The most underrated photographer in the game, Daniel Herbertson, produces more gems in covering DREAM.11 for Sherdog.com. View the rest here.

Hardcore fans were treated to one of the most impressive DREAM shows to date yesterday morning as DREAM 11 not only surprised us with some unbelievably entertaining bouts, but it also brought about the nostalgic feeling of PRIDE with excellent production, quality lead-ins, grand entrances, and a shrilling Lenne Hardt. From the DREAM Lightweight championship bout between Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen to the Featherweight Grand Prix Finals match-ups, DREAM 11 is definitely on my list in this year’s favorites.

One of the more surprising stories at the event was the dominance displayed by a rejuvenated Hiroyuki Takaya as he punched his way into the Grand Prix tournament finals. Takaya had won his opening round battles with Jong Won Kim and Yoshiro Maeda, but many fans had referenced his recent losses in the WEC against Cub Swanson and Leonard Garcia as signs that the "Streetfight Bancho" had simply lost his luster. Fortunately for those of us watching, we saw a patient and precise Takaya put it all out on the line.

Takaya defeated Hideo Tokoro in their semifinal showdown via TKO in the second round after both men nearly finished each other in the first round. Tokoro’s knee and subsequent combination of punches put Takaya into a daze, but Tokoro’s untimely guard pull gave Takaya the chance to crush Tokoro only seconds later. Saved by the bell, Tokoro was caught again at the beginning of the second round, ending his run in the FWGP.

On the other side of the bracket, tournament favorite Joe Warren battled Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Bibiano Fernandes in a heated battle of words outside of the ring and a relatively quick match inside the ring. Fernandes succumbed to a powerful takedown from Warren early, but he wrangled his arm into an armbar submission. Warren argued that he didn’t tap, but he was saved from having pins stuck in his arm for the next six months.

Most fans didn’t give Takaya much of a chance against the BJJ prowess of Bibiano Fernandes in the final, but Takaya showed excellent takedown defense, intelligent submission defense, and the same precision striking game he showed in the semifinal battle with Hideo Tokoro. While Takaya was unable to continually keep Bibiano off his back, he did manage to defend submission attempts fairly easily.  His only mistake, which ultimately may have swayed the decision in Bibiano’s favor, was leaving his hand down to a Bibiano counter in the second round that dropped him. It was a truly entertaining war that ended in an absolute slugfest to determine the winner of the Featherweight strap.

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After seven months and eleven bouts spread across three events, DREAM's 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix draws to a close at DREAM.11. The tournament -- which has already spawned a few "Fight of the Year"-caliber bouts and one 140-pound hurricane named Joe Warren -- will see its winner decided and DREAM's first featherweight champion crowned inside Yokohama Arena tonight tomorrow morning, and as always, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you full coverage of the action. So stay up late or wake up early and join us here at 7 AM Eastern / 4 AM Pacific for the start of the HDNet broadcast.

Note: Since HDNet is unable to air the event live due to Tokyo Broadcast System's exclusive live rights, we ask that you refrain from posting results or any comments that could be considered "spoilers" for a few hours until the HDNet broadcast begins.

And we're live only slightly tape-delayed! Full play-by-play after the jump.

Quick Results
Bibiano Fernandes (7-2) def. Hiroyuki Takaya (12-7-1) via Split Decision
Shinya Aoki (22-4) def. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1) via Submission (Armbar) R2
Kazushi Sakuraba (25-12-1, 2 NC) def. Rubin Williams (0-1) via Submission (Kimura) R1
Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) def. Melchor Manibusan (2-4) via TKO (Punches) R1
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) def. Bob Sapp (10-6-1) via TKO (Punches) R1
Ikuhisa Minowa (43-30-8) def. Hong Man Choi (2-3) via Submission (Heel Hook) R1
Bibiano Fernandes (6-2) def. Joe Warren (2-1) via Submission (Armbar) R1
Hiroyuki Takaya (12-6-1) def. Hideo Tokoro (22-17-1) via TKO (Punches) R2
Kazuyuki Miyata (8-7) def. Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (11-6-3) via Unanimous Decision

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In the main event of the evening, DREAM Lightweight champion Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) will battle the submission grappling prowess of Shinya Aoki (21-4) in a rubber match that will see Hansen defend his title for the first time after obtaining it in July of 2008 at the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Final. Hansen was actually defeated during the Grand Prix by a surging Eddie Alvarez in the quarterfinals, but Alvarez was unable to continue due to a badly swollen eye. Hansen was allowed to fill in for Alvarez in the Grand Prix Final, winning the bout in 4:19 into the first round after catching Aoki with a punch from top control and putting him on ice.

