The Fighting and Entertainment Group has revealed the fight card for the upcoming DREAM 16, which is slated to take place on September 25 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan, during the last few days.

Fresh off his first-round submission victory in his first title defense against Tatsuya Kawajiri, DREAM lightweight champion, Shinya Aoki, takes on the UFC and PRIDE veteran, Marcus Aurelio, in a non-title affair. Former top flight lightweight, Joachim Hansen, looks to put his three-fight skid to a halt and earn his first victory as a featherweight against the perennial fan favorite, Hideo Tokoro.

DREAM 16 marks the promotional debut of the two-time lightweight (143 lbs) champion and the long-time mainstay of Shooto, "Lion" Takeshi Inoue. "Lion" has promised to "alter the Featherweight's divisional landscape" with a victory over the former Olympic freestyle wrestler, Kazuyuki Miyata.

Elsewhere, the clash of two premier entertainers in MMA pits the Japanese MMA demigod, Kazushi Sakuraba, against Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Also, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Gegard Mousasi, looks to become the first two-division champ in DREAM when he takes on Tatsuya Mizuno in the finale of the promotion's light heavyweight finale.

At the time of this writing, the line-up stands as follows:

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At the fabled sumo arena, Ryogoku Kokugikan, a new SRC featherweight champion was born, as Marlon Sandro blasted the inaugural and defending champion, Masanori Kanehara, in just 38 seconds.

Sandro -- a product of the famed Nova Uniao team -- wasted no time in closing the distance and unleashing a flurry of punches in the opening frame. Having forced Kanehara to retreat with the onslaught, he uncorked a devastating right uppercut that collapsed the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix champion to the mat.

With four first-round knockouts in his last five fights, Sandro has continued to leave a trail of destruction behind him, cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the featherweight division.

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DREAM lightweight champion and the official delegate of Japanese mixed martial arts to Strikeforce, Shinya Aoki, struggled to unleash his usual grappling magic during his five-round "Nashville" title affair against the promotion's champion, Gilbert Melendez.

The buildup of pre-fight pressure was immense for "Tobikan Judan," as he assumed the role of representing not only DREAM but the entire Japanese MMA.

The outcome was a disaster.

Melendez repeatedly shrugged off Aoki's takedown attempts and even displayed the audacity to jump into the guard of the dangerous jiu-jitsu master en route to an unanimous decision victory -- one that may have cemented himself as one of the world's top lightweight fighters.

Aoki on the other hand must now return to Japan and atone for his loss. But don't expect him to spend much time lamenting his loss, as he is already planning to rebuild his name value by returning home.

From the Tobikan Judan:

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Sengoku Raiden Championship announced on Thursday, April 15 that its featherweight champion, Masanori Kanehara (16-7-5), will face Marlon Sandro (16-1) for his first title defense  at SRC 13 on June 20.

Previous rumors suggested that the title match was originally scheduled for SRC 12 in March; however, the match was scrapped after Kanehara withdrew due to injury. At SRC 12, Sandro demolished Kanehara's teammate, Tomonari Kanomata, in nine seconds to earn the third, first-round KO victory in his last four fights.

The stunning victory over Kanomata cemented Sandro's status as the top contender. In fact, Kanehara seemingly gave verbal consent to Sandro's title challenge when he rushed in to the ring to rescue the supine Kanomata immediately after the fight.

A product of the famed Nova Uniao camp in Rio de Janeiro, Sandro incurred his first and only loss of his career to Michihiro Omigawa in the semi-final round of the Sengoku Featherweight grand prix last year. Visibly upset over the controversial split decision loss, he has since rebounded with back-to-back, first-round KO victories over Yuji Hoshino and the aforementioned Kanomata.

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The fight card for Hidehiko Yoshida's farewell event, Astra, is now complete with the addition of three opening fights.

Astra will take place at Nippon Budokan on April 25 and there has been no official announcement regarding the international broadcast of the event.

The first of three opening fights pits the DEEP veteran, Seigo (7-5) against Seiryu (0-1) in a heavyweight contest. In the bantamweight match, Yoshida dojo prospect and the winner of the inaugural edition of Sengoku's reality TV series, "Sengoku Gold Cup," Ryosuke Komori (4-2) takes on Pancrase veteran, Takumi Murata (7-11-6). Finally, Yusuke Sakashita (6-2), who trains out of Yoshihiro Akiyama's Team Cloud, faces the ZST veteran, Kenji Nagai (6-10-2).

