Note: fights subject to change

Dream.9 Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round

Dream.9 will be the first Dream event to air in prime time on Tokyo Broadcasting System since Dream 6 in September. This will also feature the opening round of the Super Hulk Grand Prix where Dream middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will enter to compete as he has vacated his title.

Now Mayhem Miller will have a rematch versus Jacare for the middleweight crown. One of the most anticipated fights of the night will be if Gegard Mousasi can compete with the power and size of Mark Hunt.

Tatsuya Kawajiri versus Gesias Calvancante has every MMA fan around the world on their as two of the most exciting fighters will stand toe to toe against each other.

What is the most surprising fight will be former major league baseball player José Canseco versus 7 foot 2 Korean fighter Hong Man Choi. This is the true definition of a freak fight which the Japanese are known for.

First Round Super Hulk Grand Prix Bob Sapp vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Ikuhisa Minowa fights a lot and will fight anyone anytime. With 41 wins and 30 loses he is not the most feared fighter. Bob Sapp is very big and in mixed martial arts he will use he size to bum rush Minowa. Minowa does have submission skills and has used them on big fighters like Zuluzinho and Giant Silva at PRIDE Bushido 10. It took a long time for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at Pride Shockwave and Minowa does not have the skill to find Sapp off til he gets tired. Sapp with rush in at the start of the fight and throw wild punches. One will land and it will KO Minowa who might be 200 pounds lighter.

Sapp’s weakness is his cardio but it wont matter much against a fighter who will be so much at a disadvantage in strengthen, size and weight.

Hong Man Choi vs.  José Canseco

This is the king among circus fights. We all know José Canseco uses steroids and we all know they don’t check in Japan. But not matter how much steroids José Canseco takes he will get his ass kicked. Hong Man Choi is 7 foot 2. What can Canseco do with no experience

Hong Man Choi is actually a good fighter with a K1 kickboxing record of 17 and 5. In MMA he has fought and lost to Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, José Canseco has never fought and is only looking at this fight at a way to get money. He will get knocked out very early in the first round with a kick to the head. There is not way Canseco can reach Hong Man Choi and he has no grappling game whatsoever.

First round brutal KO

Jan Nortje vs.  Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has just plain sucked in the UFC. He glory days were in Japan. Jan Nortje is not much competition and sports betting wise the MMA betting odds for this fight will be huge. Jan Nortje has a 2 and 7 MMA record against below average fighters.

Jan has fought the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Jerome Le Banner, Gary Goodridge, and K-1 Champions Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, and Semmy Schilt. He has a good punch and with experience in kickboxing and boxing but this is MMA and Sokoudjou will use to judo to take him to the ground. Once this fight goes to the ground Sokoudjou will be able to submit him with a kimura.

Both are good stand up fighters and the good thing is that Sokoudjou can take a punch. So until he takes it to the ground it will be a pretty even fight.

Gegard Mousasi vs.  Mark Hunt

Gegard Mousasi has vacated his DREAM middleweight title to enter the Super Hulk Grand Prix. He will have a very tough first round fight against a much bigger fighter in Mark Hunt. Mousasi will use his speed to avoid Hunt’s power.

Once Mousasi gets this fight to the ground he will be able to catch Hunt with a submission. Stand up wise has the ability and speed to out maneuver Hunt who is not the fighter he once was.

Mousasi has very good kick boxing skill and will use lower legs kicks to back off Hunt.
Watch for a Mousasi victory with speed and precise striking. He will avoid the power of Hunt until he gets tired.

Betting wise this is a tough fight to call and would lay a small amount on Mousasi but not bet the farm since Hunt has a punches chance. Mousasi grappling has been mostly victories by triangle choke. There will be no way Mousasi will be able to triangle choke Hunt’s large body so we will see what other grappling skills he has in his arsenal

Lightweight Bout Tatsuya Kawajiri vs.  Gesias Calvancante

If you know mixed martial arts this fight is a MMA fans dream fight. Gesias Calvancante was once considered to be the top pound for pound fighter in the world. Both fighters will come out swinging and this fight will be a great striking battle. At Dream 5 Kawajiri lost to Eddie Alvarez by TKO. This slugfest saw both men dropping the other repeatedly with punches and the fight was named 2008 Fight of the Year. This fight will go the same way as both men will come swinging for the fences.

