Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, teammates under the infamous Cesar Gracie brand, were both successful in their respective title bouts, with Diaz laying claim as one of the best and most dangerous welterweight fighters in the world with his first-round TKO over UFC castout Paul Daley, and Gilbert with his highly anticipated rematch with Japanese sensation Tatusya Kawajiri, which resulted in a one-sided TKO win for “El Nino”.

While the two men were perhaps among the nights most impressive winners, they were also among the top-earners for the entire event.

Here are the full fighter payouts, which are courtesy of MMAJunkie.com by way of the California State Athletic Commission:

Nick Diaz: $175,000 (no win bonus)
def. Paul Daley: $65,000

Gilbert Melendez: $150,000 (no win bonus)
def. Tatsuya Kawajiri: $97,612.50

Gegard Mousasi: $150,000
drew Keith Jardine: $25,000

Shinya Aoki: $73,637.50 (no win bonus)
def. Lyle Beerbohm: $10,000

Robert Peralta: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus)
def. Hiroyuki Takaya: $2,740

Virgil Zwicker: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Brett Albee: $1,000

Joe Duarte: $2,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Saad Awad: $1,500

Herman Terrado: $1,500 ($500 win bonus)
def. A.J. Matthews: $1,000

Rolando Perez: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Tom Peterson: $1,000

Casey Ryan: $2,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Song: $750

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? What stands out first for me is Mousasi’s payday. So, had he won, how much money would he have made? Should his pay scale be more than that of Nick Diaz? Sound off in the comment section below.

It’s a known fact that Gilbert Melendez is, at the very least, one of the top-3 best lightweight fighters in the world. Though if you asked “El Nino” he would try to convince you otherwise. With his time and dedication spent in the world of mixed martial arts, not too many people can rival the skill or experience that Melendez is acquired over the years.

And while his original meeting with “The Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri has in the past been panned as a bad decision resulting in the favor of the Cesar Gracie product, there is no denying now his place as one of the best, if not the best, lightweight fighter in the world after his own “crushing” of the battle tested Japanese fighter.

Right off the bat, Melendez set the tone of the fight when he immediately dropped Kawajiri with a blistering right hand to the dome, which was shades of their initial meeting when Kawajiri surprised the American with a flash knockdown of his own. Gilbert didn’t rush the finish, and instead had a cool demeanor about him, which was quickly adverted when he caught a high kick to the face, which he later admits was unexpected due to the shorter stature of Kawajiri.

Gilbert continued to stalk Tatsuya, showing no signs of ring rust with his almost one-year spent away from the cage. Again, Melendez connected on his right hand, which became money the whole night. Melendez finally followed Kawajiri to the ground once he dropped him for the second-time, peperring him with a few shots while seeking the rear-naked choke. Valiant, Tatsuya managed to work his way to his feet, though it was only a matter of time there again when Melendez would connect on a three-punch combination of right hands, which became courtesy of a feinting left jab. In desperation, Kawajiri shot in for a takedown which was immediately stuffed by Melendez.

Short punches to the head helped Gilbert unload an onslaught of devastating elbows from “hell” as commentator Mauro Ranallo would later iterate. The fight was stopped shortly thereafter, earning Melendez his first win in 2011, which came with just a little over 3-minutes of action spent inside the hexagon. The fight was ruled a TKO, though Kawajiri laid there conscious, though unable to get up, for several minutes after the bout’s conclusion.

Ultra-impressive was Melendez in his dismantling of one of the greatest Japanese lightweight fighters of all time, and with the win, he has now helped avenge the earlier controversy that surrounded his initial decision win over the former Shooto champion.

Is Melendez the number one lightweight fighter in the world? That remains to be seen, however he has certainly put himself on a short list of contenders for the UFC title and remains a real threat to the throne.

Sound off in the comment section below.

The Cecil Peoples Award For The Best Display Of Utter Blindness And Ineptitude: The judges who scored the bout between Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine a Draw. I keep having to hand this award out, and it keeps infuriating me each and every time. Even with Mousasi losing a point for an illegal upkick, there’s no way this fight was anything other than a commanding victory for Mousasi. Gegard got taken down a few times, but Jardine was a bloody, bruised mess by the end of this fight. It was another fight plagued by horrendous judging, and a further reminder of why I’m so very glad that most Strikeforce fights nowadays don’t go to the judges.

The Phoenix Award: Shinya Aoki, who breathed new life into his career with a thrilling first-round submission over Lyle Beerbohm. Aoki displayed that his ground game is still as flawless as ever, and that he could one day possibly be a major star in Strikeforce. Strikeforce is definitely in need of more stars in their Lightweight division, and so long as Aoki is used correctly and given opponents where his ground game is allowed to shine, Aoki could become Strikeforce’s Lightweight “submission magician”.

The Evil Mirror Universe Award: This is a reference to a classic Star Trek episode, and it goes to Gilbert Melendez because of how he rocked a goatee and showed up a very different fighter at “Diaz vs. Daley”. Melendez was always tough and loved to brawl, but he showed up to this event wanting to knock Tatsuya Kawajiri’s head off. It honestly startled me to see Gilbert Melendez go headhunting, and in fact, this was only the third first-round stoppage of his career. While his performance was radically different than what I’m accustomed to, it was also a fantastic performance, so it deserves to be highlighted as much as possible.

The “So Close And Yet So Far Away” Award: Paul Daley, for hurting and nearly finishing Nick Diaz several times throughout their epic first-round encounter. Daley had Diaz in a whole lot of trouble at several different points in this fight, but somehow he was unable to bring the fight to a close. He certainly came close, but whether it was Diaz’s ability to adapt when the fight went to the ground (even if the fight went to the ground because Diaz was floored) or Diaz’s near-impenetrable chin, the fight did not end with Daley as champion. But it certainly could have.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly. What about you? Any thoughts/opinions ready to be shared?

Virgil Zwicker defeats Brett Albee via TKO at 1:46 of Round 1. Joe Duarte defeats Saad Awad via armbar submission at 2:45 of Round 2. Herman Terrado defeats AJ Matthews via TKO at 4:16 of Round 1. Rolando Perez defeats Edgar Cardenas via Unanimous Decision. Casey Ryan defeats Paul Song via triangle at 1:39 of Round 1. Robert Peralta defeats Hiroyuki Takaya via Split Decision. Shinya Aoki defeats Lyle Beerbohm via submission at 1:33 of Round 1. Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fight to a Majority Draw. Gilbert Melendez defeats Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO at 3:14 of Round 1. Nick Diaz defeats Paul Daley via TKO 4:57 of Round 1.

I was very, very surprised that it only took Shinya Aoki a minute and a half to submit Lyle Beerbohm. But it was a pleasant surprise. For all his flaws, part of me still very much enjoys watching Shinya Aoki fight. This fight once again proved that Aoki’s ground game is without question one of the best in the sport. It was a dramatic performance for the Japanese fighter, and with the rumored downfall of the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, I can see Aoki finding a new home and new life in Strikeforce.

I thought Gegard Mousasi would win this fight. I knew Keith Jardine would make him work for it. What I didn’t know is that my respect for Jardine would grow higher while my hopes around Mousasi being a good opponent for current champion Dan Henderson crashed and burned. Mousasi displayed great striking, as always, but Mousasi also displayed an inability to deal with takedowns. I was very surprised that the fight ended in a Draw, and I think that was the final straw in killing Mousasi’s comeback hype.

Ring rust may be real… but Gilbert Melendez is much, much realer. Without a doubt, he deserves to be ranked near the top of the Lightweight division… not just in Strikeforce, but in all of MMA. I honestly don’t know what’s left for him in Strikeforce. I want Melendez to finally get the chance to fight Bellator’s Eddie Alvarez. But no matter what happens, Melendez proved tonight that he’s one of Strikeforce’s best fighters.

And in the main event, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley simply gave Strikeforce fans the best round of the year so far, one of the best rounds of the past several years in fact. I was biting my nails when Diaz decided to strike with Daley, and I was very, very worried about Paul Daley stopping Nick Diaz. He certainly came close. But then Nick Diaz did what he does best, he landed a crazy number of shots, remained focused, remained tough, and finished Paul Daley. It was an amazing performance, and there can be no doubt: Nick Diaz is the best fighter in Strikeforce.

Overall, this was a great night of fights for Strikeforce. Shinya Aoki grabbed a very dramatic finish, while Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine was a tough war that really displayed Jardine’s heart. And there’s one word that perfectly describes Gilbert Melendez’s performance: perfect. And as for Nick Diaz, what’s left to say? Love him or hate him, loathe him or revere him, Nick Diaz is for real. He’ll fight your fight and knock you out. Laugh at his interviews if you want, but no amount of money will ever convince me to step into a cage against Nick Diaz. Not even for a minute.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of “Diaz vs. Daley”?