On an interesting note, Takahiro Kokuho - the president of sports and entertainment management company, J-Rock that will host Astra - revealed at the press conference that current UFC middleweight, Yoshihiro Akiyama, was one of the prime candidates to face Yoshida on April 25.

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(Photo courtesy of God Bless the Ring)

How do you know that a sport's popularity has reached a new level of critical mass? An encyclopedic book used as a college textbook is probably a good indication.

Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatic, who became the inaugural K-1 World Grand Prix tournament champion in 1993, has authored the official K-1 bible, "The Way to the Top K-1."

Regarding the impetus behind the book, Cikatic commented, "K-1 is the most popular sports in the world. The book has come about because I wanted to summarize the history of K-1 since the early '90s. Chronicling the history of the sport is a meaningful endeavor."

"The Way to the Top K-1" begins with an introductory section titled, "What is K-1?". The book subsequently covers the history and various attributes of K-1. In addition, it includes sections expounding on effective training methods and the issue of doping with a large number of photos and detailed illustrations.

The book has apparently gone on sale and been used as a textbook on some college campuses (no word on which country this has happened in, but presumably some European countries, including Cikatic's home country of Croatia); it is expected to be translated into Japanese and hit the Japanese book stands in near future.

Who wouldn't want to get up fto go to a 8AM lecture for K-1 101?

Damn it is frustrating. I was moving pretty well, constantly applying pressure. I want to acclimate myself to the Octagon a little bit more and get myself into the groove. I will continue my challenge (in UFC) as long as I am physically capable. I won't make any excuses but everything will eventually fall into its place. I struck out on my first at-bat, so I will strive to get a hit next time around. The major league (UFC) is no joke, and Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop also faced hardship. It was an utter defeat. There are a lot of things I need to improve.

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion and Japanese import Takanori Gomi comments to the Japanese media about his place on the growing list of fighters who have found it difficult to make their overseas success translate into a winning performance inside the Octagon. In addition to Wandy and Cro Cop, "Shogun" Rua also went belly up in his UFC debut but is now back on track after turning things around. Can "The Fireball Kid" re-ignite his career under the Zuffa banner despite his crushing loss to Kenny Florian at last month's UFC Fight Night 21? Time will tell...

(Photo courtesy of Sports navi)

(Courtesy of Sports Navi)

K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama is set to go and the pre-fight press conference was held on Friday, April 2 in Tokyo. The event will air live on HDNet in North America.

The event will feature two title bouts in which the incumbent champions, Semmy Schilt and Kyotaro, defend their straps. Four-time K-1 World GP winner, Schilt, will put his Super Heavyweight belt on the line against Errol Zimmerman, while Kyotaro faces "Mr. K-1," Peter Aerts in the heavyweight title match.

Conspicuously absent from the presser was none other than the K-1 golden boy, Badr Hari, who has recently been mired in a scandal stemming from alleged involvement in a nightclub assault in Amsterdam. According to the Fighting and Entertainment Group president, Sadaharu Tanigawa, Hari's plane was delayed due to strong wind and the Moroccan-Dutch fighter managed to arrive in Japan at 10:00 JT.

Hari will square off with the resurgent Belarusian fighter, Alexey Ignashov on Saturday night.

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DREAM's top lightweights may finally have an opportunity to cross their fists this summer.

A source close to the organization has informed MMAmania.com that the long-awaited grudge match between current lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and bitter rival Tatsuya Kawajiri is "possible" for DREAM 16 in July.

The date of the event will be determined shortly when Fighting and Entertainment Group's TV partner, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) finalizes its schedule for the summer.

The match has been in the making for a long time. Kawajiri emerged as a top lightweight contender in the Japanese promotion when he defeated the American Top Team standout, Gesias Cavalcante at DREAM 9 last May. He has been lobbying earnestly for a title shot since then.

When Aoki wrested the lightweight belt from Joachim Hansen at DREAM 11, Kawajiri immediately called out the newly minted champion. Aoki initially appeared evasive about answering the challenge and facetiously deflected Kawajiri's plea; however, he later welcomed the fight when it was scheduled for the New Year's Eve on Dynamite!! 2009 fight card.

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Former judo Olympic gold medalist and Pride veteran, Hidehiko Yoshida, finally has an opponent for his farewell bout. On April 25 at Nippon Budokan, Yoshida will stand opposite a familiar face in the ring: The fighter who has been gifted the plum role as the last opponent in Yoshida's illustrious career is none other than his protege, Kazuhiro Nakamura.

