DREAM 11 will take place on Tuesday, October 6th from Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The event will feature the conclusion to the Featherweight Grand Prix which includes 2007 World Cup gold medalist wrestler Joe Warren, BJJ expert Bibiano Fernandes, submission fighter Hideo Tokoro, and the heavy-handed Hiroyuki Takaya. A lightweight championship rubber match between #2 USAT/SBN Consensus-ranked Shinya Aoki and the #8 USAT/SBN Consensus-ranked Joachim Hansen will headline the card, and the semi-finals of the DREAM Super Hulk tournament will round out the featured attractions.

In our first preview, we're going to focus on the Japanese cultural phenomenon that is the David vs. Goliath match-ups involved in the DREAM Super Hulk tournament. Over the years, Japanese fans have been treated to a variety of different battles in the ring that involved sizable weight differences. Interestingly enough, one of the most watched battles in the ring in Japan was between two behemoth athletes in Bob Sapp, 6'4" 360 pounds, and sumo wrestler Akebono, 6'8" 462 pounds. Add to the list Sapp vs. Lebanner, Nigerian-born TV comedian Bobby Ologun vs. Cyril Abidi, Ken Kaneko vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, and even a battle between a smaller Bobby Ologun and Akebono as some of the top rated bouts in Japan. While the list is mostly television-personalities versus K-1/MMA fighters, the draw to larger-than-life figures in Japan in undeniable.

Enter DREAM's Super Hulk tournament. An attempt to feed off that drawing power in an era in Japan that is showing waning interest in MMA, DREAM is hoping that these extraordinarily large fighters can pull in viewers. In what is probably one of the largest size differences I've seen in the MMA ring to date, pro wrestler/MMA fighter Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8) will take on Korean super giant Hong Man Choi (2-2) while former UFC fighter Rameau Sokoudjou (6-4) will battle Bob "The Beast" Sapp (10-5-1). Sapp is replacing Strikeforce fighter Gegard Mousasi in the tournament as Mousasi was reportedly injured.

For American fans, the line-up of fighters in the tournament was dim in terms of talent. The tournament was likely set up as a way to spotlight Gegard Mousasi's skills in a fairly lackluster talent pool of heavier fighters who had huge weaknesses. Gegard is now producing some interest from many American fans who tuned in for his drubbing of Renato "Babalu" Sobral back in August with Strikeforce, and some fans believe his "injury" is merely a way for him to get some much more meaningful fights in Strikeforce rather than taking on subpar competition in DREAM.

In any case, DREAM has replaced Mousasi with Sapp, a highly-regarded drawing power in the past. He'll battle the Cameroonian judoka Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in what will likely be a one-sided affair unless Sapp can improve his only real weapon, his striking. Both fighters have had problems in the past, but Sapp's legacy in Japan is the only real reason why he's still snagging a decent paycheck and higher profile battles. To say that he's been competitive in recent years would be an understatement. If he were fighting a much smaller fighter who had limited striking and ground ability, Sapp wouldn't be a bad pick due to his hulking physique and power, but Sokoudjou is extremely powerful despite his shortcomings in the ground game. Sapp has been training at Body Fitness in California with none other than cardio machine Antonio McKee, but footage of the sessions didn't exude confidence in Sapp's conditioning.

Sokoudjou has had a dreary last couple of years in MMA. After upsetting both Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 33 and PRIDE 34 respectively, many fans considered Sokoudjou to be the next superstar within the light heavyweight ranks. Unfortunately, he ran into the current light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in his first stint in the UFC. Looking back on the fight, it's tough to criticize Sokoudjou for how he handled the elusive "Dragon", but his following losses to Luis Arthur Cane and Renato "Babalu" Sobral revealed telling signs as to the problems Sokoudjou has in the tactical department. Hesitant and unwilling to let his hands go, Luis Cane peppered Sokoudjou with shots while Sobral exposed an already known weak ground game in impressive fashion.

Both men have some glaring weaknesses, but Sapp has next to nothing to offer in this match-up. His physique, while impressive for such a large man, immediately depletes his gas tank within a few minutes of battle. He has virtually no ground ability other than toppling on his opponents and using his weight to maintain top control while punching. Sokoudjou offers heavy, devastating leg kicks coupled with strong striking. His past problems of being hesitant are still a question, but he could easily soften up "The Beast" with a vast array of kicks on his way to victory. It should be a fairly easy win for Sokoudjou, and he'll advance to the Super Hulk final at Dynamite 2009.

In the second semi-final match-up, the "Techno Goliath" Hong Man Choi will battle Ikuhisa Minowa in a true David vs. Goliath battle. Choi towers at 7'2" 330 lbs. while Minowa will come in at 5'9" 195 lbs. Choi defeated former MLB baseball player Jose Canseco in the opening round in October to advance, but he's had a string of defeats in both MMA and K-1. He most recently lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at Dynamite 2008 due to low kicks.

Minowa is considered the ultimate entertainer by many fans in the Japanese scene. He brings a pro-wrestling style to the ring and is primarily used in Japan to battle much bigger and stronger opponents. He defeated Bob Sapp via kneebar in the opening round of the tournament, but also submitted K-1 fighter Errol Zimmerman at Dynamite 2008, Don Frye at DEEP: Gladiator, and even a very heavy Eric "Butterbean" Esch  back at PRIDE Bushido 12.

This should be the more intriguing battle of the two semi-final fights. While it easily looks like Hong Man Choi's size is going to pulverize Minowa, Minowa has shown the crafty ability to put bigger fights in leg locks that they simply can't defend. Choi's awfully slow since he's such a giant, and it's one of the major reasons why he isn't successful in K-1. Ultimately however, Choi's size could present problems for Minowa as Choi still packs a mean punch and a large frame. It'll be interesting to see what Minowa's gameplan will look like. Will he try to run a marathon similar to the Zuluzinho fight, or will he instantly lock onto Choi's leg for a submission? It isn't a battle of skillful technicians by any means, but it's a nice filler fight to the solid match-ups on the card.

In talking with HDNet, the event will air on tape delay at 7 AM EST on HDNet. In any case, tune in for the Super Hulk semifinals along with the featherweight GP Final and a lightweight championship bout between Joachim Hansen and Shinya Aoki. It should be an exciting start to your day on Tuesday.