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The previously rumored bout between lightweight sensation Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and Japanese grappling phenom Shinya Aoki has been made official by DREAM for the Fields Dynamite!! supershow at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on December 31.

Alvarez was originally scheduled to face Aoki in the finals of the 2008 DREAM lightweight grand prix last July, but Alvarez was unable to continue after his match with Tatsuya Kawajiri and finals alternate Joachim Hansen stepped in to take his place.

Hansen would go on to upset the heavily-favored Aoki and bring home the belt.

Aoki would rebound from that loss — just the third of his career — and submit Todd Moore via neck crank at DREAM 6 in September. The “Tobikan Judan” is a dangerous submission fighter, winning 10 of his 18 fights by tap out.

He’ll have his hands full however against the surging Alvarez. In addition to winning five straight, the former Bodog Fight welterweight champion is a perfect 3-0 in DREAM, with a decision win over current grand prix champ “Hellboy” Hansen.

Talented striker versus talented grappler — don’t expect any long-range jabs or boring lay ‘n pray in this one.

Fields Dynamite!! is the New Year’s Eve supershow featuring a smorgasbord of fighters under the umbrella of Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) coming together on one night to try and kick the crap out of each other.

Featuring participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien, Fields Dynamite!! is going to have a wide variety of fighting styles and compelling match-ups, and could feature as many as 20 fights.
Thus far it appears as though FEG is holding up end of the bargain.

Here is the scheduled card to date:

MMA RULES :

Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2)
Lightweight: Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)
Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez (15-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (18-3)

K-1 RULES :

Heavyweight: Jerome Le Banner vs. Mark Hunt
Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Musashi (49-28-5-1)
Lightweight: Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) vs. Kozo Takeda (43-18-7)

K-1 KOSHIEN RULES:

U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0)
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: Ryuya Kusakabe (2-0) vs. Koya Urabe (2-0)
U-18 Tournament Finals: Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs. Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe
Stay tuned as this massive card continues to come together.

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Lightweight sensation Eddie Alvarez (15-1) has agreed to face Japanese grappling phenom Shinya Aoki at the Fields Dynamite!! supershow on December 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan according to a report by Sherdog.com .

Alvarez was originally scheduled to face Aoki in the finals of the 2008 DREAM lightweight grand prix last July, but Alvarez was unable to continue after his match with Tatsuya Kawajiri and finals alternate Joachim Hansen stepped in to take his place.

Hansen would go on to upset the heavily-favored Aoki and bring home the belt.

Aoki would rebound from that loss - just the third of his career - and submit Todd Moore via neck crank at DREAM 6 in September. The "Tobikan Judan" is a dangerous submission fighter, winning 10 of his 18 fights by tap out.

He’ll have his hands full however against the surging Alvarez. In addition to winning five straight, the former Bodog Fight welterweight champion is a perfect 3-0 in DREAM, with a decision win over current grand prix champ "Hellboy" Hansen.

Talented striker vs talented grappler. Don’t expect any long-range jabs or boring lay ‘n pray in this one.

Fields Dynamite!! is the New Year’s Eve supershow featuring a smorgasbord of fighters under the umbrella of Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) coming together on one night to try and kick the crap out of each other.

Featuring participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien, Fields Dynamite!! is going to have a wide variety of fighting styles and compelling match-ups, and could feature as many as twenty fights.

From what I’ve seen thus far, FEG is holding up their end of the bargain.

Here is the scheduled card to date:

MMA RULES :
Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2)
Lightweight: Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)
Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez (15-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (18-3)**

K-1 RULES :
Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Musashi (49-28-5-1)
Lightweight: Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) vs. Kozo Takeda (43-18-7)

K-1 KOSHIEN RULES :
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0)
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: Ryuya Kusakabe (2-0) vs. Koya Urabe (2-0)
U-18 Tournament Finals: Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs. Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe

Stay tuned as this massive card continues to come together.

(**Not yet confirmed by FEG)

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Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) has confirmed the participation of Japanese MMA pioneer Kazushi Sakuraba as he takes on fellow aging veteran Kiyoshi Tamura for the promotion’s New Year’s Eve supershow featuring combatants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien.