This will be a rubber match between the two fighters as Aoki managed to defeat Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006 via the difficult gogoplata submission at only 2:24 of the first round. Interestingly enough, Aoki went on after his loss to Hansen in the DREAM Grand Prix Final to win four out of his next five bouts, defeating Todd Moore, Eddie Alvarez, David Gardner (Hello Japan!), and a returning PRIDE veteran in Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. He was devastated by Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at DREAM 8 during the Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round as Sakurai blasted Aoki into unconsciousness in only 0:27 seconds. It was his only loss within the last year.

Hansen hasn't been as active by any means. Following his win over Aoki in July of 2008, he was scheduled to battle a repaired Gesias Calvancante at Dynamite 2008, but Hansen suffered a concussion a day before the event and was not allowed to compete. Two months later, Hansen was dubbed as healthy and able to train. It took another eight months before we'd actually see him compete again. Welcome back, Hellboy.

Much like the past breakdowns of this match-up, it's a pretty straight-forward battle to analyze. Hansen offers a vast array of Scandinavian jiu-jitsu credentials that have proven themselves in the ring as Hansen offers a sound ground skill-set coupled with powerful punching and kickboxing. His pale skin tone, powerful physique, and deep Norwegian accent also give off the impression that "Hellboy" Hansen is as tough as they come, and you'd be right. In 27 total fights, he's only been finished three times. Some of Hansen's classics involve true wars of attrition, and he may be in for another battle of wills in this showdown.

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Spike 22 leader Melchor Manibusan will make his most high-profile MMA appearance to date against Tatsuya Kawajiri tonight. Can he upset the Japanese superstar and become the harbinger for an upcoming Guam incursion on Japanese MMA? Photo via Spike 22.

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Unless you follow Guam's MMA scene closely, or you're a submission grappling head with a great memory, you may not have heard of Melchor Manibusan prior to a few weeks ago, when it was announced that the 32-year-old would step in on short notice to fight Tatsuya Kawajiri.

That's alright, though - the one-time ADCC semi-finalist (in 1999, he was eliminated by eventual Under 65kg champ Royler Gracie) and long-time B.J. Penn training partner Manibusan says this fight is where his MMA career truly begins.

His lightweight match with Kawajiri at tonight's DREAM.11 not only marks one of the most high-profile MMA appearances ever for any fighter from Manibusan's native Guam, but also heralds the descent of a number of Guamanians -- specifically, fighters from Manibusan's Spike 22 gym -- upon the Japanese scene.

Last Friday, the newly-dubbed "Barracuda" took some time out from training to answer a few questions for Bloody Elbow about his return to MMA, prepping for the "Crusher," and what's coming up for him and his team.

Chris Nelson: So it's about three days out from the fight. How you feeling? Where's your weight at? Are you in Japan already?

Melchor Manibusan: Feeling good, light and fast. I'm now at 73kg [160 lbs], three more kilos to go. I'm in Japan now, been here for about four days. Training at [Kid Yamamoto's] Krazy Bee and [Kazushi Sakuraba's] Laughter7. Just sharpening up and staying healthy.

CN: I never heard you called "Barracuda" before this fight was announced. Did DREAM give you that?

MM: Yup, I guess that's my new name. They asked if they could promote me as "the Barracuda." The Japanese fans like names like that.

CN: I read that you're dong a lot of mental preparation for this fight. How do you prepare mentally to face a guy like Kawajiri on his home turf?

