The Doggy Bag: Fox of a Deal

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Do you think Dream might get its bantamweight division off the ground before the promotion dies? I really like the lineup for its bantamweight title tournament. I am excited to see Bibiano Fernandes fight at the weight, I am a big Masakazu Imanari fan and I am interested in the International prospects, too. Who do you think will be the first Dream champion, and will he even get to defend their title? -- Michael, from Mississauga

Chris Nelson, associate editor: Honestly, I would be lying if I claimed to know how much longer Dream will be around. By the end of 2010, I thought it fairly likely that we would never see another show from it again. Other websites have been repeatedly forecasting the company’s imminent demise for the better part of two years. But, God bless ’em, Dream just keeps hanging in there, still managing to assemble reasonably compelling cards, no less.

With that said, it occurs to me that Dream would not be signing new talent and beginning a title tournament if it knew it was going to tank in the next few months. Of course, Sengoku Raiden Championship never got the chance to wrap its 2010 Asia bantamweight grand prix, but it did not see the Don Quijote bomb coming until it was too late. So, let us proceed assuming that we will at least see Dream 18.

I am with you on the tournament lineup, Michael. Dream has thrown together something pretty nice here considering what it had to work with.

Antonio Banuelos is a guy who should probably still be in the UFC, while Rodolfo Marques and Yusup Saadulaev are the types of prospects one would expect to see in the Octagon sooner or later. However, as long as he can make the weight comfortably, I have to think Fernandes is the odds-on favorite to win his second Dream belt.

Of course, any prediction I might venture to make could be completely busted at any time by the recent good form of the consistently inconsistent Hideo Tokoro. Or maybe Imanari just heel hooks everyone. This is why I love tournaments. Here is to hoping Dream survives to finish this one and many more.

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