Just one month before it was set to begin, a proposed eight-man DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has been cancelled. The opening round of the tournament was scheduled for Dream.14 on May 29th, but will no longer take place. Sports Illustrated’s Josh Gross first reported on the cancellation.
DREAM may still crown a 205-pound champion later this year and a revised four-man tournament is a possibility. Reports suggest that the cancellation stemmed from disinterest from the Tokyo Broadcasting System television network in Japan, which airs DREAM events in the country.
Representatives from DREAM’s parent company, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), refused to offer comment on the tournament’s cancellation, but stated that an official statement could be made in the second week of May. Among those who were rumoured to be participating in the grand prix were former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champions Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi and Renato “Babalu” Sobral, as well as “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and DEEP veterans Yoshiyuki Nakanishi and Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu.
The remaining card for Dream.14 currently features four fights and will be headlined by a non-title welterweight matchup between Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. Dream.14 takes place on May 29th at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Dream.14 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs Nick Diaz
– Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen vs Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya
– Hideo Tokoro vs Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura
– Kazuyuki Miyata vs Takafumi Otsuka
(Photo Credit: gbring.com)