Phil Baroni
The DREAM promotion has announced opponents for previously announced fighters Hiroyuka Takaya (17-9-1) and Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai (36-12-2) for the upcoming end year DREAM 18 & Glory 4 event in Japan.
Takaya, the reigning DREAM featherweight champ, will take on Tachi Palace Fights title holder Georgi Karakhanyan (19-3-1) in a non-title bout, while Sakurai takes on Phil ‘The New York Bad Ass’ Baroni (15-15) in a welterweight bout.
GLORY Sports International presents Dream 18 & Glory 4 Tokyo ~ Special 2012 ~ New Year’s Eve (aka DREAM 18) is scheduled to take place on December 31, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event features a mix of mixed martial arts bouts along with a one-night 16-fighter heavyweight kickboxing tournament.
Takaya is 5-1 in his last six bouts but hasn’t fought in almost a year since the last NYE event. He is riding a two fight win streak having defended his DREAM 145-lbs title by defeating Takeshi Inoue last December and Kazuyuki Miyata in July 2011.
Karakhanyan has won five straight including a recent TPF title defense this past September in California. He competed in the Bellator’s season two and four featherweight tournaments going 2-2 with the promotion.
Sakurai is 1-4 in his last five having had his last fight one year-ago at the NYE Fight for Japan event picking up a win over Ryo Chonan. Losses in that stretch include a submission defeat against Nick Diaz and a KO loss to Marius Zaromskis.
Baroni is on loan from the ONE FC promotion having fought in the Philippines last August picking up a first round TKO win over Rodrigo Ribeiro to end a two fight losing skid. The former UFC fighter was last seen in the Octagon in January 2011.