Is it wrong that I still like Shinya Aoki? I know he’s been faltering a lot lately, I know he’s done some stupid things, I know his stand-up is utterly atrocious. But I still love it when he gets a fight to the ground and is able to work his wizardry. This is the guy that gave us the Mounted Gogoplata, remember? Aoki may have taken a tumble down the rankings, but when he gets the fight in his comfort zone he’s a very entertaining and incredibly dynamic performer. So part of me does still honestly hold out hope for the “Tobikan Judan”.

I feel like some of my comments I’ve made towards Keith Jardine could be construed as disrespectful, so I apologize if it came off that way and I would like to once again state that I consider myself a fan of Keith Jardine. It is quite saddening that my opinion of him has become so deflated. At one point, I considered Jardine a very under-rated and under-appreciated fighter. But now? It’s going to be a long, hard road back to relevancy, and Gegard Mousasi is a former champion. Part of me really, really hopes Jardine pulls off the upset, but the other 99% of me knows that that’s almost impossible.

Am I a bit angry at Gilbert Melendez? Maybe I am. He did take almost a year off, and his fight with Eddie Alvarez never materialized. It may be unfair to blame Melendez considering how insanely difficult it must be to make a co-promotional champion vs. champion super-fight happen, but I just generally don’t like it when a fighter takes a prolonged absence that isn’t injury-related. I’ve made some exceptions, of course, but normally I don’t. However, I will say that a rusty Melendez should be more than capable of beating Tatsuya Kawajiri so long as he doesn’t get caught and puts Kawajiri on his back with regularity.

Nick Diaz isn’t knocking out Paul Daley. I’m sorry, but, it’s just not happening. I’m one of the biggest Diaz supporters out there, but Nick Diaz’s style prides itself on cumulative damage that takes a few rounds to really start hurting the opponent. That just isn’t going to work against a striker like Daley, who has demonstrated an iron chin for most (if not all) of his entire career while also demonstrating true one-hit knockout power. Diaz is far, far more likely to submit Daley than he is to (T)KO him. And no matter what, I’m still in Nick’s corner and I can’t wait to see him win again.

And that’s that, fans and friends: my final say on “Diaz vs. Daley”. But what about you? Any last thoughts on the card?

5. This will be the first “Arena Series” event under the Zuffa umbrella.

While “Challengers 15” holds the distinction of being the first-ever Strikeforce event now that Strikeforce exists as a subsidiary of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, this will be the first major show of Strikeforce’s “Zuffa Era”. “Challengers 15” didn’t feature a whole lot of changes, other than the obvious rule change about elbows to the head on the ground now being allowed, but that could be due to the fact that “Challengers” is and always will be the “B” show. There’s still a chance that we could see some pretty big changes to the way Strikeforce presents itself, and that’s a pretty alluring reason to give this show a watch.

4. What’s left of Shinya Aoki?

A few years ago, Shinya Aoki’s ground game was approaching “legendary” status. It didn’t matter that he had terrible stand-up because he always found a way to get the fight to the ground and work his magic. Then several things all happened to cause Aoki’s star to come crashing back down to earth: he got KO’d by Hayato Sakurai and then had an atrocious match with Vitor Ribeiro, he became a “bad boy” only to get dominated by Gilbert Melendez, and on New Year’s Eve 2010, he embarrassed himself before getting KO’d once again. Now Aoki is set to face Lyle Beerbohm, a rising star that is hungrier than ever considering he just lost for the first time ever. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if Aoki has anything left to give, because if he doesn’t, this fight should prove once and for all that Aoki’s one-dimensionality has finally caught up to him.

3. How on earth does Keith Jardine survive against Gegard Mousasi?

I like Keith Jardine, I really do. But Jardine just barely put two wins together after losing five, count ‘em, five straight fights. It’s great that Jardine is on a two-fight win-streak, but when you put it into context, those wins are the beginning of a long, hard climb out of “rock bottom”. This fight against Mousasi just isn’t one that Jardine needs if he wants to keep the win-streak going. Jardine is tougher than almost anybody and will also fight everybody, so he definitely gets my respect for taking this fight. I can’t see him winning, but part of me hopes he proves me wrong, and all of me knows that he’s going to make it a fun fight no matter what happens.

2. Will Gilbert Melendez dominate even though he’s been gone for almost a year?

With the skill and technique he’s demonstrated in Strikeforce so far, Gilbert Melendez could stay a champion for a long, long time. But it’s been almost a year since he last fought, and as I keep saying, ring rust is very real. Tatsuya Kawajiri is still a good fighter, and he can still be a threat to Melendez if Melendez shows up rusty. And getting to see which Gilbert Melendez shows up at “Diaz vs. Daley” is one of the biggest reasons to check out this show.

And the number one reason to watch Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley” is…

1. Diaz. Daley. ‘Nuff said.

Now this is a main event. In one corner, you’ve got the powerful champion that’s absolutely wrecked everyone he’s ever been paired up against in Strikeforce. In the other, you’ve got a man with over twenty KO’s on his record and a very high-profile mean streak. If Diaz takes this fight to the ground, this could be one of the most dominating performances of the year. If it turns into a brawl, it could be one of the best brawls of the year. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s definitely the main reason to tune in and watch “Diaz vs. Daley”.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see “Diaz vs. Daley”. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley: This one’s the million-dollar question of the night. Here’s how I think it will go: I think Diaz will put the ego away and focus on his counter-striking. Daley will land, but he’ll never land with the kind of power to one-hit KO Diaz. He might stagger Diaz, but Nick will go into survival mode and take Daley down. If Daley doesn’t land that kind of shot, Diaz will take him down anyway just because he can. Once Diaz realizes how easy it is to put Daley on his back, he’ll keep doing it. Nick Diaz wins by Submission in Round 3, possibly Round 2.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: Although he’s primarily known as a striker, the last time “Crusher” Kawajiri (T)KO’d anyone was in 2009. In fact, the last time he was able to string together at least two straight (T)KO wins was in 2006. Worse yet, Melendez already holds a victory over Kawajiri. There’s a chance that Melendez will show up rusty and Kawajiri will nail a KO blow, but I just don’t see that happening. Gilbert Melendez will win this one by Unanimous Decision.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine: It’s too much and too soon for “The Dean of Mean”. Since getting the boot out of the UFC on the heels of a four-fight losing-streak that saw him get KO’d twice, Jardine has gone 2-1 on the regional circuit, beating two non-entities and losing to Trevor Prangley. It truly pains me to say this, but I don’t think Jardine has done anything to deserve a fight with a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. If Jardine wins this one, I’d be beyond shocked. I’d even be surprised if he makes it out of the first round, which I don’t think he will. Gegard Mousasi wins by first-round TKO.

Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm: If this was a few years ago, back when Aoki was tearing people’s limbs off with reckless abandon, I’d immediately call for Beerbohm to lose by submission. But not only has Aoki slowed down a bit, several of his glaring weaknesses continue to be exploited, namely his relatively weak chin and his nearly-nonexistent stand-up game. I think Beerbohm will have to fight through some submission attempts, and I won’t rule out Aoki grabbing something and forcing the tap, but my gut and my head are in agreement: Beerbohm will more than likely be able to dominate Aoki standing as well as on the ground, all the while avoiding and/or eventually breaking any submission attempts. Lyle Beerbohm wins by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”?

The Event: Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”, currently scheduled for April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. The main card will be broadcast live on the Showtime network starting at 10:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This is the first “Arena Series” event after Zuffa’s surprise purchase of the Strikeforce promotion. Also, two championships are on the line, with two of Strikeforce’s biggest and brightest stars taking on some pretty tough challenges. As if that wasn’t enough, former UFC star Keith Jardine makes his Strikeforce debut by taking on former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley is being marketed as one of the biggest matches of the year, both for Strikeforce and for MMA in general. While it may not quite measure up to some of the UFC’s mega-matches planned for this month and beyond, it’s definitely one of the biggest matches Strikeforce could make at this point in time. At least for Strikeforce, it doesn’t get much bigger than putting your best, most marketable, most notorious champion against an iron-fisted knockout artist that is almost as notorious.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Gilbert Melendez looks to make the second defense of his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship after unifying the belt back in 2009. Much like his first defense, Melendez will take on a Japanese import. But unlike his fight against Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri is an exciting brawler that loves to knock people out. And Melendez has been out for almost a year. It’s a fight where anything is possible, and it should be one of the night’s most entertaining bouts.

Why You Should Watch This Card: Simply put: there are two titles on the line, featuring two of Strikeforce’s best fighters facing legitimate, tough challengers to their championships. You’ve also got the aforementioned Jardine/Mousasi bout, which should be a real proving point for both men. It remains to be seen what happens if Jardine wins, but if Mousasi wins he’ll most likely be getting a shot at the title. And you’ve even got ground wizard Shinya Aoki taking on Lyle Beerbohm, who recently suffered his first loss in a great fight with Pat Healy.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: Here’s some rare criticism of Strikeforce: if all four of these televised fights go the way assorted fans are predicting they’ll go, we’re in for a night of mismatches. Don’t believe me? If Nick Diaz takes Paul Daley to the ground, it’s all over. If Gegard Mousasi can keep the fight standing against Keith Jardine, it’s all over. If Gilbert Melendez can outwrestle Tatsuya Kawajiri, it’s all over. If Shinya Aoki can get and keep Lyle Beerbohm on the ground, it’s all over. All of the fights could be competitive, or they could end up being like the recent Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy fight. I’m not saying they will turn out like that, and I definitely still have a lot of faith in Strikeforce, but I do feel the need to point out that the possibility is there.

