DREAM.12 Confirmed For Cage, Parky Challenges Kikuno and Melendez, Sengoku Loading Up For Bright Future
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 19, 2009 5:34 AM EDT
39 comments
I previously posted about the mystery that surrounded DREAM.12. It was thought that a cage or some sort of hybrid was going to be used at that event to host not only DREAM fighters, but DEEP and Strikeforce fighters as well. It seems that we received some sort of confirmation today from DREAM's Sasahara along with other exciting news, via Nightmare Of Battle:
The contents of the new issues of the Japanese MMA magazines are out (Kamipro, Gonkaku, and Kakutogi Tsuushin). Below are some of the interesting ones.
FEG’s Tanigawa: "K-1 won’t go bankrupt you know~~~!"
Gomi (VTJ09): "This might be my last fight in Japan."
Cage Force champion Yuji Hoshino in SENGOKU.
Ryo Chonan to DREAM? SENGOKU? or…
Why is Satoshi Ishii studying traditional karate?
Satoshi Ishii with the Japan Karate Association (8th dan Masahiko Tanaka & 7th dan Takenori Imura)Will the theme of SENGOKU’s new name be "the strongest man"?
WVR PR Kokuho (New Years): "I definitely want Gomi to appear. Kitaoka will also receive an offer."
Will 22 year old Korean Parky challenge the cage of DREAM?!
"I want to fight Kikuno and Melendez. Kikuno’s crescent kick will be his weak point as well."DREAM.12 will be in a cage. DREAM EP Sasahara: "I don’t think that an 8-sided cage (octagon) is the global standard."
New DEEP champion Takafumi Otsuka: "At the DREAM cage event I want top fight a name (someone known) at 63 kg."
More after the jump...
Some of the pictures of what we can expect the cage to look like:
Key points from the articles:
1) FEG and K-1 look to still stick around for a while. It will be interesting to see what happens to DREAM after their TBS deal is up. Sengoku is really closing in on them and by NYE, could surpass them with Izumi and Ishii as big Japanese stars.
2) Sengoku seems to have a nice relationship with Cage Force, and Yuji Hoshino appears to be another solid addition to their ever growing roster. Hoshino is the current Cage Force champ who has 8 wins and 3 draws in his last 11 match ups. He was last defeated by Daisuke Nakamura 5 years ago.
3) The Gomi situation is very interesting. Gomi is fighting in the VTJ 09 event, but wants to fight in America afterward (already had discussions with both the UFC and Strikeforce). Sengoku, on the other hand, wants him to fight on their NYE show and is willing to do whatever they can to make that happen. This situation may get very interesting.
4) Korean phenom, Won Sik "Parky" Park (7-1-1), has been rumored to be fighting in DREAM, and that looks to be the case in DREAM.12. He is now challenging Kikuno, who is rumored to possibly be facing Eddie Alvarez, and Gilbert Melendez, who is coming off a devastating win over the "Endless" one Mitsuhiro Ishida. Parky, like Kikuno, are some of the top prospects in DEEP being "promoted" to the bigger shows, like DREAM in this instance. These fighters will be huge for DREAM, and proving themselves in DREAM will mean a great deal for the future Japanese talent that is being groomed at the moment.
5) Finally, we have the mysterious DREAM.12 event. Hyped up as the "experimental" event, is said to be held in a cage, which will make it the first big Japanese promotion to hold and event in one. Not only that, but it will be host fighters from different promotions: DEEP fighters (Kikuno, Parky, Otsuka, etc), Strikeforce fighters (Nick Diaz, etc), and their own DREAM fighters and champions. DREAM.12 will be a huge event for DREAM, and will surely catapult the promotion to their always successful and bigger than life NYE show, which should be gigantic this year. It is still up in the air whether Sengoku and DREAM will air their events on the same day, start a war between the two, or work with each other. A lot of questions will be answered in the upcoming months.
Sengoku looks to have a bright future in Japan as well:
Sengoku X Poster featuring Izumi:
A favorite of mine:
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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Cage?
AWESOME!
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 Sep 21, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now please drug test using a third party so at least we can take these fights seriously…
by mmalogic on Sep 19, 2009 7:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I also want them to have athletic commissions that will do this regularly, but i doubt it will happen anytime soon.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 19, 2009 8:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
An example Athletic comission
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Sep 19, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 7 recs
is that aoki to the right of the guy with the belly?
by GregS123 on Sep 19, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WIN
"Well... You're damned if you do, and You're damned if you don't."- Bart Simpson
by poundnground on Sep 20, 2009 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
???
