Chonan will return to action this Thursday when he takes on Taisuke Okuno in a welterweight affair. Ryo was originally expected to meet Bellator veteran Dan Hornbuckle at the special year-end extravaganza, however the former top-10 welterweight recently bowed out of the bout due to a late case of the flu.

Now, Ryo will be featured in a special “DREAM vs. Sengoku” fight when he meets with Okuno, whom was last in action when Yasubey Enomoto this past October. The decision loss came on the heels of Okuno’s biggest win of his career, when he knocked out UFC veteran Nick Thompson last August

Chonan has been hot and cold in recent performances, however picked up an impressive TKO victory when he defeated fellow the Korean Jun Hee Moon at the special “Deep 50th Impact” show last October. The win helped Ryo rebound from a devastating KO loss to Jung Hwan Cha earlier this year.

The Team Quest product’s lone fight under the DREAM banner came last March when he defeated Japanese-Brazilian Andrews Nakahara, a dangerous karate style fighter, by way of unanimous decision.

Sengoku’s: Soul of Fight event takes place at the Ariake Coliseum on Dec. 30 in Tokyo, Japan. The venue also held this years K-1 2010 World Grand Prix, which at capacity is supposed to hold 10,000, however more nearly 12,000 piled in for the kickboxing affair. It’s unlikely that Sengoku will pull in those kind of numbers, since K-1 remains one of the most established and popular events in Japan.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the new match up? It would have been nice to see Hornbuckle take on such a highly respected veteran like Chonan, but it’s a bout that will still remain to possibly be seen in the future. Sound off in the comment section below.

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.

Among Aoki, Deep 50 will also feature the current DREAM Super Hulk Champion and all around Japanese Icon, Ikuhisa Minowa–whom is affectionately more so recognized as simply “Minowaman”.

Both Aoki and Minowa last competed at DREAM 16 last Saturday, though reached different results. Aoki was featured in a non-title bout against former PRIDE and UFC veteran Marcus Aurelio. A dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Aurelio has recently left American Top Team to train under Team Nogueria out of his native Brazil. Aoki seemed to be the more versed grappler, however, as he was able to easily control Marcus on the ground, mounting him on several occasions and eventually secured the unanimous decision victory towards the bouts end.

Shinya is now riding a two fight win streak since a loss to current Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, which began with a victory over rival Tatsuya Kawajiri in defense of his DREAM title last July.

Minowaman, meanwhile, witness a five-fight win streak snapped when he met the 1-1 and Judo Olympic Gold medalist, Satoshi Ishii. The bout was largely decided by Ishii’s effective ground skills, where he was able to position himself in dominant positions all throughout the bout. Ikuhisa threatened with a leg lock early, however Ishii was in no imminent danger, and the Olympian walked away with his second win in a row, a victory over a legend, and his first in DREAM.

The line up, which will also feature Sengoku and Pride veteran Kazuo Misaki in action, Aoki in a bout against a former Pro Boxer making his MMA debut, and two title fights on the line, is as follows:

Katsunori Kikuno vs Nobuhiro Obiya (LW Title)
Yuya Shirai vs Shigetoshi Iwase (WW Title)
Shinya Aoki vs Yokthai Sithoar (confirmed)
Sanae Kikuta vs TBA
Ikuhisa Minowa vs TBA
Takafumi Otsuka vs Yoshiro Maeda
Ryo Chonan vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Toshikazu “ISE” Iseno vs Won Sik “Parky” Park
Kazuo Misaki vs Akira Shoji
Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata vs Tomomi “Taisho” Iwama
Shoji Maruyama vs Tatsunao Nagakura
Hidetaka Monma vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto
Isao Terada vs Yoshiki Harada
Ryuta Noji vs Hiroshi Nagao

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of this card? For those who are true fans of Japanese MMA, this is a card that you do not want to miss. Sound off in the comments section below.

In a battle between former UFC welterweights and all-time DEEP legends, “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (16-10) won a three-round decision over Jutaro Nakao (22-13-4). Chonan broke the two-fight losing streak ending his 1-3 run in the Octagon last April

DEEP bantamweight champ “Ashikan Judan” Masakazu Imanari (16-7-1) defended his title from Tomohiko Hori (6-5-2) in another three-round decision.

In just seven seconds, Côte d’Ivoirian Bernard Ackah (1-2) ended light heavyweight Ryushi Yanagisawa‘s (24-24-9) comeback after fiver years. Ackah stung Yanagisawa with a head kick.

Featherweight Toshiaki Kitada (2-2-1) tapped Zach Makovsky (6-2) in a rear-naked choke at 4:22 of round one.

Featherweight Koichiro Matsumoto (4-1) won a three-round decision over Shunichi Shimizu (7-3).

Dutch light heavyweight Hans Stringer (7-3-1) TKO’d Yuji Sakuragi (7-14) on punches at 2:12 of round two.

