Grappling phenom Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is possibly slated to once again do battle with the charismatic Jason "Mayhem" Miller at "DREAM 9" from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on May 26, according to a Tatame.com report.
The bout will likely be contested for the DREAM middleweight title because the current champion, Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), has relinquished the belt to prepare for a move up to light heavyweight.
This will be the second encounter between "Jacare" and "Mayhem" -- the pair first met during DREAM’s Middleweight Grand Prix quarterfinals at "DREAM 4" in June 2008. The bout would go the distance and the conclusion would see Souza garner a unanimous decision victory over Miller.
First things first, however.
"Mayhem" has to get past dangerous striker Kalo Hose (7-2) at the debut show for "Kingdom MMA" on April 18, which could put Miller's proposed bout in jeopardy if any injuries are sustained or he can’t make a quick enough turn around.
Hopefully it won’t come to that.
"Dream 9" will feature the promotion's featherweight grand prix quarterfinals.
The focal point of which will boast the long awaited return of 139-pound superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, who was offered a first-round bye in the tournament in hopes that he will have recovered from a previous injury in time to compete. He’s coming off a long 16-month layoff but now he’s finally ready to compete and will take on wrestling standout Joe Warren.
In non-tournament action will be highly regarded lightweight standout Gesias "JZ" Calvancante who is set to do battle with Japanese mainstay Tatsuya Kawajiri.
That’s it for now. Look for more fights to be added as we get closer to May 26.
Here is the current line-up for "DREAM 9:"
Featherweight grand prix quarterfinals:
Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1) vs. Joe Warren (1-0)
Masakazu Imanari (16-6-1) vs. Bibiano Fernandes (4-2)
Yoshiro Maeda (24-6-2) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (10-6-1)
Abel Cullum (14-2) vs. Hideo Tokoro (21-16-1)
DREAM middleweight title:
Ronaldo Souza (10-2) vs. Jason Miller (21-6)
Non-tournament bouts:
Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-5-2)
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