Originally thought to be facing fellow Japanese star Kazushi Sakuraba, former Grabaka ace Kazuo Misaki will instead battle knockout king “Marvellous” Melvin Manhoef at K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” on New Year’s Eve. The event airs live on HDNet.
Reports had previously confirmed that Sakuraba would compete on the card against Misaki, but it is presently unknown whether Sakuraba will still be part of the gigantic Dynamite!! event. Misaki will now face an opponent with a vastly different style when he takes on Manhoef.
After original opponent Yves Jabouin was forced to withdraw due to an injury, Canadian striker Mark “The Machine” Hominick will face another tough test in his WEC return at WEC 46 on January 10th. Hominick is tentatively set to square off with EliteXC and Strikeforce veteran Bryan “Kid” Caraway in a featured featherweight bout on the card.
With Korean star Dong Hyun Kim sidelined due to injury, welterweight prospect Brian Foster will look to pick up his second straight UFC victory when he takes on battle-tested veteran Chris “Lights Out” Lytle at UFC 110 on February 21, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
Ending months of speculation, MMARising.com can exclusively report that Strikeforce 135- and 145-pound women’s tournaments are no longer set to take place in early 2010. As the promotion continues to add to its expanding roster, plans for the women’s division have changed.
Putting weeks of speculation to rest, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has officially confirmed a pair of blockbuster DREAM vs Sengoku lightweight bouts for the massive K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” event on New Year’s Eve.
In the wake of the explosive “Evolution” card last night, Strikeforce is already planning big things for the year ahead. CEO Scott Coker has addressed many of the fights that the promotion hopes to showcase in 2010, including a pair of interesting “Strikeforce vs DREAM” matchups.
Strikeforce returned to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California tonight for Strikeforce: “Evolution,” which was headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Cung Le and hard-hitting two-time EliteXC title challenger Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.
World Extreme Cagefighting returned to Las Vegas tonight with WEC 45: “Cerrone vs Ratcliff,” which was capped off by a strange and foul-filled lightweight tilt between former title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and hard-hitting Ed “9mm” Ratcliff.