Yeah, I know this is a bit later than I hope but with my INSANE schoolwork schedule, it’s been very hard to get any time to try and give my thoughts on the Upcoming shows. If it’s not a Speech/Presentation I have to write, than its preparation for a Math exam, or a Book summary for History. I apologize to those people I have definitely burdened with my absence and definitely apologize to the staff of MMAOpinion.com for my lack of contribution.

Ok.. Anyways, DREAM. 3 is only hours away and the updated finalized card looks like this:

HEIWA DREAM.3 Lightweight GP 2008 2nd Round
Date: May 11th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Lightweight GP 2nd Round Fights:
8. Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Caol Uno
7. Joachim Hansen vs. Eddie Alvarez
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis Buscape

Welterweight Championship Eliminator Fight:
5. Nick Diaz vs. Katsuya Inoue

Read the full story

What a change of pace from DREAM. 1 to DREAM. 2. In that short span, number of bad things have been mounting up in the FEG front. With this 2 Organization war going on in Japan, It seems that by garnering less attention and just basically letting things go on around them World Victory Road (WVR) has almost won the battle without much action. It seems that bad planning, or the lack of, will be the early coffin in DREAM. I don’t think anyone wants to see this happen but the little things have caught up to them and the future is definitely uncertain for DREAM at the moment. Being Dropped from Primetime, lack of Fighters and bad management all together are definitely to blame for this whole thing becoming a tragedy.

Anyways, enough of the negativity, back to the reason of this little writing. As announced DREAM. 2 will be held on April 29th and the card looks like so:

OLYMPIA DREAM.2 Middleweight GP 2008 1st Round
Date: April 29th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Middleweight GP 1st Round:
8. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
7. Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
6. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
5. Ronaldo Jacare vs. Ian Murphy
4. Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs. Zelg Galesic
3. Yoon Dong Sik vs. Shungo Oyama
2. Kin Taiei vs. Minowaman

Lightweight GP 1st Round:
1. Shinya Aoki vs. J.Z. Calvan

(Many thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the Organized Full Card)

It’s been a LONG time since my last contribution to MMAOpinion.com, which was due to school, exams and other attention grabbing things but I hope to come back with a lot more frequency during these days…

Anyways, moving to content, FEG is finishing up its 3rd major event of the month in Japan with its 2nd DREAM Show. My last posting before my “break” was specifically updating this card and I’m not too happy to inform you that there has been no additions thus far to the 183 Pound Grand Prix until Today that is. The card is most likely 100 percent finalized and the Grand Prix matches look like this:

Olympia DREAM.2

4/29 at Saitama Super Arena

• Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
• Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
• Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Taiei Kin vs. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa
• Magomed Sultanakhmedov vs. Zelg Galesic
• Dong Sik Yoon vs. Shungo Oyama
• Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Frank Trigg
• Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti vs. Shinya Aoki

Read the full story

Finally, a sign of life coming out of the DREAM organization as they announced that they have officially added 3 bouts to their upcoming Middleweight GP on April 29th. The confirmed bouts are:

• Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
• Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara

The only real bout really seems relevant is the Kang-Mousasi fight. Obviously, that is a great bout with 2 potential GP winners eliminating each other. This definitely offers to be a great fight, especially compared to the other bouts. Kang’s journey to try and repeat his incredible run begins with a tough competitor in Gegard Mousasi, who is definitely one of the early Dark Horses in the GP. Mousasi’s last 2/3 bouts have been fought in Canada at the Hardcore Championship Fighting organization and his last win was at the M-1 Global Slamm show earlier this month.

Read the full story

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is an athlete that has certainly had his ups and downs through out his career and this latest win over Tatsuya Mizuno may be just another part of that roller coaster ride . From being brutally knocked out by Kevin Randelman and Gonzaga to becoming the Pride OWGP champion and also giving Fedor all he could handle, no one really knows which “Cro Cop” will show up. Cro Cop’s greatest obstacle to holding a divisional title has never been the likes of Fedor, “Minotauro” Nogueira, or Josh Barnett but his very own psyche and game plan has been whats holding the Croat down for these past years.

Cro Cop really didn’t face much trouble in Pride until he fought Nogueira, which is where the fatal weaknesses in his mental gameplan where brought out into the open. Nogueira, unlike many of Mirko’s opponents, seemed to be immune to the KO that had slain so many other and he was also persistent with his TD attempts. He kept coming at Mirko despite the brutal punishment he was taking, upsetting the trend of opponents constantly backing away from the Croat and fearing him. Cro Cop has always been a fighter that could sniff out the slightest sense of fear or doubt and could turn into your living nightmare within the first minute of the fight, just ask Igor Vovchanchyn.

