Tag: Dream

Former Bellator Lightweight Champ Eddie Alvarez Skipping Season Six Tourny, Wants Shinya Aoki Instead

Bellator Fighting Championships first ever lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (22-3) has opted not to participate in the promotions upcoming Season Six 155-lbs tournament, opting instead to focus his efforts on a rematch with DREAM champion Shinya Aoki (30-5, 1NC). Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney broke the news to MMAjunkie.com Radio Wednesday night (also featured on the […]

Bellator Fighting Championships first ever lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (22-3) has opted not to participate in the promotions upcoming Season Six 155-lbs tournament, opting instead to focus his efforts on a rematch with DREAM champion Shinya Aoki (30-5, 1NC).

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney broke the news to MMAjunkie.com Radio Wednesday night (also featured on the podcast are Melvin Guillard, Fabricio Camoes, and prospect Jimmy Jones – the show actually starts at about 1:40 of the podcast).

“Ed won’t be part of the next tournament during the March kickoff,” Rebney said. “The decision was reached between us that the next right step wouldn’t be to jump back in the season-tournament right now.”

“We’re still talking very regularly about the Aoki fight,” he said. “We’ve been talking to DREAM about making it happen, so it could still happen as his next fight.”

Alvarez lost his title last November to Michael Chandler at Bellator 58 in one of the most exciting fights of 2011, only to be overshadowed by the UFC 139 bout between Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua on the same night.

The loss ended a seven fight win streak which saw Alvarez capture the Bellator title and successfully defend it once. His last loss was to Aoki back in December 2008 by first round submission.

Aoki is currently riding a seven fight win streak which includes defending his DREAM title on New Years Eve against his friend Satoru Kitaoka at the Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event.

Once Bellator and DREAM have worked out the details of the fight between Alvarez vs. Aoki we’ll be sure to post the news as soon as were able.

Despite Showcasing His Improved Striking, Shinya Aoki Not Satisfied With Recent Win

Tweet DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (30-5, 1NC) showed off his improved striking skills this past weekend by defeating his longtime friend Satoru Kitaoka in the co-main event of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event on New Year’s Eve (hit the link to watch the full fight). Aoki has been training […]

DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (30-5, 1NC) showed off his improved striking skills this past weekend by defeating his longtime friend Satoru Kitaoka in the co-main event of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event on New Year’s Eve (hit the link to watch the full fight).

Aoki has been training at the Evolve MMA gym in Singapore, steadily improving his striking, something he has taken heat for in the past, as well as all facets of his fight game.

The lightweight spoke to MMAWeekly.com about the win as well as his training at Evolve MMA.

“The media keeps writing about my striking training in Singapore, but people don’t realize that I train every day with world champions in every discipline at Evolve MMA. My submission game has improved tremendously at Evolve MMA. And of course, my striking and takedowns have improved. I am a much more complete MMA fighter today and I will be even better in the future because of my team, Evolve.”

“I am grateful for the win, but I am not satisfied because I did not finish the fight,” Aoki said. “My coaches thought that I would be able to submit or KO him. My style of fighting is to finish my opponents. I don’t like decision victories. However, Kitaoka is a very tough opponent. He is my good friend and training partner for many, many years. I trained very hard for this fight and I tried to use new things…. ”

“I want to fight the best in the world. I will fight anyone, anywhere,” said Aoki. “I don’t choose my opponents. I fight whoever they put in front of me.”

The win was Aoki’s seventh straight since a loss to Gilbert Melendez in Nashville in April 2010. The DREAM champ is hoping to appear at the upcoming co-promoted ONE Fighting Championship/DREAM event this coming March.

DREAM NYE 2011 – Shinya Aoki Defends DREAM Lightweight Title (Video 2)

DREAM champion, and world top five ranked lightweight fighter, Shinya Aoki successfully defended his title this past weekend in Japan, as well as earning his seventh straight victory. Aoki earned an easy unanimous decision over Satoru Kitaoka on Dec. 31, 2011 in the co-main event of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Check out rounds four and five of the bout after the jump

Click here to view the embedded video.

DREAM champion, and world top five ranked lightweight fighter, Shinya Aoki successfully defended his title this past weekend in Japan, as well as earning his seventh straight victory. Aoki earned an easy unanimous decision over Satoru Kitaoka on Dec. 31, 2011 in the co-main event of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Check out rounds four and five of the bout after the jump

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sakuraba & Shibata Defeat Sawada & SuzukawaIn IGF Pro Wrestling Bout At DREAM NYE Event

Pro-wrestling fans will enjoy this as Atsushi Sawada and Shinichi Suzukawa take on ‘The Gracie Hunter’ Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata in a IGF rules (pro-wrestling) bout this past New Years Eve in Japan, all part of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pro-wrestling fans will enjoy this as Atsushi Sawada and Shinichi Suzukawa take on ‘The Gracie Hunter’ Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata in a IGF rules (pro-wrestling) bout this past New Years Eve in Japan, all part of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Bibiano Fernandes Captures DREAM Bantamweight World Grand Prix Title (Full Fight Video)

Former DREAM featherweight champion Bibiano Fernandes (11-3) scored a quick first round TKO victory over Antonio Banuelos last weekend in Japan as part of the DREAM 2011 Bantamweight World Grand Prix Final to capture the inaugural DREAM bantamweight title. Fernandes earned his way into the final by stopping Takafumi Otsuka last September in the quarterfinals, and earning a unanimous decision against Rodolfo Marquest earlier in the event.

Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 took place on December 31, 2011 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Former DREAM featherweight champion Bibiano Fernandes (11-3) scored a quick first round TKO victory over Antonio Banuelos last weekend in Japan as part of the DREAM 2011 Bantamweight World Grand Prix Final to capture the inaugural DREAM bantamweight title. Fernandes earned his way into the final by stopping Takafumi Otsuka last September in the quarterfinals, and earning a unanimous decision against Rodolfo Marquest earlier in the event.

Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 took place on December 31, 2011 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Kazuyuki Fujita Defeats Peter Aerts By Submission In IGF Rules Bout In Japan

Saturday night in Japan, Dutch kickboxing legend Peter Aerts took on Japanese professional wrestler, Kazuyuki Fujita, in a IGF rules bout during the live HDNet broadcast of Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011.

Now it’s taken me a bit of searching to even find any of the other IGF rules fights, so I hope you enjoy this one.

Saturday night in Japan, Dutch kickboxing legend Peter Aerts took on Japanese professional wrestler, Kazuyuki Fujita, in a IGF rules bout during the live HDNet broadcast of Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011.

Now it’s taken me a bit of searching to even find any of the other IGF rules fights, so I hope you enjoy this one.