Calvancante vs Kawajiri At Dream.9

by Robert Sargent

Returning to competition after a lengthy layoff due to injury, former two-time K-1 HERO's 154-Pound Champion Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante will take on Japanese standout Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri in a featured bout at Dream.9 on May 26th.

Calvancante was originally set to rematch DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen at K-1 Dynamite!! 2008, but Hansen failed a medical examination.

Instead, Calvancante (14-2-1, 1 NC) will have to seek revenge against Hansen at a later date, as he battles former Shooto Champion and PRIDE and DREAM standout Kawajiri (23-5-2) at Heiwa Dream.9. The fight will likely determine a #1 contender for Hansen's DREAM Lightweight Championship.

Calvancante has not competed since his back-to-back fights with WAMMA Unified Lightweight Champion Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki at Dream.1 and Dream.2. The first fight ended in a No Contest after elbow strikes from Calvancante were deemed illegal. In the rematch, Aoki survived early scares and controlled the fight on the ground, which led to a Unanimous Decision for the Japanese submission wizard.

Kawajiri also came up short in his bid to become DREAM Lightweight Champion, as he was knocked out by heavy-handed Eddie Alvarez in the tournament semi-finals at Dream.5. He rebounded with a first-round submission win over BJ Penn training partner Ross "The Boss" Ebanez at Dream.7.


The pivotal lightweight battle between Calvancante and Kawajiri will serve as a featured bout on the Dream.9 card, which will also determine the semi-finalists in the inaugural DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix.