This was a long time coming... Takanori Gomi (31-5) has been a target of the UFC since the end of PRIDE. After leaving Shooto, Gomi went on a ten fight winning streak in PRIDE that was snapped in a shocking upset victory to Marcus Aurelio. Gomi has gone 7-2-1 since. During his career he has beaten several notable fighters including Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Jens Pulver, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, and Mitsuhiro Ishida. Gomi fought and lost to BJ Penn in 2003 but a rematch has been anticipated since. The 32-year old is 2-2 in his last four fights and seems to have lost the fire that made him such an exciting fighter in the early 00's. Yet, he has reportedly rededicated himself to the sport and will come into the UFC with a certain amount of prestige.
The UFC reportedly threw a lot of money at him to get the signing to happen. They have been jerked around a little bit by Japanese fighters in the past who have used the UFC's interest to draw more money from Japanese promotions. Shinya Aoki, Satoshi Ishii, Hayato Sakurai, and (as of a couple years ago) Gomi are just a few examples.
well fighters that come over from Japan usually have trouble adjusting, but hopefully Gomi's adjustment period is a bit smoother since he is training at AKA now.
