DREAM 13 Preview & Predictions

DREAM 13 is set to take place March 22, 2010 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The terrific card will be televised live on HDNet at 3AM EST, and re-aired March 27 at 11PM EST on HDNet. The show will have the DREAM Featherweight Title on the line, as well as John Barnett’s first fight in over a year and “KJ” Noon’s first fight in almost two years. It is sure to be an action packed card filled with exciting fights from top to bottom. For the fourteen fighters set to fight, this is their night to shine in Japan, to show the MMA world who they are and where the stand. Here is a rundown of the seven bouts and fourteen fighters.

Be sure to look to ProFighting-fans.com for the official DREAM 13 results after the fights are complete!

Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Jimmy Armbriz

Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa has fought over 80 fights with a 44-30-8 record. Of his 44 victories, 28 of his wins have come via submission, 7 via KO, and 8 via decision. Minowaman, who has been a fixture of PRIDE and DREAM, is an exciting fighter who typically fights opponents twice his size. He started off the new year winning the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament by achieving his greatest victory to date in knocking out Sokoudjou. He holds notable wins over Don Frye, Phil Baroni, Gilbert Yvel, Bob Sapp, and Hong Man Choi. His losses read like a who’s who of MMA, Mirko “Cro Cop”, “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Paulo Filho, Evan Tanner, and Semmy Schilt. Minowa is currently on a 3-fight win streak.

Jimmy “The Titan” Armbriz, is a massive heavyweight with a 14-12-1 record. Of his 14 victories, 7 wins have come via submission, 6 via KO, and 1 via decision. He mostly recently was brought into the spotlight when a potential fight with him and Bobby Lashley was scheduled for Strikeforce: Miami, but was scrapped late and replaced by Wes Simms. He holds notable wins over Ruben Villareal and Dan Bobish. Armbriz’s notable losses, like Minowa, is abundant in top competition, losing to Josh Barnett, Jeff Monson, Sergei Kharitonov, Chris Tuchscherer, Scott Junk, Jerome LeBanner, Ricco Rodriguez, and Justin Eilers.

This opening bout will be a great way to get the Japanese crowd on their feet, and the audience watching ready for the night off fights. Minowa is a freak show fighter accustomed to taking on men outweighing him by over 100 pounds, so Armbriz shouldn’t offer anything new to “The Punk”. Posing no substantial threat on the feet or the mat, look for Minowa to find a way to take Armbriz to the ground and submit him.

Prediction: Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa via kneebar in Round 2

Yoshiro Maeda vs. Cole “Apache Kid” Escovedo

Yoshiro Maeda is a PRIDE, WEC, and DREAM veteran with a record of 26-7-2. Of his 26 victories, 14 have come via KO, 3 via submission, and 8 via decision. He holds notable wins over Chase Beebe, Charlie Valencia, and Micah Miller. His notable losses are to Miguel Tores, Rani Yahya, and Joe Pearson. Maeda is currently on a 2-fight win streak.

Cole Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion with a record of 15-4. Of his 15 victories, 9 have come via submission, 5 via KO, and 1 via decision. He took a three year absence from the sport in 2006 and returned last year in 2009, going on a 4-fight win streak. Escovedo holds notable wins over Jeff Bedard, Poppies Martinez, and Bart Palaszewski. His has lost notably to Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, and Antonio Banuelos.

A solid last minute fight pitting two WEC veterans against one another in what is sure to be a action filled fight. Maeda put up quite the fight against Miguel Torres at WEC 34, and has an all around fight game and has finished fights from punching, kicking, and submitting his opponents. Escovedo, after taking three years off due to a partially paralyzing staph infection, has returned with a vengeance, finishing 3 of his last 4 opponents in the first and second round of the fights, including his last two wins which he finished identically at 1:47 in the first round. Escodevo will want the fight on the ground, while Maeda will prefer to fight on his feet, whoever can dictate where the fight takes place with their wrestling will have the significant advantage.

