Former Shooto 143-pound champion will try to make good on his second trip to DREAM when he takes on Koichiro Matsumoto in a featherweight match-up. The bout will be featured at the upcoming DREAM 17 event, which will be held in conjunction with several notable charities to help with the relief efforts for Japan, which has since fallen on harder times due to the natural disasters that have ravaged the land and caused billions of dollars worth in damage. The event takes place at the Saitama Super Arena Hall in Saitama Japan on May 29th, and will serve as a kickoff for the upcoming bantamweight grand prix. ...

Former PRIDE lightweight champ "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-6) and featherweight "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato (26-12-2) are confirmed in separate bouts for Vale Tudo Japan '09 in Tokyo October 30, Sherdog reported Tuesday. Gomi will try to further his climb back from his first two consecutive loss slide since 2003.  At Shooto Tradition Final in Tokyo last May, he broke the streak with a second round KO of Takashi Nakakura (10-2-1).  According to Sherdog, VTJ '09 promoter Kazuhiro Sakamoto (12-4) hinted that Gomi could face a UFC fighter in October, revealing Sakamoto has contacted Zuffa, LLC, parent company of the UFC and WEC, about exchanging fighters. ...

Fighters.com's seventh-ranked lightweight "Mach" Hayato Sakurai (32-8-2) succumbed to a guillotine choke submission in the arms of former European Shooto king David Baron (15-2) in Tokyo Saturday. Baron sank the death blow as "Mach" shot for a takedown.  The final tap touched the mat at 4:50 of the first round. The "L" is Sakurai's first since getting KO'd by third-ranked "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-3) in 2005. Baron hasn't lost since 2006, ironically to Gomi by rear naked choke submission. The Shooto Tradition event also featured a 154-pound title fight between Takashi Nakakura (10-2-1) and Ganjo Tentsuku (9-3-2). It was a hard-fought slog for both Japanese warriors, but the judges saw the fight 30-28, 30-29, 20-39 for Nakakura. "Ironman" Akitoshi Tamura (12-6-2) ended a 143-pound war with Shooto vet "Moon Wolf" Rumina Sato (24-12-2) at 2:37 of round three with a north/south choke submission. "Savant" Trenell Young (9-7), recently of the IFL, upset "Lion" Takeshi Inoue (14-3) by two-round UD scored 19-18 all around. Fighters.com will post an interview with Young about his surprising Shooto debut this week. 123-pound Yasuhiro Urushitani (14-3-6) and Ryuichi Miki (6-2-3) fought to a majority draw, Urushitani's second consecutive draw, and third draw in his last four fights. Top 155-pound contender Yusuke Endo (11-2-1) submitted debuting vince Ortiz (0-1) in 3:34 of round one. Frenchman Bendy Casimir (14-4-2) won a unanimous decision over "Torao Supernova" Shinji Sasaki (6-2) in another 155-pound contest. Hayate Usui (9-6-1) won a majority decision over Sakae Kasuya (3-3-3). "Shinpei" Noboru Tahara (4-2) cut Katsuya Murofushi (3-3), causing a stoppage by TKO :46 of round two. ...