Vieira's Visa Woes Kill Bout with Kitaoka
This year Pancrase standout Satoru Kitaoka (Pictures) has already notched two wins over
highly-regarded Brazilians Fabricio Monteiro
(Pictures) and Gustavo PC (Pictures), but it appears he won't have a
chance to make it three in a row.
Kitaoka's slated main event opponent for the next RISING TOUR card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, PRIDE veteran Milton Vieira (Pictures) has pulled out of their scheduled Sept. 5 showdown.
Sources close to Vieira have confirmed to Sherdog.com that the 28-year-old Brazilian's visa application was denied, thus forcing him out of the bout. Pancrase has begun an immediate search for an opponent to replace Vieira.
Vieira has competed several times in Japan, his most notable bout being a May 2005 loss to "Mach" Hayato Sakurai (Pictures) in PRIDE Bushido. Vieira has also competed thrice in DEEP, and most recently in Osaka-based DEEP sister promotion Real Rhythm, where he choked out Yukinari Tamura (Pictures) last Nov.
Promoters are seeking another international competitor, preferrably an American, or more likely, a European regional titlist to replace "Multinho."
Sources say that possible leading candidates include Swedish fighter Matias Awad, French PRIDE veteran David Baron (Pictures), and German standouts Mario Stapel and Daniel Weichel.
Kitaoka's slated main event opponent for the next RISING TOUR card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, PRIDE veteran Milton Vieira (Pictures) has pulled out of their scheduled Sept. 5 showdown.
Sources close to Vieira have confirmed to Sherdog.com that the 28-year-old Brazilian's visa application was denied, thus forcing him out of the bout. Pancrase has begun an immediate search for an opponent to replace Vieira.
Vieira has competed several times in Japan, his most notable bout being a May 2005 loss to "Mach" Hayato Sakurai (Pictures) in PRIDE Bushido. Vieira has also competed thrice in DEEP, and most recently in Osaka-based DEEP sister promotion Real Rhythm, where he choked out Yukinari Tamura (Pictures) last Nov.
Promoters are seeking another international competitor, preferrably an American, or more likely, a European regional titlist to replace "Multinho."
Sources say that possible leading candidates include Swedish fighter Matias Awad, French PRIDE veteran David Baron (Pictures), and German standouts Mario Stapel and Daniel Weichel.
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