The Ramifications of DREAM.11
by Chris Nelson on Oct 7, 2009 9:24 AM EDT
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UPDATED on 10/07/09 12:21 AM
Last night, DREAM returned to primetime on the Tokyo Broadcasting System for the first time since May. Following the show, event producer Keiichi Sasahara remarked that he was "expecting a good TV rating," and today it looks like he was right.
Via Tony Loiseleur:
Sasahara reporting that last night's rating for Dream 11 on TBS was 12.7%, clocking in at no.2-most watched show during the primetime slot.
While the number is a dip from DREAM.9's 16.2% -- which had the benefit of a Daisuke Naito WBC flyweight title defense as a lead-in -- it's also the highest mark the promotion has achieved on its own in primetime. For comparison, check the list of all the DREAM/TBS ratings at Nightmare of Battle.
A few things to look out for with this morning's DREAM.11 in the books...
- Having escaped his match with boxer Rubin Williams unscathed, Kazushi Sakuraba could very well return to action later this month. During a post-show interview, DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara said he'd discuss with Sakuraba on Wednesday whether he'd be available for the DREAM.12 card on October 25 in Osaka. It would be the 40-year-old's first bout inside a cage since his 1997 debacle(s) with "Conan" Silveira at UFC's "Ultimate Japan."
- Speaking of the "IQ Wrestler," Sasahara told reporters that Shinya Aoki's last-second submission of Joachim Hansen brought back memories of Sakuraba's classic bout with Renzo Gracie. He went on to praise Aoki as "a truly special fighter," and said he hopes to make the long-awaited fight between Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri happen on New Year's Eve. Then again, Aoki has been quoted recently as saying he wants a rest, having already fought four times in 2009. Well, five if you count the manhandling he took from Fedor.
- Oh, and Aoki said about five times in his post-fight interview that he really wants to fight B.J. Penn. He also mentioned Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard, and said "I'm not the world's best yet, not 'til I beat those guys."
- Asked when Bibiano Fernandes' first featherweight title defense might take place, Sasahara said: "He sustained a bad cut [in his fight with Hiroyuki Takaya, so probably early next year. Right now, Takaya is the top contender - it could be a rematch or possibly another challenger. Either way, we want to make a title match soon." Personally, I think Takaya deserves first crack, but they'll probably set up Bibiano-Kid II if Yamamoto wins his (as-yet-unannounced) fight on New Year's Eve.
- Without a DREAM title to worry about defending, could we see Joachim Hansen at Vale Tudo Japan '09 on October 30th? Probably not, but Tony Loiseleur mentioned on his Twitter the other day that Sustain has been "bugging" Antonio Carvalho about himself and Hellboy participating.
- And finally: Minowaman -- whose miraculous win over Hong Man Choi should yield healthy ratings, Sasahara proclaimed --will meet Sokoudjou in the finals of the Super Hulk Tournament at "Dynamite!! 2009" on New Year's Eve. FEG's popular annual show will also feature kickboxing legend Masato's retirement bout against the winner of this year's K-1 World MAX Tournament, to be decided on October 26th.
Awesome photo of Sakuraba by Daniel Herbertson.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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I may not do the ‘god’ thing, but I pray for Saku’s well-being every time he fights. If anyone is fighting past retirement, it’s him. He came out well at DREAM.11, but that was against a washed-up boxer with no ground skills. If he fights anyone with a modicum of MMA ability, he just seems not to care. Poor guy has earned his rest.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Oct 6, 2009 10:05 PM EDT reply actions
I think Schiavello said on the broadcast that Saku wants to fight until he gets his pension… which in Japan is 65.
by Chris Nelson on Oct 6, 2009 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions
If FEG keeps throwing Sakuraba green and lower end fighters like Rubin Williams I see no problem at all if he still wants to fight to let him keep fighting. I just really don’t want to see him in there with top or mid level fighters anymore even dangerous strikers like a Melvin Manhoef. Throw him easy wins to help boost ratings and to make the crowd happy.
nice roundup
sakuraba… you’re a legend man, be careful out there.
and soko vs minowa might be one of the worst matchups in years. finals are finals, but this is ridiculous.
www.tapology.com | twitter.com/tapology
Yeah I was really puling for Takaya this morning. I can’t belive that the split didn’t go his way, in Japan. I think I was sad just as much as he was. Poor fella. In the final interview he just said “I don’t have anything to say.” He was really crushed. :*(
SHOGUN WILL SLAY THE DRAGON!!!
SHOGUN TO BE THE NEW LHW CHAMP!!!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Oct 6, 2009 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s especially sad when you consider that Takaya’s semifinal match was about 10 minutes longer than Bibiano’s, and he still put on a great performance in the final.
by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t get the Minowaman love. Not a fan. Hope Sokonojudo destroys him.
