K-1/Dream Dynamite Finally Shaping Up: Fights Announced

Published on various sites, December 2010

You can’t stop rock’n'roll, and you cant stop JMMA either.

Even though they may be on the verge of death, lets hope that FEG plan on going down swinging. The Dynamite card has looked disastrous, with only one fight booked less than a month prior to the card. Now, the filler is being arranged around the FW title fight, and fingers crossed, it will be another memorable end of year card and a solid addition to what is actually my favourite event in all of fightsports.

Last year saw the anticipation of a Dream vs Sengoku head to head theme, at least on the Mixed Martial Arts side of the card. Aoki vs Hirota in particular drew much speculation, as some pondered whether or not the mercurial Dream champ had FINALLY met his kryptonite at lightweight, a powerful boxer-wrestler. While it was not to be, as Aoki promptly snapped Hirota’s arm in a copper-lock (it would be Aoki’s next fight against Gilbert Melendez that finally saw the JMMA juggernaut toppled), the anticipation for the card was fever pitch, despite Overeem and Mousasi booked in what were ostensibly “squash matches”… which proved to be the case.

This year, due to their obvious financial perils, the affair and build up seems a tad more subdued. But now, FINALLY, there seems to be some momentum and focus.

Surpassing what appeared to be main-event in Bibiano vs Takaya II – a rematch of the FW Grand Prix final, with the belt at stake – is the reported Welterweight title match-up, as returning Grand Prix winner Marius Zaromskis makes his first divisional defence of the title against former MW, LHW and Open Weight legend Kazushi Sakuraba, who drops down to welterweight for the first time, after a career that includes victories over UFC openweight, heavyweight, and light heavyweight champions alike.

Zaromskis is on a two-fight skid, but always dangerous. Sakuraba is more removed from his prime than Hugh Heffner. But regardless, the Gracie Hunter is one of the most entertaining and talented fighters in the history of recorded fightsports, so it is not unfeasible that he could defeat the wounded Zaromskis, a man whose primary skill is striking anyway. A vintage Saku submission? It would take a hardcore Whitemare fan to not wish to see the triumphant goodbye of a legend of the game like Saku, who outside of his skills is truly one of the gutsiest bastards to ever step in a ring.

As I called on IronForgesIron over a month ago (brushes dirt off shoulder)  Tatsuya Kawajiri will face fellow top 10 ranked Strikeforce lightweight and former champion Josh Thomson, who is fresh from defeating former K-1 Hero’s LW champ JZ Cavalcante. See this article for my feelings on that tasty, tasty matchup:  http://ironforgesiron.net/index.php/2010/11/fletch-blog-thomson-bout-could-be-career-revival-for-kawajiri-the-crusher-2/

The annual minor K-1 tourney has been cancelled, but with the reported participation of JLB in an MMA-rules bout (as ever – some things never change) and of course the usual suspects; no, not Todd Hackney, McManus, Fenster, Verbal Kint and Dean Keaton, but Alistair Overeem, Melvin Manhoef and Gegard Mousasi…then perhaps, let us dare to DREAM that this Dynamite card – heavily rumoured to be the last FEG event before financial collapse – can live up to expectations and end the year 2010 on the best note possible.

Banzai, JMMA fans. Dare to DREAM.

Fletch