"and it don't stop.. it just keeps on and on" With UFC 86, Adreneline 'Banned', a possible Live UFC on Spike TV, Elite XC on CBS and now Dream's LW tourney finals scheduled for July, MMA fans will not be feeling the doldrums of a lazy summer! here's the news on Dream.5 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>DREAM lightweight grand prix semifinals set for July 21 DREAM.5 will feature the organization's lightweight grand prix semifinals, and the match-ups include Shinya Aoki (16-2) vs. Caol Uno (25-10-4) and Eddie Alvarez (14-1) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2). The Japanese-based organization announced the match-ups on Sunday during its DREAM.4 event. Unlike former rounds of the tournament, both the semifinals and finals will take place during the July 21 event, meaning the finalists will fight twice in one night. DREAM.5 takes place at the 16,000-seat Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. Aoki, who defeated Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante and Katsuhiko Nagata to make the semifinals, is undefeated in his past 12 fights. The PRIDE and Shooto veteran will meet Uno, who was seeded in the second round and defeated Mitsuhiro Ishida in the grand prix quarterfinals. The K-1 HERO'S veteran stuck with the organization when it was transformed into DREAM earlier this year. Alvarez, the lone American representative left in the tournament, defeated Andre Amade and Joachim Hansen to advance to the semifinals. The Philadelphia-based Fight Factory fighter has forced 13 stoppages via strikes in 14 career victories. His lone loss was to BodogFIGHT champ Nick Thompson. Alvarez will now meet Kawajiri, a winner of seven of his past eight fights. He defeated Kultar Gill and Luiz Firmino to advance in the tournament. DREAM.5 is also expected to feature a welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz (17-7) and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (32-8-2).</div>
Diaz is on a quest to diminish the legacies of all the Japanese superstars. Next up: Sakuraba (oh wait, Melvin just shithammered him the other night...). Also, the match they have set up for Kid Yamamoto (vs. 1-0 Joseph Benavidez) reeks of the old PRIDE regime. That is a fight that wouldn't be sanctioned stateside.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (speeds @ Jun 17 2008, 01:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Also, the match they have set up for Kid Yamamoto (vs. 1-0 Joseph Benavidez) reeks of the old PRIDE regime. That is a fight that wouldn't be sanctioned stateside.</div> Why is that? Is it because there is a huge difference in skill or something?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chocolove @ Jun 17 2008, 05:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (speeds @ Jun 17 2008, 01:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Also, the match they have set up for Kid Yamamoto (vs. 1-0 Joseph Benavidez) reeks of the old PRIDE regime. That is a fight that wouldn't be sanctioned stateside.</div> Why is that? Is it because there is a huge difference in skill or something? </div> exactly why. Kid Yamamoto is considered the #1 or #2 145er out there along with Urijah Faber. This Joseph dude is being put in there to be squashed. The Neveda and California athletic commissions wouldn't allow such a lopsided fight to happen because an inexperienced fighter like Joe could be seriously hurt by a vet of the fight game like Yamamoto.