SHOGUN WILL SLAY THE DRAGON!!!
SHOGUN TO BE THE NEW LHW CHAMP!!!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
What’s not to get? He’s an amazing character and he leglocks fools. What more could you want?
by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions
ikuhisu 'the punk' minowa
have you seen any of his pride fights? that’s why i like him…. hate his new ‘minowaman’ name though
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions
I know it wasn’t just me because a buddy called me right after the show went off and said the exact same thing I was thinking. Which is I can’t watch a DREAM show and not wonder about the refs being biased. My friend’s first comment was that he thought blows to the back of the head were legal in DREAM up until 15 seconds into the Aoki/Hansen fight when Hansen hits Aoki in the back of the head one time and immediately they warn Hansen about it. I know I saw earlier in the event other fighters getting hit in the back of the head and the refs didn’t do anything about it or at least far less about it than when it happened to Aoki.
Just BE.
Wasn’t it like the side of the head? Cause as you know the expression “back of the head” is now a very specific and kinda narrow area.
You don't look like a Tanaka.
I also thought those warnings were silly, but you’ve got to keep in mind that they were short punches from underneath side control, not the kind of punches that do damage or mean much of anything. And Hansen was never carded for it, so I don’t think it really mattered.
by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I watched the event again and Hansen was clearly officiated differently in respect to hitting to the back of the head. Hansen immediately got warned upon hitting Aoki in the back of the head. The ref got in there and was even rubbing Aoki on the back of the head telling Hansen not to hit Aoki there. Prior to that in earlier fights other fighters were hit in the back of the head and it was not officiated the same way. My point being is Hansen’s actions were officiated differently compared to other fighters that night.
So the fact that Hansen was never given a red card is only a minor point. The major point is that the refs are not being consistent in their calls. Which leads me to saying they are biased.
Just BE.
This has often been in the back of my head too.
But then their judges go and give a close fight to someone like Warren over Kid…so its really hard to say.
Minowaman!
Hahaha yesssss.
"Yeah we came up short today but I'm cool with things." -- Juan Pablo Montoya
My little sister who hates MMA was impressed by minowan, and when he landed the over hand I almost see some enjoyment on her face. Minowan succed where Rampage, Rumina sato, CroCop, Bob Sapp and many others HL reels specialist failed!!
You don't look like a Tanaka.
Aoki vs Saku, just for shits and giggles.
..no? k. :(
by An0nymous on Oct 7, 2009 12:02 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Super Hulk Tournament : Needed better hulks.
by WanderleiNoooooo! on Oct 7, 2009 12:04 AM EDT reply actions
He clearly knows he’s not the best in the world, and states he wants to test himself against Penn, Maynard and Florian.
and has repeatedly said he won't fight in the ufc
how convenient… he also said last week he could beat “those guys”
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 1:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Aoki saying he wants to fight Penn/Maynard/Ken-Flo but won’t leave Japan is like me saying I want to have sex with Meagan Fox but won’t cheat on my wife.
Is that me being convenient? No (however unrealistic on my part, lol), it’s being honest.
if he realistically wanted to fight them that bad, he’d go to the ufc……. i never said HE was being convenient
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 2:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Just marry Megan Fox and you take care of both issues!
(And if UFC would come back to Japan, ditch the cage and allow Shooto pants, maybe it takes care of the Aoki issue too…)
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
they would never ditch the cage, thank god.
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions
to be honest, i kinda like the spandex pants and wish they weren’t illegal in the US….. do you think they help with submission traction?
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
DREAM 11 did a 12.7% rating
It’s in Tony’s blog.
Also someone please make Saku retire. He has to have enough money to do so and he’s going to get hurt bad. I was watching ’03 Final Conflict a couple days ago and the commentators were talking about him retiring after the third Wand fight. 6 years ago!
A pretty decent rating for Dream, maybe they have finally turned the corner.
by who me on Oct 7, 2009 8:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I’ll have Minowaman’s entrance music stuck in my head for a week. The man’s a fucking super hero.
For those that didn’t like the show so much I suggest watching it without shitty commentary. English commentary will always ruin fights for me.
“I’m not the world’s best yet, not ’til I beat those guys.” by the way, I’m never going to fight in the ufc….
i don’t get aoki, he calls out ufc fighters all the time but refuses to fight there
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 2:02 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
He’s the Lightweight Champ of DREAM, who do you suggest he call out? Besides Kawajiri who hasn’t Aoki beaten in DREAM? Who cares if won’t go to the UFC, it’s called hype.
whatever you say, you don’t see bj penn or gray maynard calling out aoki for hype. how is it hype to call out fighters from a completely different market, there’s a small percentage of crossover hardcore mma fans. you’re missing my point….
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions
It's a one-way street.
