Found this on Fiveouncesofpain.com, and im suprised I haven't seen anything about it here. 

The UFC has decided to part ways with PRIDE FC veteran Akihiro Gono following his decision loss to Jon Fitch at UFC 94 in January. The loss was Gono’s second consecutive loss in the UFC and it dropped his overall record with the company to 1-2.

It doesn’t look as though Gono will be out of work for long though. According to the latest print edition of The Wrestling Observer, Gono is currently in negotiations with the Japanese-based Sengoku promotion. If Gono does sign with Sengoku it would mark the first time since 2006 the Japanese MMA veteran has fought overseas.

Gono has fought all over Japan in his long illustrious career. Since his MMA debut in 1997 he has competed for the Shooto, Pancrase, and PRIDE promotions among many others. His signing with the UFC in 2007 was huge news for PRIDE fans as Gono became a fixture for the company following wins over Hector Lombard, Gegard Mousasi, and others.

If Gono signs with the promotion, he could be added to Sengoku 8 on May 22 at the National Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

I always found Gono to be entertaining, and to be a quality fighter.  Although he never really had a shot at beating any top 10-20 welterweights, he still tended to put on exciting matches.   I cant wait to see more of him, hopefully at sengoku.