Tag: Masakazu Imanari

DREAM Announces Bantamweight Grand Prix to Begin on May 29

Filed under: DREAM, Fighting, JapanIn an event that will be held in part to benefit its ravaged home country of Japan, DREAM on Friday announced its first major show since New Year’s Eve. The promotion will host a bantamweight tournament, scheduled to …

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In an event that will be held in part to benefit its ravaged home country of Japan, DREAM on Friday announced its first major show since New Year’s Eve. The promotion will host a bantamweight tournament, scheduled to take place on May 29 at Saitama Super Arena.

The tourney, titled the “Fight for Japan DREAM Grand Prix,” will feature the first- and second-round matchups of an eight man field. The participants will be Hideo Tokoro, Masakazu Imanari, Yoshiro Maeda, Keisuke Fujiwara, Darren Uyenoyama, Kenji Osawa, Takafumi Otsuka and Atsushi Yamamoto.

DEEP 50 Fight Card: Shinya Aoki, Ikuhisa Minowa, Katsunori Kikuno in Action

Filed under: JapanDEEP 50, the promotion’s 10th anniversary card, is now complete with a total of 14 fights plus one exhibition bout.

Many of the top Japanese names of DEEP past and present are scheduled to participate on the Oct. 24 card at the JCB …

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DEEP 50, the promotion’s 10th anniversary card, is now complete with a total of 14 fights plus one exhibition bout.

Many of the top Japanese names of DEEP past and present are scheduled to participate on the Oct. 24 card at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, including Katsunori Kikuno, Shinya Aoki, Ikuhisa Minowa, Masakazu Imanari, Sanae Kikuta and Yoshiro Maeda.

As a special attraction for fans of the old PRIDE days, the always entertaining enhancement talent Akira Shoji, who last competed at the final PRIDE event in April 2007, will take part in an exhibition match against Katsuaki Furuki, a former professional baseball player.

The complete DEEP 50 card is after the jump.

Masakazu Imanari vs. DJ.taiki Non-Title Bout Booked for DEEP 50

Filed under: News, Japan DEEP bantamweight champion Masakazu Imanari has been tapped to welcome current DREAM competitor DJ.taiki back to DEEP on the promotion’s 10th anniversary card on Oct. 24 at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Imanari, who last month…

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DEEP bantamweight champion Masakazu Imanari has been tapped to welcome current DREAM competitor DJ.taiki back to DEEP on the promotion’s 10th anniversary card on Oct. 24 at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Imanari, who last month made his second successful title defense, will not be putting his belt on the line against DJ.taiki, who, after all, is on a two-fight losing streak.

MMA Top 10 Bantamweights: Dominick Cruz Tightens His Hold

Filed under: WEC, Rankings, BantamweightsIf there was any doubt that Dominick Cruz was the best bantamweight in mixed martial arts, he erased that doubt Wednesday night by defeating the tough but ultimately overmatched Joseph Benavidez in a split decis…

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If there was any doubt that Dominick Cruz was the best bantamweight in mixed martial arts, he erased that doubt Wednesday night by defeating the tough but ultimately overmatched Joseph Benavidez in a split decision that gave Cruz his second victory over the No. 2 fighter in the division.

Benavidez is a great fighter (he’s 12-0 when fighting anyone other than Cruz), but it’s his friend and training partner Urijah Faber who has handed Cruz his only career loss, and is likely to fight Cruz again some time early next year, this time for the bantamweight title.

Once Faber makes the move down to bantamweight, I think he’ll be a Top 10 fighter in the class — and he might just beat Cruz again and move to the top. For now, he’s absent from the Cruz-dominated bantamweight rankings, which are below.