The proverbial calm before the storm has put somewhat of a hush over the Japanese mixed martial arts scene over the past week. With a battery of events in the offing, our usual news breakers and story makers have been unusually quiet.

So what's news? Preparation is the news.

MARS has had a rough go of things in its inaugural year, and things have gotten no easier going into their Ryogoku Kokugikan card. Can MARS make it through booking woes and injury plagues for their 183-pound tournament finale, or will "MARCHING ON" prove a misnomer for their card this Saturday?

Pancrase's 2006 BLOW TOUR has been a great one, and has put a wealth of young talent on display. However, at the tour's onset, who would have ever guessed Carlos Condit (Pictures) would emerge as one of Pancrase's hottest young stars? With another impressive victory this past week, Condit has likely earned himself a title shot, but more importantly, is he prepared to be Pancrase's new imported ace?

The Shooto ring is prepared for action with two cards in the first 10 days of November, and there's much intrigue and interest about two rematches: unfinished business will get settled in Osaka between Koetsu Okazaki and So Tazawa (Pictures), and Koutetsu Boku (Pictures) is back in Shooto looking for revenge against Kenichiro Togashi (Pictures). The 132-pound and 154-pound divisions are looking for contenders. Which two will climb the ladder up the Shooto ranks heading into 2007?

And, if anyone were to make a murmur amidst the quiescence, it would certainly be Dream Stage Entertainment boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Sakakibara spoke to the media this week, and has teased PRIDE's plans in preparation for New Year's Eve. Are new sponsors around the corner? Are there new suitors in store for PRIDE's broadcasting rights for December 31? Sakakibara says he's prepared to tell us in just about two weeks time.

Injury incidents mar MARS' October 21 offering

As usual, it hasn't been easy for MARS, this time in preparation for the October 28 MARCHING ON card at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. Despite the incredibly brief lifespan of the promotion, MARS executives have taken a high volume of criticism, ranging from everything from poor fighter relations, miserable ticket sales, and general disorganization. Not surprisingly, just like mice and men, some of MARS' best-laid plans have also gone awry.

MARS' 183-pound tournament has arguably been the organization's best piece of booking over the course of this year, as it was able to assemble an outstanding crop of very talented prospects in one of MMA's deepest and most outstanding divisions. MARS' August 26 NEW DEAL card saw the tournament semifinalist emerge: Spain's preeminent MMA talent Daniel Tabera (Pictures), one of Japan's best submission grapplers Hidemi Mihara, Brazilian Top Team's French correspondent Bryan Rafiq, and exciting Japanese underdog Ryuhei Sato (Pictures). However, given MARS' shaky and unfortunate outcomes, it seemed improbable that the tournament finale would escape without some jinxing.

It was of little shock, of course, when MARS revealed this week that Mihara, a pupil of Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Pictures), was injured and would be pulling out of tournament. Taking his place in the semifinals against Bryan Rafiq will be South Korea's Myeon Ho Bae (Pictures), who was defeated in the tournament's opening round by Daniel Tabera (Pictures), being choked out in the third round from north-south position.

This substitution of Ho Bae has also garnered MARS some further criticism, as it may indicate an overzealousness to push the South Koreans within the MARS brand. MARS' executive and parent company Trinity Corporation, while doing business in Japan, has Korean bloodlines, and emphasize a synthesis of Japanese and Korean fightsport within the MARS program.

However, Ho Bae's selection as Mihara's replacement is questionable, as he sports a mere 1-2 record in mixed martial arts competition, and would seemingly be the least worthy candidate to bring back the eliminated quarterfinalists, including Leonardo Lucio Nascimento, Bastiaan Rejen, and John Kolosci (Pictures).

In addition, MARS also announced that Australian heavyweight prospect "Big" Jim York has pulled out of his bout with Japanese super-sized slugger Keigo Takamori. MARS opted to slot in newcomer Edmund Calvancanti to face Takamori in York's absence. Calvancanti is a veteran of PRIDE's amateur event, PRIDE Challenge, and made an impressive showing in his debut earlier this month, submitting Kaream Ellington (Pictures) via Kimura in just over two minutes.

