I’ll be honest with you fans and friends: I probably don’t pay as much attention to Japanese MMA as I should. I’ve held a passing fixation with DREAM, but other than that, not much has been able to hold my interest in The Land of the Rising Sun. It’s unfortunate, but what’s even more unfortunate is that so many people seem to be exactly like me: the state of MMA in Japan is quite dire, and that’s not a hyperbole. And things just got even worse: the primary sponsor of Japan’s Sengoku promotion has officially pulled its support, and it appears that one of the biggest MMA promotions in Japan is headed for bankruptcy. Here are all the details. ...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and consensus top-10 fighter Marlon Sandro is now coming stateside to be part of the Bellator Fighting Championship fold. The current King of Pancrase, Sandro becomes a very welcomed addition to a bolstering featherweight class, which is currently ruled by Bellator champion Joe Warren, who won the season two 145-pound tournament and subsequently knocked out then champ Joe Soto to become the rightful ruler. Now, with tons of experience overseas against some of the best in his weight-class, Sandro will put his skills to the test against the best that Bellator will have to offer. ...

British featherweight star Ronnie Mann is officially in the Bellator fold. The former Sengoku fighter has recently been release from his contract, along with several other notable fighters including Dave Herman and Jorge Santiago who have since signed witht the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Now at 24-years-old and with nearly eight years experience as a professional, Mann will look to etch his spot into the United States mixed martial arts scene with the budding promotion. ...

While the influx of Japanese stars have began to slowly trickle into the U.S. mixed martial arts scene, Strikeforce could possibly be adding another high-profile Japanese star to their already solid lightweight roster. Rumors of a possible match-up pitting current Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez against DREAM import Tatsuya Kawajiri and the introduction of Shinya Aoki into the lightweight fold last April is just among some of the most recent activity between the two parties. Now, former Sengoku lightweight titleholder Satoru Kitaoka could be next. ...

UFC and PRIDE veteran Ryo Chonan (or "that guy who submitted Anderson Silva) will have to deal with some last minute particulars for his upcoming fight under the Sengoku banner. 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 ...

World Victory Road is putting DREAM's Dynamite!! program to shame. Though not necessarily heralded as rivals, since they have worked together in the past, Sengoku is holding it's year-end banger just one day before DREAM's. WVR's depth of talent for the dubbed "Soul of Fight" event will feature several mixed martial arts contests (chief among them two title fights) as well as Kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts. ...

Jose Aldo may be recognized as the best featherweight in the world, but do you know who's nipping at his heels? It's not Mike Brown, Manny Gamuryan, or even Josh Grispi. It's a man named Marlon Sandro, someone who most hardcore fans are well aware of, but the casual mixed martial arts fan who is still wearing those Afflicition t-shirts and don a Ed Hardy water in hand will likely have no idea who he is. A few quick facts: He's a teammate of Aldo's, both originating from the famed Nova Uniao camp in Brazil. And coupled with a true Black Belt level ground game, he has knockout power that would scare most heavyweights. ...

Speculation has run rampant as far as what Michihiro Omigawa's next move will be. Having traveled all around the world, including a two-fight stint in the UFC as a lightweight fighter, the Japanese Judoka reinvented himself as a featherweight, and since making the drop to the new weight class, has looked nearly unstoppable. After an adventure with both Sengoku and DREAM, where Omigawa has become a title contender in both organizations, it looks like he may give up infamy in his native country for a second shot here in the states, and what better organization to do that with then with the largest one in the sport. ...

Kazuo Misaki, a perennial fixture in the middleweight division is a man's fighter. He takes on all comers, never turns down an opponent, and always comes to fight. And while the former Pride Welterweight Grand Prix Champion has seen the brighter side of things just a few years ago and has recently fallen on back-to-back losses, he's putting all on the line--and according to Misaki himself, it was his life that was at stake in his last fight with Sengoku Champion, Jorge Santiago. ...

While this might not be as cataclysmic as the DREAM tag team with Sengoku for last years Dynamite!! 2009 show at the Saitama Super Arena before a near 50,000 seated crowd, this is important none the less. Recently crowned Sengoku featherweight champion Marlon Sandro, the proverbial knockout king with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt to boot, is rumored for the September 25th event for DREAM 16. ...

Polish middleweight Mamed Khalidov (14-3-1) and Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will rematch for Santiago's title at Sengoku in Tokyo March 7, according to Sherdog. ...

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. ...

“Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (22-9-2) and recent Strikeforce signee “Marvelous” Melvin Manhoef (22-5-1) will matchup at Fields Dynamite!! 2009 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, the promotion has announced. ...

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. ...

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. ...

Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio are proud to announce a partnership that'll bring you more of the best mixed martial arts content. ...

Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will fight Mamed Khalidov (14-3-1) in a non-title bout and American "Monster" Kevin Randleman (17-13) will matchup versus Bulgarian light heavyweight Stanislav Nedkov (3-0) at Sengoku Eleventh Battle in Tokyo November 7, Sengoku announced Friday. Santiago of Brazil hasn't fought since submitting "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki (22-9-2) at Sengoku north of Tokyo January 4. Khalidov of Poland debuted in the United States with a second-round TKO of brief The Ultimate Fighter 8 contestant Jason Guida (18-22) at ShoXC east of Chicago in October 2008.  Last May, Khalidov knocked out former PRIDE fighter Daniel Acacio (14-5) at KSW 11 in Warsaw. ...

"Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) entered his 15th month as Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion in October.  Emelianenko will defend his title versus fifth-ranked "Grim" Brett Rogers (10-0) at Strikeforce west of Chicago and broadcast in the U.S. on CBS November 7. ...

