While his DREAM date with Brett Rogers was canceled due to a visa issue, Tim Sylvia has found work on New Year’s Eve after all as he’s been booked for a pro wrestling match with Jerome Le Banner, reported by Heavy MMA.
The bout will be part of the Inoki Genome Federation’s contribution to the DREAM show, which features a mix of legitimate MMA bouts and pro wrestling matches featuring current MMA fighters. The card will be aired stateside on HDNet.
Fedor Emelianenko faces Satoshi Ishii in the main event with Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan and Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka on the undercard. Josh Barnett returns to wrestling action against Hideki Suzuki on the 17-match card as he awaits the official announcement of his Strikeforce Grand Prix Final bout against Daniel Cormier.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Sylvia (30-7) is on a two-fight win streak and has victories in six of his last seven MMA fights. He made his wrestling debut against Barnett for the IGF in late-2010, while Le Banner is a former pro kickboxer who has competed six times in MMA. He also stepped into the ring against Barnett in wrestling action earlier this month and defeated the former UFC Heavyweight Champion by “knockout”.