Kimbo Slice is scheduled to commentate at the K-1 World GP 2008 Final on Dec. 6, heating up rumors that the former Youtube sensation will continue his fight career in Japan.
Mike Kogan of FEG, the parent company of K-1 and DREAM, told MMAFighting.com that Slice will be ringside in Japan to handle his broadcast duties as a guest commentator alongside Kogan, Michael Schiavello and Ernesto Hoost.
Last week a report in Japan stated that Slice would make his K-1 kickboxing debut in March against current K-1 heavyweight champion Badr Hari. The other fight reportedly under consideration was a rematch against Seth Petruzelli at "Dynamite!! 2008" on New Year's Eve.
Another lightweight bout between Kurt Pellegrino (12-4) and Rob Emerson (8-6) is in the works for UFC Fight Night 17 at The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 7.
Already, the Spike TV special features two other 155-pound match ups between Mac Danzig and Josh Neer, as well as Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca, respectively.
Pellegrino will look to string together consecutive wins for the first time in more than a year. “Batman” is coming off a solid unanimous decision win over Thiago Tavares at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” back in September.
He has flirted with being recognized as a top competitor in a very crowded division on numerous occasions throughout his career; however, he has been plagued by inconsistency in recent bouts. Pellegrino can get back in the thick of things in 2009 with an early win to start the year over a surging Emerson.
The former “Lords of South County” rich kid gang member is fresh off the most impressive performance of his career, blasting Manny Gamburyan at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” in August to record a 12-second knockout.
Prior to the win, the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 rebounded from a rare double knockout-tapout against Gray Maynard to defeat Keita Nakamura via split decision at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” in February.
Emerson is currently riding a six-fight win streak, which includes the “No Contest” against Maynard.
WEC Bantamweight Championship Bout: Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia
WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defends his title against former King of the Cage champion Manny Tapia. Torres comes off an exciting stoppage victory over Yoshiro Maeda at WEC 34, while Tapia won a decision victory over Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32.
These two were originally scheduled to meet at WEC 34, but a nagging knee injury forced Tapia out of the fight and for the second time he had to pull out of a scheduled title challenge. Expect this fight to be an all-out war between two of the most exciting fighters in the WEC bantamweight division.
The strategy for each fighter is simple. Tapia needs to keep the fight on the feet because that’s where he has the best shot at pulling off the upset by landing a fight ending combination. Torres on the other hand is well versed on the feet, but has a distinct advantage on the ground that he should use.
These two will go toe-to-toe for the first part of the fight, but as soon Torres gauges his chances on the feet against Tapia, he’ll take the fight to the ground and finish him off with a submission sometime in the second round.
2008 isn't quite over yet for Shooto Japan, but it's never too early to start plans for the new year.
While leading Shooto promoter Sustain will wrap the year up on Dec. 13 with the 2008 Shooto rookie tournament finale at Shinjuku Face, Shooto's 2009 kick-off is already in the building process with three bouts official for Shooto Tradition 5 at Differ Ariake on Jan. 18 in Tokyo.
The first major bout of the card will pit standout lightweights against one another, as reigning Shooto 154-pound Pacific Rim champion Yusuke Endo takes on Shooto's first 154-pound Pacific Rim champion Kotetsu Boku.
An owner of wins over Clay Guida and Ganjo Tentsuku, the 25-year-old Endo pounded out a victory over Kenichiro Togashi in July to claim his Pacific Rim trinket, which will not be at stake in the bout with Boku.
Boku, 31, will head into the bout having fought just once in 2008, dropping a unanimous decision verdict to eventual Dream lightweight grand prix winner Joachim Hansen in the tournament's opening round.
Sustain have also announced a 132-pound bout between Junya "Kodo" Kudo and Takahiro Hosoi, and a 123-pound square-off between graybeard Jin Akimoto and Brazilian jiu-jitsu stalwart Ayumu "Gozo" Shioda.
The fifth Shooto Tradition event will be just the second Shooto card ever at Differ Ariake, and the first in over seven years at the venue, which usually plays host to GCM and Pancrase events. In addition to the Jan. 18 card, Shooto promoters have announced ten other dates for a tentative and early 2009 schedule.
On Jan. 31, Gutsman Shooto Dojo will promote the seventh installment of their popular Shooting Disco series at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, while Sustain will house a card of their own at the venue on Feb. 28. Sustain will continue the Shooto Tradition series with Shooto Tradition 6 at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on March 20, and have also selected Japan's mecca of combat sports for events on July 19 and Sept. 22.
Regional promoter Grapplingman will present the second edition of GIG Torao in Fukuyama on March 22 at the Fukuyama Industrial Communication Hall, and their traditional mid-May card on May 17 at the Hiroshima Industrial Hall. Nagoya's Alive will present GIG Central 17 at Nagoya's Asunal Hall on April 12, and GIG Central 18 at Zepp Nagoya on Nov. 1. Shooto Gym K'z Factory will stage their first event of the year May 20 at Kitazawa Town Hall in Tokyo.