Prediction: Yoshiro Maeda via decision

Ryo Chonan vs. Andrews Nakahara

Ryo “Piranha” Chonan is a UFC and PRIDE veteran who holds a 16-10 record. Of his 16 victories, 9 have come via decision, 5 via KO and 2 via submission. Chonan is most known for being 1 of only 3 fighters to legitimately defeat UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva when he submitted him via an amazing flying scissor heel hook at PRIDE: Shockwave 2004. Besides Silva, Ryo Chonan holds notable wins over Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, and Joey Villasenor. His notable losses are quite impressive, having lost to Dan Henderson, Karo Parisyan, Paulo Filho, Phil Baroni, and Ricardo Almedia. He is currently on a 1-fight win streak.

Andrews Nakahara is an inexperienced Brazilian fighter with a 2-1 record. Both of his wins have come via KO, and 2 of his 3 fights have been against experienced and, in the case of Kazushi Sakuraba, legendary fighters. His lone loss was to the legend, Kazushi Sakuraba, in what was Nakahara’s MMA debut at DREAM 2. His most notable win was over PRIDE and DREAM veteran Dong Sik Yoon. Nakahara is currently on a 2-fight win streak.

Ryo Chonan didn’t fare too well in the UFC, losing 3 of 4 fights, but now back in Japan he will look to reestablish himself as a top Japanese fighter. He has a tough fight against the 2006 All American Open Karate Champion, Nakahara, who, although inexperienced in MMA, is an experienced Kyokushin (Full contact karate) fighter. Chonan likes to stand and bang, but doesn’t have significant power or technique, look for that to be his downfall against a full contact karate fighter like Nakahara who has a Kyokushin win over 2008 K-1 World GP in Fukuoka Champion, Ewerton Teixeria.

Prediction: Andrews Nakahara via TKO in Round 3

> Talk Dream 13 on the MMA forums listed on Pro Fighting Fans and check out the entire DREAM 13 fight card & results!

Andre Amado vs. K.J. Noons

Andre “Dida” Amado is a veteran of K-1 Hero’s who holds a record of 6-3-1. Of his 6 victories, 4 have come via KO, and 2 via decision. 4 of his 6 wins have come via KO in the first round as he tends to make quick work of his opponents. Amado holds a notable win over current UFC fighter, Caol Uno. He defeated the Japanese fighter in the 2007 K-1 Hero’s Tournament Final via decision. Amado has notable losses to Eddie Alvarez, “JZ” Cavalcante, and Katsunori Kikuno. Amade is currently on a 3-fight losing streak.

“KJ” Noons is the former EliteXC lightweight champion who holds a record of 7-2. All of his 7 victories have come via KO, and with his recent stint in boxing, it’s likely he is more deadly on his feet than ever. He holds notable wins over Nick Diaz and Yves Edwards. His first loss came in 2002 in only his second fight, and his last loss was to Charles “Crazy Horse” Bennett 3 years ago at EliteXC – Destiny. Noons is currently on a 3-fight win streak.

Amada and Noons have the making for a fight of the night. Both fighters like to stand and trade, which surely be entertaining for the audience, but might not be Amado’s best strategy against a proficient striker like Noons. While “Dida” has shown an ability to destroy lesser quality opponents on the feet, he hasn’t proved so effective against quality opponents like Eddie Alvarez and Katsunori Kikuno who have both TKO’d “Dida” in consecutive bouts. Look for “KJ” Noons to carry on that streak with his superior boxing.

Prediction: “KJ” Noons via TKO in Round 1

Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Katsunori Kikuno

Kuniyoshi Hironaka is a UFC and Shooto veteran with a record of 16-6. Of his 16 victories, 6 have come via KO, 5 via submission, and 5 via decision. He fought in the UFC from 2006 to 2008 and his most notable win was over Nick Diaz in 2002 via split decision. 5 of his 6 losses have been to great fighters such as Shinya Aoki, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Hayato Sakurai, and Jonathan Goulet. Hironaka is currently on a 4-fight win streak, beating his last 3 opponents via TKO in the first round.

Katsunori Kikuno is the current DEEP Lightweight Champion and holds a record of 12-2-2. Of his 12 victories, 7 have come via KO, 1 via submission, and 4 via decision. Kikuno holds notable wins over Andre “Dida” Amado and Koichiro Matsumoto. His first loss came four years ago via unanimous decision to Yukinari Tamura at Deep 23, and his second loss came in his last fight against Eddie Alvarez in which he was submitted via arm-triangle choke in round 2 at DREAM 12.

