An exciting featherweight affair has been added to the upcoming DREAM event this May. Former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen, who has recently pared down to the featherweight class in some of his recent performances, will be returning to action against perennial contender Mitsuhiro Ishida. The bout takes place at DREAM 17, which takes place on May 29th at the usual venue of the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan. This event will mark the promotion's first return to action since it's year-end extravaganza in "Dynamite!! 2010", which took place on December 31st of last year. The event will also coincide with several charity benefits in an effort to aide in the relief efforts in Japan, following the recent tragedies that have ravaged the nation. ...

While Japan has seen better days, with the country having recently been ravaged by tsunamis and earthquakes galore, one thing remains strong, and that is the mixed martial arts community. We've seen that first with the recent Strikeforce event, where three of Japan's best participated on the card, with DREAM's featherweight champion Hiroyuki Takaya, lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, and perennial contender Tatsuya Kawajiri all in action. Though the participants left the the event with mixed results, with Shinya Aoki the only one emerging victorious with a first-round submission win over lightweight prospect Lyle Beerbohm, DREAM hopes to give an extra push towards Japan's relief efforts by holding their May event side by side with various charities. And said event will also feature the organization's inaugural bantamweight grand-prix, which will feature many notable fighters. ...

During a special Q&A session leading into tonight's festivities, emcee's Joe Rogan and Dana White took center stage to speak in front of the fans in attendance. The Question and Answer took place just before the weigh-ins for tonight's UFC 122 event, which takes place at the Konig Pilsener Arena, in Oberhausen, Germany. Both avid fans of the sport, the UFC President and color commentator were happy to address any questions the fans had, including debunking rumors, free tickets, and of course potential stars that the organization might be looking forward to sign in the future. ...

Bellator lightweight champion is a force to reckoned with in his weight class. After an illuminated run in Japan, where Alvarez has picked up some of the biggest wins of his career, which includes victories over the likes of former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen, former Shooto champion Tatsuya Kawajiri and current DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno. Not impressed? En route to Bellator gold, he was able to submit all three of his opponents, including the heralded Toby Imada, a Jiu-Jitsu whiz who became an internet sensation with his inverted triangle choke over lightweight notable Jorge Masvidal, which garnered Imada the "Submission of the Year" on several publications, including a trophy award at the 2009 World MMA Awards, hosted by Fighters Only. So when Alvarez, 26, heard word that Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has called him out on numerous occasions, the Philly fighter didn't take too kindly to it. ...

DREAM, in a lot of peoples opinion, is the worlds greatest Japanese organization. With a depth of talent in several weight classes, and some of the best production in the business, there should be no reason explaining why the promotion has struggled--but struggled, they have. After rating dips, fall out from sponsors, and constant financial woes, it appears that paying fighters in an effective and timely matter is their next area of least-expertise. The most notable case, current DREAM featherweight champion Bibiano Fernandes has only just been paid for his last outing, a successful title defense against former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen. The bout took place in March of this year--almost 7 months ago. The norm, as far as compensation goes which is detailed in their contracts, is for said fighter to be paid within 30 days post-fight. ...

While DREAM is moving forward with it's 16th event, one man intended to be on the card is holding out for something better. DREAM, one of the more popular Japan based organizations following the demise of Pride, is holding an event for September 25th in Nagoya, Japan--a card that was intended to be headlined by current featherweight (139 pounds) champion, Bibiano Fernandes. ...

The fight everyone wanted to see, is back in business. Eddie Alvarez, the reigning and defending Bellator lightweight champion and DREAM veteran, will be facing UFC veteran and now-internet-sensation, Roger Huerta at Bellator 33. ...

May 29 is the date for DREAM 14 and the much anticipated Light Heavyweight Grand Prix but it now seems the tournament is being scratched due to disinterest. ...

DREAM has announced three additional matchups for it's DREAM.14 card in Saitama May 29, including the return of former lightweight champion “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-8). Coming off consecutive losses since winning the DREAM strap in a TKO of “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (19-5) at DREAM.5 in 2008, Hansen will battle “Streetfight Bancho” Hiroyuki Takaya (12-8-1).  Takaya himself is entering the fight on a two-loss skid. Also announced is a featherweight matchup between “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura (10-5-1) and Hideo Tokoro (26-21-1). ...

