Dream.2 Middle Weight Grandprix 2008 1st Round was promoted by DREAM. It took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City, Japan.
The event hosted the opening round of the promotion’s Middleweight Grand Prix. All bouts were conducted under DREAM Rules, (1stR x 10 min, 2ndR x 5min) in an 84 kg/185 lbs weight class. The evening’s Main Event featured Kazushi Sakuraba of Japan and Brazilian kyokushin karateka Andrews Nakahara. It attracted a crowd of 21,397 and was broadcast live across Japan on the SkyPerfect pay-per-view.
Originally, a bout between Frank Trigg and Ronaldo Souza was scheduled, however Trigg cited a breakdown in communication between him and DREAM officials, which led to the bout being canceled. Yoshihiro Akiyama was scheduled to participate at the event, however he had to withdraw due to injuries suffered during his bout with Kazuo Misaki at Yarennoka!
Kiyoshi Tamura dropped out of the quarter-finals citing a broken hand from his bout with Masakatsu Funaki. Many believe though the real reason is his reluctance to fight Kazushi Sakuraba, his old wrestling mentor and competitor.
Match | Winner | Loser | Method | Round | Time |
1 | Shinya Aoki | Gesias Calvancante | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 |
2 | Taiei Kin | Ikuhisa Minowa | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 |
3 | Dong Sik Yoon | Shungo Oyama | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 |
4 | Zelg Galesic | Magomed Sultanakhmedov | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 1:40 |
5 | Ronaldo Souza | Ian Murphy | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 3:38 |
6 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Masakatsu Funaki | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 0:57 |
7 | Gegard Mousasi | Denis Kang | Submission (Triangle Choke) | 1 | 3:10 |
8 | Kazushi Sakuraba | Andrews Nakahara | Submission (Neck Crank) | 1 | 8:20 |