In many people’s opinions Mirko lost his fire when he couldn’t topple Fedor and this is certainly true in some aspects. Unlike Nogueira, Fedor’s win was not brought to him by an unbreakable chin, but by just being better at every aspect of the game that night. Mirko had been defeated, not by a lucky punch or a freak chin, but by sheer skill and better game plan giving him his first utter defeat in MMA. Everyone was counting him out after he dropped yet another loss, this time to the human tank that is Mark Hunt, losing in a very similar manner that cost him the Nogueira fight.

“Cro Cop” looked washed up and tired of fighting in the Hunt fight, certainly looking nothing like the monster that terrorized K-1 and Pride. Everyone on the internet forums were saying “He’s done, his game has been figured out” or calling him a “has-been” but oh how it all changed in the new year with the Open-Weight Grand Prix on the horizon. Tearing through Minowa in the first round certainly didn’t change the minds of the masses, but after handily defeating Hidehiko Yoshida with some of the most brutal leg kicks ever seen in MMA people started to jump back on the bandwagon.

His true test was in the semi-finals where Wanderlei Silva, fresh off of a brutal TKO win over Kazuyuki Fujita and with a burning hatred for Cro Cop ever since their first fight. Mirko silenced all doubters after giving Wanderlei Silva the most brutal KO loss of his career (Vitor has nothing on this one) and by beating a highly skilled Josh Barnett for the third time in the finals.

Mirko looked to be back on the right path, with a Grand Prix championship belt around his waist and a new contract with the UFC. He looked poised to take over the world once again, but all of the cries for Cro Cop’s take over were silenced during his fight against Gabriel Gonzaga, after being dispatched by the very high kick that had slain so many of his past opponents and sending him crumbling to the mat along with his immediate hopes of capturing the title any time soon. The chance of redemption presented itself in his match against Cheick Kongo but all that the fans were given was a half hearted attempt just to survive the fight, fueling more fans theories that he was once again done.

Anyone who has followed the fight game long enough knows about the “Mirko Cycle” of storming the scene and destroying opponents left and right but ultimately degrading back into timidness and lack luster fights. Will this latest win in DREAM catapult Cro Cop back into success just as the Minowa fight did? Will Cro Cop finally get all of the problems with his mental game plan figured out? Everyone who calls themselves a fan of MMA should certainly hope so because this man has the talent to beat any Heavyweight in the MMA world, including Fedor, if he keeps his head on straight.

Before writing this, I did some quick thinking about what the title would be. I guess lots of people are having fun with this whole DREAM thing so I thought I’d spare you a lame title and not beat around the bush. As most of us are now aware, DREAM’s inaugural show DREAM.1 had a less than spectacular draw from the Japanese audiences. Raking in a mere 8.9, I think lots of us are already fearing the worst by now. I was completely stunned when I read this number. I realistically didn’t think it was a huge draw but this was pretty low from what I expected considering Mirko Cro-Cop would be fighting. Mirko did manage to draw an lackluster 12.0, but it is still a lot lower than even the less than stacked K-1 Dynamite!! 2007. Thankfully, attendance wasn’t as low with a solid 19,000+.

Read the full story

Update: The entire gallery of low-res images is located here!

Daniel Herbertson over at DH Fight Photography has provided MMA Opinion with exclusive DREAM1 pictures from many of the evening’s fights. You may notice that Mirko Cro Cop is missing from the gallery, but only because someone has already purchased this set exclusively from Daniel. If you are interested in using some of the 200+ images for your website or magazine, please contact me (so that I may get some credit from helping Daniel!) and I will set you up to receive the original high resolution images at a great price! You won’t find unedited and exclusive pictures from the first DREAM anyone else at the low prices that Daniel is requesting.

Here are a few of the low-resolution images from DREAM1! You may purchase high-resolution images by contacting me or by using the contact form on this page.

More to be added later today!

Please note that all images are copyright Daniel Herbertson and may not be used without his permission anywhere else. Thanks!

Well, Heiwa 1 has come and gone and, despite what promised to be a return to the two round Bushido format, we saw a mildly disappointing show. Hardly the powerhouse, high-production performance that fans got from World Victory Road’s Sengoku event.

