Sengoku IX will take place on Sunday, August 2nd from Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The card features a laundry list of solid match-ups that will likely intrigue hardcore fans, including the conclusion of the Featherweight Grand Prix. The participants remaining are former UFC fighter Michihiro Omigawa, Pancrase veteran Marlon Sandro, former ZST fighter Masanori Kanehara, and Shooto veteran Hatsu Hioki. Hatsu Hioki is the heavy favorite to win the entire tournament, but Michihiro Omigawa and Marlon Sandro have come on surprisingly strong during the preliminary rounds of the Grand Prix. Can either man knock off Hatsu Hioki?

To answer that question, we'll have to look at the semi-final match-ups. Most notably, Marlon Sandro has drawn Michihiro Omigawa while Masanori Kanehara has the tough task of trying to avoid the long-limbed Hatsu Hioki. If there's one fight in this Grand Prix that should be a solid chess match between two competitive fighters, Sandro vs. Omigawa should be that fight.

Michihiro Omigawa (6-7-1) doesn't have a record that would give the impression to a fan that he's a great fighter. Like many Judokas in Japan, Omigawa wasn't given an easy entry into the world of mixed martial arts. His first two fights in the ring were against Aaron Riley and Gesias "JZ" Calvancante, just to give you an idea. After some success following his first two losses, he did manage to sign with the UFC following a three-fight win streak. Unfortunately, he lost to Thiago Tavares and Matt Wiman at UFN 12 and UFC 76 respectively.

In order to ressurect his career, Omigawa made the drop to 145 pounds. This was an unusual move for a Japanese fighter since cutting weight doesn't occur as much in Japan as it does in other MMA nations. The drop created a Michihiro Omigawa that was an overpowering nightmare to his opponents in the first two rounds of the Grand Prix. L.C. Davis was surprised by Omigawa's power, and he was unable to defend against Omigawa's clinch work and top control. Nam Phan also succumbed to Omigawa's added punching power and control, only in quicker fashion losing the bout inside the first round. Can Michihiro Omigawa use his newly added power and game-planning to defeat the undefeated Marlon Sandro?

Marlon Sandro (14-0) is a product of the Nova Uniao fight camp in Brazil where fighters like Jose Aldo, Wagnney Fabiano, Thales Leites, and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro train. With a plethora of solid training partners, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and an ever-improving submission game coupled with solid boxing skills, Marlon Sandro has truly become a man to look out for in the featherweight division.

Omigawa is probably one of the highest-level competitors that Sandro has seen in the ring as both Nick Denis and Matt Jaggers had some dangerous skills, but they didn't present an overall problem for Sandro. In this bout, Omigawa's formidable power at featherweight is going to be a problem. It's been said in the past that Sandro's submission abilities off his back are lacking, and Omigawa could very well put him there quickly and turn this into a punishing war of attrition for Sandro. Sandro has solid hands, but Omigawa definitely has more power. Sandro's track record shows very limited finishing ability, so Omigawa may be able to stalk Sandro for most of this showdown without fearing a knockout. Of course, Nick Denis would say otherwise. It should be an outstanding bout.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Masanori Kanehara could quite possibly be another squash match for Hioki. He hasn't faced much adversity in this tournament, and most fans believe this is simply because Sengoku wants Hioki to take the tournament. I wouldn't disagree with that assessment, but Hioki has made some bad gameplanning choices in the past.

Hioki (19-3-2) comes into this bout on an 8-fight unbeaten streak which includes a win over Rumina Sato and defeating both Chris Manuel and Ronnie Mann to get into the semi-finals of this Grand Prix. His grappling acumen coupled with his lengthy physique makes for a formidable combination for his opponents. He's easily one of the world's best grapplers in the featherweight division, and Kanehara will have his hands full trying to avoid being smothered on the ground.

Masanori Kanehara (13-5-5) defeated Chan Sung Jung and Jong Man Kim to make his way into the Grand Prix semi-finals. The ZST veteran has rattled off three straight wins since his loss to Takafumi Otsuka at DEEP 38, but he'll have the very tough task of trying to defeat the tournament favorite Hioki. Kanehara has been stating that the stand-up game will be his weapon of choice against Hioki, and that he believes Hioki's emphasis on basic fundamentals can be picked apart by a more diverse fighter. He may very well be right in the stand-up as Hioki's striking is below average, but one take down could end Kanehara's night quickly.

In short, Hioki will be looking to take this fight to the ground while Kanehara will try to maintain the stand-up game and catch Hioki. Kanehara will have huge problems on the ground if Hioki manages to take him down, and I think it's almost inevitable that it will happen at some point early in the fight. The only surprise could be that Hioki has made the mistake of trying to prove he can strike before, and he's paid for it. Hopefully, he won't be in that frame of mind against Kanehara.

The Grand Prix Reserve bout has been scheduled between Chan Sung Jung and Matt Jaggers. Chan Sung Jung and Masanori Kanehara had an absolute war in their preliminary round match-up, and some fans believe Chan Sung Jung actually won the fight. Jaggers had the unfortunate problem of being arm-triangled from a standing position by Marlon Sandro in the opening round of the Grand Prix. It should be a decent reserve match-up, but Chan Sung Jung will most assuredly be the favorite.

Omigawa vs. Sandro is probably one of the best match-ups on this card in terms of skill from both fighters. It is surrounded by many questions that should be answered from the outcome. Is Omigawa the real deal at 145 lbs? Will this step-up in competition ultimately rattle Sandro? I've been on the Marlon Sandro bandwagon for quite some time, but my gut is telling me that Omigawa's huge chip on his shoulder may sway my prediction. You won't want to miss this battle.

Sengoku IX will air on HDNet via tape delay on August 7th. You can creatively find ways to watch this event live, so be here with the BloodyElbow.com Night Crew for the event that will likely be live-blogged by Chris Nelson.

Photo originals via Sherdog.