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. ...

Regardless who wins the middlweight matchup at UFC 102 in Portland Saturday, Demian Maia (10-0) and "Great" Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) might get a second shot at each other 25-27 September at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships 2009 in Barcelona.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with "Toquinho" Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC's "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent "K-Taro" Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent "Uirapuru" Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).
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The rise of Japanese lightweight Mizuto Hirota (10-3) left many breathless Sunday after he upset Sengoku lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) by TKO at 2:50 of round four at Ninth Battle in Tokyo. Masanori Kanehara (5-2) stole the Featherweight Grand Prix Championship in a controversial final that featured Kanehara despite losing his semi-final fight by unanimous decision to Hatsu Hioki (16-3-2) versus Michihiro Omigawa (4-8) who was given a hometown free pass into the finals after majority draw on the cards versus Marlon Sandro (13-1) in the semi-finals. Strikeforce middleweight champ “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (23-9-2) strangled judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura's (13-10) hopes of challenging Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) in a guillotine at 3:03 of round one, leaving Kaz' out on the mat. Denied a title challenge himself by Sengoku after pleading guilty to interfering with the duties of a public official following a March traffic stop, Misaki said nothing after playing spoiler, refusing the microphone in the ring. ...

Sengoku lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) and challenger Mizuto Hirota (9-3) both made weight for their main event at Ninth Battle in Tokyo Sunday. Kitaoka weighed 69.9 kg while Hirota tipped the scales at 70 kg. The card also features the semi-finals and finals of Sengoku's featherweight grand prix and all competing fighters also made weight. ...

World Victory Road has officially added their Middleweight Grand Prix to Sengoku 6, taking place 1 November in Saitama, Japan. The winner of the tournament will face Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) for the first-ever middleweight belt 4 January in Saitama at Sengoku 7. Kazuhiro Nakamura (12-8) will face Yuki Sasaki (22-14-1), and Jorge Santiago (18-7) will face “Afghan Killa” Siyar Bahadurzada (14-3-1). The event already features a lightweight tournament to determine an opponent for Fighters.com’s second-ranked lightweight “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-3) at Sengoku 7 for the title. The bouts remaining in the lightweight tournament are Satoru Kitaoka (21-8-9) versus sixth-ranked Eiji Mitsuoka (14-5-2), and Kazunori Yokota (7-1-3) versus Mizuto Hirota (10-2). WVR also announced that Fighters.com’s Fighter of the Month “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (1-0) will fight, although an opponent has not yet been determined. “GameBred” Jorge Masvidal (14-3) versus Seung Hwan Bang (5-2) is also official. Joe Doerksen (40-12) revealed through MySpace Tuesday that he has agreed to fight Izuru Takeuchi (25-9-6). ...

MMA rookie “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (1-0) upset “Diesel” Travis Wiuff (53-12) by first-round TKO at 2:11 Sunday night in Tokyo. Lawal staggered Wiuff with a right Superman punch, then rushed in with a double-leg takedown at the ropes.  Lawal leapt on Wiuff and finished him off with ground’n’pound. Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion “Xande” Alexandre Ribeiro (1-0) TKO’d Takashi Sugiura (1-3) in the last minute of his anticipated MMA debut. ...

World Victory Road announced on Thursday the opponents for Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8), Jorge Santiago (17-7), and “Xande” Alexandre Ribeiro (0-0) for the upcoming Sengoku 5 event in Tokyo, 28 September. Paul Cahoon (10-11) will participate in the Middleweight Grand Prix versus Nakamura, as will “Pink Pounder” Logan Clark (11-2) versus Santiago.  Takashi Sugiura (1-2) will face Ribeiro in a light heavyweight match-up. Cahoon is coming off a unanimous decision loss to “Machine” Ian Freeman (19-7-1), who took his light heavyweight belt, at Cage Rage in May.  It was his first loss in six fights. Nakamura lost his last fight to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) due to a leg injury, at UFC 84 in May. ...