J-Rock, sports and entertainment company that will host Yoshida's retirement event, "Astra," announced the Yoshida-Nakamura bout, along with the rest of the fight card, at the press conference held on Thursday, April 1.

Fans and media have held their breath for the announcement of Yoshida's opponent for the last two months. J-Rock president, Takahiro Kokuho, initially hinted at the conclusion of the Winter Olympic game as the timetable for the announcement.

After the original timetable did not materialize, Kokuho baited the media with successive unveiling of additional bouts on the card. At the presser on Thursday, Kokuho stated that he had whittled the list of potential opponents down to one Japanese fighter and one foreign fighter; however, procuring either proved infeasible due to contractual issues and injuries.

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During Brock Lesnar's prolonged absence from competition, several contenders have entered the heady race for the shot at UFC heavyweight title.

On Saturday night, Shane Carwin's first-round TKO victory over former title holder, Frank Mir, sorted out the title picture for the time being.

Having won the interim championship, Carwin emerged as the next challenger for Lesnar's belt. Just below him in the title contention hierarchy is another fighter who recently earned a significant victory over a top-ranked heavyweight: Cain Velasquez.

UFC president Dana White announced that Velasquez's victory over former Pride heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, positions him as the challenger to the Lesnar-Carwin winner later this year.

"Cain's waiting in the wings now," White said. "Cain's probably going to wait for the next shot. (Junior) Dos Santos will not. Dos Santos will fight again."

Velasquez has had a meteoric rise since entering UFC with 2-0 professional record. In UFC, he has reeled off six straight victories, including five stoppages. Junior Dos Santos, who stopped Gabriel Gonzaga on UFC on Versus event last week, has also emerged as a top contender with a 5-0 UFC record. Mir is a potential opponent for Dos Santos, though White stated that no decision has been made yet on whom either will face in their next bouts.

Leading Shooto promoter, Sustain, has been assembling quite a stacked fight card for Shooto's May 30 event. The third installment of the "Way of Shooto" series will take place at JCB Hall in Tokyo and feature three world title bouts.

Shooto lightweight (143 pounds) champion, "Lion" Takeshi Inoue will make his second title defense against the top flight 143-pounder, Hatsu Hioki in a dream match for Shooto loyalists and MMA fans the world over.

Inoue and Hioki are arguably the two best fighters in Shooto's lightweight division and among the few non-WEC fighters to crack the world top 10 featherweight ranking.

Inoue regained his Shooto title in November 2008 with a victory over Hideki Kadowaki. He successfully defended the title against the Shooto icon, Rumina Sato last May at Shooto's 20th anniversary event.

Since then, he has triumphed in two non-title affairs. He dispatched the former 143-pound champion, Alexandre Franca Nogueira via TKO at Vale Tudo Japan 2009 and bested the unheralded Gerald Lovato in January.

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Japan's premier MMA organization, DREAM returned to Yokohama Arena for the first event of 2010.

The headliner featured DREAM featherweight (138 pounds) champion, Bibiano Fernandes in his first title defense against the former DREAM lightweight champion and newly minted 138 pounder, Joachim Hansen.

Known primarily as a highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, Fernandes showed tremendous intestinal fortitude in an all-out slugfest against Hiroyuki Takaya in the finale of DREAM featherweight grand prix last year. Against Hansen, he gave us a further look at the new dimension in his game: This time, he fought with improved techniques and uncanny poise.

Fernandes worked kicks to the leg and mid-section and stayed in the pocket to throw counters in striking exchange. He mixed in a few successful takedowns to dictate the fight and keep Hansen's aggression in check. Showing no fear with his offense, the Brazilian unleashed a jumping knee toward the end of the first round and threw several wild haymakers, even though he could not land anything to stun Hansen.

While Hansen seemed comfortable in the new weight class, he remained tentative throughout the fight, unable to pull the trigger with his hell-raising strikes. To his credit, he switched to a higher gear toward the end of the second round, landing a solid, lead uppercut and knees from the clinch. Also, he showed his usual prowess on the ground when he found himself on his back; he stayed busy with upkicks to keep Fernandes at bay and successfully scrambled back to his feet without putting himself in danger. In the end, however, he dropped a close decision, as two of the three judges gave Fernandes a nod.

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(Photo courtesy of Sportsnavi)

On Sunday, March 21, fighters slated for appearance in DREAM 13 gathered at a hotel in Tokyo for weigh-in and pre-fight press conference.