Aoki gets a rub for calling out UFC’s best, but if UFC’s guys call out a Dream fighter, they wouldn’t get anything but blank looks from at least half of the audience.
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
For UFC’s guys it certainly is. Not for Aoki, though.
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
what’s to be gained then, besides pathetically obsessed mma fans, like myself, bantering back and forth?
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Casual fans in Japan may not know who BJ Penn is, but those less-than-diehards have already abandoned the sport. The remaining MMA aficionados in Japan are largely hardcores who would know UFC’s champions. By calling one of them out, Aoki can say he wants to fight the best, thus gaining credibility with the Japanese fans that remain.
There’s also one other logical explanation: He really does want to fight UFC’s best, as long as it’s on his terms.
Urijah Faber at various times called out Pequeño Nogueira and Kid Yamamoto, even though only a fraction of the U.S. audience knows them, simply because he really does want to fight them. Does the fact that Faber wants to fight them in the U.S. rather than Japan make his challenge any less legitimate?
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
i'm not trying to fight, just understand
By calling one of them out, Aoki can say he wants to fight the best, thus gaining credibility with the Japanese fans that remain.
does he really need to gain credibility with the hardcore japanese fan base??
“as long as it’s on his terms” hasn’t been very fruitful with the most recent guy set on doing it ‘his way’
and i always loved faber and yamamto saying they’d fight each other…. but faber himself is relatively unknown, i just see it as a different situation. neither of those guys said they’d never fight in the org that the other belongs to. sorry for the lengthy post.
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 3:47 AM EDT up reply actions
What dont you get exactly? He wants to fight BJ but doesnt want to fight in the UFC. Im sure BJ wants to fight Aoki too and doesnt want to fight in Dream. BJ is gagged by the UFC from saying that shit, Aoki isn’t. Lesnar wants Fedor but wont fight for Strikeforce. Fedor wants to fight Lesnar but not in the UFC. There would be countless other examples too. Im just not sure what is so confusing for you.
BJ is gagged by the UFC? If he is then they really do a shitty job of it because he sure says whatever he wants whenever he wants.
He just doesn’t seem to care that much about Aoki or any of the Dream guys. Hell they have enough problems getting BJ to care about the other lightweights in the UFC.
by who me on Oct 7, 2009 8:12 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think the UFC guys simply see the futility in calling out someone who is largely unknown to their target audience.
They understand the business aspect of what they do and know that their little bit of time on camera to hype their up coming bouts, etc…is probably best spent on fighters they will likely fight that their fans will likely have heard of.
Not officially gagged, but there’d be pressure on guys to really push and hype up their next fight in the UFC and avoid giving any attention to matters non-UFC. It would be frowned upon by the powers that be if they were to point casual fans in the direction of top quality non-UFC fighters. Machida isnt gonna openly discuss his desire to fight Mousasi after he beats Shogun. Anderson isnt gonna talk about testing his ground game again Jacare at the post fight press conference…….etc. Thats all I meant by gagged.
We can only speculate about what BJ wants and thinks, but there is something wrong with him if Aoki isnt top 1 or 2 on the list of opponents he’d like to fight.
bj gagged by ufc...hahahahah
that’s the most ridiculous shit i’ve ever heard… you think if ufc had its way they would allow bj to accuse one of their golden boys in GSP of roiding without any proof?
i never said i was confused
and saying bj is ‘gagged’ is purely speculative…… you don’t hear lesnar or bj ever talking about dream or fedor in interviews outside the ufc unless someone brings them up first
by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Aoki Vs Penn, Maynard
Would be awesome to see nevertheless. If the UFC would just ease up and let there fighters fight oversees we wouldn’t have to worry about the politics involved in making these match ups. Dana talks shit constantly about boxing politics ruining the sport, yet he’s doing the same thing by not making these match ups in MMA.
Can you seriously not see the problems in your own logic?
If not, do some reading around here on Overeem + Strikeforce + Heavyweight Champion….
i find the Naito comment of interest about how much interest that generated as a lead-in coming from boxing. i suppose in Japan the willingness to follow a star in the sport b/c of nationalism/country/patriotism might have contributed. dunno. thoughts?
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei.
http://theworldsoldestsport.blogspot.com/
by theworldsoldestsport on Oct 7, 2009 1:00 PM EDT reply actions
I should also have mentioned that DREAM.11 had a lead-in of Daiki Kameda vs. Denkaosan Kaovichit (Thailand) for the WBA flyweight title. Kameda lost a 12 rounder; I don’t think he’s as popular as Naito (who’s already had a TV movie made about him), but it certainly helped as well. Interestingly, Naito is fighting Kameda’s brother, Koki, in November.
J-Pop
Can somebody please tell me where I can download the song that was playing during the video package that led up to the Takaya/Tokoro fight?
Awesome shit, I rewound it like 10 times just to keep listening to it.
watchkalibrun.com
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