Two of the most talked about fighters in the lightweight division will meet inside the cage in April in a Strikeforce versus Dream title fight. Fighters.com second-ranked lightweight and Dream champion "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (19-4) will face off against Strikeforce lightweight champion "El Nino" Gilbert Melendez (17-2). ...

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans should prepare to hunker down for what will be a very long night of fights starting tonight at 8 PM EST/ 6 PST. UFC on Versus is the first event followed closely behind by five hours of DREAM 13. ...

Bellator has called a video press conference for Monday at 3 PM EST that streams live from Bellator.com. This press conference is expected to be when they announce the signing of former UFC lightweight "El Matador" Roger Huerta (20-3-1). ...

Fighters.com's fifth-ranked lightweight "Bully" Gray Maynard (8-0) and Nate Diaz (10-5) will rematch an The Ultimate Fighter 5 exhbition match tonight at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Virginia. ...

As the new year is fast approaching I sat pondering how far this sport of ours had come since it's beginning. Then the future of the sport started to permeate my thoughts. Where will we see it go in the coming year? Will it fade a little bit or will we see it continue to forge ahead and make it's way into the upper echelons of the sporting world? I am a mma radio host as well as a journalist but first and foremost I am a mixed martial arts fan and I have three wishes for the coming year. ...

UFC lightweight title contender “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) debuted at tenth in Fighters.com's Lightweight Rankings in November due mostly to former top tenner Katsunori Kikuno's (5-1-1) stoppage loss to third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (16-2) at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25. ...

Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5-1) will defend his titles from unranked, but popular The Ultimate Fighter 1 champion “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at UFC 107 at the FedExForum in Memphis December 12, the UFC officially announced Tuesday. ...

Fighters on DREAM.11's card weighed-in in Yokohama Monday in advance of Tuesday night's fight card.  All fighters made the weight limits. ...

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked lightweight and DREAM champion “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) will fight tenth-ranked “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-1-1) at Dynamite!! in Saitama 31 December, the FEG officially announced Wednesday. Hansen won the grand prix title in July with a first-round TKO of ninth-ranked “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-3). Hansen was third-ranked Eddie Alvarez’s (13-1) replacement when Alvarez sustained a cut during the semifinals. Cavalcante last fought in April, losing the unanimous decision to Aoki. Hansen and Cavalcante have faced each other in the past: Hansen won the majority decision at a Shooto event in July 2004. ...

Dynamite!!, Fighting and Entertainment Group’s annual year-end event, will take place 31 December at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa and DREAM president Keiiti Sasahara made the official announcement Saturday. No matches were announced, but the Dynamite!! card will feature ten to fifteen fights, most of which will be DREAM MMA matches with the remainder being K-1 matches. At the press conference but not confirmed to fight were Fighters.com's fourth-ranked lightweight and DREAM Champion "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen (19-7-1), ninth-ranked lightweight "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (17-3), and "Gracie Hunter" Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1). ...

Fighters.com's Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn's (13-4-1) three-fight run at lightweight will end in Las Vegas 31 January when Penn returns to welterweight to fight Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) for the UFC welterweight title. Why? (Well, besides the obvious jack the UFC stands to profit on the main event.) But, UFC President Dana White himself has claimed Penn's best weight class is 155 pounds; and, Penn made much ballyhoo about getting serious and slimming down to 155 pounds, his natural fighting weight. Penn has never fought above 155 with a physique that could be described as anything but "pudgy". Penn is also 0-2 in his last two 170-pound fights in the Octagon, which must make UFC welterweight contenders wonder if they can get some Vaseline. In Saitama, north of Tokyo, 24 August, top lightweight contender "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (29-3) won a unanimous decision versus tough, but relatively unknown Korean champ Seung Hwan Bang (5-2). ...