Closing Thoughts: In the end, I think Strikeforce’s recent track record of incredible shows more than earns them the benefit of the doubt for this show. In fact, I’ll go one step further: I think this could end up being one of the best Strikeforce events of 2011. Not only do I think the fights will live up to their potential, I think a few of them will even exceed it. I’m very pumped for this show, and I look forward to tuning in and watching live.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on “Diaz vs. Daley”?

Since Japan has been ravaged with many natural disasters, including flash floods, Tsunamis, Earthquakes, and after shocks that have taken the lives of upwards of 10,000 people, several prominent mixed martial arts have pulled out from their respective bouts in upcoming events, most notably Yoshihiro Akiyama who was originally scheduled to face Nate Marquardt this past weekend.

The Japanese Judoka pulled out of his middleweight bout with the Greg Jackson product due to the torrential conditions that have plagued Japan, and many have since sympathized with him and the many others that have been effected by this tragedy.

Kawajiri, however, is not looking for sympathy and will continue to drive forward in order to become possibly the first fighter from Japan to win a title in a major U.S. promotion.

MMAWeekly.com has been able to confirm with Strikeforce that Tatsuay will still in fact compete opposite of Gilbert Melendez for the organization’s lightweight title, which will serve as the co-main event for “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley” which takes place on April 9 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

Kawajiri became the top contender to the lightweight crown when he bested former champ Josh Thomson on December 31 of last year at the “Dynamite!! 2010″ year-end extravaganza at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Tatsuya dominated “The Punk” with his effective ground control en route to a clear cut unanimous decision win.

At the time, Josh was on a two-fight win streak and was poised for another shot at th Strikeforce title, before Tatsuya had ruined the American Kickboxing Academy product’s plans, and put himself into the mix at 155-pounds.

Kawajiri’s bout with Melendez is actually a rematch from their early years in the now defunct PRIDE organization, where the Cesar Gracie protege took home a close decision win over the Japanese superstar in 2006.

Much different fighters since their initial meeting, their second meeting will largely depend on how much both men have improved on their stand up, since both are more than adept on the ground and will likely nullify one another. Melendez remains one of the sport’s top lightweight stars, however Kawajiri will likely have the size advantage, living up to his moniker as “The Crusher”.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? I for one am glad that Kawajiri will continue with the bout as planned, and that despite the tragedies that have plagued his land, he will continue on to do his best to become the new Strikeforce champ. Sound off in the comment section below.

The American Top Team product was last inside the cage when he bested then undefeated lightweight prospect Billy Evangelista with a dominating decision win just a few weeks ago.

The Cuban fighter has stated that he would like to fight on a consistent, rapid basis and he might now get his wish. Originally, Jorge was expected to possibly clash with KJ Noons in Texas this April, however with the recent tragedies in Japan, Masvidal could next fill in for Tatsuya Kawajiri in order to face reigning lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

<a href="http://mmajunkie.com/news/22815/noons-masvidal-may-fill-earthquake-related-vacancies-at-strikeforce-diaz-vs-daley.mma”>MMAJunkie.com reported the possibility of both KJ Noons and now Jorge Masvidal stepping up to face their new respective opponents in Lyle Beerbohm and Gilbert Melendez, whereas originally the two American fighters were intended to face one another in a top contender lightweight bout.

Both Aoki and Kawajiri have been a big question mark with the promotion following the recent geographical phenomena’s occurring on their side of the globe, where the fighters native Japan has been ravaged with both tsunamis and earthquakes that have the whole country reeling.

No definitive word yet has been released by the promotion as far as the confirmation of said fighters removal, however the indication that Strikeforce officials have told both Noons and Masvidal to be ready “just in case” shows how much confidence they have in either Aoki or Kawajiri coming stateside to fight.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? How do you think Jorge will fare against Melendez? Or would you have rather seen the Noons vs. Masvidal bout? Sound off in the comment section below.

Courtesy of Strikeforce itself, there’s plenty of new info on their upcoming show on April 9. According to Strikeforce’s latest press release, the following four matches are now official for Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”.

In the main event, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz defends the belt against British knockout artist Paul Daley. Also, Gilbert Melendez will put his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship on the line against “The Crusher”, Japan’s Tatsuya Kawajiri. In another co-promotional effort between Strikeforce and the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, Lyle Beerbohm will face Shinya Aoki. And finally, it’s been confirmed that Mike Kyle will face Gegard Mousasi at “Diaz vs. Daley”, with the winner most likely getting the first shot at Dan Henderson’s newly-won Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.

With just four matches, Strikeforce has already put together an event I have no intention of missing. These are fights literally exploding with potential. Lyle Beerbohm is coming off a fantastic (though losing) performance against Pat Healy, while Shinya Aoki is a dreaded submission master even though his stand-up isn’t anything to write home about (and that’s putting it lightly). Although both fighters have their flaws, this is a fight where their styles match up perfectly, so I’m expecting an excellent and supremely technical ground war.

I also love the idea of Mike Kyle vs. Gegard Mousasi, I think Mousasi is an incredibly tough opponent for Kyle while a win over Kyle will restore most of Mousasi’s luster. Many still think that Mousasi will one day be the future of the division, and many are now once again interested in Mike Kyle after a dramatic performance against Antonio Silva at Heavyweight, a bout that Kyle came very close to winning.

I’m also glad to see Gilbert Melendez back in action, although to be perfectly honest, I would have much rather had the long-hyped and fiercely-debated “champion vs. champion” bout between him and the Bellator FC Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez. But this is not said to disrespect Kawajiri, I simply think that’s a better match. But it’s Kawajiri we’ll be getting, and I think he’s a pretty good replacement. He’s incredibly tough, a knockout artist, and one of Japan’s best.

And in the main event, we see two of the best strikers in Strikeforce battle it out with a championship on the line. This is a very interesting, potentially catastrophic match-up for Diaz. Nick usually has to take a couple to fire him up and really get him into his groove, but when you face someone that has one-hit KO power from virtually any angle, those are shots you can’t afford. I do think Nick Diaz can wear Daley down and even finish him, but I also think that Daley is going to have ample time to land that one huge sledgehammer that has made him so famous. It’ll likely be a strong candidate for “Fight of the Year”, and I can see myself biting my nails from the first second to the last.

And what about you, fans and friends? How excited are you for “Diaz vs. Daley”?

Though both men have spent a majority of their careers on opposite sides of the globe, both are touted as some of the best lightweight fighters in their division.

Current Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez has been rumored for sometime to be taking on former rival Tatsuay Kawajiri in the foreseeable future, though nothing has been certain as of yet. However recently, the bout’s likelihood has become more and more relevant, as their appears to be a date and location anticipated for said lightweight match-up.

MiddleEasy.com is reporting that a rematch between Melendez and Tatusya Kawajiri could be taking place this April in Japan for the promotion’s lightweight title.

Melendez has been inactive since a dominating decision win over another Japanese star in current DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki.

Kawajiri meanwhile was last inside the ring when he bested former Strikeforce titleholder Josh Thomson with a dominating three-round decision last December for the year-end extravaganza, “Dynamite!! 2010″.

Both Gilbert and Tatsuya met many years ago under the now defunct PRIDE banner, where “El Nino” picked up a very close-decision win over the perennial top-10 fighter. The former Shooto champion has since faced some of the best fighters in the class, including recording victories over the likes of JZ Cavalcante and Sengoku standout Kazunori Yokota.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the rematch? Both men have similar styles, though Tatsuya is more of an imposing physical fighter, but Melendez would be likely to oblige with the powerhouse wrestler. Who do you think takes the belt here? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. A possible move up to 170 to take on someone like Paul Daley.

Melendez has expressed an interest in fighting at a higher weight class, specifically against Paul Daley, and I think this would be the natural thing to do if he keeps winning at Lightweight. Melendez has a lot of interesting possible challenges at Welterweight, not the least of which would be the actual jump in weight in and of itself, since Melendez has always been a smaller fighter. Whether it’s with or without the championship, a run at Welterweight is definitely an option for Melendez and would result in some tough, entertaining fights.

4. A fight with KJ Noons.

Even though he was unable to secure a second win over arch-rival Nick Diaz and claim the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in the process, KJ Noons is still a feared striker and a big threat to most Strikeforce fighters. Noons has had the most success in his MMA career at Lightweight, so he’ll probably drop back down to 155 after taking time off to heal the injuries he sustained in his second scrap with Diaz. And Melendez will be waiting for him. Melendez/Noons would be an awesome fight between a very tough grappler with a very tough chin and a very hard striker that is a former champion at Lightweight.

