Tag: +Hayato+Mach+Sakurai

DREAM Bantamweight Semifinals Set for ‘Genki Desu Ka!!’

Filed under: News, JapanTo close out DREAM’s World Bantamweight Grand Prix, Bibiano Fernandes will face Antonio Banuelos, while Masakazu Imanari will fight Rodolfo Marques on the Dec. 31 “Genki Desu Ka!!” (How are you?) card in Saitama, Japan.

Fernan…

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Masakazu Imanari makes his entrance at DREAM.17.To close out DREAM’s World Bantamweight Grand Prix, Bibiano Fernandes will face Antonio Banuelos, while Masakazu Imanari will fight Rodolfo Marques on the Dec. 31 “Genki Desu Ka!!” (How are you?) card in Saitama, Japan.

Fernandes, Baneulos, Imanari and Marques were all victorious in opening round bouts at DREAM.17 in September to advance to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will meet the same night on Dec. 31 to determine the Grand Prix champion.

Former DREAM Featherweight GP winner and titleholder Fernandes (9-3) is coming off a win against Takafumi Otsuka via rear-naked choke. Marques (14-1) out of Brazil’s Nova Uniao advanced with a unanimous decision win over Yusup Saadulaev.

Leglock specialist Imanari (24-9-2) has been one of the most active fighters in Japanese MMA in 2011. He’s 3-2 this year with wins over Abel Cullum, Kenji Osawa and Keisuke Fujiwara and loses to Hideo Tokoro and Hiroshi Nakamura. Banuelos (19-7) made his UFC debut in February in a losing effort against Miguel Torres and then bounced back with a win over Hideo Tokoro at DREAM.17.

Event promoters also announced Friday the addition of Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan to the card.


Sakurai (35-12-2) will be in search of his first win since knocking out Shinya Aoki back at DREAM.8 in April 2009. The former UFC title contender last competed last New Year’s Eve in a loss to Jason High. He was booked to fight at DREAM.17 but bowed out due to injury. Chonan (20-12), best known for a submission win over Anderson Silva, won both his fights in 2011 fighting under the DEEP banner.

The final “Genki Desu Ka!!” card will be a mix of MMA, kickboxing and pro wrestling matches.

Current lineup:

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques
Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos
Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi “Lion” Inoue
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

 

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Michihiro Omigawa Thinks He’s Better Than Jose Aldo and Wants to Prove it

Michihiro Omigawa has never been one to keep his thoughts to himself.

As he rose to relevance in Sengoku’s 2009 Featherweight GP he would shout “Kusottare!” any time he was given a microphone, essentially telling everyone who doubts him to “f**k off!…

Michihiro Omigawa has never been one to keep his thoughts to himself.

As he rose to relevance in Sengoku’s 2009 Featherweight GP he would shout “Kusottare!” any time he was given a microphone, essentially telling everyone who doubts him to “f**k off!” Since he reinvented himself for the GP, he has “claimed the necks of” fellow top 10 featherweights Marlon Sandro and Hatsu Hioki and most recently took a submission win over former WEC Champion Cole Escovedo. Afterwards, Omigawa called his DREAM.16 victory “a perfect fight” and declared himself the “center of the featherweight world.”

Now, unhappy with the way he is being treated in Japan, Omigawa is setting his sights on the WEC and Jose Aldo.

“For me, the WEC is the top promotion in the States so I’m seriously considering fighting there. I’m very determined and willing to fight in the WEC at some point, and I was exchanging emails with them, but we still haven’t met in person. It’s not an official offer yet, but we are in talks. Jose Aldo is a well-rounded fighter, and an interesting opponent for me, but technique-wise I am better and I’d like to prove that.”