August brought the crowning of Fighters.com's new Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1) and the top ten debuts of fourth-ranked "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen (19-7-1), sixth-ranked Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2), and eighth-ranked Kotetsu Boku (13-5-1). "Hellboy" shocked Osaka 21 July by TKOing former Fighters.com Lightweight Champion "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (17-3) in the first round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix final. Aoki spirals down eight wrungs to ninth on the loss, taking vanquished rival tenth-ranked "JZ" Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) with him. Penn takes the Championship from the second rank, but is torn between moving to welterweight to fight Fighters.com Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (17-2) or defending his Fighters.com and UFC titles from seventh-ranked, top UFC contender "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (10-3). In Minneapolis 9 August, Florian cleared-up the UFC's lightweight picture with a dominant UD over "El Matador" Roger Huerta (20-2-1). ...

In a stunning cyclone of events, DREAM Lightweight Tournament reserve fighter “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) captured the DREAM Lightweight Championship in Osaka Sunday night. Hansen was originally eliminated from the tournament at DREAM.3 11 May after dropping a decision to Eddie Alvarez (15-1), but was drafted into the final after slapping an armbar on “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (10-8) at 2:33 of round one in the tournament's reserve fight Sunday. Ironically, Hansen replaced Alvarez after Alvarez knocked out “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) at 7:35 of round one in a thrilling slugfest.  A right hook, right uppercut combo floored "Crusher" and Alvarez pounded the Japanese fighter out, but sustained a cut over his right eye in the action that would prevent him from fighting for the title. Tournament favorite “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3) contorted himself into the final versus Hansen in a unanimous decision over “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-11-4), throwing everything in the "Judan" book at Uno: armbar, triangle choke, heel hook, rear naked choke, gogoplata, etc.  Though Aoki wasn't able to stop Uno, he dominated for the decision. The final was set: Aoki v Hansen; and, in most people's minds, already settled in favor of the Japanese favorite. ...

DREAM announced Wednesday that three more bouts have been added to the 21 July DREAM.5 event: Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1; 2 NC) v Katsuyori Shibata (2-4) “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-7-1) v “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (9-7) Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) v Motoki Miyazawa (4-0) Mark Hunt (5-3) is also slated to fight, but no opponent has been named. Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight Akiyama has not fought since New Year’s Eve, when he faced eighth-ranked “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2; 1 NC).  Akiyama was KO’d by an illegal soccer kick, ending the fight in a No Contest. ...

Sunday at DREAM.3 in Tokyo, Eddie Alvarez (14-1), "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2), and "Uno Shoten" Caol Uno (25-10-4) advanced to the DREAM.5 semi-finals of the Lightweight Grand Prix. Fighters.com's tenth-ranked middleweight "Mayhem" Jason Miller (21-5) and Nick Diaz (16-7) also picked up wins. "Mayhem" easily pounded out Masakatsu Funaki-trained Katsuyori Shibata (2-4) in 6:57 to add himself and a bit of respectability to the Middleweight Grand Prix to be continued at DREAM.4. In the Lightweight GP's biggest upset, Uno was too slick for Fighters.com's fifth-ranked lightweight "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-4-1) on his feet, then, surprisingly, on the mat. "Uno Shoten" wrapped Ishida up in a rear naked choke during a scramble on the ground, ending the "Endless Fighter" at 1:39 of the second round. Alvarez won an exciting unanimous decision over "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen in an upset predicted by Fighters.com. Kawajiri advanced to DREAM.5 in the expected "W" over "Buscape" Luiz Firmino (12-4), but wasn't able to stop the tough Brazilian. Some fighters get rusty after a prolonged absence.  "Mean for no reason" (as labeled by "Punk" Josh Thomson (14-2)) Diaz was pissed after six months of inactivity.  He unloaded on welterweight King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue (16-6-3) for nearly seven minutes, causing Inoue's corner to throw in the towel. Diaz earned a DREAM welterweight title shot with the dominating "W". Welterweight Daisuke Nakamura (14-9) served Korean judoka Bu Kyung Jung (0-3) his first stoppage loss with a knockout at 1:05 of round two. "Marvelous" Melvin Manhoef (21-4-1) TKO'd another Korean judoka, Dae Won Kim (4-4), at 4:08 of round one. Lightweight Takeshi Yamazaki (14-7-2) won a unanimous decision over Shoji Maruyama (6-3-1). ...

"Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (15-2), clad in spandex armor, is expected to surf atop the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix, and, when his last opponent taps, take home the big prize. That's what most believe, but, not so long ago, most believed the world was flat, or, at best, the rounded shell of a very large turtle.  Since "time and chance happeneth to all", let's take a quick peek at what could happen. On 11 May, we'll see if one the following warriors has the equipment to give Aoki his first loss since 2005.  Since several of these fighters (complete with difficult-to-pronounce names) aren't quickly recognized among the North American MMA mainstream, where Affliction brands and "GSP" references are as common as stop signs, all the more reason to break'em down. Which lightweight might stop the flexible "Tobikan Judan"? From least likely to most: Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2)    Aoki, after suffering injuries in his decision win over "JZ" Gesias Calvancante (14-2) at DREAM.2, will face Nagata at DREAM.5.    Nagata is one busy fighter as long as he's on top. A silver-medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics, Nagata can clinch well and might toss Aoki to the mat.  But, what happens when Aoki's on his back?  Brer Rabbit and the brier patch come to mind. Aoki should hand Nagata his first submission loss. Eddie Alvarez (13-1) v "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen (17-6) Alvarez is fireworks, blood, and guts.  He's always been dangerous, but after losing to Fighters.com's ninth-ranked welterweight "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9) in Bodog and his subsequent weight drop, he's unpredictable as well. Before Thompson pounded him out, Alvarez had one gear and one direction: forward with fists flying.  He's a smarter fighter now with improved takedowns, though his lust for hitting hard is still on board. Hansen had the skills to give third-ranked lightweight "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-3) his first-ever lost.  Those skills have only gotten better. "Hellboy" has brutal leg kicks, which is what toppled Alvarez in Bodog.  But, Hansen isn't nearly as lanky as Thompson; and, Alvarez will get the better of the Norwegian if Hansen employs his kicks.  If Alvarez manages a single-leg, don't expect him to play in Hansen's ever-dangerous guard.    Alvarez should likely pound this one out, but, if he ends up with Aoki under him, his ground game won't be enough to keep himself clean of armlocks and triangles galore. "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1) v "Uno Shoten" Caol Uno (24-10-4) There's not much Uno can't do well.  He is exciting and capable of showing up on someone's back when neither the opponent, nor the crowd expects it. He's slick and fun and will keep this fight interesting with bursts of opposition.    Fifth-ranked lightweight Ishida is a great wrestler and doesn't get punched much while waiting for a shot.  He moves very well.  His footwork will keep him out of trouble when the fight is standing; and, he'll power through the submission attempts.  And, although he's not super exciting (or, maybe because he's not), Ishida will likely stay on top, throwing just enough leather to keep the ref from forcing the duo to their feet. Should Ishida wrestle out a 'W', he might face off with Aoki; but, it's not enough to just put Shinya on his back. "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2) v "Buscape" Luiz Firmino (12-3) Firmino moves well enough off his back and has good cardio.  And, his back is exactly where Kawajiri could put him quickly as Firmino seems to have problem giving up takedowns. Once down, though, Firmino must work for submissions, and; Kawajiri will make it everything but easy.  Firmino will take a lot of damage, with only brief respites thanks to the occasional submission attempt that will never be sunk.    Kawajiri is a thick beast of a wrestler and tough to submit.  Gomi got him with a rear naked choke, but only after he was hurt with body shots, left hands to the face, and knees that drove him down and ripened him for a tap-out. Kawajiri still punches like a wrestler when standing, but is a dangerous contender for this Grand Prix.    If Kawajiri takes Firmino by TKO or late decision, he could prove more than a handful on the ground for Aoki...should they meet. "Crusher" postures well and hits hard, but with control.  If he doesn't expose his legs when he's on top, Kawajiri will be the fighter to push Aoki the hardest.    Unlike the myth of a flat Earth, Kawajiri is one fighter who's for real and his name, tricky as it seems now, could become a household moniker if he's the one to topple "Tobikan Judan". ...