World Victory Road announced Friday a middleweight tournament for Sengoku 5 at the Yoyogi National First Gymnasium in Tokyo 28 September. The first four competitors named for the tournament are Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8), “Cyborg” Evangelista Santos (16-11), Jorge Santiago (17-7), and Siyar Bahadurzada (13-3-1). Nakamura, a PRIDE veteran, fought most recently in the UFC.  He was 0-2 in the organization, falling to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) with a leg injury in May. Nakamura will make his debut as a middleweight at the upcoming event. Santos, from the Chute Boxe, Academy, won his last fight by submitting Makoto Takimoto (4-4) with an Achilles lock at Sengoku 1 in March. American Top Team member Santiago won his last five fights, most recently submitting Yuki Sasaki (21-14-1) via armbar at Sengoku 2 in May. Shooto Light Heavyweight Champion Bahadurzada lost his Sengoku debut in March, tapping to Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2)’s guillotine. ...

PRIDE veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8) has been released from his UFC contract, according to the current print edition of The Wrestling Observer. Nakamura lost his last three fights, including both he fought in the UFC: he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Fighters.com's second-ranked light heavyweight “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) in September, and was TKO’d in the first round by seventh-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) in May. Between the two losses he was fined and suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for marijuana use. ...

Fighters.com was live in Las Vegas 24 May to witness the fights that shook-up June's Welterweight Rankings.  What a night! Of course, "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) remains Fighters.com's Light Heavyweight Champion and will defend his UFC title versus eighth-ranked Forrest Griffin (15-4) 5 July in Las Vegas. But, Jackson's nemesis from the past, "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1), closed in on a rematch with the champion he's conquered twice before. Silva demolished "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-4-1) in 36 seconds, jumping five spots to the fifth ranking and sending Jardine down two rungs to number six. If he takes out Griffin, Jackson may first have to unravel the riddle that is his new top contender, "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (13-0), before a rematch with Silva. Machida retired previously ninth-ranked "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) from the top ten and the UFC in a unanimous decision "W".  Can we all say "elusive"? Machida's win welcomed a fellow undefeated Brazilian, another Silva in fact, to replace "The Axe Murderer" at number ten. ...

“Satisfying!  Very satisfying,” described Fighters.com's fourth-ranked lightweight and UFC Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1) after defeating fifth-ranked "Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk (32-2-1) by TKO after the third round at UFC 84 in Las Vegas Saturday. Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki determined that Sherk was unable to continue after a Penn flurry at the cage that left Sherk on the mat at the end of the third round. The three five-minute rounds were fought entirely standing up, resembling a boxing match. Penn worked a slicker boxing style set-up with a long, snapping jab.  Sherk threw left and right hooks in a stiff, technical style. Penn established his jab in the first round as Sherk pressured. Sherk clinched to muffle “The Prodigy’s” reach advantage; but, Penn landed an uppercut to break the clinch. Sherk attempted to counter with his own jab, but threw it short as Penn followed down the pipe with his left.  Sherk clinched again; but, Penn threw him off. Sherk began round two with a cut under his right eye from Penn’s relentless jabbing.  He shrugged his shoulders before the bell, disappointed with his first-round performance. But, the Minnesotan took the fight to Penn in the second round.  Penn clinched inside Sherk’s left/right hook combo and hammered knees to “The Muscle Shark’s” body. Again, Penn clinched; but, Sherk overwhelmed him with a flurry.  Penn pushed out of the clinch. Unable to solve Penn’s boxing riddle, Sherk began to test his leg kick; but, Penn answered with a left hook. Penn had all the answers Saturday night. ...

Fighters.com was live Friday at the UFC 84 weigh-ins at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Fighters.com's seventh-ranked lightweight "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3), former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner (32-7), and "Hammer" Mark Coleman (15-8) signed autographs and third-ranked lightweight "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti (14-2-1) was in the crowd with his smokin' hot girlfriend. ...

