DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix Final Preview

DREAM 10's main attraction won't be superfights such as Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro or Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho, but rather final leg of the 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix tournament.

DREAM 8 marked the beginning of the Grand Prix with opening round bouts between WEC veteran John Alessio and grappling phenom Andre Galvao, Lithuanian striker Marius Zaromskis vs. Seichi Ikemoto, Yuya Shirai vs. Jason High, and clash of Japanese titans in Shinya Aoki vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai. Four welterweights remain in the hunt to become tournament champion.

Jason High (7-1) will take on Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Andre Galvao (3-0) in the tournament semi-finals. High defeated Yuya Shirai in only :59 seconds via rear naked choke in their opening round bout at DREAM 8. Galvao submitted WEC veteran John Alessio at the 7:34 mark of the first round. Both fighters are looking to break into the spotlight in Japan as elite fighters, and this is the perfect match-up to do so as each fighter brings an unique skill set to the table.

Most notably, Andre Galvao is one of the best sport grapplers in the world that has transitioned to the sport of MMA. Surprisingly, he has a decent stand-up game, but his jiu-jitsu ground game is absolutely dominating. The 2005 and 2008 World Jiu-Jitsu Gold Medalist has managed to go 3-0 in his career, all wins via armbar.

Galvao's opponent is Jason "KCBandit" High. He trains out of the Bodyshop in Lakewood, CA with some of the most underrated fighters in the sport: Antonio McKee, Emanuel Newton, and Brett Cooper. His game is built on relentless conditioning coupled with solid wrestling to control opponents. If his submission defense is up to snuff, it could be a very tough night for Galvao eating punches off his back. Check out weoweowee's great exclusive interview with Jason High.

In the other semi-final bout, Japanese legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (35-8-2) will take on Lithuanian-born striker Marius Zaromskis (9-2) in what surely will be a slug fest. Sakurai reached the semi-finals by kneeing Shinya Aoki into a dazed state and then punching him senseless in 0:27. Zaromskis defeated Seichi Ikemoto via decision in a battle that featured some exciting feats by Zaromskis includeding a flip to try to pass Ikemoto's guard.

Sakurai is obviously the much more experienced fighter in this bout. He has proven striking techniques that get the job done, and he's always been a very tough opponent for any welterweight he's faced. Zaromskis is a powerful opponent with solid kickboxing, average wrestling ability, and strong strikes. His wild techniques will likely be a waste of time against Sakurai, but he does have enough power to give Sakurai a run for his money if he can catch him. The major problem is that Zaromskis' gas tank isn't phenomenal, and Sakurai could take advantage in the second round.

Check out DREAM 10 on July 20th, LIVE on HDNET at 3 AM EST. Read the rest of our DREAM.10 coverage.

The reserve bout for the evening will be Seichi Ikemoto vs. Tarec Saffiedine, but hopefully we won't need the winner out of that match-up to come in for the tournament final. Saffiedine is currently 6-0 with five of his wins coming by way of submission in the first round.

Sakurai should be able to defeat Marius Zaromskis, although there are some questions that will pop up in my mind if Zaromskis can catch Sakurai early. High vs. Galvao is a very interesting fight, and it's probably one of the more intriguing fights of the evening. Galvao's relatively green in the sport right now, but he could become a power grappler who actually has some solid stand-up skills to compliment his ground game. Think Paulo Filho with good striking. High has the skills to maintain top control and avoid Galvao's jiu-jitsu if he can impose his will on Galvao. Both fighters will likely be getting some bouts in Strikeforce as well, so keep an eye on these great fighters.

Poll

Who will win the tournament?

31%

Andre Galvao

202 votes

8%

Jason High

56 votes

5%

Marius Zaromskis

33 votes

54%

Hayato Sakruai

352 votes

643 votes | Poll has closed