With opponent Willamy Freire having visa problems, and therefore unable to travel to Japan, the DREAM promotion appears to be looking at Antonio “Mandingo” McKee (25-4-2) as a replacement.
If McKee can secure the proper documentation to fight in Japan at the end of the month, then he’ll take on DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki (27-5, 1NC) at the upcoming DREAM.17: Fight for Japanevent.
MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Aoki and McKee have both verbally agreed to the fight, but before anything is signed McKee must renew his passport and secure the proper visa to fight in Japan.
DREAM.17: Fight for Japan is scheduled to take place on May 29 at the Saitama Super Arena Hall in Saitama, Japan. The event is highlighted by the opening round, and semifinals, of DREAM’s 2011 Bantamweight Japanese Grand Prix tournament. The final, and third place bout, will take place at a later date in July, with the top three fighters advancing to the DREAM World Bantamweight Grand Prix tournament which takes place sometime this fall.
Aoki is coming off his first victory on U.S. soil by submitting Lyle Beerbohm at last month’s Strikeforce San Diego event. That was the DREAM champ’s fourth straight mma victory, having earned the other wins in Japan under the DEEP and DREAM banners. Those wins, however, were not Aoki’s last fight before the Strikeforce show, having faced K-1 kickboxer Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima in a special rules exhibition bout at the Dynamite!! 2010 event on New Year’s Eve. Aoki was knocked out in the second round at 0:04 seconds after taking a knee to the face while shooting for a takedown.
McKee’s last fight was on January 1 in his UFC debut against Jacob Volkmann. “Mandingo” would lose a split decision at the UFC 125 event and was subsequently cut by the promotion. The loss was the first in almost eight years for McKee, who had gone undefeated in fifteen fights. He was then scheduled to defend the MFC lightweight title against Drew Fickett last February, but was forced to withdraw due to injury. A recent announcement by the MFC, has pit Fickett against UFC vet Hermes Franca for the lightweight title, which the promotion says McKee vacated.