Shinya Aoki is probably one of the most reserved fighters in the sport. Although his in-ring antics against Mizuto Hirota at "Dynamite!! 2009" would inidicate otherwise, the grappling ace usually keeps to himself and refrains from doing a lot of outlandish things. Maybe that's why the Japanese have embraced him as their leading man in the world of mixed martial arts. However, most recently, the famed Judoka has stepped out of his shell and lit the MMA world abuzz once again, with his almost brutal honesty, on how he views the Western MMA scene (um...us) and how they can benefit by tuning into DREAM, once in a while. ...

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. ...

Surrounded by rumors of financial insecurity and even impending bankruptcy, Fighting and Entertainment Group’s “DREAM.16” event was seen by many as a make-or-break show. In fact, I myself posted an article entitled “If DREAM Falls, is Japanese MMA Doomed?” in the days leading up to the event. And now the ratings for in for the event which saw Gegard Mousasi become the DREAM Light Heavyweight Champion, Jason Miller beat his idol and Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, and top-ranked Lightweight Japanese star Shinya Aoki score his twenty-fifth win. So what does the future hold for Japanese MMA? ...

As the year is coming closer to an end, the now annual World MMA Awards, which is hosted by Fighters Only Magazine, has recently announced their finalists for the December 1st event, which will take place once again in Las Vegas, Nev., which has become a hot bed for all things fighting related. The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States. ...

After years in the fight game, becoming one of the corner stones for Japanese MMA, mixed martial arts promotion Deep will hold its 50th event on October 24, celebrating it's 10 year anniversary at the Tokyo JCB Hall, in Tokyo, Japan. A bevy of some of the most notable fighters will grace the card, including DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, who will be returning to Deep after a 6 year absence from the promotion that gave him his start as a professional mixed martial artist. ...

In the face of unsettling financial troubles, the Japanese-based DREAM recently held their sixteenth event. “DREAM.16” featured notable Japanese stars like Kazushi Sakuraba and Shinya Aoki, as well as a host of other talented performers that included the ever-controversial but always-popular Jason Miller and the dynamic, talented Gegard Mousasi. In the main event, Mousasi would make quick work of his opponent in order to become the DREAM Light Heavyweight Champion. Mousasi has now become the first man to hold two championships in two different weight classes in DREAM. Here are the full results as well as my opinion on the card. ...

In the recent fervor regarding ufc fighter Dan Hardy’s rant against wrestlers and Nate Marquardt’s subsequent response, another prominent Mixed Martial Artist has thrown his name into the mix and let his opinion be known on the controversial “wrestling in MMA” debate. One of the biggest draws in Japanese MMA both as a squeaky-clean boy idol and a villainous breaker of arms, current DREAM and WAMMA Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki made his stance public in an interview with MMA Fighting. ...

Marcus Aurelio was primed as one of the leading men to win the inaugural Shine Fights Grand Prix lightweight tournament for this Friday. However, the American Top Team product has recently pulled out of the tournament--an 8-man one night tourney featuring notables Drew Fickett, "Krazy Horse", and Richard Crunkilton among others--citing a lingering elbow injury. Ironically enough, though Aurelio said that the Shine Fights execs knew of him injury for over two weeks now, the Brazilian claims he still has intentions of facing grappling ace Shinya Aoki in DREAM 16 on September 25th. ...

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. ...

Lately it seems that ufc Lightweight Gray Maynard has had a noticeable (and some would say rightly justified) chip on his shoulder. Maynard was passed over in favor of the man he beat, Frank Edgar, for a shot at then-champion BJ Penn. Of course, Edgar would go on to make the most out of that opportunity and beat Penn not once but twice, first at UFC 112 via a close, hotly contested Unanimous Decision win, and then again at the recent UFC 118 event via a dominating Unanimous Decision win. Maynard has also been the subject of recent criticism for not finishing any of his fights, with his last stoppage occurring almost three full years ago. But in his latest interview, Gray Maynard has fired back and poised an interesting question: who really finishes fights at Lightweight anyway? ...

No matter what your favorite promotion is, it’s fun to play “armchair booker” once in a while and try to envision a fantasy card that brings all of your favorite fighters from competing promotions under one roof to truly determine who the best in the world is. The UFC did just that, for the most part, when they bought out the legendary PRIDE FC promotion in 2007. But with the arrival and rise of the Strikeforce promotion, fans are once again creating fantasy match-ups. To differentiate myself, today’s list will feature five matches between Strikeforce and the UFC that specifically does not include any of the obvious choices, like Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar or Cung Le vs. Anderson Silva. While they're fun debates to have, they've been discussed for quite a while now. With this list, I’m going for a little something different. Some picks may surprise you, but here are my top five (obvious examples excluded) Strikeforce vs. UFC fights. ...

