DREAM.4 Fights Announced
by Robert Sargent
At a press conference earlier today, DREAM producer Keiichi Sasahara announced the four Middleweight Grand Prix matchups for Dream.4, including Kazushi Sakuraba vs Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza vs Jason "Mayhem" Miller.
Other bouts will see Gegard Mousasi take on Dong Sik Yoon, while Zelg Galesić will fight a rematch with Taiei Kin after their previous bout ended prematurely due to a cut.
Sakuraba's original opponent, as voted on by the Japanese fans, was to be Kiyoshi Tamura, in what would have been a dream fight between two Japanese legends. However, Tamura was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a dislocated finger, leaving Manhoef as his replacement.
Many people already feel that Sakuraba should no longer be fighting, following brutal knockouts at the hands of Wanderlei Silva and having suffered brain damage over the past few years. The fight with Manhoef will only further those pleas, as Manhoef's devastating striking could very easily end Sakuraba's career in a violent way. Unless Sakuraba is able to quickly take the fight to the ground, it is very probable that he will be hurt badly.
In the case of "Jacaré" vs "Mayhem," Souza will undoubtedly look to take Miller to the ground, where Souza will hold an extreme advantage in submissions and Jiu-Jitsu. Miller is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but Souza is one of the top three submission grapplers in the world. Miller will look to keep the fight standing, where his superior striking could carry him to victory.
While Gegard Mousasi and Dong Sik Yoon have both developed more well-rounded arsenals, this battle will be a classic striker (Mousasi) vs grappler (Yoon) fight, and Yoon's ability to absorb punishment will likely be the deciding factor. His armbar submissions on the ground may prove to be too much for Mousasi, though Mousasi is always capable of pulling off a submission of his own, as Denis Kang found out at Dream.2.
Zelg Galesić's fight with Taiei Kin late last year was cut short after a kick from Galesić sliced open Kin's eyelid. Both fighters will be looking to advance in the tournament, and Kin will be looking to avenge the previous loss to Galesić. Neither fighter knows anything but full-throttle offence, and the fight could easily turn out to be one of the best of the night. Galesić has worked diligently on his submission game to complement his excellent striking, but Kin's striking is extremely proficient as well.
Also confirmed for the event was the final fight of the second round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix, as Shinya Aoki will take on Katsuhiko Nagata. The winner will advance to the finals of the tournament at Dream.5 on July 21st in Osaka, Japan. The finals of the Middleweight Grand Prix will take place at Dream.6 on September 23rd at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