Sengoku already planned for it. Read below.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 19, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am sure no one has thought of that already...
"If Josh Barnett gets caught in our doping control tests, we absolutely must deal with it," Kokuho said. "We will be testing through our commission, along with the Japan Anti-Doping Agency, as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency. We are using the same anti-doping control agency as the Olympics. If a fighter is caught doping in our event, since we are in cooperation with JADA and WADA, it is our responsibility to make sure these findings are dispatched from us to the world."
Oh wait, Sengoku is doing that already.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 19, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So far not a single fighter in Japanese MMA history has been caught.
Zuffa has caught a few in the euro shows in just the few events it had their.
If Japanese MMA can create a third party testing system then Ill take Japanese “MMA” seriously… till then its nothing more than the small shows in the indian reservations.
by mmalogic on Sep 19, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, i read about Sengoku already taking a step towards the right direction in regulating drug tests,
i just hope all promotions from Japan follows their lead. :)
I just have my reservations about dream doing it, cause of all the rumored politics that happens behind the scenes there.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 19, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No third party
+ No transparency in the testing process
+ No one EVER caught
+ Open arms policy towards drug cheats running from suspensions
= No legitimacy
by Steve4192 on Sep 21, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Give ‘em a chance, Steve. They’ve only recently implemented this policy. The “drug cheats” haven’t fought for them under this regime yet. And events go by in the U.S. without anyone getting caught, which of course doesn’t mean that no one is using. Hell, “drug cheat” Josh Barnett fought three times on U.S. soil without getting popped for anything in recent years.
Japan doesn’t have athletic commissions, which means they don’t have the infrastructure in place for this kind of thing. It’s a totally new experiment for a major Japanese fight company, something no one over there would fault them for not doing. I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
by JRN on Sep 21, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I would have a lot more faith in them if they actually publicized their results and stopped letting guys who are currently under suspension (Kazuhiro Nakamura, Antonio Silva) fight in their organization.
by Steve4192 on Sep 21, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nakamura got popped for steroids? I thought that was for weed, over two years ago.
I would have a lot more faith in them if they actually publicized their results
This was already addressed in the quote above:
“If a fighter is caught doping in our event, since we are in cooperation with JADA and WADA, it is our responsibility to make sure these findings are dispatched from us to the world.”
Whether they’ll actually do this is anyone’s guess. We also don’t know whether, at this point, they’ve had any findings to dispatch. But my question is, why would they go to all these lengths to talk up a drug policy if they weren’t serious? No other Japanese fight company has bothered to do this. It wouldn’t be conspicuous if Sengoku didn’t either. Presumably if the stuff about the JADA and WADA was false, those bodies cold simply dispatch press releases denying the association. How would it benefit WVR to lie about this? (For that matter, how would it benefit them if it were true?)
If, in a year or so, nobody besides maybe a token undercard no-name or two has been caught, then we’ll have reason to say their policy isn’t legitimate. Until then, I reserve judgment.
by JRN on Sep 21, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nakamura got popped for steroids? I thought that was for weed
It was for weed. The point is, he was handed a six month suspension, and was fighting in Sengoku four months later. As usual, they completely ignored any suspensions handed down for drug use. And please don’t hand me the bull about testing for weed being stupid. Japan is 1000X less tolerant of their athletes smoking weed than North America is. Weed is a big deal over there, but they chose to ignore the suspension anyway.
If, in a year or so, nobody besides maybe a token undercard no-name or two has been caught, then we’ll have reason to say their policy isn’t legitimate. Until then, I reserve judgment.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I’m all for a ‘wait and see’ approach. But Sengoku has shown such disdain for drug testing and suspensions in their short history, I have a hard time giving them the benefit of the doubt. They talk a good game, but I see better than I hear. Their actions speack much louder than their words.
by Steve4192 on Sep 21, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You said it, “short history”. They are going to do it because they are trying to make the sport legit in Japan and getting away from freak show as much as possible.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 21, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And please don’t hand me the bull about testing for weed being stupid.
Testing for weed is really stupid. Japan’s attitude towards weed is too.
I’ll grant you the Antonio Silva example—if they wanted to show people they’re serious about steroids, they could have just waited the extra 6 months or whatever. Nobody really cared about him fighting Nakao. But I’m not prepared to say that it tells us all we need to know about how they’re approaching their drug policy.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I’m all for a ‘wait and see’ approach.