Obviously, the card brought the opportunity to see world class mixed martial artists return to action after a Pride buyout that left that massive void in the Japanese market.

I’ll admit, I was glad to see the triumphant return of long time Japanese favorite Ikuhisa Minowa (who’ve I’ve been a fan of ever since the 180 pound warrior tapped out Eric “Butterbean” Esch with an armbar in Pride), though he had fought a few times in K-1, dropping one fight to 400 pound monster Zuluzinho in the freak matchup that Japanese fans seem to wallow in. “The Punk” finished Bum Chan Kang with a kneebar in under 1:25, in a fight where his opponent seemed confused as to what the hell a submission looked like.

Fellow Japanese country and crowd favorite Hayato “Mach” Sakurai pulled out a big win over a nobody with a 4:12 knock out over Hidetaka Monma. The win is Sakurai’s fifth in a row, one of which came over recent TUF winner Mac Danzig. Sakurai’s only loss in his last ten fights was to Takanori Gomi, and in his lists of conquests are two top ten fighters (Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen, who were both on the card) and top 145 pound WEC contender and former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.

Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen, the albino Norwegian who’s fighting style can be as frightening as his appearance, marked his first fight of the New Year with a less than impressive Unanimous Decision win over no-name Kotetsu Boku. Hopefully, Hansen will show the impressive form that has made him a top ten fighter in alot of people’s minds, with his explosive knees and saavy submission game.

Katsuhiko Nagata and Mitsuhiro Ishida rolled to convincing, though hardly exciting, Unanimous Decision wins. Their place in the division seems to be uncertain, as the organization has yet to really establish a pack of fighters, but I would imagine that they are more than ready to take their place in it so that they can establish themselves as consistent fighters.

Luiz Firmino took home the win when he submitted Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata with a rear naked choke. Firmino looks like a promising prospect and his two recent losses are to respectable competitors in Tatsuya Kawajiri and Luiz Azredo. Hopefully he will show some versatility, because people aren’t going to submit for “no apparent reason” like his first opponent. (seriously, look at his sherdog profile)

Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic got his first win in over a year, when he knocked out Tatsuya Mizuno in 56 seconds. CroCop looked comfortable back in the ring and very aggressive, and we can only hope that his apparently regained confidence will translate when he fights competition that doesn’t suck.

Eddie Alvarez TKO’d Andre “Dida” Amade and, while these guys don’t seem to be top competitors and are relatively unknown, he may have established himself a following. The Japanese fans become attached to fighters quickly, but it’s also Alvarez’s very American style of fighting that may make him attractive to Japanese fans, who are looking for a fighter like that to round out the division with a solid kickboxer/wrestler and submission fighter in the headliners Calvancante and Aoki, but I’ll get to them later. Whether he has won the crowd or not, he proved that he is fun to watch, and the Japanese fans, while not as frustrated by decisions, like excitement just like the rest of us.

Tatsuya Kawajiri posted the nights 4th Unanimous Decision when the judges gave him the fight over Kultar Gill after two rounds. I’ll admit, I wasn’t happy with Kawajiri’s performance, and I don’t think that he should be either. Even the Japanese fans, who love watching him fight, know that he shouldn’t have let that one go the distance.

In case you aren’t aware, the main event of the evening was declared a no-contest just 3:46 in, and this is a serious problem if Dream fails to put together another matchup between these two guys, because this matchup presented the promise of a top lightweight contender, something that the Japanese haven’t had for a long time. Between the two of them, they’ve beaten most of the Japanese top ten guys with the exception of Takanori Gomi, who has once again fallen from the graces of the MMA world with his submission loss to Nick Diaz. Despite the fight being overturned after Diaz tested positive for marijuana, it’s still not a secret that Gomi lost that fight, and that he deserved to lose that fight.

That said, it’s important to recognize the need for a serious East Asian powerhouse to emerge. Whether it is the triangle master Aoki or the K-1 force to be reconned with in JZ, it needs to happen, and we need to see a decisive fight between these two, if only to spark excitement and interest among the overarching world of fans, and not just the Japanese (who might be quite content with Sakurai and Minowa). If this organization wants to thrive, it’s going to have to show that it can produce a real champion, with a belt and everything.

That, more than anything else, is a wakeup call for Japanese MMA. The void left by Pride is still not full, and it’s going to take more than a few finishes on the undercard and Mirko CroCop smashing a punching bag to make people excited again.

