TOKYO, Feb. 13 -- Fight Entertainment Group and Tokyo Broadcasting System will co-promote an event called Dream that will try to pick up where the former Japanese MMA giant Pride left off a year ago.
At a news conference Wednesday, representatives of FEG, TBS and the Yarennoka production team confirmed ongoing rumors of an alliance between FEG and staff members of former Pride promoters Dream Stage Entertainment. Described as being born from the "great dream alliance of New Year's Eve," today's presser introduced the world to Dream as the successor of both Pride and the K-1's Hero's series.
"Of course Pride is gone now, as is Hero's," said FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa before the 300-plus fans and media in attendance. "However, we've wanted to put on a new mixed martial arts event that would continue the great dream alliance of last New Year's Eve. Promoting the event will be FEG, as well as TBS, while production will fall to the Yarennoka team.
"Heading the new promotion and matchmaking for us will be Keiichi Sasahara, while I personally will continue to do my best to support and produce K-1 events such as the K-1 World Grand Prix and K-1 Max. We want to put on cards that will be extensions of what was seen last New Year's Eve."
Although TBS bureau chief Kei Kano was reserved with his comments, Dream producer and front man Keiichi Sasahara recounted how the New Year's Eve experience had led to the creation of the new promotion, as well as how fan reaction had apparently been the impetus for the creation of the new event.
"We want to create a show that, first of all, would be enjoyed by the fans and will make for an exciting live event," Sasahara said. "We received around 3,000 signatures of fans who were requesting that we create that very event. The ‘world's greatest production team,' as praised by the fans, is going to put together something that no one has ever seen before."
Dream's first event will take place March 15 at former Pride home Saitama Super Arena. The show will kick off the promotion's lightweight grand prix. Headlining the tournament will be the long awaited Shinya Aoki (Pictures)-Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) bout, and expected to round out the card are fighters such as Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), Andre Amade (Pictures), Caol Uno (Pictures), Bu Kyung Jung (Pictures), Kazuyuki Miyata (Pictures), Joachim Hansen (Pictures), Artur Oumakhanov (Pictures), Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), Luiz Buscape and Kotetsu Boku.
The announced weight limit for the Dream lightweight division is 154 pounds. While Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, who attended the news conference, no longer fights at 154, Sasahara has said there are plans to create a new division for fighters such as Yamamoto.
Also slated on the March card was the surprise addition of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. When asked about the Croatian's current contract status with the UFC and whether it would interfere with his participation in Dream events, Sasahara said, "Though I can't share specific details about his contract, there will not be any foreseeable problems arising."
The 2006 Pride Grand Prix champion was vague in answering the question himself, qualifying his response by mentioning his intent to return to the American MMA giant sometime in the future.
"Well, as you all know, I had a bad period in my last two fights, which I'd lost in the UFC," Filipovic said. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm running away from the UFC, but I was thinking a lot about how to continue with my career, and I think in this moment, I think Dream is the right place for me.
"Another thing is that I never liked fighting in the cage. I always liked to fight in the ring. The second thing is that I liked fighting in Japan. Japan is like my second home -- I feel like I'm home in Japan. All those reasons [have brought me] here, and I'm very happy that I'm going to fight here in Japan. But of course, one day, I don't know when, but definitely I'll be back in the UFC to show that it was just a bad period for me. Now I'm fully recovered, physically and mentally, most important mentally."
Dream officials also mentioned plans for a middleweight grand prix to alternate cards with Dream's lightweight grand prix, though no names were cited as far as potential participants.
In the form of a short video message and a written address, Royce Gracie (Pictures), Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and Vadim Finklestein all expressed their support for the new promotion, as well as Gracie's and Emelianenko's intent to participate in future events.
Dream Weight Classes:
Lightweight: 154 lbs / 70 kg
Welterweight: 168 lbs / 76 kg
Middleweight: 185 lbs / 84 kg
Light Heavyweight: 205 lbs / 93 kg
Heavyweight: More than 205 lbs / 93 kg
Dream Event Schedule:
March 15: Heiwa Dream.1
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
April 29: Olympia Dream.2
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
May 11: Heiwa Dream.3
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at the Saitama Super Arena
Mid June (TBD): Olympia Dream.4
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at Yokohama Arena, Japan or Korea
July 21: Heiwa Dream.5
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Osaka Castle Hall
Late September (TBD): Dream.6
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Saitama Super Arena