With the bumps and bruises that the line-up has taken going into this card, MARS can only hope that "MARCHING ON" can hold some prophetic weight, and they can trudge through their booking woes and gain a measure of morale as they attempt to close out the year on a high note.

Condit, Pancrase's fresh foreign flavor?

In what's been a great year for grooming young talent, perhaps no young fighter has made more of an impact in Pancrase than American Carlos Condit (Pictures) has. Condit first stepped into the Pancrase ring in October of 2005, but was quickly leglocked and submitted by Satoru Kitaoka (Pictures). However, the Pancrase brass must have seen something in him; Condit returned to Pancrase in July, and has since ripped through their 165-pound class.

It's been just three months since Condit made his way back to Pancrase, and since then he's 3-0, with all three victories being dominant and exciting performances. After battering Koji Oishi (Pictures) in the stand-up, and running a submission clinic on Takuya Wada (Pictures), Condit quite literally stomped out Tatsunori Tanaka, as he finished him with a barrage of soccer kicks and stomps which ended the bout in just over two minutes.

In carrying on the puroresu tradition, many Japanese MMA venues recognize the importance of integrating select gaijin talents into their product. It is likely that Pancrase have their eye on Condit for this reason, and in many ways, Condit mirrors a former fighter who Pancrase groomed into a top gaijin performer, Nathan Marquardt (Pictures).

Marquardt made his Pancrase debut when he was 20, while Condit made his first Pancrase appearance at 21. Both Marquardt and Condit were submitted in their Pancrase debuts, but were both brought back the following year, where they began impressive runs through the Pancrase ranks. Youth, good looks, and above all, a well-rounded skill set, have seemingly garnered Condit the favor of Pancrase much in the way they had for Marquardt, who went on to become a three-time 181-pound King of Pancrase.

However, Condit is more charismatic and dynamic than Marquardt and as a result, he may grab the attention of other Japanese promoters such as Fight Entertainment Group and Dream Stage Entertainment, who would look to use him in the development of HERO'S or Bushido. Also lending credence to the theory is that Condit seems to envision his future, at least for the time being, in Japan. Before his September bout with Wada, Condit told the media that he loved fighting in Japan, and that he was beginning to learn Japanese since he planned to continue competing there in the future.

The next fight for Condit will likely be a title encounter with 165-pound King of Pancrase Daizo Ishige (Pictures). The December 10 finale of Pancrase's 2006 BLOW TOUR could be a possible date for the fight, but given the amount of Pancrase stars already slated to compete on the card, it is more likely that the expected title fight will happen early in 2007, perhaps on the first card of the year to kick off the 2007 tour.

132-pound shootors settle score in Osaka

While there is much excitement about Shooto's upcoming card at Korakuen Hall on November 10, Shooto enthusiasts will first look westward, as before Sustain hits Tokyo, they have a buzz-worthy appointment in Osaka.

The sixth installment of SHOOTO GIG WEST series will take place November 4 at the Azeria Taisho Hall in Osaka. The eight-fight effort prominently features a lot of western Japan's promising young Shooto competitors, hailing from Osaka, Hiroshima, Kobe and Kyoto. However, the main event features a Class A Shooto bout which is worthy of particular attention, as it will factor prominently into Shooto's 132-pound division, which has heated up over the course of the year.

In the card's finale, So Tazawa (Pictures) and Koetsu Okazaki will attempt to resolve their unfinished business from almost two years ago. The fight is a rematch of their bout from the 2004 Shooto 132-pound rookie tournament final. In what was one of the best rookie final bouts to date, Okazaki controlled the bout early, and nearly ended it just moments into the bout with a powerful counterpunch that put Tazawa on the deck. In the second round, Tazawa assumed control, pushing the pace on the floor and pressuring Okazaki on the feet, scoring late effective ground-and-pound that appeared to make for an even split of the two rounds.

With each judge returning a 19-19 score after two rounds, the bout went into a final overtime round mandated for Shooto rookie tournament finals. However, not long into the extra round, Okazaki swept Tazawa from the bottom and began to work from the guard. After a repositioning away from the ropes, Tazawa unleashed a flurry of upkicks, one of which caught Okazaki square in the right eye, knocking him down and out. However, as Okazaki was a downed opponent, the upkick was a foul, and worse yet, Okazaki was unable to continue as he couldn't see out of his right eye. The bout was declared a technical draw, and due to Tazawa's foul, Okazaki became the 2004 Shooto 132-pound rookie champion.

