The DREAM 3 post-presser had enough interesting notes that I couldn’t help but read into a bit for the sake of speculation and excitement regarding some of the future matchups we could potentially see in future events. Here’s a few of the items that were noteworthy:

• Sasahara, DREAM’s event producer, talked about possibly having Kimbo Slice on a future DREAM card due to their new partnership with ProElite. He stated that Kimbo has zero name recognition right now, but only one appearance could shift the fans to love him. Interestingly enough, Japan loves fighters with that monster physique and ability to stop opponents with one punch. It could definitely be a match made in heaven from an entertainment perspective, but I’m not sure if the Japanese fans would love his street thuggish look.

• Sasahara also stated that the promotion was growing and didn’t have a need for a women’s division at this time, but talk of Gina Carano making an appearance in the future on a DREAM card wasn’t out of the question.

• Jason Miller made comments that he would love to be matched up against a legend in Japan such as Sakuraba. I’d definitely love to see this matchup in the next round, but DREAM officials may look elsewhere to keep Sakuraba in the tournament as a draw. It’s an interesting development because Mayhem seemed to have won over the crowd with his antics, so matching both fighters against each other may produce much more interest in the event.

• Kawajiri wants to take on Uno due to Uno defeating his T-Blood campmate Mitsuhiro Ishida. I’m inclined to believe that the proposed fight between “The Crusher” and Uno will probably take place. It has a storyline to an extent, but who knows what DREAM will do. Uno still has status in the Japanese MMA fight scene, but I doubt DREAM will give him an easier fight.

• Alvarez talked about wanting to become a regular fighter for the organization. He also joked about being the lone American in the tournament. Alvarez definitely has a shot at winning the Grand Prix, and it’ll be very interesting to see how he handles his next opponent. Hansen was definitely a big win for Alvarez.

Overall, I like some of the suggested matchups that the fighters want. Miller vs. Sakuraba and Kawajiri vs. Uno both have storylines associated with them, but as we all know, MMA in Japan is a different beast when it comes to making money. We’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks.

There is one huge piece of news that definitely gives DREAM some dreamier matchups for American fans. Their newly announced partnership with ProElite is going to bring over some fighters and possibly create a co-promotional event in the States. We could see Kimbo in Japan, and we are going to see Nick Diaz in Japan against “Mach” Sakurai according to MMAWeekly.com. We could definitely have some exciting fights happening in the coming months between DREAM and ProElite.

DREAM announced that "JZ" Calvancanti will in fact rematch Shinya Aoki at DREAM.2 on April 29th from Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the winner will move on in the Lightweight Grand Prix against Katsuhiko Nagata. A no-contest was ruled in their last matchup at DREAM.1 with Calvancanti landing elbows to the neck and spine during an attempted takedown.

I don't think Aoki really stands much of a chance in the matchup. The little that we saw in the DREAM.1 bout was enough to give fans who were really hoping to put money or pick Aoki a chance to see what Aoki offers. He looked much smaller than Calvancante, wasn't able to get close to a takedown, and he still has a huge disadvantage against most fighters in the striking game. His only real chance is to get "JZ" to the floor, which seems like an impossibility.

Also on the DREAM.2 will be Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi. It should be a good battle between power strikers, but Mousasi has been facing lesser competition than Kang has in the past. Nonetheless, Mousasi has the power to flatline Kang like Akiyama accomplished back in October. Akiyama and Minowa are also rumored to be fighting on the card as well. Masakatsu Funaki will take on Kiyoshi Tamura, and Kazushi Sakuraba will fight Andrews Nakahara.

DREAM.3 Lightweight Second Round matchups

Joachim Hansen vs. Eddie Alvarez

This is a superfight if I've ever seen one. Joachim absolutely crushed Kotetsu Boku in the preliminary round. Although it went to decision, Hansen was dominating on the ground and in the standup. Boku had some flurries, but Hansen clearly outclassed him. Hansen has an all-around great skillset with submissions and knee strikes. He has multiple ways to end the fight, and it should be a good matchup for Alvarez.

Alvarez has strong wrestling and great hands. He's got some devastating ground and pound that put Andre Dida out of the tournament, and he could turn it on again against Hansen. Hansen isn't exactly susceptible to the TKO though, in fact, he has never lost via TKO. The matchup has the makings of a war.

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis "Buscape" Firmino

This oughta be a decent battle, but Kawajiri holds a win over Firmino at Bushido 8 back in 2005. I imagine it may go the same way with Kawajiri using his crushing ways to keep Firmino on his back for most of the fight. Firmino has some submission skills, but Kawajiri is too smart to get caught. His power will likely allow him to power out of most attempts.

Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Caol Uno

Ishida has been on a tear as of late. His wrestling has been phenomenal lately, and he took a big win over Gilbert Melendez on New Year's Eve by taking the back at will for most of the first round. Uno will have his hands full.

This weekend could mark the inaugural event for a promotion that seeks to resurrect PRIDE back into the mixed martial arts scene. DREAM will take place on Saturday from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and it will feature one of the most stacked lightweight Grand Prix cards in recent memory. With nearly five or six top 10 lightweight fighters in the mix, the Grand Prix could climax into some big name superbouts later in the year. Shinya Aoki will be looking to prove his lackluster performance Bu Kyung Jung was only a fluke, but he’ll be taking on the devastating Gesias “JZ” Calvancante. Other action features Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kultar Gill, Joachim Hansen vs. Kotetsu Boku, Andre “Dida” Amade vs. Eddie Alvarez, Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Bu Kyung Jung, Hayato Sakurai vs. Hidetaka Monma, and the return of Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic to Japan as he will face Tatsuya Mizuno. It should be a fantastic event for hardcore fans everywhere.

Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “JZ” Calvancante

This battle is a classic matchup of grappler vs. striker, but with the added danger of Calvancante actually having a great jiu-jitsu base to backup his quick and devastating striking. Aoki’s biggest threat is off his back. His flexibility, jiu-jitsu skills, and overall transitional game are unbelievably effective. He used techniques that are tough to escape, but he is susceptible to the crushing ways of a powerful puncher.

That’s where Calvancante may have the edge. He has an uncanny ability of staying out of the guard and crushing opponents, almost Fedor-esque. When he is in guard, he’s crushing and powerful. To supplement his striking skills, he does possess great jiu-jitsu skills. He also trains out of American Top Team, a camp that features a huge number of talented fighters for Calvancante to use to his advantage.

Gesias Calvancante has been a beast in his last few bouts. Before pulling out of the first scheduled fight with Aoki at Yarennoka, Calvancante went on a tear in the K-1 HERO’s tournament on September 17th of last year. He absolutely blasted Vitor Ribeiro in :35 seconds, arguably a top 5 lightweight, and submitted Chute Box striker Andre “Dida” Amade in the final. His striking is unmatched in this matchup, and he has enough awareness and skill to avoid the submission. I’ll take Calvancante by TKO/KO in round 2.

Leland’s Prediction: Gesias “JZ” Calvancante via TKO/KO, Round 2

Andre “Dida” Amade vs. Eddie Alvarez

The single pick’em fight on the card features the upcoming puncher Andre “Dida” Amade vs. the former BodogFIGHT and new EliteXC fighter Eddie Alvarez. This could vie for the fight of the night at DREAM, and it should give us a solid barometer for where each fighter stands in the world.

Dida is fairly green on the MMA scene. He’s 6-2-1 with his most recent bout being a losing effort to Gesias Calvancante at the HERO’S Middleweight Tournament final. Dida was still able to defeat Caol Uno and Artur Oumakhanov in the preliminary rounds to make the final as well as defeating Hiroyuki Takaya at Hero’s 8. He has some solid power in his hands, good striking, and the Chute Box Muay Thai/Brazilian jiu-jitsu base that could prove dangerous to Alvarez’s wrestling.

Alvarez also has some big power in his hands, but he also has some wrestling skills on the ground that usually work to help him ground and pound opponents. He shouldn’t be a danger in the submission game, so this fight will likely be a technical striking war between both fighters. In that case, I’m almost inclined to pick Dida over Alvarez due to his Muay Thai skills and big punch striking. Alvarez has a very good shot though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won. I’ll take Dida for my pick though.

Leland’s Prediction: Andre Dida via TKO/KO, Round 1

Another installment of EliteXC's proving ground will take place on Friday night with a ShoXC event from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card features BodogFIGHT veteran Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross "The Boss" Ebanez, and the debut of British knockout artist Paul Daley vs. TUF contestant Sammy Morgan. Tonya Evinger, Julie Kedzie, Kala Kolohe Hose, and a number of newcomers will also throw down in the cage. Ten matchups will be featured, and the event will be aired on Showtime at 11 PM EST. Let's break this card down.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross Ebanez

Alvarez (11-1) is amazingly unknown to many fans throughout the MMA fanbase. His skills have only recently seen the light of day as he was one of the featured fighters in the BodogFIGHT promotion. He gained considerable recognition as the BodogFIGHT Welterweight champion producing some solid wins over Scott Henze and Aaron Riley. His lone loss was in April to Nick "The Goat" Thompson in a very heated battle that saw him lose his title. After a solid win over Matt Lee, Alvarez has moved his impressive record to greener pastures.

Alvarez doesn't have an easy task ahead of him. Ross Ebanez (16-5) is a solid veteran fighter who trains out of Hilo, Hawaii with BJ Penn. Although he doesn't sport the same skills that you would think are synonymous with Penn's skillset, Ebanez isn't a pushover. The only real problem in Ebanez's game is that he's went the distance in 6 out of his last 8 fights. It's obvious that he lacks the ability to finish opponents of higher competition. Alvarez will be no different.

Expect Alvarez to push the pace and throw a lot of leather. Eight out of his eleven wins are via TKO or KO, so it should be a straight forward win for Alvarez. Don't be too surprised if Ebanez can outlast the onslaught and take it the distance though.

Leland's Prediction: Alvarez via TKO/KO, Round 1
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Paul Daley vs. Sammy Morgan

Daley (16-6-2) is a British striker with some impressive knockout power. He hasn't strayed away from the stereotypical style that many Brits have been labeled with, but it hasn't hurt him in his matchups as of yet. In his last 4 fights, he's won 3 of them by TKO/KO, and revenged a loss to Paul Jenkins by causing him to quit by a punch to the body at Cage Rage 21. With key wins over Duane Ludwig and Mark Weir recently, he's looking to make a splash in the American MMA scene.

Sammy Morgan (19-9) was on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter. He was unsuccessful in his UFC stint, but had picked up a good string of wins prior to the show. His primary skills revolve around the submission game, but he's recently taken to throwing ridiculously inaccurate haymakers.

In his battle with Cung Le, Morgan looked terrible in his standup game. It could prove to be his Achilles Heel against Daley. Daley's standup will be far superior, but Morgan will most likely look for the takedown and submission. Don't count Morgan out completely, but if he decides to stand, there's no reason Daley shouldn't put him away fantastically. Morgan also stated in the pre-fight interviews that he was going to knock out Daley, implying that he will play into Daley's strengths. Sounds like he didn't learn from Alessio Sakara vs. Houston Alexander.

Leland's Prediction: Paul Daley, TKO/KO, Round 2
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