The occasion proceeded without a hitch, as all fourteen fighters made weight on first attempt. Former DREAM lightweight champion, Joachim Hansen, seemed comfortable in the new weight class, as he tipped the scale at 63kg (140 pounds) for his featherweight debut against Bibiano Fernandes.

In the lone open-weight bout of the card, the difference in weight between the "David-like" Minowaman and his Goliath, Jimmy Ambriz, amounted to a staggering 36kg (80 pounds). While athletic commissions all over the world would be flabbergasted at the match-up, anyone who has watched Pride or followed the career of Minowaman knows that it is business as usual for everyone's favorite puroresu fighter.

Full weigh-in result after the jump

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DREAM will hold its inaugural event of 2010 on Monday, March 22 at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

The event will air live on HDNet in North America on Sunday midnight/early Monday morning (make sure to call in sick for work come Monday).

DREAM 13 is headlined by a featherweight title bout between the reigning champion, Bibiano Fernandes, and the former top flight lightweight and debuting featherweight, Joachim Hansen.

The event also features the DREAM debut of former Elite XC lightweight champion, KJ Noon, resurgent bantamweight, Cole Escovedo, and the embattled UFC/Pride/Affliction veteran, Josh Barnett.

Fight-by-fight breakdown of the card after the jump.

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Former PRIDE star and Affliction grim reaper Josh Barnett (24-5) will officially make his return to competition against Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga (3-1) at the upcoming DREAM 13 event on March 22 in Yokohama, the promotion announced today.

Stateside fans can catch all the overseas action at 3 a.m. ET on HDNet.

Last summer, Barnett tested positive for steroid during the pre-fight drug test ahead of his highly anticipated showdown with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: "Trilogy."

The subsequent denial of his license to fight in California wreaked havoc on the floundering T-shirt company, prompting not only the cancellation of the "Trilogy" event, but also the demise of it's MMA division.

Since then, his quest to regain license to fight in California has become a prolonged ordeal. Last month, his appeal of the denial of license was delayed for the fourth time, further complicating the legal burden on his fighting career.

Meanwhile, he has kept himself busy with pro-wrestling gigs with Inoki Genome Foundation and participation in several No-Gi grappling competitions.

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DREAM previously announced that it will crown champions in every division from featherweight to heavyweight in 2010.

A light heavyweight Grand Prix consisting of eight participants is expected to kick off at DREAM 15 in May. Several sources, including MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow, indicate that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Renato "Babalu" Sobral has officially signed on to compete in the tournament. Also, the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and DREAM middleweight Grand Prix winner, Gegard Mousasi will indeed throw his hat in the ring, as he has previously hinted.

Furthermore, DREAM officials have confirmed that Sokoudjou is the third confirmed participant in the tournament: Already, the entire tournament is shaped around Mousasi, as he has defeated Babalu and Sokoudjou before and is the lone non-UFC light heavyweight to crack the top ten ranking.

Given the dearth of top-caliber light heavyweights outside UFC, Mousasi will very likely be the prohibitive favorite. Nevertheless, DREAM has a track record of recruiting undiscovered gems (i.e. Joe Warren, Marius Zaromskis) that have had surprisingly strong runs in its GPs. Thus, it will be interesting to see which prospects the promotion can excavate this time around.

DREAM welterweight champion, Marius Zaromskis is set to return to Japan in May at DREAM 15, according to MMA Fighting.

The event, which the Japanese-based promotion has yet to announce, is scheduled for May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

No opponent has surfaced for the Lithuanian-born fighter at the time of writing. Zaromskis, who fights out of London Shootfighters, captured the DREAM welterweight belt after emerging as the surprise winner of the promotion's welterweight tournament last July. He has yet to defend his title, and whether the upcoming bout at DREAM 15 will have the title on the line remains a mystery.

Zaromskis made his Strikeforce and USA debut in January at "Strikeforce: Miami" against Nick Diaz. Vying for the promotion's vacant welterweight title, he succumbed to the Cesar Gracie pupil via first-round TKO.

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Former Shooto Heavyweight champion and MMA icon, Enson Inoue returns to competition for the first time in six years at Astra, the retirement event for Hidehiko Yoshida.

Inoue, who is synonymous with his life credo of "Yamato Damashii," will face the former kickboxer, Antz "Notorious" Nansen on April 25 at Nippon Budokan.

