Dream 8 Breakdown

Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The Storyline: In a typical fight put together to please the traditional Japanese fans, two professional wrestlers will go at each other under MMA rules. Minowa (41-29-8) has fought a couple of professional wrestlers under MMA rules already -- Paulo Cesar “Giant” Silva and Mike “Bart Gunn” Plotchek -- and came out on top both times. Shibata (2-6-1), a former student of Japanese legend Antonio Inoki at New Japan Pro Wrestling, rides in on a seven-fight winless streak but keeps drawing work because he knows how to entertain a crowd.

The Breakdown: Five years into his career and unable to record a semi-meaningful win, it seems safe to label Shibata’s crossover from pro wrestling to mixed martial arts as a failure. “Minowaman” has been hot and cold following the collapse of Pride. He has beaten Rickson Gracie student Kevin Casey, Don Frye and dangerous Dutch kickboxer Errol Zimmerman but lost to Min Soo Kim, Taiei Kin and Masakatsu Funaki.

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The Prediction: Anything outside a first-round heel hook, toe hold or kneebar submission from Minowa would be a huge surprise.