"JZ" Gesias Calvancanti (14-1-1) and "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (14-2) will try to avoid a third malfunction when they rematch 29 April at DREAM.2 the promotion announced at its website today. Their first scheduled matchup was to be last New Year's Eve at Yarenokka, but "JZ" bailed with a bum knee. In the Lightweight Grand Prix at DREAM.1, the two division standouts only tussled for about four minutes before an errant Calvancanti elbow dug into the back of Aoki's head.  The fight was stopped and declared a No Contest when Aoki couldn't continue. And, if my kanji literacy isn't too far off, DREAM also announced the Lightweight Grand Prix's next round of bouts. At DREAM.3 11 May, the winner between Calvancanti and Aoki will fight Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) who surprised Artur Oumakhanov (7-3) in the first round. Eddie Alvarez (13-1) and "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen (17-6-1) will matchup in another Grand Prix bout. Another matchup features a rematch between "Buscape" Luiz Firmino (12-3) and "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2). Kawajiri won a 2005 unanimous decision over Firmino in PRIDE. Finally, "Uno Shoten" Caol Uno (24-10-4) got a bye into a second-round fight with "Endless Warrior" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1). ...

Saturday's DREAM.1 at Saitama Super Arena was the whole Japanese MMA shabang from tip to toe. The K-1/former-PRIDE collaboration featured mismatches of size and skill, world-class MMA, late stoppages, carnival theatrics, a tournament format, and the banshee herself, Lenne Hardt, introducing it all. The card featured the opening round of DREAM's lightweight grand prix in which Eddie Alvarez (13-1), "Buscape" Luiz Firmino (12-3), "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen (17-6-1), "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1), "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2), and Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) all advanced to the next round. The tournaments seventh and most anticipated match-up betwen "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (14-2) and "JZ" Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1) ended in a No Contest. In non-tournament bouts, "Mach" Hayato Sakurai (32-7-2) and "Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic both won first round TKOs and "The Punk" Ikuhisa Minowa won a first round submission. Ishida and Korean judoka Bu Kyung Jung (0-2) fought the most competitive bout with Ishida squeezing a unanimous decision over the MMA rookie. The Japanese wrestler, Ishida, whirled around Jung for the first two minutes, peppering leg kicks into the Korean's thighs.  On Jung's lunging clinch attempt, Ishida slammed him to the mat. On the mat, inside Jung's tightly closed guard, Ishida heaved him into the air and slammed him again before raising back to his feet. Jung followed and lunged to clinch again, but Ishida ducked.  Jung slammed face first into the corner, Ishida pouncing atop him. From a full guard body lock, Jung transitioned into an armbar as the Japanese fighter tried to yank free.  It was close, and Jung took the opportunity to kick the struggling wrestler in the face before Ishida broke free.  Another powerful Ishida slam countered Jung's near miss. As the ground game went on, Ishida's spurts of G'n'P became more effective as the Korean filed through submissions, but the ref stood them anyway. Backed into a corner, Ishida threw a clumsy left roundhouse kick Jung blocked as Ishida slipped.  This time it was Jung who pounced, locking Ishida's head beneath his armpit for another tight neck crank submission attempt. Again, Ishida popped free, both fighters slick with sweat by that point, and worked an effective ground'n'pound until the ref stood the fighters. This time it was Ishida who lunged for a single leg takedown and Jung pulled guard, then slipped a slick armbar on the wrestler.  Again, the "Endless Fighter" slipped free and hammered on the judoka to the first round bell. The second round began as the first, with Ishida avoiding a head-on collision by circling.  Ishida shot for the same single leg takedown that got him in trouble near the end of round one and Jung again pulled guard and sucked up arms at angles looking for submissions.  Ishida countered by grinding fists into Jung's face until the ref stood them up. Ishida made it a trilogy with a third identical takedown and Jung responded as he had to the first two.  