The ‘Gracie Hunter’ (24-11-1) is looking to rebound from his loss at Dream 4 back in June where he was nearly beheaded by the now un-retired Hollander Melvin Manhoef. Sakuraba will finally get the chance to throwdown with Tamura (32-13-2) after publicly calling him out for a fight several years back at PRIDE Shockwave 2005, also scheduled on New Year’s Eve.

Tamura is coming off an impressive first round TKO over Masakatsu Funaki at Dream 2 last April.

Joining them will be Shooto and PRIDE veteran Tatsuya "Crisher" Kawajiri (22-5-2) as he faces K-1 World MAX finalist and Shin Nihon Kickboxing Association welterweight champion Kozo Takeda (43-18-7).

Kawajiri is a powerful striker with 10 (T)KO victories but in a K-1 rules match I have to see him as the underdog against Takeda, who not only has the K-1 experience but also a scary Muay Thai arsenal.

Also signed is the K-1 bout featuring DREAM’s 2008 Middleweight World Grand Prix champion Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) slugging it out with four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix Champion and former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion Musashi (49-28-5-1).

Expect fireworks in that one.

And for those of you who enjoy watching young children kick each other in the face, K-1 Koshien will be holding the finals and semifinals of its ‘King of Under 18′ tournament.

FieLDS Dynamite!! ‘Power of Courage’ will take place on December 31, 2008 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and could feature as many as 20 fights.

Here is the official card thus far:

MMA RULES :
Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2)
Lightweight: Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)

K-1 RULES :
Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Musashi (49-28-5-1)
Lightweight: Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) vs. Kozo Takeda (43-18-7)

K-1 KOSHIEN RULES :
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0)
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: Ryuya Kusakabe (2-0) vs. Koya Urabe (2-0)
U-18 Tournament Finals: Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs. Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe

Stay tuned as this massive event continues to take shape.

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Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), winner of DREAM’s 2008 Middleweight World Grand Prix, has officially signed to face four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix Champion, Musashi (49-28-5-1), in a K-1 rules match at the Fields Dynamite!! supershow on December 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Mousasi won the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix with a stunning first round knockout of Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza back in September. He reached the finals after submitting the dangerous K-1 striker Melvin Manhoef in the first round of the semifinals.

The "Young Vagabond" is an extremely talented fighter and in addition to riding an eleven-fight win streak, is also a former amateur boxing champion and has served as a striking coach for current WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

He’ll have his hands full however against the Japanese warrior. Musashi is a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion and two-time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist. He last appeared at K-1 Fields World GP 2008 and dropped a disappointing decision to Brazil’s Ewerton Teixeira.

Musashi has a staggering 83 fights under his belt and isn’t going to be intimidated by Mousasi. Don’t expect this one to go to a decision.

Fields Dynamite!! is the New Year’s Eve supershow featuring a smorgasbord of fighters under the umbrella of Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) coming together on one night to try and kick the crap out of each other.

Featuring participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien, Fields Dynamite!! is going to have a wide variety of fighting styles and compelling match-ups, and could feature as many as twenty fights.

Stay tuned as this massive card continues to come together.

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Mark Cuban’s premium cable and satellite channel, HDNet, recently inked an extension with Japanese-based mixed martial arts promotion DREAM, giving the network exclusive rights to air the promotion’s events in North America through 2009.

Here’s the thoughts from Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights, on the extension:

“We’re very happy to expand and continue this successful partnership with FEG USA, Inc. DREAM is known for having the best MMA tournaments and superfights in the world and clearly has the greatest production and fighter entrances in the sport. This partnership solidifies our commitment to being THE Home of MMA.”

HDNet has already aired four DREAM events since a partnership was announced between the two parties back in May 2008. DREAM 3 was the first of the bunch to air live. DREAM 4, 5, and 6 have all since been broadcast live on the network, too.

Mike Kogan of FEG USA Inc. is also pleased with the deal. Here are his thoughts on more future DREAM events being aired on HDNet:

“It has been a good year for DREAM. We are glad that FEG is able to continue its partnership with HDNet and bring more DREAM action to North American Fans.”

HDNet also recently struck a deal with K-1 to air 12 events in 2009 — six from the K-1 tournament and six from the K-1 MAX tournament.