He last fought in April 2004 against Tom Sauer at SuperBrawl 35. Upon losing the bout via TKO, he announced his retirement from fighting; however, he has since hinted at a return on several occasions. Now, he will re-assert his presence once again to the MMA world and commemorate the retirement of fellow MMA icon, Hidehiko Yoshida.

Given his long hiatus and short notice of the upcoming bout, Inoue spoke about the uncertainty regarding his physical condition and in-ring reflex come fight time. Nevertheless, he stated that his "spirit and heart are 100% ready" and that he is "willing to die" in the fight.

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UFC fighters and former Arizona State wrestling standouts, Ryan Bader, CB Dollaway and Aaron Simpson have left Arizona Combat Sports. With the departure, the three now count themselves among the high-profile fighters who have trained at one point or another at the Tempe, Ariz.-based gym: Joe Riggs, Drew Fickett, Carlos Condit, and TUF 7 alum, Matt Riddle, are some of the former members of ACS.

According to MMAmadness.com (via Bloody Elbow)

The move by the three UFC competitors and Arizona State alums comes at a curious time as all are coming off the biggest wins of their careers. Bader defeated Keith Jardine via third round TKO at UFC 110, Dolloway took home a unanimous decision that same night against Goran Reljic and Simpson defeated Tom Lawlor at UFC Fight Night 20 in January.

No information has surfaced regarding the destination of the three fighters or the reasons for their leaving the longtime training ground.

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Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) held a press conference at 1PM JST on Friday, March 12, to announce an additional bout for the upcoming DREAM 13 event.

The former WEC bantamweight title challenger, Yoshiro Maeda (25-7-2), will return to the ring against the DREAM debutant, Cole Escovedo (14-4) on March 22.

Maeda last fought at DREAM's caged fight card, DREAM 12, and earned an impressive, first-round submission victory over the former WEC bantamweight champion, Chase Beebe. He looks to further his momentum against another WEC veteran, Cole Escovedo.

Escovedo, former (as well as the inaugural) WEC featherweight champion, is currently on a three-fight winning streak since returning to competition as a bantamweight.

Before making his bantamweight debut at "PFC 13: Validation in May 2009, the Fresno native had suffered a prolonged bout with staph infection that sidelined him for almost three years and nearly truncated his promising career.

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MMA's poster boy of steroid controversy, Josh Barnett (24-5), will most likely make his return to competition in a week and half.

Josh Gross of SI.com reports on his twitter that the "Babyfaced Assassin" may fight Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga at DREAM 13 on March 22.

Last summer, Barnett tested positive for steroid during the pre-fight drug test ahead of his highly anticipated showdown with Fedor Emelianenko at "Affliction: Trilogy." The subsequent denial of his license to fight in California wreaked havoc on the floundering Affliction, prompting not only the cancellation of the "Trilogy" event, but also the demise of the promotion.

Since then, his quest to regain license to fight in California has become a prolonged ordeal. Last month, his appeal of the denial of license was delayed for the fourth time, further complicating the legal burden on his fighting career. Meanwhile, he has kept himself busy with pro-wrestling gigs with Inoki Genome Foundation and participation in several No-Gi grappling competitions.

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(Photo courtesy of Sports Navi)

UFC held a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 10 to announce the broadcast of the upcoming "UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi" on Japanese network TV.

"UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi," scheduled for March 31 at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, will air on tape delay in Japan on April 8th during the one-hour prime time slot from 22:00 to 22:54 JST. The fight card features the debut of former Pride FC Lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi; also slated for appearance are prominent Japanese fighters, Caol Uno and Yushin Okami.

UFC events currently air on Pay-Per-View on the satellite broadcasting and pay TV station, WOWOW, in Japan. At the presser, Zuffa counsel, Jaime Pollack, announced the partnership with TV Tokyo, the smallest of the free-to-air broadcast networks.

Zuffa's initial foray into Japanese broadcast network took place in 2005 during Pride FC's heyday; the collaboration with TV Tokyo was short-lived and fruitless. Five years later, Zuffa renews the pursuit of the once-impervious Japanese market as its oversea expansion kicks into high gear.

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MMA fans the world over who are dying to catch the last of Hidehiko Yoshida live, take notice.

J-Rock, the sports and entertainment management company that will host Yoshida's upcoming retirement event, Astra, is working to bring the event to MMA fans around the world through a new premium internet TV service.

The premium internet TV will broadcast Astra live from Nippon Budokan on April 25th.

