The new Japanese DREAM promotion is following up last week's successful debut with the opening round of its Middleweight Grand Prix at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on April 15.
Fighters scheduled to appear on the card are:
- Kazushi Sakaraba (23-10-1)
- Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1)
- Masakatsu Funaki (38-12-1)
- Dong-Sik Yoon (3-4)
- Taiei Kin (2-2)
- Shungo Oyama (7-10)
- Ikuhisa Minowa (39-27-8)
While nothing official has been announced, it is expected that Renaldo "Jacare" Souza (7-1) will also appear on the card based on a conversation he had with Throwdown News.
In addition, MMAWeekly is speculating that Denis Kang (29-9-1) and Kiyoshi Tamura (28-14) will be competing as well.
Shortly after that, round two of the Lightweight Grand Prix will take place on May 11 at the same location. Advancing to the second round after victories at DREAM 1 were:
- Luiz Firmino (12-3)
- Joachim Hansen (17-6-1)
- Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2)
- Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1)
- Eddie Alvarez (13-1)
- Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2)
- Gesias Calvancante/Shinya Aoki (TBD - match ruled a no contest)
Both events look to be solid, though it's no secret the addition of Kang and Souza would definitely boost the talent level for the Middleweight GP.
Stay tuned for more official announcements from the DREAM team. In the meantime you can check out the official DREAM website or the MMAmania DREAM archives.
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