In 2008, three of the most ruthless grapplers in MMA, DREAM champion Shinya Aoki, former Sengoku champion Satoru Kitaoka and two-time Deep champion Masakazu Imanari, founded Nippon Top Team.
Three years, and a host of brutal submission victories later, a significant number of top fighters and former foes have joined the quirky trio to make Nippon Top Team the most star-studded team in Japanese MMA.
MMA Fighting was allowed inside the doors of Nippon Top Team to capture Satoru Kitaoka mercilessly piledrive and submit his sparring partner, a slimmed down Tatsuya Kawajiri prepare for his featherweight debut and Takafumi Otsuka work his wrestling with former Shooto champion Hideki Kadowaki, all in preparation for their respective bouts at DREAM.17 on Sept. 24.
In 2008, three of the most ruthless grapplers in MMA, DREAM champion Shinya Aoki, former Sengoku champion Satoru Kitaoka and two-time Deep champion Masakazu Imanari, founded Nippon Top Team.
Three years, and a host of brutal submission victories later, a significant number of top fighters and former foes have joined the quirky trio to make Nippon Top Team the most star-studded team in Japanese MMA.
MMA Fighting was allowed inside the doors of Nippon Top Team to capture Satoru Kitaoka mercilessly piledrive and submit his sparring partner, a slimmed down Tatsuya Kawajiri prepare for his featherweight debut and Takafumi Otsuka work his wrestling with former Shooto champion Hideki Kadowaki, all in preparation for their respective bouts at DREAM.17 on Sept. 24.
According to Golden Glory head Bas Boon, fences have been mended between the UFC and his management group and fight team — so much so that the promotion is bringing back heavyweight John Olav Einemo and is in discussions to sign K-1 standout Siyar Bahadurzada as well.
“John Olaf Einemo is now back with the UFC and Siyar Bahadurzada just got offered a UFC contract,” Boon wrote in an email received by CagePotato earlier today.
The email went on to state that Golden Glory’s relationship with the UFC is good and that contrary to media speculation, neither side is guilty of any wrongdoing during the recent negotiations to sign former Golden Glory star Alistair Overeem to a contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“I want to make the following statement to clear up any speculation.The UFC did nothing wrong and neither did Golden Glory management – when signing up Alistair Overeem with the UFC. It is public knowledge how the UFC does business,” Boon explained. “ALL correspondence between the UFC and Golden Glory was also shared/CC’d to Alistair Overeem who finally made a decision to sign the agreements. There will be a lot of rumors like in thet recent past when 4 Golden Glory fighters were released from the UFC and Strikeforce and that was the so-called end of GG’s relationship with the UFC. Not long after this rumor Golden Glory made a mega deal with Alistair Overeem signing with the UFC.”
(The team during easier times.)
According to Golden Glory head Bas Boon, fences have been mended between the UFC and his management group and fight team — so much so that the promotion is bringing back heavyweight John Olav Einemo and is in discussions to sign K-1 standout Siyar Bahadurzada as well.
“John Olaf Einemo is now back with the UFC and Siyar Bahadurzada just got offered a UFC contract,” Boon wrote in an email received by CagePotato earlier today.
The email went on to state that Golden Glory’s relationship with the UFC is good and that contrary to media speculation, neither side is guilty of any wrongdoing during the recent negotiations to sign former Golden Glory star Alistair Overeem to a contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“I want to make the following statement to clear up any speculation.The UFC did nothing wrong and neither did Golden Glory management – when signing up Alistair Overeem with the UFC. It is public knowledge how the UFC does business,” Boon explained. “ALL correspondence between the UFC and Golden Glory was also shared/CC’d to Alistair Overeem who finally made a decision to sign the agreements. There will be a lot of rumors like in thet recent past when 4 Golden Glory fighters were released from the UFC and Strikeforce and that was the so-called end of GG’s relationship with the UFC. Not long after this rumor Golden Glory made a mega deal with Alistair Overeem signing with the UFC.”
