Post-Dynamite Notebook: Aoki Wants Bout with B.J. Penn

Bringing the Focus Back to Japan

Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara said the goal of shifting the focus of the MMA world back to Japan took a step toward realization at Dynamite 2008.

“Today’s event was very good and I’m proud of it, but we have to have successively good events to build enthusiasm so that everyone will start thinking that Japan is the center of martial arts again,” Sasahara said. “In March of next year, we’d like to do a featherweight tournament. I’m planning to have the event be on pace with our tournaments this year, but with welterweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight championship bouts too.”

Regarding the featherweight grand prix, FEG president Tanigawa admitted that they still had not come to a decision on the actual weight limit of the division, let alone how many will participate in the tourney. As for Tanigawa’s goals in 2009, they remain at once lofty and barbed toward the world’s current MMA juggernaut.

“My hope is for Japanese audiences to save more,” he said. “If we can save up enough money, I would like to buy out the UFC. Their casinos are in trouble, aren’t they? That’s my goal -- to acquire the UFC.”

Miscellaneous Bits

“Due to the unexpectedness of lightweight champion Joachim Hansen’s withdrawal last night, we’re unsure of when he’ll come back. While we’ll be mindful of whatever his recovery time will be, we’re still not sure if we’ll match him back up with [Gesias Cavalcante] or with someone else, but as he is the true champion, I think we’ll make his next fight a title bout. Firstly, though, we will await an official, detailed diagnosis.” -- Keiichi Sasahara

“I didn’t even see it coming. I can’t even remember it. I just remember being in the ring, and the next thing I remember, I was in the dressing room.” -- Mark Hunt

“We didn’t actually plan tactics, but last night, my trainers told me he drops his left hand to his belly, so when I come, I have to counter with the left. So that’s what I did.” -- Melvin Manhoef

“It was a hard time for me because I had to train and then after go to therapy. But this is my job, and I know fans expected to see me for New Year’s Eve. Now I have time for the operation. I’m going to do it the day after tomorrow.” -- Mirko Filipovic

“He hit me and I started bleeding and couldn’t see anything. I got scared. If I backed off, I thought the doctor would stop me. I heard the referee or someone in the background saying, ‘Get the towel,’ so all I could do was to persistently [pound] aggressively.” -- Hayato Sakurai

“They always say I don’t fight for my fans, but [the media] always uses the wrong words, because of course I always fight for my fans. But the media makes me believe that I don’t have fans.” -- Semmy Schilt

“I understand the question, but I don’t know why you would ask that.” -- Kiyoshi Tamura on whether the outcome of his bout with Sakuraba would have been different had it happened five or 10 years ago.

“I wanted to fight more. Even if I lost, I wanted to lose by submission, so in that sense, I wanted to fight more.” -- Kazushi Sakuraba

“As expected, we got along well. I always wanted to fight him, and I still do many more times. I think we can improve each other. I think Tokoro is going into the featherweight grand prix, and I want him to win it. After a few years, after we both improve, and we can fight again, it would be great.” -- Daisuke Nakamura

“Yeah, I’d really like to fight him again, but I think I need more experience so we can become stronger, mutually, and then hope to have another bout.” -- Hideo Tokoro, his right arm in a sling, apparently with a broken ulna.