It seems like Blue gloves are all the fashion these days in Japan. This set were on display again at DREAM’s Inaugural show, DREAM.1, which featured a Lightweight GP with 3 Superfights. I think it’s a trick that Japanese promotions seem to be playing on those hopeful of a reemergence of a PRIDE-like presence in MMA. Not too long ago World Victory Road’s Sengoku also tried to revive this look. Like past shows, this aimed to try to refocus the MMA world back to Japan. Overall, it was a solid night of fights, that of course ended with much controversy and lots of confusion.

The controversy from this card stems from the main event, which also happened to be one of the most anticipated fights of the last few months. “JZ” Calvancanti took on Shinya Aoki in what was expected to be the eventual coronation of a new King of Lightweights. Most people, myself included, gave the winner of this bout, along with Tatsuya Kawajiri, the most likely chance of taking the whole event. I was incredibly excited when they rolled the pre-fight promos for both men, which definitely helps set the mood for the coming bout. What I least expected in my wild dream actually came true in what has to be one of the most disappointing moments I have experienced in recent MMA memory.

Read the full story

The new promotion DREAM has finally announced its final card and for all intents and purposes, this seems to be a fantastic card that should not be missed - if you like Lightweight bouts. Most importantly, this gives all of us MMA fans something that we lost last year, an alternative promotion that might substitute for that other promotion - what was my favorite promotion for a long time - PRIDE.

I have a DREAM … A dream that this promotion slowly but surely builds up talent once again.
I have a DREAM … that fights are judged more competently, based on rules suited for MMA.
I have a DREAM … that this promotion moves past what was PRIDEs shortcomings (lop-sided matches, non-title bouts)
I have a DREAM … that this gives a lot of fighters an alternative place to earn their living (No, EliteXC is not that place)
I have a DREAM … that japanese MMA finally comes back on to the international stage.

Read the full story

In typical Japanese promotion fashion, FEG has finally announced their full Lightweight Grand Prix matches. On the other hand, with only 5 days until the event a full card has not yet been finalized as the they have been unable to fully secure an opponent for Mirko Cro Cop and Ikuhisa Minowa. There are signs coming out of Japan indicating that Yoshihiro Nakao could step up to the plate. Takumi “Handlebars” Yano joked about the Yakuza may “abandon [Nakao] at the Sea of Tokyo”. Not too many people have seen Yano in action, sadly. He trains with Nakao and the guy is VERY unorthodox in everything and is a very fun fighter to watch. Anyways, the card looks alright at the moment. There is alot of kind of bad matches but I guess it makes the 2 round anticipation thicker.

Heiwa DREAM.1

1. Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti
2. Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri vs. Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill
3. Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Luis “Buscape” Firmino
4. Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen vs. Koutetsu Boku
5. Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Jung Bu-Kyung
6. Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Artur Oumakhanov
7. Andre Dida vs. Eddie Alvarez

Super Fight

1. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Hidetaka Monma

The plan is to obviously have 10 fights with Cro Cop and Minowaman with unconfirmed opponents thus far. It’s very apparent that there are only 7 GP matches meaning only 14 fighter but due to the lack of fighters, supposedly Caol Uno and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribiero could have the fortune of being passed directly to the round of 8. Personally, I think everyone in the GP should fight. No bye-rounds unless you’re the Champion and even than it’s really iffy. Also, you have to remember that Takanori Gomi did manage to secure a win at Sengoku and I’m incredibly sure that World Victory Road might be willing to co-promote if it meant getting a bit more eyes on their product. Read the full story

This is the 2nd and final part of the preview of World Victory Road’s Sengoku, which take place on Wednesday the 5th of March. This show should definitely not be confused with the DREAM event that takes place in 2 weeks on the 15th. To help “facilitate” things just think of DREAM being named after Dream Stage (DSE), which I’m pretty sure isn’t what the whole name was intended for but it helps. Remember this is WVR’s 1st MMA show on a solid 1st card for an MMA promotion. The card looks small with only 7 fights but one has to remember that they had originally announced Sinae Kikuta vs. Phil Baroni but that fight was soon after canceled due to the fact that Baroni signed with Elite XC and was offered the fight against Kala “Kolohe” Hose at ICON. This fight was originally supposed to be Robbie Lawler vs. Kala Hose but an injury prevented that from happening. Anyways, back to Sengoku…

5.) Kazuo Misaki vs. Siyar Bahadurzada

I think it’s safe to say that some of the greatest intro’s around belong to Japanese fighters. 3 of the most memorable one’s in recent memory to me are Akihiro Gono’s BUSHIDO 13 semifinal bout against Denis Kang, in which DJ Gozma was joined by DJ Ozma in the PRIDE style rendition of the once popular J-Pop tune “Age Age Every Night” in what has to epitomize the whole entertainment/fighting style some fighters aim for. (Side Note: There’s a Japanese Pop Star named DJ Ozma, who Gono imitates in his famous Red Afro Dancing Intro’s. Gozma is a play on Gono and Ozma.) Genki Sudo’s tribal retirement intro at Dynamite!! 2006 was just jaw dropping and intricate to say the least.