3. A second fight with Tatsuya Kawajiri.

In regards to Melendez’s immediate future, Tatsuya Kawajiri finds himself on the short-list of possible opponents that both the fans and Strikeforce management want to see Melendez test himself against. “Crusher” has won five of his last six and most recently beaten Josh Thomson at the K-1/DREAM supershow “DYNAMITE!! 2010”. Kawajiri is a tough knockout artist and, like KJ Noons, poses a big threat to Melendez on the feet. It’s also been over four years since these two last fought, so it has the potential to be a radically different second encounter.

2. A third fight with Josh Thomson.

Many fans seem to think that it’s inevitable that these two will meet for a third and final time to finally prove which one is better. I wholeheartedly agree. I think these two have a great rivalry going: both are highly competitive and highly skilled, but both respect each other a lot. It’s a rivalry born not out of scorn, but out of the honest desire to see which man is the better fighter. The two previous times these two fought each other were both Fight of the Year candidates, so a third (and most likely final) showdown would be a pivotal moment in both their careers.

And finally, we have…

1. A  champion vs. champion showdown with Bellator FC’s Eddie Alvarez.

There have been on-again, off-again talks of putting together a super-fight between Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez, the current Bellator FC Lightweight Champion. The reason this fight hasn’t happened yet is subject to much debate, and things actually got a bit bitter between Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. This fight seems to have faded back into the background at the start of 2011, but make no mistake, it would be an amazing fight between two of the best Lightweights on the planet.

And what about you, fans and friends? Did Melendez make the right call in sticking with Strikeforce? What do you think the future holds for “El Nino”?

The two standouts originally met a little over four years ago under the now defunct PRIDE banner, where Melendez scored a pretty close decision victory over the Japanese superstar. Since their encounter, both men have found tons of success in their division, with Kawajiri clearing house in Japan while Melendez took care of all comers that Strikeforce had to offer him here in the States.

MMAWeekly.com recently spoke with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker about Melendez’ return, and while he was hush-hush for the most part, he did reveal little tidbits about his champion, regarding his possible return and his next opponent.

“We’re talking to Japan, but things move slow over there and it’s been an ongoing conversation,” said Coker regarding acquiring Kawajiri from DREAM, the organization in which the Japanese star among other top athletes who cross over with Strikeforce, are under contract with.

“There’s a possibility. The fights aren’t finalized, but until we come back with a final card or at least a final main event, I really don’t want to talk about confirmations”, said Scott when asked about the possibility for Melendez returning by March.

The champion has since been sidelined from competition following a five-round domination of DREAM lightweight titleholder and top-ranked fighter, Shinya Aoki last April. A few lingering injuries have since been healed and Melendez has also been able to spend time with his new family, who welcomed a baby girl earlier last year.

Gilbert was also part of the now infamous CBS brawl, which took place in Nashville, Tennessee when Jason “Mayhem” Miller stepped inside the cage following Jake Shields‘ middleweight title defense against Dan Henderson. A melee ensued involving the Cesar Gracie camp, to whom both Shields and Melendez were part of the mix, including several others. For their actions, they were suspended for an allotted amount of time.

“He had a couple issues, he had that broken hand, and then he had the suspension issue, so yeah we would like to get him back in there right now,” said the CEO. “It’s just one of the conversations we’re having.”

While nothing is concrete yet, it’s looking promising. So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the possible match-up pitting Kawajiri and Melendez? Tatsuya recently bounced back from a submission defeat to Aoki (which snapped a four-fight win streak including victories over Kazunori Yakota and J.Z. Cavalcante) when he defeated former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson at the annual year-end Dynamite!! show. Thomson was likely the next in line for the belt, and now that Kawajiri beat him (handily) he should be recognized as the next logical contender. Sound off in the comment section below.

Now, on the cusp of another crack at the title he lost against rival Gilbert Melendez since going two-straight inside the Strikeforce cage, Thomson will risk it all on a whim when he faces perennial top-10 fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Though the fight is a big one in of itself, Kawajiri was not originally in the cards for Thomson, as Josh’s original opponent Shinya Aoki was pulled from the match for a more popular fight with K-1 kickboxer, Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima in a special-rules match up at this year’s Dynamite!! show.

“I was at a (Golden State) Warriors game and all of a sudden (Scott) Coker just texted me and he was like ‘hey, do you want to fight in Japan against Aoki?’ and I’m like, ‘no, not really, I haven’t been training, I’m not in shape, and it’s three weeks away.’ He’s like, ‘well, why don’t we try to figure something out.’ I guess Gil (Melendez) had pulled out of the fight with Aoki and so they really needed somebody to kind of keep their relationship strong with Dream and Strikeforce,” said Josh while speaking with MMAWeekly.com.

And while a fight with Aoki was a daunting task, Kawajiri was next up to bat for the American Kickboxing Academy product once the final preparations for DREAM’s: Dynamite!! 2010 show was finalized for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

“From Aoki to Kawajiri, that first week I was training for Aoki and then like Saturday night they called and were like, ‘we want Aoki to fight a four-round fight against a K-1 Max fighter, one round apiece.’ You know, one round kickboxing, one round MMA, one round kickboxing, and one round MMA. I guess the best way for them to do that was to eliminate me from the equation,” Thomson commented. “So basically it was put in the situation where he wanted to be on the show, then he had to fight that fight, and so they gave me Kawajiri”, said Thomson.

“Originally, I didn’t want the fight based on that he’s somebody I would have liked to prepared a lot longer for. I mean this is somebody with even an eight- or 10-week camp you can’t really be ready enough for him,” Thomson said. “This time it really came down to keeping the relationship between Strikeforce and Dream together, and making it work between Strikeforce fighters and the Dream fighters, and I felt like we can do the deal and get it done and now it’s fine.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Will a three-week training camp for the former champion be enough for “The Punk” to deal with “The Crusher”? Sound off in the comment section below.

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.

Eddie made the most of his opportunity when he was guest on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, and confronted Scott Coker, the CEO of the San Jose based organization, regarding their champion.

“Scott, It seems as though your lightweight champion keeps on calling me out on every interview and I have no problem with that”, began the enigmatic lightweight.

“I’ve never said anything about the kid and I would never say anything at all. Never even approached anybody about fighting Gilbert Melendez. He just doesn’t shut up, every other interview he’s talking about fighting me ‘Oh I want to fight Eddie Alvarez, I want to fight Eddie Alvarez’ and it really makes me look bad because I see (the interview) the next day later. So Bjorn [Rebney] (Bellator Fighting Championship CEO) says it’s OK, I say it’s OK, Gilbert is telling the world that he wants to fight me. I assume you’re the only one left to agree.”

Gilbert Melendez has been on the mend, taking the rest of the year to help him recuperate from injuries sustained in back-to-back 5 round title fights against Josh Thomson, which helped him avenge his only other loss hanging out there (the first was against Mitsuhiro Ishida, which he later avenged as well), and most recently Shinya Aoki, who holds a victory over Alvarez, in April of this year. Melendez soundly defeated the DREAM lightweight champion in his first title defense, shucking off any take down attempts while raining down the hammer on his Japanese foe. He was able to come away the victor, winning every round on the judges score cards.

While talks had been in place before, a sort of more subtle meeting of the minds with the CEO’s Scott Coker and Bjorn Rebney, both parties appear to be game–the sticking matter, appears to be how co-promotion would work for both parties, considering Strikeforce’s ties with CBS, Showtime, and now M-1 Global.

“First of all, I have tremendous respect for you. I think you’re a great fighter, great champion of Bellator and I followed your career over in Japan when you were fighting over there and these things are sometimes a little complicated”, stated the cautious Coker.

“It’s not just the fight, of course we would love to make the fight, but there’s so many details to be worked out between the promotions to make it happen. Bjorn did call me and I did talk to him and this was probably two months ago. I said look, Gilbert has a broken hand at the time so let’s just table this until the future, but after the KJ Noons/Nick Diaz fight, we can readdress this. We’ve been open to co-promotions with every league so that’s not the issue. The issue is how does it work on a business level between our two leagues and if we can work that out, we would love to have it.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of this? Would you like to see Melendez in action against Alvarez? Who do you take in this match up? 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.

Eddie Alvarez, the reigning and defending Bellator lightweight champion and DREAM veteran, will be facing UFC veteran and now-internet-sensation, Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

The news was first reported during the broadcast of tonight’s Bellator 25 card, which was headlined by 185-pound champion Hector Lombard against former NFL player Herbert Goodman, in a non-title affair.

Pat Curran, the 155-pound season 2 lightweight tournament champion, earned the right to face current champion Eddie Alvarez while beating the aforementioned Huerta and Toby Imada along the way to the finals. However, a shoulder injury will sideline Pat Curran for the unforeseeable future, and in the interim steps in Huerta.