Korean lightweight “Parky” Won Sik Park (2-0) tapped Yuichi Ikari (7-5-2) in a rear-naked choke at 4:58 of the first round.

Welterweight Yoshitomo Watanabe (3-6) TKO’d “Zuzu” Pat Ayuyu (1-1) on punches at 4:56 of round two.

Welterweights Yuki Ito (3-1-3) and Sadao Kondo (2-0-1) fought to a draw.

Lightweight Yasuhiro Kawasaki (1-0) won a two-round decision over Tomoya Kato (1-1).

French heavyweight Cheick Kongo (12-4-1) will meet UFC newcomer Mustapha al Turk (1-0), “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) will meet Reese Andy (7-2) in a light heavyweight bout.

Other bouts announced were “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (15-8) versus “Bad” Brad Blackburn (12-9-1), Antoni Hardonk (7-4) versus Mark Burch (10-2), and Dan Evensen (10-5) versus Pat Barry (1-0).

Kongo defeated Evensen with a first-round TKO at UFC 87 in August.

Al Turk defeated Gary Turner (3-1-1) by first-round submission due to strikes in March.

Hamill is hoping to come back from a third-round TKO loss to second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (25-3) at UFC 88 in September.

Andy is also looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to “The Truth” Brandon Vera (7-3) in July.

Chonan won a split decision over “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-8) at UFC 88.

Blackburn TKO’d James Giboo (8-3) in round two in July.

Hardonk defeated Eddie Sanchez (8-2) with a second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June.

Burch, a UFC newcomer, TKO’d Alex Rozman  (0-4) in round one in May.

UFC rookie Barry won his last fight in May with a first-round TKO of Mike Delaney (26-17-2).

UFC 92 is headlined by a title fight between Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) and “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1), a bout between second-ranked heavyweight “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (44-4-1) and Frank Mir (11-3) for the interim title, and a light heavyweight match-up between second-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (26-7) and sixth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1).

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked middleweight “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4) versus “Boogeyman” Dean Lister (11-5) and “Doberman” CB Dollaway (7-1) versus Mike Massenzio (11-2) are also on the card.

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) bounced in place as reporters lined-up to interview the former UFC champion before his fight versus “Sugar” Rashad Evans (11-0-1) Saturday night.

Playful and boisterous, Liddell told Fighters.com he was ready to fight Evans today in a video interview that will be posted shortly.

Evans was a bit more low-key, focusing on the biggest fight of his career and rolling with middleweight training partner Nathan Marquardt (26-8-2), who fights “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-1) Saturday night.

Co-main event second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3), moving to 205 Saturday versus former training partner “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1), skipped his scheduled session.

Sources in Franklin’s camp alternately told Fighters.com that Franklin wasn’t feeling well and that he was eating to maintain the weight of his new division.

Neither excuse gives much solace to Fighters.com after Franklin’s comments about his uncertainty about fighting his former training partner and moving to 205 pounds.

Especially since Hamill, who was late for his session because he and his girlfriend were shopping (a better excuse), was like a kid with a new toy when talking about the biggest fight of his career versus his “hero”.

“Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-10) and Kampmann both attended too, but neither actually worked out.

Japanese fighters “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8) and ninth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) also attended, but only interviewed with the Japanese press.

Pellegrino lost his most recent fight to Nathan Diaz (9-2) when Diaz caught him in a triangle choke in the second round at Fight Night 13 in April.

Tavares also lost his last fight, to “Handsome” Matt Wiman (10-3) via second-round TKO at UFC 85 in June.

The UFC also confirmed three other preliminary match-ups, a welterweight match between “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) and Matt Brown (7-6), a light heavyweight match between “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (7-2) and James Lee (13-3), and the previously reported match between welterweights “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-7) and “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8).

Kim made his Octagon debut at UFC 84 in May with a third-round TKO over Jason Tan (5-3).

Brown, a TUF 7 competitor, won his fight in the June finale with a TKO in round two over “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2).

Boetsch fell to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1)’s punches in round two in April.

Lee lost his UFC debut in January to “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (12-7) via first-round TKO, ending a ten-fight win streak.

Carneiro was scheduled to face Chonan at UFC 85 in June, but Chonan withdrew due to injury.

“Jucao” was upset by Chonan’s replacement, UFC rookie Kevin Burns (6-1), who submitted him with a second-round triangle choke.

Chonan also lost his last match, a unanimous decision that went to “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) in November.

Chonan previously defeated Carneiro at a 2005 DEEP event.

Burns is a late replacement for “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (14-8), whose injured rib forced him off next weekend’s card.

Burns, from Des Moines, has never fought to a decision.  He won his last two fights, at the Glory Fighting Championships, via submission.

The upcoming bout will be Carneiro’s fourth in the Octagon.  The American Top Team member dispatched his last opponent Tony DeSouza (10-4) with a second-round TKO at UFC 79.  His most recent loss was to Fighters.com’s second-ranked welterweight Jon Fitch (17-2).