worth taking an in depth look at a great even taking place in Japan, featuring some of the most exciting (and, also, some of the best) fighters in the world today.

Saving the welterweight grand prix for last, the alternate bout for the tournament will be an exciting fight on its own, while certainly not one that most people will take notice of. Belgian fighter Tarec Saffiedine (6-1 MMA), unbeaten in his last five fights, will step in against Seichi Ikemoto (18-15-5 MMA), who was knocked out of the tournament in the previous round. As I always do, I’m leaning towards the Team Quest fighter in Saffiedine in this bout, but these are two guys no one, myself included, is really familiar with, so anything is possible.

Also more-or-less undetected, Dong Sik Yoon (4-6 MMA) will take on two-time UFC dropout Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). While I’d like to watch Taylor lose (more out of malice after his window breaking TUF performance and generally disappointing technical ability, he should be able to beat his Korean opponent, who won’t pose a threat to the American wrestler.

The rest of the card, though, is both exciting and noteworthy, so here goes the real analysis.

In a bout between two fighters with well documented weaknesses, former WEC middleweight champion and Brazilian lumberjack Paulo Filho (16-1 MMA) will look to rebound from one of the worst losses in the history of losing. His opponent will be K-1 veteran and Dutch wrecking ball Melvin Manhoef (23-5-1 MMA). Manhoef has no submission game worth speaking of, and if Filho can get the fight to the mat, he should easily out class the Dutchman. Filho’s greatest weakness is his own psyche, and if he can overcome his emotional issues then he could return to the form he displayed as an undefeated, top middleweight, if he can’t, then he’ll be doomed (much like his hero Mike Tyson) to a complete career collapse.

Universidad de Luta graduate Andre “Dida” Amade (6-3 MMA) will look to get his first win since September 2007, having dropped his last two to well respected veterans. His opponent will be game, as Katsunori Kikuno (11-1-1 MMA) has won eight straight fights in the Japanese DEEP organization. Kikuno’s posted two wins already in 2009, and is looking for a third against Amade, who is considered a favorite by many who remember Dida from his time in K-1. Still, I think Kikuno is a good pick in this bout, as the Kikuno can outwork Amade and, while he’s not as good as either of the other two fighters to beat Dida recently, he can gring out a decision.

On the top of the card, top Japanese lightweight Shinya Aoki (20-4 MMA, #3 IWMMAR) will look to put together a solid win after he was wrecked in the first round of the welterweight grand prix. He will step into the ring against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu warrior Vitor Ribeiro (20-2 MMA), a fellow veteran of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club. It will be a grappling match with strikes and while Aoki is probably considered a superior grappler, he’s not much better than Ribeiro, and as the Brazilian is the more well rounded of the two, he has a good shot at taking this one.

In the welterweight grand prix, there is going to be a solid semi-final, though Andre Galvao (3-0 MMA) and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (35-8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) should be heavy favorites going into their bouts with Jason High (7-1 MMA) and Marius Zaromskis (9-2 MMA), respectively.

High recieved his first MMA loss recently in the first round at the hands of former IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron (17-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. While he will almost certainly be outclassed on the mat by world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Galvao, he may very well have the superior standup.

Sakurai should crush the Lithuanian Zaromskis and, in my opinion, get submitted by Galvao in the finals, there’s a possibility that the Shootfighter can make it a war. His two losses came against British up-and-comer Che Mills (8-1-0-1 MMA), who’s been on a roll lately. Sakurai, though, is much better than Mills, and much more experienced.