DREAM lightweight champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (24-5) forced "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-6-2) to tap out in an Achilles lock at 1:53 of their DREAM.15 title fight in Saitama Saturday. Aoki returned from a drubbing by Strikeforce champion “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (18-2) at Strikeforce in Nashville April 17 to defeat his longtime Japanese rival. ...

With the hype train behind Fedor Emelianenko now derailed, many are left wondering what happens not only to strikeforce’s Heavyweight division, but where Strikeforce as a whole goes from here. Some call Strikeforce a breeding ground for UFC cast-offs, while followers of the San Jose-based promotion are quick to point out that Strikeforce contains world-caliber champions and aspiring newcomers, resulting in fight cards that are a hit more often than not. Going forward, here’s what I think will be the keys to success for Strikeforce. ...

A fight between Strikeforce lightweight champion "El Nino" Gilbert Melendez (18-2) and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez (17-2) is in the works. We are finally starting to see cross-promotional fights that the fans have been clamoring for since the days of Pride Fighting Championships. ...

Bellator Fighting Championships founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney announced today that "El Matador" Roger Huerta (21-3-1) will face rising star Pat Curran (10-3) while “Submission of the Year” title holder Toby Imada (25-14) will face Carey Vanier (8-1) at Bellator’s May 6th event at the Wang Theater in Boston. ...

Strikeforce lightweight champion “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (19-2) stunned Dream champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (19-5) in a strategic unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Nashville Saturday night by judges' scores of 50-45 three times.  Fighters.com scored the fight for Melendez 49-46, giving Aoki round one. The fight was repetitive and Melendez came into the fight with a perfect strategy. ...

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) is a combination of different combat styles. Arts such as Brazilian Jiu jitsu and Muay Thai are centered around respect not only for the art but for your opponent as well. Recently we have seen some antics inside the cage and ring that lead this writer to believe we are watching the decline of sportsmanship in MMA. ...

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. ...

Fighters.com's second-ranked lightweight and DREAM champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (14-3) has been matched up versus Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota (9-3) at Fields Dynamite!! 2009 in Tokyo on New Year's Eve, the promotion announced Tuesday. ...

After Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion "Prodigy" BJ Penn (12-4-1) systematically destroyed tenth-ranked "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (19-2) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12, the social sites were a buzz with who BJ should fight next. ...

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. ...

UFC lightweight “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) told Sherdog Tuesday that he is officially a free agent and would consider signing to fight in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator Fighting Championships. ...

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. ...

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." ...

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-3) has once again called out fifth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-2). Aoki told Fighting Talk of the Treasure House radio show Sunday that he wants to fight only Akiyama at Dynamite!! 31 December in Saitama. "It seems to me that Mikey (Akiyama) is making fun of our event," Aoki said. "His demand [to fight WVR’s Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1)] is nothing but self-centered.  I won't fight anybody except Mikey on New Year’s Eve.  I'll defeat him without gaining any weight.” Aoki added, “If he doesn't take this offer, I will consider that he is afraid of fighting me, and runs away."  (Translation by Suki from MMA Fighting.) DREAM producer Keiichi Sasahara is working to make the fight happen.  He said, “We were thinking about Badr Hari (1-0) and [“Techno Goliath”] Hong Man Choi (0-2) as Aoki's opponent, but now we are only negotiating with Akiyama." ...

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 fifth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) is a popular target in DREAM. Fighters.com reported 2 October that ninth-ranked lightweight "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (18-3) had called out Akiyama; but, Akiyama had declined the fight. In an interview with Kamipro (translated by Suki at MMA Fighting), Sadaharu Tanikawa, President of DREAM's parent company, FEG, said, "I'm interested in what Aoki said.  He fully understands what kind of fights DREAM wants to present.  I want to watch Aoki v Akiyama." But, another DREAM star, Middleweight GP champion Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), wants a piece of Akiyama too. On DREAM's website, Mousasi said, "I have defeated three top Judo specialists before and I won them all.  I say I have an 85% chance to win [versus Olympic judoka Akiyama]." ...