Roger made headlines recently as he was featured in a video popularized my TMZ, vindicating a woman who had been knocked out by a much larger african american male. Huerta approached the man, and one thing lead to another, and the video later showed said assailant on his back, bloodied and unconsciousness.

Eddie Alvarez rose to fame with his run through DREAM’s inaugural lightweight tournament. And with win’s over the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, and Katsunori Kikuno anchoring his résumé, Alvarez has made himself a formidable opponent as well here in the states, and is widely recognized as a top-5 lightweight.

So, is this the fight fan’s would more like to see, or we’re we all banking on a title fight between Curran and Alvarez, more so, over this non-title affair?

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.

Aoki bit first and deep, shooting for a single-leg takedown.  Kawajiri stuffed it and attempted to reverse to top position, but that was just fine with Aoki.  Aoki flowed with the transition and pulled Kawajiri atop him.  By the Kawajiri realized he didn’t want to be anywhere on the mat with Aoki, Aoki had gobbled up Kawajiri’s left leg and was rolling with a heel hook.

Kawajiri rolled in defense and Aoki transitioned into an Achilles lock.  Kawajiri dotted Aoki’s left eye with two heel kicks with his free leg, but Aoki bit harder on Kawajiri’s left leg.

Kawajiri grimaced in pain.  For a moment it seemed as Aoki had worn himself out on the grip, but with one final tug he forced Kawajiri to tap out.

Aoki’s title defense was the main event on a seven-fight card that gradually and unintentionally developed the theme of rejected fighters from United States promotions UFC and Strikeforce.  Aoki was once regarded as a rival to former UFC champion  “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1), but was exposed as woefully one-dimensional at Strikeforce versus Melendez.

Earlier in the evening, “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-13-5) announced his return to DREAM after a 0-2-1 run in the UFC.  Dutch kickboxer  ”No Mercy” Melvin Manhoef (23-6-1) returned to DREAM off of a first-round knockout loss to former EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-6) at Strikeforce in Miami in January, only to lose to unheralded Tatsuya Mizuno (8-5).  UFC rejects Kazuhiro Nakamura (15-1) and Michihiro Omigawa (11-8-1) each walked away with wins at DREAM.

The era of Japanese MMA rivaling American MMA on an equal footing is over, even in the lower weight classes, and the Japanese sport is now unquestionably a minor league to both the UFC and Strikeforce.

Diaz won the original exhibition match and eventually the TUF 5 championship.  But, Maynard has bullied ahead of Diaz since TUF 5, with big decision victories of UFC contenders sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1) and “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1).

With vengeance tonight versus Diaz, Maynard will have proven himself as the top contender in the UFC’s 155-pound division and will deserve a title fight versus Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1).

In fact, Maynard deserved the title shot over Penn’s last challenger ninth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3).  Penn stopped Sanchez in the fourth round at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.  It was never a competitive contest, primarily because Sanchez hadn’t put in the work in the division to earn the fight.

But, Fighters.com worries recent UFC signee “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) might take Maynard’s shot even if Maynard wins versus Diaz for the same reason Sanchez did.  Gomi is a bigger name, despite his recent disappointing performances.

Gomi is the type of fighter UFC President Dana White would crack jokes about if Gomi wasn’t now a UFC fighter.  Since reigning as PRIDE lightweight champion, Gomi’s focus on fighting has been lax.  He’s lost consecutive fights to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) at Sengoku in November 2008 and Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) at Sengoku in January 2009 and has expressed desires to spend the rest of his years surfing rather than fighting.  He’s evidently changed his mine.  Even as PRIDE champion, he dodged losing his title in non-title losses to “Maximus” Marcus Aurélio (18-7) in 2006 and Nick Diaz (20-8) in 2007.  (The Diaz loss was later ruled a no contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana.)  And, as PRIDE champion, his matchups followed the Japanese pattern of one legitimate contender, followed by one tomato can, and so on.  What’s disappointing about Gomi is that his losses to Aurélio and Goliaev were supposed to be his tomato can fights.

Fighters.com’s point is that, while Maynard has earned a title shot, Gomi should be required to earn a fight versus Penn.  Sanchez didn’t earn his title challenge and the result was an obviously unprepared Sanchez versus a particularly lethatl Penn.

Fighters.com January Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3)

10. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

My first wish for mixed martial arts is to for a fight to happen in arguably the most prestigious building in the sporting world, Madison Square Garden. The Garden calls itself the “World’s Most Famous Arena” and one would be pressed to find anyone who disagrees. It is in fact the second when it comes to being the world’s busiest arena, right behind Manchester Evening News Arena. It is an iconic figure in sports and nothing says you have made it better than holding an event inside it’s storied walls. Marc Rattner stated he believes that it will become legal in the state in either Febuary or March of the coming year. Hopefully this holds true and we see an event at the Garden near the end of 2010.

Second on my list of wishes for mma would be to see the fighters from DREAM actually move into Strikeforce. Many of the fighters in DREAM are heralded as some of the best in the world. Fighters such as Fighters.com fourth-ranked lightweight “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (16-8-1), eighth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-4-2) and second-ranked Shinya Aoki (14-3). These are men that would offer very entertaining fights against the best Strikeforce has to offer. Not only that but they would be fights that would have some impact on the rankings which is something all hardcore fans want to see, fights with true meaning.

Who would not like to see Aoki versus “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) or Kawajiri versus fifth-ranked welterweight Jake Shields (24-4-1) in action packed Strikeforce fights?

There are many intriguing fights that could be put together if this truly comes to fruition. It would give some of the Strikeforce fighters a chance to prove they truly are some of the best rather than being looked at as second tier fighters. It also would introduce some of the best in the world to the casual fan who does not typically watch Dream events.

My final wish for mixed martial arts in 2010 would be for us to finally see some changes to the archaic judging system. Currently we have two major faults to the scoring system. Boxing’s 10 point must system which fails to work for mixed martial arts and judges that seemed to be lacking in knowledge when it comes to certain aspects of the sport.

As I write this changes to boxing’s scoring system which we have adopted are being looked into finally. According to Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, recent changes to the system were discussed at a recent American Boxing Commissioners convention. Half points is something we may see added. Thus giving the judges a better way to score rounds. Nelson “Doc” Hamilton has stated judges are discouraged from handing out 10-10 rounds and as we all know very rarely give out 10-8 rounds. Adding the half point gives the judges to better score rounds giving the fight a more true outcome.

I think the addition of the half point would be a bold move forward for mma but that needs to be coupled with proper certification of the judges. Many of the judges in the sport have come over from boxing and need to learn the art of jiu jitsu and what a near submission looks like. During an episode of my show, MMA Gospel Radio, I talked about changes to the judging. The segment was called “Save MMA”. During that segment I brought up the topic of nationwide certification for judges where they are required to take a class three times a year. While at the class they would be required to judge a fight off of video tape and then all the judges would have to defend their scores. They would also be required to watch some of the high level jiu jitsu fighters and learn what different submissions are and how they are set up. This leads to knowledgeable judges and more clear cut decisions in the sport.

I feel even enacting one of these changes to the judging system would make 2010 one of the biggest years in the history of the sport.

Those are my wishes for mixed martial arts in the coming year. What are your wishes for the coming year? If you would like to discuss any of this with me directly you can join us on MMA Gospel Radio every Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel where we have a live chat room during the show. You can also call in to the show by dialing 347-857-1337 and join myself and New York Gary Friedman live on the air. I know some people would rather not go live on a radio program so feel free to contact me at turk@fighters.com to tell me your thoughts on this article or any other piece you have read here.

Eigth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) has drawn Kazunori Yokota (9-2-2) at the same event.

When the collaboration between DREAM and Sengoku at Dynamite!! was announced last month, Aoki slighted Hirota by telling the press conference he had never heard of Hirota.

Aoki tapped out fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) at DREAM.11 in Yokohama October 6, avenging a loss he suffered in 2008.

Hirota won the Sengoku title by TKOing Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) at Ninth Battle in Tokyo August 2.

Kawajiri TKO’d “Barracuda” Melchor Manibusan (1-1) at DREAM.11.

Yokota won a UD over Eiji Mitsuoka (15-6-2) at Eleventh Battle in Tokyo November 7.

Timely too!  Sanchez is scheduled to fight Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Top contender “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) has a few options for his next challenge.  He could fight Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota (9-3) when Japanese promotions DREAM and Sengoku collaborate north of Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, but told a press conference announcing the collaboration he didn’t know who Hirota is.  Or, he could take the previously rumored matchup versus eigth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) at the same event.  Or, Aoki could make his Strikeforce debut, as the Japanese star has signed with the UFC’s top competition to make his American debut in 2010.

Fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) was challenged by former foe and top tenner Eiji Mitsuoka (15-6-2) for the DREAM/Sengoku collaboration, but no confirmation of the matchup has been announced.

Fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) will fight Nate Diaz (10-5) at UFC Fight Night 20 at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia January 11.

Sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1) will take on late replacement for “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4), undefeated Matt Veach (8-0), at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Ninth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) announced he’ll fight “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-2) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Fighters.com November Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2)

Sanchez has certainly fought in some of SpikeTV’s most memorable fights, including his most recent split decision victory over perennial gatekeeper “Carpenter” Clay Guida (25-10) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale in Las Vegas June 20.

But, UFC lightweights fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) and sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1) are more deserving of a title shot, though admittedly less well-known to casual UFC fans.

Maynard won a split decision over another unranked, but popular UFC lightweight “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 16.

Edgar will follow-up his unanimous decision over former UFC champ ninth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) at UFC 98 in Las Vegas May 23 versus “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Diaz beats unrelenting, but beatable Guida and gets a title shot versus Penn.  Edgar beats the former champ Sherk and is notched down to fight Pellegrino.  Explain that…

Sherk was scheduled to fight Gleison Tibau (16-6) at UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24, but withdrew with an injury.

Most recent UFC title challenger, seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4), will swap opponents with Diaz when he fights Guida at UFC 107.

Meanwhile, across the Pacific second-ranked DREAM champ “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) avenged his most recent loss in the division with an armbar submission of fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) at DREAM.11 in Yokohama October 6 and is already slated to defend his title from eighth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) at Dynamite!! 2009 north of Tokyo on New Year’s Eve.

Third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (16-2) and tenth-ranked Katsunori Kikuno (5-0-1) will fight at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25 for the next DREAM title shot versus the winner of Aoki v Kawajiri.

Fighters.com’s October Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10. Katsunori Kikuno (5-0-1)

Marquee lightweight “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) weighed 150.4 pounds and opponent “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) weighed 153.9 pounds.

MMA legend and Japanese hero “Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba (21-13-1)  weighed 184.1 pounds and rookie opponent Rubin Williams weighed 181.9 pounds.
 
Lightweight “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) weighed 154.1 pounds and “Barracuda” Melchor Manibusan (1-1) weighed 152.6 pounds.

Featherweight Grand Prix contestant Joe Warren (2-0) weighed 138.2 pounds and his semi-final “Flash” Bibiano Fernandes (5-1) weighed 138.2 pounds.

In the other GP semi-final, Hideo Tokoro (19-15-1) weighed 138.5 pounds and “Evil Fist” Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1) weighed 138.9 pounds.

In the GP reserve bout, Daiki Hata (2-0-1) 138.5 pounds and Kazuyuki Miyata (4-6) weighed 138.5 pounds.

In the Super Hulk Tournament semi-finals, “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) weighed 220.5 pounds and his replacement opponent “Beast” Bob Sapp (10-5-1) weighed 341.7 pounds.

Finally, in the other Super Hulk semi-final “Minowaman” Ikuhisa Minowa (40-28-8) weighed 192.9 pounds and Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1) weighed 319.7 pounds.

DREAM.11 will be broadcast on HDNet in North America.

Also, “Beast” Bob Sapp (10-5-1) was officially announced as the replacement for injured “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) versus “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) in the Super Hulk tournament and “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-2-1) was officially withdrawn due to injury from his matchup versus Daisuke Nakamura (18-9).  Both moves had been expected.

Japanese favorite Kawajiri won a three-round UD over Cavalcante at DREAM 9 in Yokohama May 26, so it must be time to let him beat a gaijin mercilessly for the fans.  Chosen gaijin beating-taker Manibusan hasn’t fought since November 2006 when he was TKO’d by Artur Oumakhanov (2-1) at Draka 2006 in Khabarovsk, Russia.

Sapp gave up due to a barrage of punches from Bobby Lashley (4-0) at Fight Force International in Biloxi June 27 and was hoisted from the Super Hulk tournament in the first round by “Minowaman” Ikuhisa Minowa (40-28-8) at DREAM 9.  Sokoudjou beat “Giant” Jan Norte (2-6) at the same event.

DREAM is searching for a replacement for Cavalcante versus Nakamura.  Perhaps Manibusan has a mate at the pub in Russia he’s been drinking at for the last three years who’ll volunteer for the beating and a weekend in Yokohama?

Mousasi will face four-time K-1 Japan GP champion Musashi, while Kawajiri will face former K-1 World MAX Japan finalist Kozo Takeda.

Mousasi won DREAM’s Middleweight GP in September, knocking out eighth-ranked middleweight “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2) with an upkick at 2:15 of round one of the final.

Kawajiri last fought Fighters.com’s third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (13-1) at DREAM.5 in July, losing via first-round TKO.

“Hellboy” shocked Osaka 21 July by TKOing former Fighters.com Lightweight Champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3) in the first round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix final.

Aoki spirals down eight wrungs to ninth on the loss, taking vanquished rival tenth-ranked “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) with him.

Penn takes the Championship from the second rank, but is torn between moving to welterweight to fight Fighters.com Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) or defending his Fighters.com and UFC titles from seventh-ranked, top UFC contender “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3).

In Minneapolis 9 August, Florian cleared-up the UFC’s lightweight picture with a dominant UD over “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-2-1).

Hansen seems destined to defend his DREAM title from third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (15-1), who won a UD over Hansen in the second round of DREAM’s tournament.

Alvarez TKO’d “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) to earn the fight versus Aoki in the DREAM GP final, but sustained injuries that allowed Hansen to replace him.

Second-ranked “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) will fight DEEP Lightweight Champion Sung Hwan Pang (5-1) in Saitama, north of Tokyo, 24 August.

August Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)

“Prodigy’s” return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. In May, he dominated the best the UFC had to offer in a TKO of Sherk.  Will he stay at 155-pounds?

2. “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3)

Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Mitsuhiro Ishida.  A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned in March with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig.

3. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)

Since dropping from welterweight for the DREAM Lightweight GP, Alvarez has been relentless in a stoppage of Amade, UD over Joachim, and TKO of Tatsuya Kawajiri.  Only an injury prevented him from securing the DREAM title.

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)

“Hellboy” shocked Aoki with a TKO in a rematch of the fight that introduced the gogoplata to MMA.  He also holds a UD over Boku, but decision losses to Alvarez and Mitsuoka hint at inconsistency.

5. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-3-1)

“Muscle Shark” had been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian.  In his return, Penn outclassed the wrestler to a TKO, leaving both top UFC lightweights with slim competition within the promotion.

6. Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2)

Mitsuoka followed up a majority decision over Hansen in Shooto by handing SpiritMC 155-pound champ Kwang Hee Lee  his first loss in Sengoku.  Only a SD loss to Boku in Cage Force tarnished his two-year record.

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3)

Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD. “KenFlo” is ready for a second title challenge after a dominant UD over top UFC contender Roger Huerta.

8. Kotetsu Boku (13-5-1)

Boku risks being labled a fluke.  After a SD over Mitsuoka, Boku has dropped consecutive decisions to Artur Oumakhanov and Hansen.

9. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3)

Aoki had eleven straight wins, including MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage over Hansen, topped only by MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage from the mount over Katsuhiko Nagata.  But, Hansen exacted revenge with a TKO in the DREAM GP final.

10. “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1)

“JZ” has brushed Andre Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in ’06, part of 13 straight without a loss until losing a UD to Aoki in April.

Hansen was originally eliminated from the tournament at DREAM.3 11 May after dropping a decision to Eddie Alvarez (15-1), but was drafted into the final after slapping an armbar on “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (10-8) at 2:33 of round one in the tournament’s reserve fight Sunday.

Ironically, Hansen replaced Alvarez after Alvarez knocked out “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) at 7:35 of round one in a thrilling slugfest.  A right hook, right uppercut combo floored “Crusher” and Alvarez pounded the Japanese fighter out, but sustained a cut over his right eye in the action that would prevent him from fighting for the title.

Tournament favorite “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3) contorted himself into the final versus Hansen in a unanimous decision over “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-11-4), throwing everything in the “Judan” book at Uno: armbar, triangle choke, heel hook, rear naked choke, gogoplata, etc.  Though Aoki wasn’t able to stop Uno, he dominated for the decision.

The final was set: Aoki v Hansen; and, in most people’s minds, already settled in favor of the Japanese favorite.

Aoki quickly pressed his advantage and put Hansen on the mat, running through his repertoire of locks and chokes.  Hansen defended and worked into top position inside Aoki’s guard.

Pow!  Hansen tore into Aoki with punches from the top and a big left stunned the “Tobikan Judan”.  Hansen quickly finished off the helpless favorite with strikes at 4:19 of round one to win DREAM’s first Lightweight Championship.

Akiyama Has Something Up His Sleeve

Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1) returned from an eight-month stint on the DL to choke out Katsuyori Shibata (2-5) with the sleeve of his gi at 6:34 of round one.

Shibata held his own for the first half of the round as he exchanged with the heavily-favoured Akiyama.

However, once the fighters went to the mat, Akiyama was able to get on top, get into mount, and put Shibata to sleep.