The suspects are usual on Fighters.com's May light heavyweight roster; but, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) fell three rungs to the seven spot as fourth-ranked "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine's (13-3-1) 2006 loss to "American Psycho" Stephan Bonnar (11-4) and fifth-ranked Forrest Griffin's (15-4) 2006 loss to ninth-ranked "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) passed their two-year expiration dates. Of course, 205 king "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) is matched versus Griffin for July; and, we all await fireworks between the two jolly light-giants on season seven of TUF. Third-ranked "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (12-0) and Ortiz cross paths at the end of May as their careers cross roads. Who says UFC President Dana White doesn't make big fights in his fighters' last contract fights?  A win for Ortiz before his promised exit to greener pastures could reignite "The Bad Boy's" box office appeal. A notch in Machida's belt may mean he has to shop for a new belt, a shiny, gold one. Jardine and tenth-ranked "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) will tell the same tale of fighters colliding as their careers move in opposite directions. Sixth-ranked "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) was yanked from his match-up versus "Suger" Rashad Evans(11-0-1) in London with a pulled hamstring, leaving on the table the originally scheduled UFC 85 main event between Liddell and eighth-ranked "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3), also on the disabled list, to be fought in September. Before being bumped down the Fighters.com rankings, Sokoudjou got bumped off the televised card at UFC 84, where he's matched versus fellow judoka "Kaz" Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7). The next three months could turn the 205-pound division upside down with all of the top ten action. May Light Heavyweight Rankings 1. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) Jackson is 4-0 since bringing his "Rampage" to the cage. He’s out-wrestled Olympians Lindland and Hendo and became the only man to put Liddell on ice twice. He’s earned Fighters.com’s top rank, but losses to Rua and Silva whisper questions from the past. 2. "Hollywood" Dan Henderson (22-6) To think 205 is Hendo’s other weight class is astounding. A UD to Vitor Belfort paved a path for him to hold the PRIDE belt after a KO of long-time champ Silva. Henderson came up just short of unifying titles in a slog with ‘Page.  Until next time? 3. "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (12-0) Versus Sokou, the undefeated “Dragon” proved he could fly high and finish. His measured style is as tough for opposition to decipher as it sometimes is for fans to watch. His “W” column reads like a who’s who of MMA, but Machida needs stoppages to ascend. 4. "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-3-1) A blip on Jardine’s record to Houston Alexander belies focused performances over Liddell and Griffin; or, is it the other way around?  Regardless, “The Dean of Mean's” roller coaster will play bumper cars with "The Axe Murderer" this month. 5. Forrest Griffin (15-4) The TUF 1 champ dug himself out of the “one hit wonder” abyss with an impressive stoppage of touted Rua and earned a UFC gold run versus Jackson.  But like Jardine, Griffin has proven beatable on any given night. 6. "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) Liddell has faced the toughest schedule the last two years, but fell consecutively to Jackson and Jardine.  He looked tough in his return to winning in the long-awaited face-off with Silva. 7. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) Sokou had been punching fighters out of their top ten ranking until he ran into Machida, but there’s no shame in tapping to “The Dragon”. His career has been too brief to predict whether his future is north or south of his Fighters.com #7 ranking. 8. "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3) Whether injury, energy, or focus was the issue, Rua debuted in the UFC with a loss to then-struggling Griffin after earning the kudos of many with PRIDE wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem and Kazuhiro Nakamura.  His injured knee leaves him off active duty until a probable September date with Liddell. 9. "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) Ortiz has served as gate keeper to the UFC gold in a win over Griffin and draw with Rashad Evans, but was unable to last three full rounds with then champ Liddell.  Machida at the end of May will show whether Ortiz is ready for another run at the top. 10. "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) It hasn’t been a bloody mess for “The Axe Murderer” that last two years, but he’s been the victim of two of the best light heavyweights in the world in Henderson and Liddell. ...

UFC middleweight Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7) revealed on his blog today that the judoka-turned-fighter is brushing up on the sweet science. Nakamura is training with Japanese cruiserweight boxer Ryosuke Takahashi, a former Oriental & Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Cruiserweight Champion with a 17-5 boxing record.  The OPBF is a minor title under the World Boxing Council umbrella of 11 regional sanctioning federations. Nakamura is set to battle Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) in an all-judo showdown on the undercard of UFC 84. Sokoudjou posted Tuesday on his blog that he's training with Olympic judoka's "Shango" Hector Lombard (15-2-1) of Cuba and Pawel Nastula (1-3) of Poland, evidently expecting his fight with Nakamura to be more of a demonstration of circle theory. ...

