SAITAMA, Japan -- Shinya Aoki defeated Vitor Ribeiro by unanimous decision at Dream 10 on Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena and did so largely on the strength of his stand-up.
Aoki’s cryptic remarks were later confirmed by Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara, who revealed that Aoki will meet Dream lightweight champion Joachim Hansen on Oct. 6 in what will serve as the rubber match between the two.
Shortly afterward, Tatsuya Kawajiri took center stage as the second piece to Aoki’s puzzle. He addressed the crowd, thanked fans for their support during his K-1 loss to Masato Kobayashi and expressed happiness that he would soon return to his home sport. Kawajiri then addressed Aoki’s post-fight comments and took dead aim on Aoki’s self-declarations as the “pillar of Dream.”
“Earlier, Aoki talked about getting the belt in October,” he said. “Well, I’ll be prepared to go on New Year’s Eve. Hey Aoki, get that belt. I’ll be waiting for you on New Year’s Eve. I will be the one to make Japanese MMA exciting.”