Ämne: Dream 2

Eight Added to Dream Grand Prix
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Friday, April 18, 2008
by Sherdog.com Staff

Dream promoter Fighting & Entertainment Group released Friday the names of eight additional fighters who will compete in the opening round of the April 29 middleweight grand prix.

One marquee matchup is a battle between the undisputed middleweight grappling champion Ronaldo Souza (Pictures) and Frank Trigg (Pictures).

Better known as "Jacaré," which is Portuguese for alligator, Souza has been rumored for the past two years to be considering a serious run in MMA. After a deal with the UFC fell through last September, the eight-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion is now taking his trade to Japan.

Trigg is not only widely regarded as a top-10-caliber fighter in the middleweight division, his inclusion in the 187-pound Dream tournament is also a political issue in Japan. "Twinkle Toes" is the only fighter to defeat Pride Middleweight Grand Prix winner Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) after the "Grabaka Hitman's" tournament triumph in 2006. Misaki is widely considered the No. 1 fighter in Japan at 185 pounds, but he has aligned with Dream's rival, World Victory Road, instead.

Also announced is a clash between former world champion kickboxer Taiei Kin (Pictures) and highly popular pro wrestler Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures).

Kin was a dominating karateka in the early 90s and crossed over to MMA two years ago. The 37-year-old striker raised more than a few eyebrows when he scored a decision over legendary grappler Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) in only his third MMA fight.

Minowa was recently active at the first Dream in March, when he quickly dispatched of Korean fighter Bum Chan Kang (Pictures) via kneebar.

In another confrontation between two Asian fighters, in-form Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) will take on Pride and Hero's veteran Shungo Oyama (Pictures). Yoon finally ended a four-fight losing streak with a submission of dangerous Dutch striker Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) last June. The 35-year-old member of Takada Dojo added two more victories later in the year over Zelg Galesic (Pictures) and Fabio Silva (Pictures) via his trademark armbar.

Oyama also comes from a judo background. While he doesn't have a fraction of Yoon's credentials on the judo mat, he does possess many times his experience in MMA. The 34-year-old grappler made his MMA debut in 2001 in the United States and has since defeated many famous names like Renzo and Rodrigo Gracie (Pictures), Valentijn Overeem (Pictures), Peter Aerts (Pictures) and Carlos Newton (Pictures).

Last but not least, former Cage Rage British middleweight champion Zelg Galesic (Pictures) will square off against Russian muay Thai practitioner Magomed Sultanakhmedov (Pictures) in a fight that promises fireworks on the feet. Galesic is coming off a doctor stoppage of fellow tournament participant Taiei Kin (Pictures) in October and is looking to improve his record in Japan, which currently stands at 1-2.

Sultanakhmedov, a pupil of legendary Russian sambo fighter Volk Han, is making his sophomore appearance for FEG. The 6-foot-2 striker scored a knockout over Korean fighter Eun Soo Lee (Pictures) at Hero's Korea last October.

Dream 2 will be shown live on pay-per-view in Japan and Korea for the first time. It has not been decided whether the event will also be televised in the United States.


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ingen silkesvants hantering av jacare att ge han en sån motståndare direkt, riktigt grym matchup måste jag säga