I am tentatively taken Tatsuya Kawajiri due the fact he is fought better fighters and strikers and he has a much better wrestling base and ground and pond game. He has the ability to take him down and control him.

Sports betting wise this fight is too hard to handicap. I would lay a small amount on Tatsuya Kawajiri who is more experienced.

Second Round Feather Weight Grand Prix Abel Cullum vs.  Hideo Tokoro

Abel Cullum won a unanimous decision in his first at DREAM.7: Feather Weight Grandprix 2009 1st Round but he will have a very hard time as he steps up in competition to fight Hideo Tokoro.

Abel Cullum is a very well rounded fighter with a very explosive. He has good energy and a well round fighter with good power in the standup and some aggressive ground skills.

Sports betting wise Tokoro might come into this fight as the sportsbook favorite due to  Cullum’s lack of experience but he is a young hungry fighter with a god future in MMA.

 Cullum will win this fight due to his aggression and constant pressure.

Yoshiro Maeda vs.  Hiroyuki Takaya

Both Yoshiro Maeda and Hiroyuki Takaya had fought some of the toughest fighters in the world. Yoshiro Maeda has a little speed and much more power than Takaya. Maeda also has very good kicks and will be able to land and score points with his kickboxing skills.

Though Hiroyuki Takaya is also a very good striker but is not as explosive and as Yoshiro Maeda who will drive forward and use his pressure game against Takaya

The betting lines should be close in this fight but I would lay a lot on Yoshiro Maeda who has more experience who will win this fight by knock out.

Masakazu Imanari vs.  Bibiano Fernandes

Whoever wins this fight will have an inside track to the finals. Masakazu Imanari is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt while Bibiano Fernandes is a 4 time world Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion.

Bibiano Fernandes has a good MMA camp and has been training his striking with Jose Landi-Jons. Masakazu Imanari is a good all round fighter but Bibiano Fernandes just has much better grappling skills. Though Fernandes will come into this fight as the smaller fighter, Imanari should win the striking battle but once this fight goes to the ground he will be able to submit him.

If Imanari has a bit more power he would be the betting favorite but he just does not have the knockout power.

Norifumi Yamamoto vs.  Joe Warren

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto enters the Second Round of the Feather Weight Grand Prix after receiving a First Round bye at Dream 7 due to recovering from reconstructive knee surgeryFinally Kid Yamamoto is ready to fight. At 17 and 1 Yamamoto is one of the top pound for pound in fighters in the world. He has beaten every top lightweight fighter and he will be fighting an inexperienced Joe Warren.

This is the worst match up for Joe Warren who is a wrestler turned MMA fighter. He won the 2006 Pan American and World Championship and in men's Greco-Roman wrestling and was a favorite for the upcoming Olympics However, Yamamoto is also a very good wrestler and he will not be overwhelmed by Warren’s wrestling ability. He is also a very devastating striker with fast hands.

The question remains if Yamamoto is fully healed and ready to fight. He will use his striking ability to counter Warrens shoot attempts. Look for Yamamoto to make a triumphant return with a knee to Warren’s head as he shoots in.

Dream Middleweight Title Fight Jason Miller vs.  Ronaldo Souza

Gegard Mousasi vacated his middleweight grand prix title Jason Mayhem Miller and   Jacare Ronaldo Souza will now square off for the title. Jacare already beat Miller the first tie they met at Dream 4: Middleweight Grand-Prix Second Round and to may people’s surprise Jason Miller put up a very good fight and lasted to lose a decision.

I think if Mill er had more power in his striking he would be able to win this fight but Miller is not a heavy handed fighter with only 4 knock outs in his career. This will be a grappling fight and Miller will play defense most of the fight while Jacare will be attacking.

This will be a grappling fight and there is not question that Jacare is a better fighter. Just look at his grappling resume. He was the 2004 Openweight World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, 2005 Openweight World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, 2005 ADCC 77-87KG Division winner  and 2005 ADCC Absolute Division runner-up.

Sport betting wise this betting lines might be close but I would lay a lot on Jacare because he is the much better grappler and Miller does not have the power to KO Jacare like Mousasi did.

Check out Bookmaker and BetCRIS for the latest Dream.4 online betting lines

Bet at SportInteraction for MMA and UFC Fighting Today