Dream II Press Conference
DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round Press Conference
TOKYO, April 28, 2008 -- The DREAM continues, as the new mixed martial arts production opens its first Middleweight Grand Prix to the Saitama Super Arena tomorrow. Fourteen of the world's top fighters will compete in DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round, battling to advance to a final elimination tournament on June 15 where they might earn a spot in September's DREAM Middleweight GP Final.
Tomorrow's fighters met the media today.
The DREAM.2 Main Event features living legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) of Japan, who will take on Brazilian Andrews Nakahara, a kyokushin fighter 14 years his junior.
"I thought I thought that at 84 kg [185 lbs], I was too light for K-1," said Nakahara. "so I started preparing for mixed martial arts, with a jiu-jitsu trainer, about six months ago My teacher Francisco Filho has also been helping me, and I'm honored and motivated to fight Sakuraba. I believe I've prepared very well and I'm confident I can defeat him, hopefully I'll KO him with strikes."
Sakuraba believes he's also ready. "If Nakahara says that he can KO me, let him try. All I know is that he's a Karate fighter, it seems his fists are hard as a rock. I didn't prepare anything in particular for Karate fighters, but I will let him control the fight, that's all. I will just fight my usual fight, find a way to take him down and so on. One request for Mr. Nakahara -- if you are going to KO me, don't do it with a bunch of low kicks -- just hit me hard and make me unconscious instantly!"
Popular Korean-Canadian fighter Denis Kang (Pictures) will take on Dutch fighter Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) in the card's highly anticipated penultimate bout.
In other action, Japanese fighters Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and Masakatsu Funaki (Pictures) will go at it; Ronaldo Jacare of Brazil will take on American Ian Murphy; Zelg "Benkei" Galesic of Croatia will step in against Russian Magomed Sultanakhmadov; and South Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) Korea will face Shungo Oyama (Pictures) of Japan.
The evening's first middleweight matchup will see Seidokaikan fighter Taiei Kin (Pictures) of Japan take on flashy compatriot Minowaman.
There will also be a DREAM Lightweight (70kg/154lbs) match on the card, with HERO's 2007 Champion J.Z. Calvan Brazil taking on Shinya Aoki (Pictures) of Japan. This is a rematch of the pair's March 15 fight, which was declared "no contest" after a first-round foul rendered Aoki unable to continue.
The DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Saitama Super Arena. It will be broadcast live in Japan on Pay-Per-View, and on the TBS national network. For delay-broadcast information in other countries, contact local providers. As always, visit the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp) for comprehensive coverage of this and all FEG productions.
TOKYO, April 28, 2008 -- The DREAM continues, as the new mixed martial arts production opens its first Middleweight Grand Prix to the Saitama Super Arena tomorrow. Fourteen of the world's top fighters will compete in DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round, battling to advance to a final elimination tournament on June 15 where they might earn a spot in September's DREAM Middleweight GP Final.
Tomorrow's fighters met the media today.
The DREAM.2 Main Event features living legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) of Japan, who will take on Brazilian Andrews Nakahara, a kyokushin fighter 14 years his junior.
"I thought I thought that at 84 kg [185 lbs], I was too light for K-1," said Nakahara. "so I started preparing for mixed martial arts, with a jiu-jitsu trainer, about six months ago My teacher Francisco Filho has also been helping me, and I'm honored and motivated to fight Sakuraba. I believe I've prepared very well and I'm confident I can defeat him, hopefully I'll KO him with strikes."
Sakuraba believes he's also ready. "If Nakahara says that he can KO me, let him try. All I know is that he's a Karate fighter, it seems his fists are hard as a rock. I didn't prepare anything in particular for Karate fighters, but I will let him control the fight, that's all. I will just fight my usual fight, find a way to take him down and so on. One request for Mr. Nakahara -- if you are going to KO me, don't do it with a bunch of low kicks -- just hit me hard and make me unconscious instantly!"
Popular Korean-Canadian fighter Denis Kang (Pictures) will take on Dutch fighter Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) in the card's highly anticipated penultimate bout.
In other action, Japanese fighters Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and Masakatsu Funaki (Pictures) will go at it; Ronaldo Jacare of Brazil will take on American Ian Murphy; Zelg "Benkei" Galesic of Croatia will step in against Russian Magomed Sultanakhmadov; and South Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) Korea will face Shungo Oyama (Pictures) of Japan.
The evening's first middleweight matchup will see Seidokaikan fighter Taiei Kin (Pictures) of Japan take on flashy compatriot Minowaman.
There will also be a DREAM Lightweight (70kg/154lbs) match on the card, with HERO's 2007 Champion J.Z. Calvan Brazil taking on Shinya Aoki (Pictures) of Japan. This is a rematch of the pair's March 15 fight, which was declared "no contest" after a first-round foul rendered Aoki unable to continue.
The DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Saitama Super Arena. It will be broadcast live in Japan on Pay-Per-View, and on the TBS national network. For delay-broadcast information in other countries, contact local providers. As always, visit the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp) for comprehensive coverage of this and all FEG productions.