Since then, both men have become Class A competitors, and are poised to make an impact in a wide-open Shooto 132-pound class, which has seen a massive influx of talent over the last year. When Okazaki and Tazawa settle their score in Osaka, the winner will entrench themselves in the upper strata of the weight class and will be prime for meetings with fighters such as Ryota Matsune (Pictures), Takaya Mizugaki, Marcos Galvao (Pictures), Kenji Osawa (Pictures) and others.

Boku buzzes back to Shooto for Togashi rematch

Tazawa and Okazaki are not the only Shooto competitors gearing up for a rematch. Sustain has rounded out the line-up for their aforementioned November 10 card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo by announcing that former Shooto Pacific-Rim champion Koutetsu Boku (Pictures) of KILLER BEE would make his Shooto return against former foe Kenichiro Togashi (Pictures).

Boku hasn't competed in Shooto since January of 2005, when he defeated Ryan Bow (Pictures) to become Shooto's first 154-pound Pacific Rim champion. Boku was forced to vacate his title last December after a knee injury and subsequent rehabilitation sidelined him, but has since returned to the ring, defeating former 143-pound kingpin Alexandre Franca Nogueira (Pictures) at the August HERO'S card. Boku is currently riding a win streak spanning six fights over nearly three and a half years, with his last loss coming in June of 2003 to Togashi, when he was submitted via armbar.

Togashi, an All Japan Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, is coming off of two losses in his last two bouts, albeit understandably, as he dropped decisions to PRIDE Bushido stars Joachim Hansen (Pictures) and Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures). With both trying to jumpstart themselves with a win, and also looking to move back up the ranks in Shooto's 154-pound division, a win is crucial for both Togashi, who will look to prove he is more than a gatekeeper in one of the sport's deepest weight classes, and for Boku, to extract revenge, as well as show that he is fully recovered, and has the ability to be a top lightweight competitor.

Sakakibara boasts big business in PRIDE's prospective plans

And of course, in the wake of PRIDE's American debut and with the preparations for New Year's Eve beginning for Japanese fight promoters, the week's buzz from abroad would not be complete without the words of Dream Stage Entertainment boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara.

Sakakibara told the media earlier this week that Dream Stage Entertainment will have some big announcements in the coming weeks regarding their sponsorship, and a potential television deal for PRIDE's Otoko Matsuri on New Year's Eve at the Saitama Super Arena. The potential announcement of a television deal in Japan is considerably pertinent news, given how the story of Fuji Television canceling their deal with Dream Stage Entertainment has dominated MMA headlines this year.

Talks of a new potential television deal have intensified over the past few weeks as DSE revealed their partnership with former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. While Tyson's status in many markets, especially North America, has taken a significant hit over the last few years with repeated embarrassments in the boxing ring, he has long been a very popular figure in Japan since his dominance of the heavyweight division in the mid- to late-1980s. As a result, Tyson's presence as part of PRIDE's New Year's Eve plans has ignited interest in the Japanese broadcasting community.

According to Sakakibara, DSE is in talks with three networks about working out a television deal, beginning with the broadcast of Otoko Matsuri on New Year's Eve. Japanese television insiders previously speculated that two networks, Nippon TV and tv asahi, were in talks with Dream Stage Entertainment about a TV deal, however when DSE officially announced that Tyson would compete in a boxing match in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of Otoko Matsuri, it was speculated that more networks would join the race to acquire PRIDE's broadcasting rights.

Sakakibara also said that while there were three main sponsors for October 21 “The Real Deal” card, likely referring to Dwango, Don Quijote and Cykan Entertainment, he is now entertaining sponsorship from 10 different companies.

DSE and Sakakibara himself are no strangers to promotional bluster, and thus veracity of these claims is open to debate. However, Sakakibara told the media that he would make an announcement regarding the matters on November 10, lending a greater credence to the claims of the DSE boss.