Here is a fight between two Japanese fighters that could steal the show. With Hironaka KOing his last three opponents in the first round, and Kikuno having finished his last three opponents via KO in the first round before losing to Eddie Alvarez a few months ago. This fight pitting one Japanese star against another has the making for a Fight of the Year candidate. Both fighters like to finish fights, particularly early on, and both fighters like to engage. The edge in the stand-up goes to Kikuno, but if the fight is taken to the ground the edge goes to Hironaka, but either way, both fighters pose a threat to each other on the feet and the ground at all moments of the fight. Don’t blink, this fight could end at any moment.

Prediction: Katsunori Kikuno via KO in Round 3

Josh Barnett vs. Siala “Mighty Mo” Siliga

Josh Barnett is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and King of Pancrase with a record of 24-5. Of his 24 victories, 15 have come via submission, 5 via KO, and 4 via decision. Due to his inactivity, Barnett has fallen out of the top 5 heavyweight rankings, but with this fight, looks to reestablish himself as a top tier MMA heavyweight in 2010. He holds notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Randy Couture, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gilbert Yvel, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, and Semmy Schilt. His notable losses are to such great fighters as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Mirko “Cro Cop”, and Pedro Rizzo. Josh is currently on a 4-fight win streak.

Siala “Mighty Mo” Siliga is a 2007 K-1 World GP in Hawaii Champion with a MMA record of 3-1. Of his 3 victories, 3 have come via KO in either the first or second round. His only notable win was over Ruben “Warpath” Villareal, and his only loss was to current K-1 World GP Champion, Semmy Schilt.

This is nothing more than a squash match for Barnett to get him back into the MMA ring having been inactive for over a year due to a positive steroid test. “Mighty Mo” is no longer the striker he once was, but still poses a threat to an average striker like Barnett. Where Barnett wins fights is on the ground with his catch wrestling technique, and this fight will go there within the first minute or so, and end shortly thereafter.

Prediction: Josh Barnett via Heel Hook in Round 1

Dream 13 Main Event: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Joachim Hansen

Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is the DREAM Feathweight Champion who holds a record of 7-2. Of his 7 victories, 3 have come via submission, and 4 via decision. Fernandes is coming off winning the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix, and in the process defeated the likes of Hiroyuki Takaya, Joe Warren, and Masakuzu Imanari. His two losses come to top fighters, a decision loss to “Kid” Yamamoto in 2007, and a TKO (doctor stoppage) to WEC veteran Urijah Faber in 2006 at KOTC: All Stars. Bibiano Fernandes is currently on a 6 fight win streak.

Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen is a PRIDE veteran and former DREAM Lightweight Champion with a record of 19-8-1. Of his 19 victories, 7 have come via KO, 5 via submission, and 7 via decision. The Norwegian fighter holds notable wins over Shinya Aoki, Takanori Gomi, Caol Uno, “JZ” Cavalcante, and Yves Edwards. His notable losses are to Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hayato Sakurai, Vitor Ribeiro, and two time to Shinya Aoki, including his most recent loss via armbar at DREAM 11.

The main event is everything a main event should be. Two top fighters in their respective weightclasses, Fernandes a top 5 featherweight, Joachim a top ten lightweight, and two fighters who making for exciting fights. With the DREAM Featherweight Title on the line, both guys will be giving it all they have, no excuses. This will be Hansen’s first fight at 145, after beating Aoki at 155 and then subsequently losing to him, Hansen is looking to reign supreme at 145 and establish himself as one of the best featherweights in the world. Hansen has always been small for 155, as are most fighters in Japan since weight cutting isn’t as big there as it is in America, so 145 should suit him well. Fernandes is coming off his victory of the DREAM Featherweight Tournament and with over five months to improve, will surely be in even better form.

Fernandes likes to take the fight to the ground and work his great top game, but Joachim has been in there with the best, surviving against arguably the best submission fighter out there in Shinya Aoki. Look for Hansen to try and keep the fight standing up where he can pick apart Fenandes with his powerful strikes, but if the fight does end up on the ground, Hansen can more than adequately hold his own.

By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer