Sengoku ‘Ninth Battle’ Preview

Unlike its main competitor in the Japanese market, Dream -- whose latest effort appeared a bit rushed -- Sengoku has taken the whole summer to work on its ninth installment, which marks the culmination of its 143-pound tournament this Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Besides the semi-finals and final of the featherweight grand prix, the card will also feature lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka’s first title defense, a middleweight title eliminator between former Pride welterweight grand prix winner Kazuo Misaki and Hidehiko Yoshida disciple Kazuhiro Nakamura, Fedor Emelianenko conqueror Blagoi Ivanov’s major mixed martial arts debut and the return of the ever-popular Akihiro Gono.

Sherdog.com takes an in-depth look at the 13-fight lineup, provides detailed background information on all the participants and predicts the outcome of the matches.