The December 6, 2008, K-1 World Grand Prix Final event will kick off the partnership. The broadcast will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET on fight night. Here’s the announced card for the show thus far:

• 3-time Grand Prix Champion and K-1 Legend Peter Aerts (62-21 w/ 28Kos, Holland) vs K-1 Heavyweight Champion Badr Hari (11-3 w/ 10Kos, Morocco)

• Errol Zimmerman (5-0 w 5Kos, Holland), Ewerton Teixeira (5-0 w 5Kos, Brazil)

• Gokhan Saki (7-1 w 4Kos, Turkey), Ruslan Karaev (11-6 w 6Kos, Russia)

• Two-time Grand Prix Champion Remy Bonjasky (33-8 w 15Kos, Holland) and Jerome Le Banner (43-16-2 w 29Kos, France)

HDNet continues to distance themselves from all other networks as the number one spot on television to view mixed martial arts and combat sports. Remember that the network also boasts working relationships with Strikeforce, Adrenaline MMA and recently bought the entire video library of past International Fight League (IFL) events as well.

And it only seems to be getting better.

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Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) has announced the first wave of match-ups for its New Year’s Eve supershow featuring participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien.

FieLDS Dynamite!! ‘Power of Courage’ will take place on December 31, 2008 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and could feature as many as 20 fights.

Japanese MMA pioneer and ‘Gracie Hunter’ Kazushi Sakuraba will finally get the chance to face fellow aging veteran Kiyoshi Tamura, after publicly calling him out for a fight several years back at PRIDE Shockwave 2005, also scheduled on New Year’s Eve.

Joining them will be DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix champion Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen as he takes on Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante in a rematch from their 2004 Shooto bout that saw Hansen take the majority decision, one of only two losses for JZ.

Expect fireworks in that one.

And for those of you who enjoy watching young children kick each other in the face, K-1 Koshien will be holding the finals and semifinals of its ‘King of Under 18′ tournament.

Here is the official card thus far:

MMA RULES:
Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2)
Lightweight: Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)

K-1 RULES:
K-1 Koshien U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0)
K-1 Koshien U-18 Tournament Semifinals: Ryuya Kusakabe (2-0) vs. Koya Urabe (2-0)
K-1 Koshien U-18 Tournament Finals: Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs. Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe

Also expected to participate are Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, Caol Uno, Hideo Tokoro, Masakatsu Funaki, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Gegard Mousasi and Hong Man Choi.

While not yet listed, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has confirmed on his official blog that he will face Alistair Overeem to finish their match from September’s DREAM 6 that ended in a No Contest after Overeem played “Kick the Can” with Cro Cop’s man-bag.

Cro Cop was being dominated by Overeem prior to the sack mutilation and hasn’t looked sharp in almost two years. Overeem on the other hand has been unstoppable in his last five fights, including Sunday’s submission win over MMA veteran Gary Goodrich at Netherlands ‘Glory of 10′ event.

There’s even rumors of a Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli rematch, probably scheduled to take place in the opening round of the 2008 ‘Who Cares?’ grand prix.

Stay tuned as this massive event continues to take shape.

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Two new matchups have been announced by FEG organizers for its combined DREAM and K-1 “Dynamite!!” event to be held on Dec. 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The new bouts concist of Japanese combat sports icon Kazushi Sakuraba taking on Kiyoshi Tamura with Joachim Hansen making the first-ever defense of his DREAM [...]

Kimbo Slice (3-1) is eyeing a return to action against the man who defeated him in just 14 seconds at Elite XC: “Heat” on October 4, Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli (10-4), according to an interview in a recent article with the Sun-Sentinel.

The possible destination for the rematch is the DREAM K-1 New Year’s Eve event in Japan.

Petruzelli was a last minute replacement for an injured Ken Shamrock when he faced Kimbo the first time around. He stunned the bearded brawler and an arena full of his hometown faithful that night by landing a straight right directly on the button and finishing him off in only 14 seconds.

The win didn’t come without some negative effects for Petruzelli, however. He made some comments on an Orlando morning radio program two days later that reeked of possible match fixing. The interview sparked an investigation into Elite XC and later was among the contributing causes to the promotion going under.

