DREAM Middleweight Tournament Match Ups Announced

With just three weeks left until the event, DREAM have announced their match ups for the quarter finals of the middleweight tournament.

The event takes place at DREAM 4on June 15th at the Saitama Super Arena. Also featured on the DREAM 4 card will be the Lightweight Tournament bout between Shinya Aoki and Kazuhiko Nagata. The tournament will conclude on September 23rd, with both the semi finals and finals being fought on the night.

Here are the match ups:

Melvin Manhoef (21-4-1) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (24-10-1)
Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) vs. Dong Sik Yoon (4-4)
Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza (8-1) vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (21-5)
Zelg Galesic (8-3) vs. Taiei Kin (3-2)

*It is worth noting that Melvin Manhoef is featured in the tournament as a replacement for Kiyoshi Tamura who had to pull out of the contest due to injury.

Diaz And Miller Comment On DREAM Matchups

With the last DREAM event out of the way, fighters Nick Diaz and Jason " Mayhem" Miller are looking to their next fights with mixed feelings.

Nick Diaz has stated that he would love to be fighting Shinya Aoki in the next round of the tournament, rather than his scheduled opponent Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, for the Welterwight Championship. Here is what Diaz had to say:

“You know, there’s a lot of other people I’d like to fight, just considering Mach Sakurai is a lot older than I am,” Diaz said. “He’s probably in his late 30s I’d imagine, so I’m going to have a lot of respect for him and everything he’s done. I tend to do better with people I have less respect for. To be honest, I’d rather be fighting Shinya Aoki or Kawajiri — somebody other than the guy that got knocked out by someone I already beat [Gomi]."

“I know the only way to win is not care to win or lose,” he said. “That’s why I’m not afraid of anybody and why I want to fight the best. I think Shinya Aoki is the best fighter here. I want to fight this guy — I think I can beat him."

Jason "Mayhem" Miller's opponent in the next leg will be Zelg Galesic, although Miller is not entirely happy with the choice. Miller had this to say:

“My biggest dream ever was to fight Sakuraba,” Miller said. “He was my hero growing up. I’m lucky that in my business, I’m allowed to beat my heroes up in the same way I beat my dad up now.

“Sakuraba is my hero, and the prospect of being able to fight my hero is huge. It’s my dream, and hopefully I can accomplish my dream here. I’m happy that we’re in the tournament at the same time. No matter who they put in front of me, I want to defeat them in the most exciting manner possible. I’ve never seen Sakuraba tap out.”

Jason Miller Fights Again In May

Jason "Mayhem" Miller has signed a contract to compete at Dream 3, just 13 days away.

He is signed to fight Katsuyori Shibata, a former pro wrestler and student of Masakatsu Funaki. Shibata has a pro MMA record of 2-3 and is currently on a 3 fight losing streak.

Many fans are questioning the reasoning behind this bout, as it appears to be a major step down in competition for Miller, who has fought for many top organisations including HD Net Fights, WEC and UFC.