Yes, we’ve spent some time lately waxing on about how compelling this Saturday’s Strikeforce is looking, as not only is the card looking pretty sweet, there’s also some very interesting storylines behind the event. Unless you’ve been wandering the wild aimlessly for weeks searching for ‘Big Foot’ (no, not the dude that beat down Fedor), you’re probably aware of the recent tragedies that occurred in Japan.
This Saturday, three of Japan’s more noteworthy fighters in Shinya Aoki, Hiroyuki Takaya and Tatsuya Kawajiri will be fighting on the Strikeforce card, with the latter taking on Gilbert Melendez for the promotion’s lightweight championship. So yeah, there’s no question that a few victories, or even some badass performances from any of the three, could lift some spirits back home. When asked about how the recent disasters affected Kawajiri’s training camp, the powerful lightweight told MMA Fighting:
“In the beginning I lost my concentration a little bit, but I had friends who helped me train and work out,” Kawajiri said, via a translator. “We’re still getting light earthquakes, and water’s cut off. We’re lacking gasoline, and for a while food was hard to get. Things have gotten better day by day. I have friends who helped me train and workout, and now I am in the best shape. Now I’m concentrated on the fight.”
And while we’re on the subject, DREAM released a really cool promotional vid about this weekend’s bouts featuring Kawajiri, Aoki and Takaya. You can check it out here. To wager a little money on this Saturday’s action head here.