Regardless, Petruzelli was quick to say he would give Slice a rematch at the post event presser in Sunrise. And realistically it was only a matter of time before the fight was inked. But with the demise of the promotion, it was uncertain whether or not Petruzelli vs. Kimbo II would ever happen.

Both fighters are free agents now (or will be soon) and if this latest report is active, we’ll be seeing the two square off again before the end of 2008.

Petruzelli is a wrestling and karate expert who likes to finish his opponents with his striking. Nine times he’s had his hand raised because of a knockout. His only losses in his eight-year career have come to UFC veterans Gan McGee, Mario Neto, Matt Hamill and Wilson Gouveia.

Kimbo made his mark on the entertainment world by knocking out dudes in Miami backyards. By airing the footage on YouTube.com he became an overnight celebrity and fighting professionally soon became his calling.

He enlisted the help of legendary mixed martial artist Bas Rutten as his head trainer and he’s been training consistently for more than two years now. His first setback was the loss to Seth and it’ll be interesting to see how he responds in his next fight … especially if it’s a rematch with “The Silverback.”

Also rumored to be competing on the DREAM K-1 New Year’s Eve event are Joachim Hansen, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Masakazu Imanari, Takeshi Yamazaki, Atsushi Yamamoto, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Minowaman, Kiyoshi Tamura, Seichi Ikemoto, Yuichi Nakanishi, Yasuhiro Kido, Yoshihiro Sato, Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, Caol Uno, Hideo Tokoro, Masakatsu Funaki, Katsuyori Shibata, Junichi Sawayashiki, Taishin Kohiruimaki, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gegard Mousasi and Hong Man Choi.

Star studded to say the least.

With a lineup like this, it’s safe to say Kimbo and Seth won’t be main eventing this one. If so, it will be the first time in his career that the Miami native was not the headliner.

We’ll keep you posted on more news regarding this fight and event as it’s announced.

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Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii was set to make his mixed martial arts debut on New Year’s Eve at the FieLDS Dynamite show at the end of this year. However it now looks as though he will just be making a brief cameo appearance like Fedor Emelianenko did back at DREAM 6 in September according to our friends at Nightmare of Battle.

While fans may be disappointed that he won’t be competing, the good news is he’s officially signed with Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) and is expected to compete in an upcoming DREAM event sometime in Spring 2009.

I’m sure he’ll elaborate when his fan club holds a celebration party on November 3, but for now he is remaining tight-lipped about the details.

The December 31 Dynamite card features a plethora of top-tier fighters and fan favorites such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai, Joachim Hansen, Yoshihiro Sato and many more.

One of the names being kicked around for Ishii’s debut according to Tokyo-Sports is fellow Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1). Nothing is certain yet, but both athletes rank very high in the court of public opinion and a fight between them would no doubt be a huge draw.

After winning an Olympic gold medal in Judo this summer in Beijing, many Japanese fans regard Ishii as a national hero. His appearance in and of itself might help to bring Japanese mixed martial arts back into the mainstream like the glory days of PRIDE FC.

After winning his gold medal, Ishii issued an open challenge to heavyweight deity Fedor Emelianenko. I guess he didn’t see what Fedor did to silver medalist Naoya Ogawa at PRIDE Final Conflict back in 2004.

Fedor of course smiled and went about his business, as Ishii has yet to prove that he can transition from Judo to mixed martial arts and a few questions have been raised of his ability to strike - or be struck.

In addition, his Judo Federation doesn’t seem too keen on the idea of him making the jump from Judo to mixed martial arts, despite Ishii’s persistence.

This could be the spark that FEG needs to help ignite DREAM’s sagging ratings. Unless of course he gets smashed by a journeyman ala Kimbo Slice.

Looks like we’ll have to wait until November 3 to find out the rest.

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Ever since the collapse of ProElite and EliteXC, managers such as Monte Cox have reviewed their fighters’ contracts and contacted EliteXC officials about a possible breach of contract with ProElite closing its doors. The contract for EliteXC’s fighters basically states that if EliteXC is unable to fulfill its payment obligations that the fighters can seek to [...]