MM: Well, I know I'm the underdog here. Kawajiri has an extensive record and fan base. So I know that he has to come out blazing, especially after his last loss to Masato [in K-1]. So, mentally, I'm just not even gonna think about what he can do. I'm just gonna focus on what I can do and what I'm gonna do to him. Block out the crowd and focus on the "W."

CN: Can you give us a taste of the gameplan for Kawajiri?

MM: No game plan. That's the way I usually fight. But I would like to stay off my back - Kawajiri has a good ground 'n' pound game.

CN: Have you talked to DREAM about anything beyond this fight? Are you looking to stay active in MMA after this, or was this just an opportunity that was too good to pass up?

MM: Definitely would love to stay active in the game! However, Sakuraba's manager and I are going to talk to DREAM staff about 65 kilos [143 lbs] for my next fight.

CN: Guam and Spike 22 have been getting a lot of attention lately thanks to guys like yourself and Jesse Taitano. Who else should we be looking out for coming out of Guam?

MM: Hosea Ware will be fighting in DEEP, October 10th against Ryuta Sakurai at 85kg [187 lbs].

Jesse Taitano will be fighting Mamoru in Vale Tudo Japan '09, October 30th.

In December, it's Spike 22 vs. DEEP. Guam champs Justin Cruz [URCC, 140 lbs] and Roque Martinez [PXC, heavyweight] will face the DEEP champs for this event. Some of my other guys like Baby Joe might get on this card as well.

In our second preview leading up to DREAM 11, we'll take a look at the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix Tournament's final bracket of match-ups. In Grand Prix fashion, the semi-finals and final will take place on the card with four-time Mundials champion black belt Bibiano Fernandes taking on powerhouse Greco-Roman wrestler Joe Warren and heavy-hitting WEC and K-1 HERO's veteran Hiroyuki Takaya battling fellow K-1 HERO's submission fighter Hideo Tokoro. Kazuyuki Miyata will face Daiki Hata in a featherweight tournament reserve match-up on the card as well.

Many American fans are probably a bit unfamiliar with the list of names featured in the tournament, but believe me when I say that there are some solid match-ups. American Joe Warren has the potential to go on a run that will make him explode onto the featherweight scene from unknown to champion in only four professional fights. If you're a true fan of the WEC here in the United States, the DREAM featherweight final should feed your hunger for fast-paced action.

In the first match in the tournament's semifinals, Bibiano Fernandes (5-2) will look to knock off MMA newcomer Joe Warren (2-0) in a classic wrestler vs. grappler showdown. Fernandes is a world-renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with four Mundials and Brazilian championships and three Pan Ams championships. In true Japanese fashion, he was snagged up for his laundry list of credentials and pushed into a match-up with Japan's highly popular Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto back in September of 2007. With only two fights under his belt in MMA, Yamamoto defeated the more inexperienced striker in Bibiano by decision. In only seven fights, Bibiano has only lost to two of the best featherweights in the world in Yamamoto and Urijah Faber.

Warren has his own set of impressive credentials. Although he isn't a Brazlian jiu-jitsu wiz like his opponent, Warren is a 2005 Pan American gold medalist, 2006 World Championships gold medalist, and a 2007 World Cup gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at 60kg. He was considered to be a favorite at the Beijing Olympics, but was put on a two-year suspension from wrestling due to testing positive for marijuana. Despite the setback, Warren is considered to be one of the best wrestlers to enter the sport. Impressively, his wrestling was able to upset Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto in the second round of this Featherweight Grand Prix tournament

Stylistically, this is a bit of a different fight for Warren than his previous two opponents in Yamamoto and Beebe. Beebe didn't present anything more than solid wrestling, and Yamamoto offered great striking while showing an exposed ground game that was unable to stop Warren's aggression from the top. Bibiano has managed to gain some striking ability, and he's technically much better in his defense and strikes than he was two years ago. He'll also offer a lot of danger from his back, although he has yet to impressively show off his BJJ pedigree in the ring as he only has a couple of wins via submission.

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All fighters made weight for Tuesday's festivities in Yokohama. Photos via DREAM.

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Join us here at 7 AM Eastern / 4 AM Pacific on Tuesday morning for live coverage and discussion.