Overeem Taps Hunt

“Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (28-11) accepted the challenge from Kiwi kickboxer Mark Hunt (5-4) on three-days’ notice and gave little notice to Hunt before tapping him in a keylock at 1:11 of round one.

It was Hunt who took Overeem to the mat to begin the fight; but, Overeem used the position to his advantage.

Hironaka Wins DREAM Debut

Fresh from a poor showing in the Octagon, Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5) stopped a two-fight losing streak with a solid straight that gashed  Motoki Miyazawa‘s (4-1) left eye.

The fight had been a fairly even stand-up war; but, the cut prompted a doctor stoppage in favor of Hironaka at 8:57 of round one.

Other Fights

Featherweight Joseph Benavidez (8-0) remained undefeated after tapping “Kodo” Junya Kudo (6-2-2) in a guillotine choke at 2:42 of round one.

Welterweight Daisuke Nakamura (15-9) followed a straight right to Andy Ologun (1-1) into a takdown and slick armbar to tap Ologun at 3:41 of round one.

Though issued a yellow card for low blows, featherweight Hideo Tokoro (22-13-1) won a unanimous decison over Takeshi Yamazaki (14-8-2).

Fighters.com never questioned Penn’s talent, just his recent body of work at 155-pounds.

Though Penn fought unquestionably tougher competition last month, “Tobikan Judan” stole the show in the division by pulling a gogoplata from the mount out of his hat to tap Katsuhiko Nagata (4-3) 15 June in Tokyo.

It seems impossible for DREAM’s magician from Tokyo and the UFC’s warrior from Hilo to settle the cross-Pacific lightweight question; but, UFC President Dana White is desperate to keep Penn’s eyes from wandering out of the young UFC 155-pound division.

Penn told the post-UFC 84 press conference that, after out-boxing Sherk, it’s hard for him to get motivated to fight the winner of seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) versus “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) to be fought in Minneapolis 9 August.

Penn wants Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).

White wants Penn to focus at 155-pounds.

Fighters.com predicts White is committed enough to the division and keeping Penn in it to sign some of the top lightweights not already in the UFC.

Maybe Aoki. Maybe not.

Maybe sixth-ranked Eddie Alvarez (14-1), who draws “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2) in DREAM’s Lightweight GP in Tokyo 21 July.

Alvarez is on loan to DREAM from Adrenaline MMA, run by Alvarez’s manager Monte Cox.

Cox has a good relationship with the UFC and and his fighters.

Fighters.com speculates Cox would gladly send Alvarez to the big show for awhile if he feels like Adrenaline can’t give Alvarez the fights that best capatalize on Alvarez’s success in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Aoki fights on the same card as Alvarez in July, matched versus tenth-ranked “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-10-4).

Third-ranked “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) returns versus a yet-to-be-named foe 24 August in Tokyo, keeping Fighters.com questioning why we’ve seen so little of the former PRIDE Champ since losing to Nick Diaz (17-7) in February 2007.

Eighth-ranked Hermes Franca (18-6) returns in Las Vegas 19 July from his suspension for testing positive for banned substances. He’s matched versus rising talent “The Answer” Frank Edgar (8-1).

Third-ranked “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1) and ninth-ranked “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1) are both on the shelf after losing in DREAM’s Lightweight GP.

June Lightweight Rankings

1. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-2)

Aoki has eleven straight wins, including MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage over Joachim Hansen, topped only by MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage from the mount over Katsuhiko Nagata.

2. “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)

“Prodigy’s” return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. In May, he dominated the best the UFC had to offer in a TKO of Sherk. Will he stay at 155-pounds?

3. “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3)

Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Mitsuhiro Ishida. A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned last month with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig.

4. “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1)

“JZ” has brushed Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in ’06, part of 13 straight without a loss until losing a UD to Aoki in April.

5. “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1)

“Muscle Shark” had been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian. In his return, Penn outclassed the wrestler to a TKO, leaving both top UFC lightweights with slim competition within the promotion.

6. Eddie Alvarez (14-1)

Since dropping from welterweight for the DREAM Lightweight GP, Alvarez has been relentless in a stoppage of Amade and a UD over Joachim Hansen.

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3)

Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD. “KenFlo” is ready for a second run at the title, but will first face Roger Huerta for the UFC top contendership.

8. Hermes Franca (18-6)

Despite a year suspension, Franca has been busy the last two years with stoppages of Spencer Fisher, Nathan Diaz, and new WEC champ Jamie Varner. He’s only dropped a UD to Sherk and returns 19 July versus Frank Edgar.

9. “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1)

Since a UD over Uno, Amade has been stopped consecutively by top tenners Alvarez and Calvancante. In the last two years, “Dida” has also stopped Artur Oumakhanov and Hiroyuki Takaya.

10. “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-10-4)

Uno splashed into the top ten with a submission of former PRIDE title contender Mitsuhiro Ishida. The former UFC and K-1 star now begins a run in DREAM that leads to Fighters.com Champ Aoki in July.

Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked middleweight “Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-5) and Nick Diaz (16-7) also picked up wins.

“Mayhem” easily pounded out Masakatsu Funaki-trained Katsuyori Shibata (2-4) in 6:57 to add himself and a bit of respectability to the Middleweight Grand Prix to be continued at DREAM.4.

In the Lightweight GP’s biggest upset, Uno was too slick for Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked lightweight “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-4-1) on his feet, then, surprisingly, on the mat.

“Uno Shoten” wrapped Ishida up in a rear naked choke during a scramble on the ground, ending the “Endless Fighter” at 1:39 of the second round.

Alvarez won an exciting unanimous decision over “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen in an upset predicted by Fighters.com.

Kawajiri advanced to DREAM.5 in the expected “W” over “Buscape” Luiz Firmino (12-4), but wasn’t able to stop the tough Brazilian.

Some fighters get rusty after a prolonged absence.  “Mean for no reason” (as labeled by “Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2)) Diaz was pissed after six months of inactivity.  He unloaded on welterweight King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue (16-6-3) for nearly seven minutes, causing Inoue’s corner to throw in the towel.

Diaz earned a DREAM welterweight title shot with the dominating “W”.

Welterweight Daisuke Nakamura (14-9) served Korean judoka Bu Kyung Jung (0-3) his first stoppage loss with a knockout at 1:05 of round two.

“Marvelous” Melvin Manhoef (21-4-1) TKO’d another Korean judoka, Dae Won Kim (4-4), at 4:08 of round one.

Lightweight Takeshi Yamazaki (14-7-2) won a unanimous decision over Shoji Maruyama (6-3-1).

That’s what most believe, but, not so long ago, most believed the world was flat, or, at best, the rounded shell of a very large turtle.  Since “time and chance happeneth to all”, let’s take a quick peek at what could happen.

On 11 May, we’ll see if one the following warriors has the equipment to give Aoki his first loss since 2005.  Since several of these fighters (complete with difficult-to-pronounce names) aren’t quickly recognized among the North American MMA mainstream, where Affliction brands and “GSP” references are as common as stop signs, all the more reason to break’em down.

Which lightweight might stop the flexible “Tobikan Judan”?

From least likely to most:

Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2)
  
Aoki, after suffering injuries in his decision win over “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2) at DREAM.2, will face Nagata at DREAM.5.
  
Nagata is one busy fighter as long as he’s on top. A silver-medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics, Nagata can clinch well and might toss Aoki to the mat.  But, what happens when Aoki’s on his back?  Brer Rabbit and the brier patch come to mind.

Aoki should hand Nagata his first submission loss.

Eddie Alvarez (13-1) v “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-6)

Alvarez is fireworks, blood, and guts.  He’s always been dangerous, but after losing to Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked welterweight “The Goat” Nick Thompson (35-9) in Bodog and his subsequent weight drop, he’s unpredictable as well.

Before Thompson pounded him out, Alvarez had one gear and one direction: forward with fists flying.  He’s a smarter fighter now with improved takedowns, though his lust for hitting hard is still on board.

Hansen had the skills to give third-ranked lightweight “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) his first-ever lost.  Those skills have only gotten better.

“Hellboy” has brutal leg kicks, which is what toppled Alvarez in Bodog.  But, Hansen isn’t nearly as lanky as Thompson; and, Alvarez will get the better of the Norwegian if Hansen employs his kicks.  If Alvarez manages a single-leg, don’t expect him to play in Hansen’s ever-dangerous guard.
  
Alvarez should likely pound this one out, but, if he ends up with Aoki under him, his ground game won’t be enough to keep himself clean of armlocks and triangles galore.

“Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1) v “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (24-10-4)

There’s not much Uno can’t do well.  He is exciting and capable of showing up on someone’s back when neither the opponent, nor the crowd expects it. He’s slick and fun and will keep this fight interesting with bursts of opposition.
  
