Japanese icon Kazushi Sakuraba, less than three weeks after he submitted boxer Rubin Williams, will lock horns with Zelg Galesic at Dream 12 “The Cage of the Rising Sun” this Sunday at Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan. The 40-year-old Pride Fighting Championships veteran replaces an injured Melvin Manhoef.
Galesic, meanwhile, has not competed since he tapped out to a Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza armbar in the Dream middleweight grand prix semi-finals more than a year ago. The 30-year-old Croatian has never gone the distance in 13 career bouts.
In another late addition to the Dream 12 lineup, welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis will tackle Myeon Ho Bae in a non-title matchup.
Spawned by the London Shootfighters camp, Zaromskis tore through the Dream welterweight grand prix earlier this year, as he defeated Seichi Ikemoto, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Affliction veteran Jason High en route to the title. The 29-year-old Lithuanian will carry a four-fight winning streak into Dream 12.
Bae last competed in June, when he posted a unanimous decision victory Yusaku Tsukumo at Deep “42 Impact.” A veteran of the M-1 Challenge circuit, he has not been finished in more than three years and has won seven of his last eight fights.
Dream 12 “The Cage of the Rising Sun”
Sunday, Oct. 25
Osaka Castle Hall
Osaka, Japan
Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Zelg Galesic
Paulo Filho vs. Dong Sik Yoon
Marius Zaromskis vs. Myeon Ho Bae
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Chase Beebe
Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Tomoya Miyashita
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tokimitsu Ishizawa
Alistair Overeem vs. TBA