DREAM Lightweight Title Match
Joachim Hansen (68.2kg / 150.3 lbs / champion) vs. Shinya Aoki (69.8kg / 153.8 lbs)

Middleweight Bout
Kazushi Sakuraba (83.5kg / 184 lbs) vs. Rubin "Mr. Hollywood" Williams (82.5kg / 181.8 lbs)

Lightweight Bout
Tatsuya Kawajiri (69.9kg / 154.1 lbs) vs. Melchor Manibusan (69.2kg / 152.5 lbs)

Super Hulk Tournament Semifinals
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (100kg / 220.4 lbs) vs. Bob Sapp (155kg / 341.7 lbs)
Hong Man Choi (145kg / 319.6 lbs) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (87.5kg / 192.9 lbs)

2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinals
Bibiano Fernandes (62.7kg / 138.2 lbs) vs. Joe Warren (62.7kg / 138.2 lbs)
Hiroyuki Takaya (63kg / 138.8 lbs) vs. Hideo Tokoro (62.8kg / 138.4 lbs)
Odds to win the Dream Featherweight GP

2009 Featherweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Kazuyuki Miyata (62.8kg / 138.4 lbs) vs. Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (62.8kg / 138.4 lbs)

Odds to win the Dream Featherweight GP:
Joe Warren -115, Bibiano Fernandes +300, Hiroyuki Takaya +300, Hideo Tokoro +1400

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DREAM 11 will take place on Tuesday, October 6th from Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The event will feature the conclusion to the Featherweight Grand Prix which includes 2007 World Cup gold medalist wrestler Joe Warren, BJJ expert Bibiano Fernandes, submission fighter Hideo Tokoro, and the heavy-handed Hiroyuki Takaya. A lightweight championship rubber match between #2 USAT/SBN Consensus-ranked Shinya Aoki and the #8 USAT/SBN Consensus-ranked Joachim Hansen will headline the card, and the semi-finals of the DREAM Super Hulk tournament will round out the featured attractions.

In our first preview, we're going to focus on the Japanese cultural phenomenon that is the David vs. Goliath match-ups involved in the DREAM Super Hulk tournament. Over the years, Japanese fans have been treated to a variety of different battles in the ring that involved sizable weight differences. Interestingly enough, one of the most watched battles in the ring in Japan was between two behemoth athletes in Bob Sapp, 6'4" 360 pounds, and sumo wrestler Akebono, 6'8" 462 pounds. Add to the list Sapp vs. Lebanner, Nigerian-born TV comedian Bobby Ologun vs. Cyril Abidi, Ken Kaneko vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, and even a battle between a smaller Bobby Ologun and Akebono as some of the top rated bouts in Japan. While the list is mostly television-personalities versus K-1/MMA fighters, the draw to larger-than-life figures in Japan in undeniable.

Enter DREAM's Super Hulk tournament. An attempt to feed off that drawing power in an era in Japan that is showing waning interest in MMA, DREAM is hoping that these extraordinarily large fighters can pull in viewers. In what is probably one of the largest size differences I've seen in the MMA ring to date, pro wrestler/MMA fighter Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8) will take on Korean super giant Hong Man Choi (2-2) while former UFC fighter Rameau Sokoudjou (6-4) will battle Bob "The Beast" Sapp (10-5-1). Sapp is replacing Strikeforce fighter Gegard Mousasi in the tournament as Mousasi was reportedly injured.

For American fans, the line-up of fighters in the tournament was dim in terms of talent. The tournament was likely set up as a way to spotlight Gegard Mousasi's skills in a fairly lackluster talent pool of heavier fighters who had huge weaknesses. Gegard is now producing some interest from many American fans who tuned in for his drubbing of Renato "Babalu" Sobral back in August with Strikeforce, and some fans believe his "injury" is merely a way for him to get some much more meaningful fights in Strikeforce rather than taking on subpar competition in DREAM.

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33-year-old pro boxer Rubin Williams will make his MMA debut on a week's notice against 13-year veteran Kazushi Sakuraba. Photo via DREAM.