Featherweights Yuji Hoshino (12-7-6) of Japan and Marlon Sandro (13-1) of Brazil will matchup at Sengoku's Eleventh Battle in Tokyo November 7, World Victory Road announced Thursday. Pancrase vet Hoshino will come in to the fight off three consecutive victories at CageForce, most recently winning a three-round UD over "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura (6-3-1). ...

Former EliteXC heavyweight champ “Junior” Antonio Silva (13-1) won his sixth straight when he tapped out "Big" Jim York (9-2) at 3:51 of round one at Sengoku Tenth Battle in Tokyo Tuesday night. It was Silva's second first-round stoppage in two tries at Sengoku; and, there are whispers Silva and eighth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) are on a collision course. ...

Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (21-7) will defend his title at Sengoku Eleventh Battle in Tokyo 7 November, Sengoku announced on its website Friday. Also announced are former UFC heavyweight champion "Monster" Kevin Randleman (17-13), who now competes at 185 pounds, and former UFC lightweight Michihiro Omigawa (3-7). No opponents were announced for any of the fighters. A report Thursday claimed that Randleman could fight “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0), but Fighters.com has not confirmed that report. ...

On the walls of MMA fandom there are two contrasting posters of Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1).

If you're not North American or you're one of the 50,000 or so North Americans who plunked down $34.95 for PRIDE 32, your poster depicts Emelianenko within a golden aureole striding a mound of pummeled flesh bags that includes fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1), tenth-ranked "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (14-7), and former UFC heavyweight champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6).

If you're North American and cut your MMA teeth on The Ultimate Fighter circa 2007 or anxiously anticipating the first F5 stoppage in MMA history, your poster depicts Emelianenko cowering within the block-headed shadow of the man-mountain that is second-ranked UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1).
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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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Former EliteXC heavyweight champion “Junior” Antonio Silva (12-1) and Kiwi "Big" Jim York (9-2) have been matched at Sengoku Tenth Battle in Tokyo 23 September, the promotion announced Thursday.

Debuting Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi (0-0) and debuting Kiwi kickboxer "Notorious" Antz Nansen (0-0)

Middleweights Makoto Takimoto (4-5) and Jae Sun Lee (2-3) have also been matched for Tenth Battle.

Silva took a TKO due to injury over “Kiss” Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2) at Sengoku in Tokyo last January.

York knocked out James Thompson at Seventh Battle in Tokyo 7 March.

Canadian middleweight and former UFC and WEC fighter “El Dirte” Joe Doerksen (42-12) will take on Takenori Sato (2-5-2) at Sengoku Tenth Battle in Tokyo 23 September, World Victory Road announced Tuesday. Doerksen tapped “Blade” Gregory Babene (5-4) at CFC 2 in Winnipeg 22 May. Sato fought to a draw for the middleweight King of Pancrase title versus Izuru Takeuchi (25-10-5) at Pancrase in Tokyo 8 August. ...

The lightweight king of Pancrase crown barely fitted to his head, “Makishi” Maximo Blanco (3-0) has inked his kanji to fight Tetsuya Yamada (1-1) at Sengoku's Tenth Battle in Tokyo 23 September. Blanco TKO’d Katsuya Inoue (15-6-2) with punches at 4:38 of round two to ascend to Pancrase's lightweight throne at Changing Tour 4 in Tokyo Saturday. Yamada lost a UD to Britt featherweight Ronnie Mann (15-1-1) in his Sengoku debut at Seventh Battle in Tokyo 20 March and will be packing on 10 pounds to match Blanco. ...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) returned to the open, enabling arms of his adoring Japanese fans Saturday, making an appearance at Pancrase's Changing Tour 4 in Tokyo. He stepped inside the ring during an intermission and addressed the crowd: "I'd like to fight next time I enter the Pancrase ring." Barnett is the reigning Openweight King of Pancrase, but hasn't fought for the promotion since tapping Yuki Kondo (49-23-6) in a rear naked choke at the 10th Anniversary Show in 2003. ...

Sengoku announced "Junior" Antonio Silva (12-1), "Lion" Ryan Schultz (20-11-1), "El Dirte" Joe Doerksen (42-12), Kazunori Yokota (8-2-2), Makoto Takimoto (4-5), and Hiroshi Izumi (0-0) will all make appearances at 10th Battle in Tokyo 23 September. Heavyweight Silva has refuged in Japan as an outlaw since testing positive for banned substances after TKOing Justin Eilers (19-7-1) for the EliteXC strap in Stockton in July 2008 resulting in a suspension from the California State Athletic Commission. Silva denies the charges. He took a TKO due to injury over "Kiss" Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2) at Sengoku in Tokyo last January. ...

In an analysis posted Friday, Yahoo!Sports MMA and boxing writer Kevin Iole spouted the UFC line, "If the UFC was in the business of giving 50 percent of its company away every time it tried to sign an elite fighter, it would have been in worse shape a lot sooner than Chrysler." The article should've ended with a full disclusore that Yahoo!Sports and the UFC have a business partnership because Iole's cozy nest in the UFC tree has affected his usually uncomprimised reporting. M-1 Global isn't asking for 50 percent of the UFC in exchange for Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko's (29-1) viscerally craved debut inside the Octagon. Fighters.com isn't sure whether that's UFC spin strategized to pressure Emelianenko to surrender his co-promotion demand by persuading fans he's unreasonable or a genuine misunderstanding by White about what Emelianenko is demanding. ...

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. ...