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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
DREAM has announced a number of fights for their September 25 DREAM 16 event. The event will feature a middleweight clash between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and longtime Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba, as well as bouts between Gegard Mousasi and Tatsuya Mizuno and Joe Warren and Michihiro Omigawa.
The Miller vs. Sakuraba bout comes after Strikeforce decided to go with the Nick Diaz vs. K.J. Noons bout on October 9 instead of pitting Diaz and Miller together out of the April brawl on CBS at Strikeforce: Nashville. It's a bout that Miller has described as a "dream bout" for him in the past, and although Sakuraba is well past the competitive part of his lengthy career, it will be a big fight for both fighters and for DREAM.
The Mousasi-Mizuno bout will crown DREAM's first Light Heavyweight Champion, as it serves as the conclusion to the four man Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Both fighters earned victories at DREAM 15 in July, with Mizuno defeating Melvin Manhoef and Mousasi choking out Jake O'Brien.
Warren will make his appearance in Japan less than a month after facing Joe Soto for the Bellator Featherweight Championship. Their meeting comes on next Thursday's Bellator event from the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.
DREAM will not run another event after DREAM 16 until the New Year's Eve event. DREAM 16 will air live on HDNet in North America.
Penick's Analysis: Miller-Sakuraba is definitely interesting, but at 41 Sakuraba's at the point where he should not be getting into the ring anymore. This is a fight that Miller's wanted for a long time, but there will definitely be concern for Sakuraba until the fight is over and done with. Mousasi-Mizuno should be entertaining, and providing he doesn't injure himself in the Soto bout, Warren's meeting with Omigawa could be a good fight as well. Considering it's the last event for DREAM until the end of the year, they're making it a good one.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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