Last February in Vegas, North County Fight Club heavyweight Eddie Sanchez took one for the team. Sanchez looked like a lamb being lead to slaughter entering the Octagon to become Cro Cop's cage debut.  He took an "L" at 4:33 of round one by TKO. He was to become Cro Cop's only cage victim in three starts. Had Sanchez known Cro Cop was...human (as we found out in fights versus Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo), he may have done enough to see the final bell, maybe even win. Sanchez may be given a second chance, this time with the vital intel' going in. The rumor among fighters is that Sanchez is getting the call to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 85 in London. Lesnar debuted in the Octagon versus Frank Mir and was quickly submitted via knee bar. Neither Sanchez nor Lesnar has confirmed.  Mum is the consistently official word at the UFC; so, I didn't even ask for official confirmation. Also rumored for the UFC's return to 02 Arena is a welterweight scrap between "The Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis and "Quick" Mike Swick. The fight is tabled and awaiting signatures from the principles. Davis comes off a one-minute knockout of Jess Liaudin in Newcastle, making four stoppages and 11 wins in a row.  Swick's last night's work was a lackluster majority decision debut at 170-pounds versus Josh Burkman. Sokoudjou has confirmed judoka on judoka violence at UFC 84 in Vegas versus Kazuhiro Nakamura. "He's someone I respect," Sokou says.  "It's just business.  Nothing personal." Both return from losses to "The Dragon" Ryoto Machida. "The Hungarian Nightmare" Christian Wellisch says,  "I have not signed a contract for another fight." Wellisch is rumored to welcome hulking wrestler Shane Carwin to the Octagon at UFC 84. ...

Tuesday the UFC officially scheduled a home and an away game slotted for 24 May in Vegas and 7 June in London. Loose lips had already divulged details for both events. At the MGM Grand Garden Arena 24 May, "The Prodigy" BJ Penn will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against the improper advances of former 155-pound champ Sean Sherk, returning from a banned substances suspension. My Portuguese is a little rusty, but Wanderlei Silva has also confirmed via his blog that he's signed to fight Keith Jardine on the Vegas strip. Other rumored bouts include: Ryoto Machida v Tito Ortiz Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou v Kazuhiro Nakamura Rashad Evans v Thiago Silva Wilson Gouveia v Goran Reljic Rousimar Palhares v Ivan Salaverry Dong-hyun Kim v Jason Tan Terry Etim v Jeremy Stephens Shane Carwin v Christian Wellisch At 02 Arena in London 7 June, light heavyweights Chuck Liddell and  Mauricio Rua will headline in a fight that not too long ago would've been considered the king-maker at 205. Brandon Vera has also confirmed he'll return versus Fabricio Werdum in London. Brock Lesnar is also rumored to return on this fight card. ...

The March 5th World Victory Road main event of Josh Barnett versus Hidehiko Yoshida is more than a reunion of PRIDE heavyweights. According to the "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett, 20-5, there's 100-years of rivalry leading to the showdown between the catch wrestler and the judoka. Explains Barnett, "One of the more famous stories involving this rivalry was when catch wrestler Ad Santel defeated 5th degree black belt Tokugoro Itoh with a slam so powerful it fractured [his] skull." Santel, a catch wrestling heavyweight titlist, wrestled judoka from the The Kodokan Institute from 1914-1921. "Since Itoh was considered one of the best judoka in the world," Barnett tells, "Santel proclaimed himself, 'The Judo World Champion'." "The Kodakan sent many judoka to avenge the loss," Barnett goes on. Itoh avenged the brutal TKO with a submission defeat of Santel in their rematch. However, Barnett claims, "Santel claimed victory over many of the top judoka of the time: Taro Miyake via slam TKO, 4th degree black belt Daisuke Sakai, and 5th degree black belt Reijiro Nagata again by TKO." The last chapter in the storied rivalry has a direct connection to Barnett vs. Yoshida. Barnett asks, "Can the teacher avenge the student?" In February 2006 Barnett tapped Yoshida prodigy Kazuhiro Nakamura in a rear naked choke at PRIDE 31. Barnett asks again, "Can Yoshida bring honor back to Judo?"  Then, he answers, "Only way to know is to strap up the boots, check the tape, get in the ring, and lock horns in the center." ...