With a name reminding us why acronyms were invented, the “DREAM Fight For Japan: 2011 Bantamweight Grand Prix Final” show (or what some are calling DREAM 17) takes place on July 16 from the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.
A series of injuries have plagued the event, as Todd Duffee was forced out of his bout with Nick Gaston, Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire was replaced by Drew Fickett to face Tatsuya Kawajiri, and most recently, DREAM officials announced that Hayato Sakurai has withdrawn from his bout with Marius Zaromskis, initiating a catchweight match with Eiji Ishikawa for “The Whitemare”.
The updated lineup is as follows:
Gegard Mousasi vs. Hiroshi Izumi (DREAM Light-Heavyweight Championsip)
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Kazuyuki Miyata (DREAM Featherweight Championship)
Masakazu Imanari vs. Hideo Tokoro (DREAM Bantamweight Tournament Final
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Drew Fickett
Marius Zaromskis vs. Eiji Ishikawa
Bruno Carvalho vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Kenji Osawa
Trevor Prangley vs. Tatsuya Mizuno
Below are four video interviews with some of the fighters, starting with former UFC competitor and Shine Fights lightweight Gran Prix champion Drew Fickett. After the jump, interviews with Kawajiri, Zaromskis, and Takaya are embedded. Use the video’s Closed Caption (CC) button for the required translations.
SBN coverage of DREAM Fight For Japan: 2011 Bantamweight Japan Tournament Final
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