Both fighters exchanged leather while Jung worked his high guard into a weak triangle choke, but wasn't able to lock his leg beneath his knee. The bout ended with both exhausted fighters pitty-patting each other on the mat. An argument could be made to give the judoka the win, but the judges saw Ishida's aggressive ground'n'pound as the deal breaker and awarded him a unanimous decision. In another exciting tournament fight, at the bell Alvarez and "Dida" Andre Amade (6-3-1) stormed to the center of the ring throwing leather.  The American shot a single leg and stood-up with the ankle he had snatched.  He swept Dida's other foot from beneath him and dumped the BJJ black belt on his back. The ref stood Dida and he immediately resumed throwing haymakers, catching Alvarez square on the chin with two big left hooks, then dropping him with a third as the American retreated. But on the mat Alvarez's superior wrestling positioned him for a two-minute vicious ground'n'pound onslaught that lead to the TKO stoppage at 6:47 of round one.  Dida was simply overpowered and out-positioned. Tattooed Norwegian Hansen resembled a snow leopard feasting on Kotetsu Boku (13-5-1) of Krazy Bee.  Since becoming the first MMA fighter to tap in a gogoplata in 2006, the former kickboxer Hansen has been all out on the mat.  He took Boku to the ground and paired an octopus-like submission game with brutal ground'n'pound for the entire 15 minutes.  The decision was unanimous for Hansen. "Buscape" of Brazilian Top Team found a rear naked choke on undersized Kazuyuki Miyata (5-7) at 7:37 of round one. In a mild upset, Nagata took a unanimous decision over the Russian Artur Oumakhanov (7-3). Kawajiri earned the sixth spot in round two of DREAM's lightweight grand prix with a unanimous decision over surprisingly durable "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill (9-7) of Canada. The tournament's most hyped match-up fizzled when Aoki took an errant elbow to the back of the head from Calvancanti after much ado about nothing.  There's been no clarification about a rematch or whether either fighter will advance in the tournament. Hidetaka Monma (14-8-3) was never in his fight with Sakurai, but evidently the ref was unaware of the mismatch.  From the top position, Sakurai pounded Monma in the head 20-seconds longer than necessary before the referee called a stoppage at 4:12 of round one. I'm hereby dividing the MMA universe into two halves.  Those, like me, who're disgusted to witness "Cro Cop" as a characterture of himself matched up against veritable heads-on-a-tee like Tatsuya Mizuno (3-3) and those who lust to see the former PRIDE OWGP champ served-up such heads for entertainment, not sport.  "Cro Cop", in an awkward performance, TKO'd Mizuno at :56 of round one. And in the last of the three rings that made-up non tournament action at DREAM.1, Minowaman swung from half mount into a kneebar to submit overweight Korean Bum Chang Kang (1-2) at 1:25 of round one. DREAM.2 follows on 29 April with the first round a a middleweight grand prix. ...

The DREAM.1 Lightweight Grand Prix now has four fights, but the main event continues to be the first round match-up between "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti and the "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki. Canadian "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill will post his 9-6 record versus Japanese "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri, 20-4-2. Kawajiri's record includes a DQ "W" over fellow Grand Prix competitor Joachim Hansen.  "Black Mamba" broke a three-loss skid in K-1 and Bodog with a first round TKO of Hideo Tokoro in K-1 Hero's Middleweight Tournament in his last fight. Kazuyuki Miyata, 5-6, emerges from a rear naked choke loss to Hansen on K-1's New Year's Eve card to face-off with "Buscape" Luiz Firmino, 11-3. Firmino's record lists a 2005 unanimous decision loss to Kawajiri in PRIDE Bushido. "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen of Norway locks horns versus Norifumi Yamamoto's Krazy Bee trainee Kotetsu Boku. Hansen holds the distinction of being the first MMA fighter submitted in a gogoplata performed by Aoki in PRIDE.  Boku's 13-4-1 record includes victories over former UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca and Eiji Mitsuoka, who was the last fighter to douse out "Hellboy". ...