Boon says that the current dismal state of MMA in Japan and Golden Glory’s home base in Holland is making it difficult for fighters to carve out a living outside of North America, which is likely why they decided to forgo the addition of a clause in Overeem’s UFC contract to ensure that he could continue to compete for K-1. Another fact that likely played into that decision was that “The Demolition Man” still hasn’t been paid for winning the K-1 World Heavyweight Grand Prix last year.
“These are difficult times in the fighting industry; we are still waiting for payment of FEG as Alistair said in the press and the future of FEG is still unclear. There is a Dutch law called bibop in the Netherlands which makes promoting events there extremely difficult.”
Boon, who revealed after the sudden firings of his fighters from Strikeforce and the UFC,that he was working with Strikeforce, K-1 and DREAM to form a partnership between the three promotions prior to the purchase of SF by Zuffa says that there is progress in Japan, but points out that he can’t say what just yet.
“There is also some really good news coming soon about the situation in Japan and I really want to let everybody know the details, but I have signed multiple non-disclosure agreements and I have to wait,” Boon explained.
Hopefully it’s that they have a suitable financial backer to revive JMMA, which has been on life support the past few years. Fighters and fans need another viable MMA option outside of the UFC umbrella.
Due to his catch wrestling and pro wrestling roots, Kazushi Sakuraba refuses to train in front of cameras and so the Japanese MMA legend has always taken a unorthodox approach towards the customary media workouts that come before any major MMA event.
Returning from a horrific ear injury suffered on New Year’s Eve 2010, and in preparation for his Sept. 24 DREAM.17 bout with promotional newcomer Yan Cabral, Sakuraba performed one of his strangest media “workouts” yet. He drew a picture of a robotic cat in Photoshop.
Due to his catch wrestling and pro wrestling roots, Kazushi Sakuraba refuses to train in front of cameras and so the Japanese MMA legend has always taken a unorthodox approach towards the customary media workouts that come before any major MMA event.
Returning from a horrific ear injury suffered on New Year’s Eve 2010, and in preparation for his Sept. 24 DREAM.17 bout with promotional newcomer Yan Cabral, Sakuraba performed one of his strangest media “workouts” yet. He drew a picture of a robotic cat in Photoshop.
Filed under: UFC, K1, News, JapanEnding a relationship that dates back to the beginning of his career, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, DREAM interim heavyweight champion and 2010 K-1 World GP champion Alistair Overeem announced on Wednesday th…
Ending a relationship that dates back to the beginning of his career, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, DREAM interim heavyweight champion and 2010 K-1 World GP champion Alistair Overeemannounced on Wednesday that he has left the Golden Glory fight team.
Overeem chose not to give specific details on the reason behind the move but cited “a breach of trust” and continued to say that there was, “no turning back and no way to continue a positive, working relationship.”
In July of this year, Overeem was cut from Strikeforce due to a disagreement regarding payment methods between Golden Glory and Zuffa, but the Dutch heavyweight finally resigned with Zuffa earlier this month to make his UFC debut and to meet former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on Dec. 30.
The complete statements from Overeem and Golden Glory co-owner Bas Boon are after the break.
Alistair Overeem released the following statement via Twitter:
“I would like to make a statement regarding the recent news of the separation from my long-time management Golden Glory. As with any relationship, there are good times and bad times – you have your common ground and your differences. As with any relationship, you have trust. When differences lead to a breach of trust, there’s no turning back and no way to continue a positive, working relationship. I don’t air my dirty laundry. I would appreciate the respect regarding my privacy to not disclose any further details on this matter.
Again, I would like to thank team Golden Glory for all the years we worked together and wish them success for the future.”
Overeem, the favorite to win the troubled Strikeforce Heavyweight GP, withdrew from the tournament in July due to injury and was cut from the promotion later in the month due to a dispute between Golden Glory and Zuffa. Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen, Alistair’s brother Valentijn Overeem and former UFC heavyweight John Olav Einemo were also cut from Zuffa promotions as a result of the rift between Zuffa and Golden Glory.
With Overeem only stating that “a breach of trust” was the reason for his departure, details behind the split are up for speculation and many people may be quick to point the finger at the recent issues between Golden Glory and Zuffa. Bas Boon, co-owner of Golden Glory and Overeem’s former manager, released the following statement to make it clear that this is not the case.
“The UFC is not wrong!
I want to make the following statement to clear up any speculation.
The UFC did nothing wrong and neither did Golden Glory management when signing up Alistair Overeem with the UFC. It is public knowledge how the UFC does business. The fighters sign their own contracts and agreements. If journalists have any questions regarding Alistair Overeem’s statement about G.G please contact the UFC for any further questions. ALL correspondence between the UFC and Golden Glory was also shared/CC’d to Alistair Overeem, who finally made a decision to sign the agreements.
These are difficult times in the fighting industry. We are still waiting for payment of FEG, as Alistair said in the press, and the future of FEG is still unclear. There is a Dutch law called bibop in the Netherlands which makes promoting events there extremely difficult. There will be a lot of rumors like in the recent past when 4 G.G fighters were released from the UFC and Strikeforce and that was the so called end of G.G relationship with the UFC.
Not long after this rumor, Golden Glory made a mega-deal with Alistair Overeem signing with the UFC. John Olaf Einemo is now back with the UFC and Siyar Bahadurzada just got offered a UFC contract.
There is also some really good news coming soon about the situation in Japan and I really want to let everybody know the details – but I have signed multiple NDAs (non-disclosure argreements) and I have to wait before publicly elaborating further.”
While we can only guess until either side gives a definitive answer, due to Boon’s hints it seems that the reason behind the split is the money owed by K-1.
Alistair Overeem, Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner, Ray Sefo and a host of other fighters are owed an enormous sum of money by the struggling kickboxing promotion and like most involved, Golden Glory have reportedly been unable to make any progress towards receiving payment.
It has long been rumored that Golden Glory was getting set to take over the K-1, possibly as partial payment for debts, but with the transfer of K-1 rights to real estate company Barbizon that talk has gone cold. Still, given that Boon is talking non-disclosure agreements in Japan, there may be something in the works.
Alistair Overeem may not be the only athlete to leave the vaunted Golden Glory team as Liverkick.com also reports that Gokhan Saki may also be splitting. The Turkish-Dutch K-1 star, who has recently talked of making a move into MMA, is apparently unhappy the the Golden Glory team and has been seeking an out for his contract for some time.
It is also possible that Errol Zimmerman, a close friend of Saki, is leaving Golden Glory as 2011 K-1 Final 16 entrant Hedsey Gerges revealed that he is set to face Zimmerman in Nanjing. Due to a large amount of money owed, K-1 and Golden Glory do not currently have a working relationship so if the match is indeed set, Zimmerman may have left the team. Neither Golden Glory nor K-1 promoter FEG have confirmed the match.
Filed under: DREAM, JapanOnly four days out from DREAM.17, event officials have added one more fight with DREAM “Super Hulk” GP champion Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa agreeing to meet 275-pound Mongolian Baru Harn in a “Super Hulk” open weight match at th…
Only four days out from DREAM.17, event officials have added one more fight with DREAM “Super Hulk” GP champion Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa agreeing to meet 275-pound Mongolian Baru Harn in a “Super Hulk” open weight match at the Saitama Super Arena on Sept. 24.
Due to his pro wrestling responsibilities as Tiger Mask V, Ikuhisa Minowa (49-32-8) has been relatively inactive in the MMA ring in 2011, picking up two wins in two attempts at regional level shows. Minowa, a natural middleweight, went 3-0 against super heavyweight fighters in 2010 but had two high-profile losses to Olympic judo medalists Satoshi Ishii and Hiroshi Izumi.
