» Fighter: Mark Hunt

The FEG officially added two more DREAM-rules bouts Wednesday to their New Year’s Eve Dynamite!! card.

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-3) will face third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (13-1), and heavyweight Mark Hunt (5-2) will face Jerome LeBanner (4-1-1).

A fight with Aoki had been offered to fifth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-2), but he decided not to fight at all NYE.

“I’m tired of negotiating with [Akiyama],” said FEG executive Sadaharu Tanikawa.

“He doesn’t understand what fans expect from him and his position.  I don’t know the reason why he turned down the offer.  I’m very disappointed in him.”

Read More About Aoki v Alvarez not Akiyama, Hunt v LeBanner At Dynamite!! …

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.

Read More About “Hellboy” Ruins Aoki’s DREAM, Akiyama Has Something Up His Sleeve…

Former PRIDE heavyweights Mark Hunt (5-3) and “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-11) will clash at DREAM.5 21 July, the organization announced Saturday.

Hunt will look to rebound from his last two fights, submission losses to Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) and fifth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (22-5).

Overeem will look to extend his two-fight win streak.  He KO’d Tae Hyun Lee (1-2) in 36 seconds at DREAM.4 in June.

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.

Read More About Akiyama Returns at DREAM.5, Hansen and Hironaka Added Too…

In an interview with Rogue Magazine, Kiwi kickboxer Mark Hunt (5-3) revealed details of his return to combat after 15-months off.

The article reports that Hunt will return to K-1 kickboxing versus “Hightower” Semmy Schilt at K-1’s Europe Grand Prix Final in Amsterdam 26 April; however, K-1’s website posts the bout as the main event at the World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama 13 April.

“It was part of the contract I was offered,” Hunt said of the Schilt fight.  “I did not want to fight K-1 since I have won the title already, but always up for a challenge; and, when the window of opportunity opens for me, I try to always take it ’cause it does not always open, you know?”

It’ll be Hunt’s last kickboxing bout.

“Well, it is only one K-1 fight to start with; the rest of my contract is all MMA,” Hunt promised.

The hard-headed Hunt fought MMA exclusively in PRIDE, until that promotion’s demise.  He scored back-to-back split decision victories over “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) and “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (22-6-2), followed by consecutive Kimura submission losses to “The Babyface Assasin” Josh Barnett (21-5) and Fedor Emelianenko (27-1).

“K-1 and DREAM are partners so the rest of my MMA fights are with DREAM,” Hunt explained, and designated 8 May for his return to mixed martial arts.

“[A rematch with Emelianenko] is another fight that will happen in the near future,” Hunt said.  ”I can’t say anymore!”

MMA math is trash, but MMA geometry?

Hunt’s MMA contract is in DREAM.  Emelianenko is reportedly divorcing M-1 Global to seek fights in other promotions.  Hunt promises a second dance with Emelianenko.

Assuming Hunt’s promise isn’t just a DREAM on his part….  Well, you see the same dots I do.  See if you can’t connect them.