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On the heels of Saturday's video announcement that Kazushi Sakuraba would participate in Tuesday's DREAM.11, event producer Keiichi Sasahara introduced Saku's short-order opponent to the press today in Yokohama. Making his MMA debut against the 13-year veteran will be pro boxer Rubin "Mr. Hollywood" Williams, who holds a 29-8-1 record in his sport. In 2005, he faced Jeff Lacy for the IBF Super Middleweight belt; but his record since 2007 is 0-6-1.

Speaking to reporters, Williams revealed that he's been training in MMA for approximately a year after boxing for his entire life. He received the offer from DREAM about a week ago, while in Germany helping IBF Middleweight Champ Arthur Abraham train for his upcoming bout with Jermain Taylor.

However, Williams says he doesn't know much about the "IQ Wrestler:" 

I don't have much information about [Sakuraba], I just hear he's a legend in the game here. He's a very good fighter, well-respected individual, well-loved in the game... I had a guy that was working with me on some MMA moves back in Detroit... As far as the ground game, I've been getting pretty good at it over the last year. So I'll display what I've learned in the fight Tuesday.

And hey, if this doesn't work out, Williams says he's got a boxing match lined up for November 13th.

UPDATED - 10/4/09 1:45 PM ET

Brickhaus over at Bad Left Hook adds some insight from the boxing perspective:

While he's not the boxer who will have cross-over success in MMA, this shouldn't be too big of a surprise, and I suspect this kind of thing will become more common in the future.  Guys need to make money, and if you're going to be paid to be the opponent who is there to lose, then you might as well expand your potential sources of income.  Boxing fans know that Rubin Williams is completely shot, but to many MMA fans who don't dig deeper, he's a former title challenger who was on The Contender.  Considering the physical condition WIlliams is in at the moment, with compromised vision and slow reflexes, I'd actually rather see him be a no-hoper against a wrestler, as he is in this fight, than a no-hoper against a boxer.  At the very least, he has less of a chance of getting seriously injured that way.

Check the final DREAM.11 card and fight order after the jump.

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Though they were made known during HDNet's broadcast of DREAM.10, DREAM officially announced the pairings for the semifinals of its 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix at a press conference in Tokyo today. Both the semis and finals will take place at DREAM.11 on October 6th in Yokohama Arena.

As expected, "Streetfight Bancho" Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1 / Takaya Gundan) will clash with Hideo Tokoro (22-16-1 / Team ZST) in a bout which ensures that one Japanese fighter will make the finals. Both fighters have had their battles already in the tournament. After destroying Yoon Dong Sik student Jong Man Kim back at DREAM.7, Takaya came out on top of a shootout with Yoshiro Maeda at DREAM.9. Tokoro was eliminated in the first round of the tournament by Daiki Hata, but replaced the injured "DJ.taiki" against Abel Cullum and won his way back into the bracket with a fantastic standing rear-naked choke.

The other semifinal match will feature Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes (5-2 / Revolution Fight Team) against Greco-Roman wrestling convert Joe Warren (2-0 / Team Quest), owner of perhaps the year's biggest upset with his May split-decisioning of Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Surprisingly, FEG poster boy "Kid" won't be featured in the tournament's reserve bout that evening. Instead, the aforementioned Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (11-5-3 / freelance) will make his return against reinvented featherweight Kazuyuki Miyata (7-7 / Brave), who's reeled off two DEEP wins since April after taking a year hiatius to focus on training and his own Brave gym.

UPDATED at 11:08 AM

A couple more details from the press conference:

- Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara said that this will be an "all-star show" - "Kid," Tatsuya Kawajiri and Kazushi Sakuraba are all candidates for single fights. However, Sasahara thinks Yamamoto needs a fight to reacclimate himself after his KO loss at K-1 MAX earlier this month, and Sakuraba's return could be pushed back to DREAM.12. An announcement will be made shortly.

- Tokoro says he'll train with boxing champ Daisuke Naito in preparation for Takaya, who in turn will be working on his wrestling/grappling from now until the fight comes.

- Miyata says he feels he has the best takedowns in all of MMA, including the UFC, and he'd like to test himself agaianst Joe Warren.

Photo via Sportsnavi

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