Fifth-ranked lightweight Ishida is a great wrestler and doesn’t get punched much while waiting for a shot.  He moves very well.  His footwork will keep him out of trouble when the fight is standing; and, he’ll power through the submission attempts.  And, although he’s not super exciting (or, maybe because he’s not), Ishida will likely stay on top, throwing just enough leather to keep the ref from forcing the duo to their feet.

Should Ishida wrestle out a ‘W’, he might face off with Aoki; but, it’s not enough to just put Shinya on his back.

“Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2) v “Buscape” Luiz Firmino (12-3)

Firmino moves well enough off his back and has good cardio.  And, his back is exactly where Kawajiri could put him quickly as Firmino seems to have problem giving up takedowns.

Once down, though, Firmino must work for submissions, and; Kawajiri will make it everything but easy.  Firmino will take a lot of damage, with only brief respites thanks to the occasional submission attempt that will never be sunk.
  
Kawajiri is a thick beast of a wrestler and tough to submit.  Gomi got him with a rear naked choke, but only after he was hurt with body shots, left hands to the face, and knees that drove him down and ripened him for a tap-out.

Kawajiri still punches like a wrestler when standing, but is a dangerous contender for this Grand Prix.
  
If Kawajiri takes Firmino by TKO or late decision, he could prove more than a handful on the ground for Aoki…should they meet.

“Crusher” postures well and hits hard, but with control.  If he doesn’t expose his legs when he’s on top, Kawajiri will be the fighter to push Aoki the hardest.
  
Unlike the myth of a flat Earth, Kawajiri is one fighter who’s for real and his name, tricky as it seems now, could become a household moniker if he’s the one to topple “Tobikan Judan”.

Their first scheduled matchup was to be last New Year’s Eve at Yarenokka, but “JZ” bailed with a bum knee.

In the Lightweight Grand Prix at DREAM.1, the two division standouts only tussled for about four minutes before an errant Calvancanti elbow dug into the back of Aoki’s head.  The fight was stopped and declared a No Contest when Aoki couldn’t continue.

And, if my kanji literacy isn’t too far off, DREAM also announced the Lightweight Grand Prix’s next round of bouts.

At DREAM.3 11 May, the winner between Calvancanti and Aoki will fight Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) who surprised Artur Oumakhanov (7-3) in the first round.

Eddie Alvarez (13-1) and “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-6-1) will matchup in another Grand Prix bout.

Another matchup features a rematch between “Buscape” Luiz Firmino (12-3) and “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2).

Kawajiri won a 2005 unanimous decision over Firmino in PRIDE.

Finally, “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (24-10-4) got a bye into a second-round fight with “Endless Warrior” Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1).

The K-1/former-PRIDE collaboration featured mismatches of size and skill, world-class MMA, late stoppages, carnival theatrics, a tournament format, and the banshee herself, Lenne Hardt, introducing it all.

The card featured the opening round of DREAM’s lightweight grand prix in which Eddie Alvarez (13-1), “Buscape” Luiz Firmino (12-3), “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-6-1), “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1), “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2), and Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) all advanced to the next round.

The tournaments seventh and most anticipated match-up betwen “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (14-2) and “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1) ended in a No Contest.

In non-tournament bouts, “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-7-2) and “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic both won first round TKOs and “The Punk” Ikuhisa Minowa won a first round submission.

Ishida and Korean judoka Bu Kyung Jung (0-2) fought the most competitive bout with Ishida squeezing a unanimous decision over the MMA rookie.

The Japanese wrestler, Ishida, whirled around Jung for the first two minutes, peppering leg kicks into the Korean’s thighs.  On Jung’s lunging clinch attempt, Ishida slammed him to the mat.

On the mat, inside Jung’s tightly closed guard, Ishida heaved him into the air and slammed him again before raising back to his feet.

Jung followed and lunged to clinch again, but Ishida ducked.  Jung slammed face first into the corner, Ishida pouncing atop him.

From a full guard body lock, Jung transitioned into an armbar as the Japanese fighter tried to yank free.  It was close, and Jung took the opportunity to kick the struggling wrestler in the face before Ishida broke free.  Another powerful Ishida slam countered Jung’s near miss.

As the ground game went on, Ishida’s spurts of G’n'P became more effective as the Korean filed through submissions, but the ref stood them anyway.

Backed into a corner, Ishida threw a clumsy left roundhouse kick Jung blocked as Ishida slipped.  This time it was Jung who pounced, locking Ishida’s head beneath his armpit for another tight neck crank submission attempt.

Again, Ishida popped free, both fighters slick with sweat by that point, and worked an effective ground’n'pound until the ref stood the fighters.

This time it was Ishida who lunged for a single leg takedown and Jung pulled guard, then slipped a slick armbar on the wrestler.  Again, the “Endless Fighter” slipped free and hammered on the judoka to the first round bell.

The second round began as the first, with Ishida avoiding a head-on collision by circling.  Ishida shot for the same single leg takedown that got him in trouble near the end of round one and Jung again pulled guard and sucked up arms at angles looking for submissions.  Ishida countered by grinding fists into Jung’s face until the ref stood them up.

Ishida made it a trilogy with a third identical takedown and Jung responded as he had to the first two.  Both fighters exchanged leather while Jung worked his high guard into a weak triangle choke, but wasn’t able to lock his leg beneath his knee.

The bout ended with both exhausted fighters pitty-patting each other on the mat.

An argument could be made to give the judoka the win, but the judges saw Ishida’s aggressive ground’n'pound as the deal breaker and awarded him a unanimous decision.

In another exciting tournament fight, at the bell Alvarez and “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1) stormed to the center of the ring throwing leather.  The American shot a single leg and stood-up with the ankle he had snatched.  He swept Dida’s other foot from beneath him and dumped the BJJ black belt on his back.

The ref stood Dida and he immediately resumed throwing haymakers, catching Alvarez square on the chin with two big left hooks, then dropping him with a third as the American retreated.

But on the mat Alvarez’s superior wrestling positioned him for a two-minute vicious ground’n'pound onslaught that lead to the TKO stoppage at 6:47 of round one.  Dida was simply overpowered and out-positioned.

Tattooed Norwegian Hansen resembled a snow leopard feasting on Kotetsu Boku (13-5-1) of Krazy Bee.  Since becoming the first MMA fighter to tap in a gogoplata in 2006, the former kickboxer Hansen has been all out on the mat.  He took Boku to the ground and paired an octopus-like submission game with brutal ground’n'pound for the entire 15 minutes.  The decision was unanimous for Hansen.

“Buscape” of Brazilian Top Team found a rear naked choke on undersized Kazuyuki Miyata (5-7) at 7:37 of round one.

In a mild upset, Nagata took a unanimous decision over the Russian Artur Oumakhanov (7-3).

Kawajiri earned the sixth spot in round two of DREAM’s lightweight grand prix with a unanimous decision over surprisingly durable “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (9-7) of Canada.

The tournament’s most hyped match-up fizzled when Aoki took an errant elbow to the back of the head from Calvancanti after much ado about nothing.  There’s been no clarification about a rematch or whether either fighter will advance in the tournament.

Hidetaka Monma (14-8-3) was never in his fight with Sakurai, but evidently the ref was unaware of the mismatch.  From the top position, Sakurai pounded Monma in the head 20-seconds longer than necessary before the referee called a stoppage at 4:12 of round one.

I’m hereby dividing the MMA universe into two halves.  Those, like me, who’re disgusted to witness “Cro Cop” as a characterture of himself matched up against veritable heads-on-a-tee like Tatsuya Mizuno (3-3) and those who lust to see the former PRIDE OWGP champ served-up such heads for entertainment, not sport.  “Cro Cop”, in an awkward performance, TKO’d Mizuno at :56 of round one.

And in the last of the three rings that made-up non tournament action at DREAM.1, Minowaman swung from half mount into a kneebar to submit overweight Korean Bum Chang Kang (1-2) at 1:25 of round one.

DREAM.2 follows on 29 April with the first round a a middleweight grand prix.

Canadian “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill will post his 9-6 record versus Japanese “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri, 20-4-2.

Kawajiri’s record includes a DQ “W” over fellow Grand Prix competitor Joachim Hansen.  “Black Mamba” broke a three-loss skid in K-1 and Bodog with a first round TKO of Hideo Tokoro in K-1 Hero’s Middleweight Tournament in his last fight.

Kazuyuki Miyata, 5-6, emerges from a rear naked choke loss to Hansen on K-1′s New Year’s Eve card to face-off with “Buscape” Luiz Firmino, 11-3.

Firmino’s record lists a 2005 unanimous decision loss to Kawajiri in PRIDE Bushido.

“Hellboy” Joachim Hansen of Norway locks horns versus Norifumi Yamamoto‘s Krazy Bee trainee Kotetsu Boku.

Hansen holds the distinction of being the first MMA fighter submitted in a gogoplata performed by Aoki in PRIDE.  Boku’s 13-4-1 record includes victories over former UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca and Eiji Mitsuoka, who was the last fighter to douse out ”Hellboy”.