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"Shaolin" to Fight "JZ" in HERO'S 154-lb. Semis
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"Shaolin" to Fight "JZ" in HERO'S 154-lb. Semis
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
by Jordan Breen (jbreen@sherdog.com)

At a press conference Tuesday in Tokyo, Fight Entertainment Group formally announced the first three bouts for its Sept. 17 HERO'S card at the Yokohama Arena.

The semifinal bouts of the 2007 HERO'S 154-pound tournament will see Caol Uno (Pictures) rematch "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill (Pictures), while standout Brazilian lightweights will square off when defending tournament champion "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti (Pictures) takes on "Shaolin" Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures).

Calvancanti, who defeated Uno in last year's final to claim the HERO'S tournament title, was forced out of his scheduled July quarterfinal against fellow Brazilian "Dida" Andre Amade (Pictures) due to an undisclosed injury. Because of Calvancanti's status as reigning tournament champion, FEG chose to seed "JZ" into the semifinals against Shaolin, who advanced in July by using his signature arm-triangle choke to submit former Olympic wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata (Pictures) in the second round.

Uno and Gill met in last year's semifinals when Uno was victorious via second-round rear-naked choke. Gill was able to duplicate some more favorable history, again knocking out Japanese fan favorite Hideo Tokoro (Pictures) this past July after having knocked him out in last year's tournament quarterfinal as well. In his July quarterfinal bout, Uno outpointed former Olympic silver medal wrestler Katsuhiko Nagata (Pictures)en route to a unanimous decision.

Also announced for the card was a clash between popular offbeat Japanese journeyman Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) and upstart Ralek Gracie (Pictures).

Minowa, a former PRIDE Bushido regular, has notched two recent wins: against Heo Min Seok in the headlining bout of DEEP's second annual CMA Festival on July 23 followed by Choi Seung Hyun (Pictures) this past weekend at HEAT 4 in Nagoya. The 21-year-old Gracie made a successful pro MMA debut in HERO'S this past July, armbarring pro-wrestling convert Katsuyori Shibata (Pictures) in the first round.

The Minowa-Gracie fight will consist of a 10-minute opening round and a five-minute second round, with a possible third five-minute extension round if necessary. The tournament semifinals will utilize three five-minute rounds.
 

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