Baru Harn (1-1) is a former bouncer and two-time Mongolian wrestling champion who made his MMA debut in 2008 against defending DEEP “Megaton” champion Yusuke Kawaguchi, but lost a majority decision. Harn returned at Astra in 2010 to face former “Megaton” title contender Seigo Mizuguchi and managed to utilize his striking to win a hard fought decision.
DREAM.17, the first full DREAM event for 2011, is set to air live on HDNet in North America. The complete card is after the break.
DREAM.17 – Sept. 24 2011 at Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Shinya Aoki vs. Rob McCullough Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Joachim Hansen
Caol Uno vs. Takeshi Lion
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yan Cabral
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy Chiquerim
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Gerald Harris
Hideo Tokoro vs. Antonio Banuelos
Takafumi Otsuka vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Masakazu Imanari vs. Abel Cullum
Yusup Saadulaev vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz
Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs. Baru Harn
Filed under: K1, JapanAfter much speculation due to the troubling financial state of event promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group, the K-1 World Grand Prix has finally returned with the Final 16 to take place on Oct. 29 at the the Nanjing Olympic Sp…
After much speculation due to the troubling financial state of event promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group, the K-1 World Grand Prix has finally returned with the Final 16 to take place on Oct. 29 at the the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Nanjing, China.
Badr Hari, one of kickboxing’s most polarizing figures and the last man to defeat 2010 K-1 World GP champion Alistair Overeem, is also making his return following his absence from 2010’s GP for a self-imposed break from the sport due to numerous disciplinary problems.
Hari, Hesdy Gerges, Tyrone Spong, Ruslan Karaev, Daniel Ghita, Ben Edwards, Melvin Manhoef, Dzevad Poturak, Sergei Lascenko, Rico Verhoeven and Anderson “Braddock” Silva are the names currently listed for the Final 16, with five more to be announced at a later date.
Although many fans will be delighted that Hari is back in the mix, there are host of missing names from the 2011 Final 16.
Traditionally the final eight from the previous year’s K-1 World Grand Prix are granted slots in the Final 16; however Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt, Kyotaro, Gokhan Saki, Siala-Mou “Mighty Mo” Siliga and eventual champion Alistair Overeem are not among the names listed for Nanjing. Due to his recent signing with the UFC, Overeem will not be defending his title but the other absentees have not yet been explained.
K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa revealed that he has been in talks with Bas Boon and the Golden Glory team which houses Schilt, Overeem and Gokhan Saki among others, but he did not give the reason for their absence. Tanikawa did state however that the Final 16 is being produced in co-operation with It’s Showtime promoter Simon Rutz which led to Hari, Spong, Ghita, Gerges and Karaev being included on the card.
Additionally, some of the remaining eight spots in the Final 16 have been traditionally filled by regional tournament champions but this custom has not been adhered to this year as there were no regional tournaments in 2011 due to the financial difficulties with K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. In the past there has also been fan voting to fill remaining Final 16 spots but this has also not happened for 2011’s tournament.
No broadcast details have been released for the Final 16 in Japan but the event is set to be broadcast to the Nanjing and Jiangsu provinces in China via co-promoter Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation. HDNet representatives were not immediately available for comment regarding broadcast plans in North America.
Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa promised that the Final 16 at the 13,000-capacity Nanjin Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium is only the start of K-1’s expansion into Asia, also singling out Singapore as possibility for future K-1 events.
Speaking via the internet broadcast, Tanikawa did not address any of the financial issues facing FEG or the transfer of the K-1 trademarks to real estate firm Barbizon.
Ending a relationship that dates back to the beginning of his career, former 
Only four days out from DREAM.17, event officials have added one more fight with DREAM “Super Hulk” GP champion Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa agreeing to meet 275-pound Mongolian Baru Harn in a “Super Hulk” open weight match at the Saitama Super Arena on Sept. 24.
After much speculation due to the troubling financial state of event promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group, the K-1 World Grand Prix has finally returned with the Final 16 to take place on Oct. 29 at the the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Nanjing, China.