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The 1^st time one does something it can be very nerve-racking and difficult and the outcome is sometimes what one doesn’t expect. Other times the outcome can be satisfactory and well deserved. The newly formed World Victory Road (WVR) will take center stage in Japan on the 5^th. WVR hopes, along with DREAM, to fill a void that PRIDE Fight Championships left after its implosion. WVR will host its inaugural 1^st show at the very unique looking Yoyogi National Gymnasium. The strangely named Sengoku will feature Mixed Martial Artists with varying skill levels, some elevating this cards status while others seem out of place.

I remember a couple of months back when word out of Japan was that a newly formed organization was about to be formed and would be associated with J-Rock. Obviously, the 1^st thing that popped into my head was Yoshida. I’m not the biggest Yoshida fan, but being one of the biggest draws in Japan it kind of got me thinking that maybe, just maybe this would be the “new” PRIDE. This is way before DREAM and around the time Shigeru Saeki’s name popped up saying that there was a revival movement, which became Yarennoka!, so anything sounded great coming from Japan. Fast forward about 5 months and we’re now in March and DREAM is unveiled and WVR kind of got pushed to the side. I think the fact that they lack about 4 more intriguing bouts actually hurt their cause as DREAM quickly sprinted ahead to try and fill that void. Wednesday will answer lots of questions that I think need to be answer before we can crown anyone the new, almost default premiere Japanese MMA organizations.

Will Sengoku mirror something epic and wonderful? Or was it’s inability to secure a TV deal a sort of foreshadowing of things to come? 2 very different paths all together. Wednesday’s card is very diverse and stands as so:

World Victory Road presents Sengoku

March 5, 2008

1. Fabricio “Pitbull” Monteiro vs. Nick “The Goat” Thompson
2. Ryo Kawamura vs. Antonio Braga Neto
3. Makoto Takimoto vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
4. Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Graham
5. Kazuo Misaki vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
6. Takanori Gomi vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig
7. Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Josh Barnett Read the full story

It was announced today in Japan through a very Dream Stageish new website, www.dreamofficial.com the official DREAM website, that 3 new bouts have been added to the very much anticipated March 15th Lightweight Grand Prix. While not neccesarily the most compelling bouts thus far, they will serve as an appetizer for the 2nd round, which will be one for history books. Another thing that should be noted is the appearance of Kultar Gill, who wasn’t originally announced but is now participating and he is no stranger to the FEG GP circuit The announced match-ups are:

Heiwa DREAM. 1

1. Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri vs. Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill
2. Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Luis “Buscape” Firmino
3. Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen vs. Koutetsu Boku
4. Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti Read the full story

It was announced today in a Press Conference in Japan that the HERO’S will now be replaced by DREAM. DREAM is basically some of the people who made the PRIDE and Yarennoka!! show and the people who made HERO’S mixed together to create one incredible production staff. Although all the specifics aren’t known yet the announced schedule was released and they will have 2 Grand Prix, a Lightweight and Middleweight. It should be noted that in 2007 PRIDE had plans for a Lightweight GP but they never materialized due to the sale of PRIDE. The tournament is beyond stacked with a lot of great fighters.

The competitors thus far are:

HEIWA DREAM.1 Lightweight GP 2008 Opener
Date: March 15th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

LW GP 1st Round Fights:
J.Z. Calvan vs. Shinya Aoki

LW GP Participants:
Andre Dida
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Caol Uno
Joachim Hansen
Gilbert Melendez
Luiz Azeredo
Artur Oumakhanov
Koutetsu Boku
Jung Bu-Kyung
Kazuyuki Miyata
Luiz Firmino

Read the full story

Source: Team Crocop and thanks to the fella’ on the Sherdog Forums.

