Shinya Aoki vs Marcus Aurelio DREAM 16 bout in Shambles

As DREAM 16 looms closer, a bout pitting the DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki against UFC and Pride veteran Marcus Aurelio, which was announced just recently, can be disbanded just as quickly.

MMAWeekly.com has reported that a stipulation in Auerlio’s contract with the Shine Fights promotion, who is having an insurmountable amount of problems of their own to deal with outside of the ATT fighter, which lays claim to Marcus fighting for their organization solely unless granted permission beforehand.

“I can confirm that we do have an exclusive deal with Marcus Aurelio”, stated Shine Fights CEO Jason Chambers while speaking with MMAWeekly in regards to Marcus’ contract.

“I want to be fair with our agreement; I want our fighters to be fair. Our agreements are exclusive, within that there is language that speaks to giving permission to fight in other organizations. So a fighter can fight somewhere else, as long as we give that approval,” Chambers said.

“I can confirm that I have not given any approval for Marcus Aurelio to fight in Dream.”

The bout in question, would have (or is, depending on how things shake out) taken place on September 25th, at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.

Marcus made his way to the Japanese organization after an initial release from the UFC, where the Brazilian went 2-4 inside the octagon. He was invited into the worlds largest promotion after an initial stint overseas with Pride, which saw “Maximus” pick up a submission victory over then lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, in a non-title fight.

The 37-year-old is riding a two-fight win streak, and has won four of his last five bouts overall. Aoki had been eyeing this bout as an inadvertent statement, laying claim to a potential victory over a man who defeated the Japanese sensation, Gomi–who remains one of the more popular fighters in his native Japan, largely due to his Shooto roots and his legendary bouts with Pride.

Aoki and Gomi were on a collision course to meet over the last several years, but the bout failed to materialize, hence the nostalgia in a bout with Aurelio.

It looks like Marcus’ chances of fighting in DREAM will largely ride on his previous commitment with Shine Fights, where he was to partake in the 8-man one night tournament on September 10, just over two weeks prior to the proposed match up with the Japanese grappling ace.

“There’s definitely a possibility Marcus Aurelio fights in Dream,” Chambers stated. “If you see him fight Sept. 10 in our pay-per-view, those chances are greatly improved.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Aurelio’s decision? Which fight(s) would you rather see the Brazilian partake in? And do you think should a bout with Aoki materialize, how do you like his chances? Voice your opinions below.