Really? This
No third party
+ No transparency in the testing process
+ No one EVER caught
+ Open arms policy towards drug cheats running from suspensions
= No legitimacy
kinda suggests otherwise.
by JRN on Sep 21, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did you miss this part?
But Sengoku has shown such disdain for drug testing and suspensions in their short history, I have a hard time giving them the benefit of the doubt.
If Shooto, DEEP, GCM or ZST were making these statements, I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but coming from Sengoku they ring hollow.
by Steve4192 on Sep 21, 2009 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, I didn’t miss that part. You apparently missed the part where you rushed to declare the whole thing illegitimate one moment, then claimed to be “all for” a wait-and-see approach the next. I realize you have reasons to believe it won’t be legit. My argument is that those reasons aren’t enough to justify the vehemence of your conclusion.
In short, I recognize that you have a hard time giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m suggesting that you get over that and give it to them anyway. For now, that is. Because I certainly wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it turned out to be bullshit (though, again, I’m not sure who it would benefit for WVR to pretend to have a strict drug policy).
by JRN on Sep 22, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, drug test using a third party
But only drug test at pre-determined times so fighters know well in advance. The only guys I want to get caught are the ones who get served with surprise tests.
THAT’S the perfect system.
Also, “an example athletic commission”?
A winner is you!
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Sep 19, 2009 11:03 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
About the athletic commission, I believe he was saying they would be puppets of the Yakuza. Thus the tattoos. That sort of speculation would not be unfounded, sadly.
Still, Sengoku is the first Japanese promotion to do drug tests and so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. I’m sure there will be fuck-ups and mistakes made, but at least it seems like they’re trying to put a system in place. That’s progress.
by Chromium on Sep 21, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bout damn time they switched to a cage. Tired of seeing guys get tangled up in the ropes.
Keep firing Assholes!
The Leafs are back!
by Ubernoober on Sep 19, 2009 1:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They are not officially switching to a cage. They will see how this one event goes.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 19, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rec'd.
Nice post, man. Don’t sweat the Zuffa trolls.
by Chris Nelson on Sep 19, 2009 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
That would hurt…
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Sep 19, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It would sadden me to see DREAM switch over to the cage permanently. I’ve always enjoyed the ring on an aesthetic level, and have never minded its practical drawbacks. The ring, to me, has been one of the Japanese MMA’s saving graces.
by JRN on Sep 19, 2009 3:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Rest easy! According to a friend of mine who writes for Kamipro, Dream wants to limit their “cage shows” to one a year if Dream 12 proves familiar.
Besides, this card is in Osaka, televised at midnight or so. I doubt the cage will get much traction beyond hardcore fans.
by ikari47 on Sep 19, 2009 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dream has to appeal to the casual fan, the hardcore fan will always support the japanese promotions, the casual fan won’t because they don’t know enough about the fighters, because the UFC is within arms length
It will help the Strikeforce fighters proforme much better, because they fought in a cage.
DREAM has to start gaining support in America, maybe HDNet, or try to get a TV Deal
"On the sixth day god created man,but on the fifth day man created god" - Todd White on The Book Of Lucifer:
The Enlightenment
by Krawchuck on Sep 19, 2009 5:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Um…casual fans in Japan pretty much have no idea what the UFC is. When I was there everything was pretty much referred to as “the K-1”.
I don’t see why DREAM would want to get a TV deal beyond what they have with HDNet in America when they can’t even galvanize fans in their home country.
by Tonley on Sep 19, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've heard that before
As annoying as it can be for the whole sport to be referred to as “UFC”, I think it would annoy me even more if everybody was calling it “K-1.”
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Sep 20, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep
The UFC has about as much presence in Japan as Pride had in North America … almost none. Japanese casual fans are no different than American casual fans. They follow the promotions that are convenient for them to watch and that feature fights they want to see.
by Steve4192 on Sep 21, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope they don’t keep the cage in the long run, while I am sure this will be a neat experiment for them. I for one like the ring, it is cool to see guys dodging punches on the ground by hidding their head behind the turnbuckle.
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
by Bandaka on Sep 20, 2009 10:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I dont really have a preference... but will the rules change?
Allowing knees to the downed opponent’s head or face when he’s trapped against the cage fence seems very dangerous to me… But self-preservation will always kick in!
i dont know we’ll see how it works out. I’m very curious though!
You have to beat the legend, in order to become the LEGEND
-Melvin Manhoef (after his destruction of Sakuraba)
by chopstickthugz on Sep 22, 2009 5:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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