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. ...

Keisuke Fujiwara (1-1-1) will fight Tomoya Miyashita (3-4-2) in a battle of Japanese featherweights at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25, DREAM officially announced Monday. Fujiwara fought to a draw with Wataru Inatsu (2-1) at ZST.21 in Tokyo September 21. Miyashita tapped Hiryu Okamoto (2-1) in a guillotine choke at DEEP 42 Impact in Tokyo June 30. DREAM.12 will be broadcast on HDNet in North America. ...