J-Rock is currently in the process of ironing out the details of the event production and live webcast; stay tuned to MMAmania for updates on this momentous collaboration as they become available.

The former judo Olympian and Japanese MMA icon, Hidehiko Yoshida, will grace the ring for his final bout at Astra. According to J-Rock, the list of his potential opponent has been whittled down to three - two foreign fighters and one Japanese fighter - and the bout confirmation is forthcoming.

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The Sengoku upset artist, Michihiro Omigawa (9-8-1), has been confirmed to face Micah Miller (13-3) at Hidehiko Yoshida's retirement event.

"Astra" will take place at Nippon Budokan on Sunday, April 25 and feature the farewell bout of the former Olympic judo gold medalist and Japanese MMA icon, Hidehiko Yoshida.

Michihiro Omigawa punctuated a banner year with a knockout of Hiroyuki Takaya at Dynamite!! 2009 on New Year's Eve. Entering the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix last year with a losing record, the former judoka emerged as a tournament surprise, routing the favorites, LC Davis, Nam Phan, and Marlon Sandro to reach the finale.

He fell short against Masanori Kanehara in the tournament final via split decision. He then earned a controversial split decision victory over the top flight featherweight, Hatsu Hioki at Sengoku 11.

Micah Miller, the younger brother of UFC lightweight, Cole Miller, will fight in Japan for the second time in his career against Omigawa. The WEC veteran made his Japanese debut when he entered the DREAM Featherweight grand prix; he suffered a close decision loss against the fellow WEC veteran, Yoshiro Maeda, during the preliminary round of the tournament.

He has since won three consecutive fights, including the most recent appearance at Shine Fights against Anthony Morrison.

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  (Photo courtesy of Sports Navi)

Spoiler Alert: The event will be broadcast on tape delay on HDNet in North America next weekend.

Sengoku Raiden Championship held its inaugural event under the new promotional banner on Sunday, March 7. While the event lacked marquee names, the fight cards offered a few riveting finishes and only three of eight fights went to decision.

The event featured the middleweight title bout between the reigning champion, Jorge Santiago and Mamed Khalidov. Also, two of the fighters on the card delivered spectacular finishes that cemented their status as the top contenders in their respective divisions.

Full fight results and recap after the jump.

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Fast-rising Korean featherweight prospect, Chan Sung Jung has signed a six-fight deal with WEC, according to Sherdog.com.

22 year-old Jung has accumulated 10-1 record since making his professional debut in June 2007. After initial stint in South Korean circuits, he fought in the Japanese-based DEEP where he earned victories over Michihiro Omigawa and Fanjin Son.

He leaped into limelight last year as a participant in Sengoku's featherweight grand prix where he choked out Shintaro Ishiwatari in a fierce slugfest before dropping a controversial decision to the eventual champion, Masanori Kanehara. He then rebounded with a victory over Matt Jaggers at Sengoku 9.

Jung, who carries a bizarre moniker of "Korean Zombie," most recently fought in a kickboxing bout at an "It's Showtime" event in Czech Republic. Squaring off against the former Lumpini stadium champion, Pajonsuk SKV, he scored a highlight-reel knockout with spinning backfist; unfortunately, Jung's ignorance of the promotion's ban of spinning backfist under its rule set nullified his victory and resulted in disqualification.

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SRC 12, the World Victory Road's inaugural event under the "Sengoku Raiden Championship" banner, will take place at the fabled sumo arena, Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday, March 7. The event is set to air on tape delay on HDNet on March 12 in North America.

The fight card is headlined by a middleweight title bout-cum-rematch between the reigning champion, Jorge Santiago and Mamed Khalidov. In their first encounter in November last year, the KSW veteran, Khalidov staged a shocking rout of Santiago in a non-title bout and halted the American Top Team standout's nine-fight winning streak.

The weigh-in/pre-fight press conference was held on Saturday, March 6 and all 16 fighters slated for the fight card reportedly made weight.

Akihiro Gono, who will take on the Swedish prospect, Diego Gonzalez, in the co-main event, radiated confidence as he spoke about his recent training sojourn in San Jose, Calif. at American Kickboxing Academy. The Pride and UFC vet is on a resurgence with a submission victory over Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at Dynamite!! 2009 and decision victory over Yoon Young Kim at Sengoku 11.

In addition to seeking a change of scenery in training with a trip to the US, he has apparently cleaned up his personal life and refrained from "philandering and late-night partying" since last summer.

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