The UFC is losing their big names quickly these days. With rumors of Tim Sylvia wanting out, Tito Ortiz fighting his last fight, Andre Arlovski moving on, and the refusal to sign guys like Josh Barnett, what is Dana White thinking?

PRIDE’s 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has officially parted ways with the UFC and signed with DREAM - a new collaborative effort between FEG (K-1, HERO’S) and former DSE staff (PRIDE).

The new event is a drastic change following new creative leadership over HERO’s. FEG is hoping to bring new life to their MMA show and the addition of former DSE staff is what they are looking for.

At an official press conference on Wednesday the promotion announced that “Cro Cop” had joined their ranks and would be fighting on their upcoming March 15 card. No opponent was named.

Specific details surrounding his departure from the UFC are currently unknown.

Filipovic (22-6-2) signed with the UFC following his first major championship - winning PRIDE’s 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix. He made his UFC debut against Eddie Sanchez in February of 2007. Following his TKO win he lost his next two fights - succumbing to a head kick KO from Gabriel Gonzaga and dropping a decision to Cheick Kongo.

Prior to his 1-2 run in the UFC, “Cro Cop” was considered the number two heavyweight in the world. The Croatian striker holds wins over former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE’s 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix finalist Josh Barnett, Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, Aleskander Emelianenko, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Kazuyuki Fujita, Japanese superstar and MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, and Ikuhisa Minowa.

It was not so long ago that if you wanted to make a name for yourself, Japan was a very great place to do it. They had everything going for them. Great productions, great and charismatic fighters, etc. but all that would be erased quickly with the sudden demise of PRIDE and things shifted stateside. I’m not stating that Japan is at it’s former peak but they’re slowly and surely starting to climb up the latter of relevance. 2007 is a year that will definitely live infamy if you’re a fan of Japanese produced MMA. No top caliber shows other than Yarennoka!! 2007 and the HERO’S Middleweight GP Opening and Final Rounds were really stand out and didn’t really manage to attract a lot of attention. In March, all that will change with the new FEG Show and World Victory Road’s Sengoku.

World Victory Road has recently announced that Kazuyuki “Ironhead” Fujita, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, and Nick “The Goat” Thompson will all participate in their inaugural Sengoku show this March. Kevin Randleman has also inked a deal with WVR but it is unknown if he will participate on March 5th. Randleman and Fujita are coming off very long lay-offs and both men are coming off losses. Fujita lost a strange fight to Jeff Monson at PRIDE 34, while “The Monster” lost by submission at PRIDE 1st show in the states, PRIDE 32. “The Goat” on the other hand is fresh off a title defense at the last Bodog show and “Bang” bounced back from a loss to Paul “Semtex” Daley and managed to secure a win at Ring of Fire 30.

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What seemed to be a bit more improbable turns out to be true, Josh Barnett is slated to face Hidehiko Yoshida at the inaugural World Victory Road (WVR) Show in Japan. Originally slated to face Roger Gracie, Yoshida is no stranger to fighting men larger and sometimes more talented than him. He is inevitably one of the largest draws in Japan and will no doubt headline the star studded show this coming March. Personally, I would’ve preferred to see Yoshida take on Takimoto. Both are a bit closer in weight, compared to Barnett, and both are Olympic medalist in Judo. That would’ve meant that Josh Barnett could’ve maybe had the chance to take on Roger Gracie in what would’ve been a grappling dream.

The original set of rules for WVR are basically K-1 HERO’s style, without elbow strikes to the head. They will use 3 X 5 Minute Rounds and title fights will be 5 X 5, identical to the North American style. the weight classes thus far are as follows:

World Victory Road Weight Classes

1. 60 kg (132 lbs) - Bantamweight
2. 65 kg (143 lbs) - Featherweight
3. 70 kg (154 lbs) - Lightweight
4. 76 kg (167 lbs)- Welterweight
5. 83 kg (183 lbs) - Middleweight
6. 93 kg (205 lbs) - Light Heavyweight
7. 93.1 Or More - Heavyweight

Seen these before? Well, these are identical to those used by SHOOTO Assiocation and International SHOOTO Commission.

The Announced fights and participants thus far are:

World Victory Road: Sengoku

Fights:
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Josh Barnett
Phil Baroni vs. Sanae Kikuta
Kazuo Misaki vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
Makoto Takimoto vs. Evangelista Cyborg
Takanori Gomi vs. TBA
Ryo Kawamura vs. TBA

Rumored Participants:
Fabricio Monteiro

(Thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the weight classes and fight card)