R.I.P. DREAM (2008-2012)

[EmpireWF]

http://mma-japan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1483:dream-is-no-more-ceases-operations&catid=49:dream&Itemid=93

DREAM is no longer a going business, we learned today from various people in the industry. Multiple sources have confirmed this with MMA-Japan. OF COURSE and I put this in bold print - YOU NEVER KNOW WITH THINGS IN JAPAN but more than one individual has told me the exact same thing.

Earlier, we reported that they had delayed their July event, possibly for the rest of the year. Now, we are being told that DREAM is no longer a going concern.

This will leave a plethora of Japanese fighters without a job and give OneFC the ability to scoop up a roster's worth of very talented fighters. Others may descend upon the USA to try out their ranks with Bellator and on the regional circuit.

Tis' a sad day in Japan.

[SHOGUN]

R.I.P. DREAM (2008-2012)

The doors have officially closed for good. I'm surprised it took this long for them to announce it. The writing was on the wall for a looooong time.

http://mma-japan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1483:dream-is-no-more-ceases-

DREAM is no longer a going business, we learned today from various people in the industry. Multiple sources have confirmed this with MMA-Japan. OF COURSE and I put this in bold print - YOU NEVER KNOW WITH THINGS IN JAPAN but more than one individual has told me the exact same thing.

Earlier, we reported that they had delayed their July event, possibly for the rest of the year. Now, we are being told that DREAM is no longer a going concern.

This will leave a plethora of Japanese fighters without a job and give OneFC the ability to scoop up a roster's worth of very talented fighters. Others may descend upon the USA to try out their ranks with Bellator and on the regional circuit.

Tis' a sad day in Japan.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

RIP.

[SHOGUN]

As another falls, another (presumably) rises to take its place. Pancrase is now under new management by the guy who ran the pro wrestling group SMASH.

[Bigpapa42]

Been coming for awhile. Sad but expected.

[EmpireWF]

No more big Japanese MMA sucks. Staying up past 3am to check out some smashing was always fun.

[CrimsonGhost56]

RIP Dream

[Warner2BruceTD]

As another falls, another (presumably) rises to take its place. Pancrase is now under new management by the guy who ran the pro wrestling group SMASH.

Wait, what?

Not Tajiri, obviously. He started a new wrestling promotion.

SMASH didn't exactly have the best business plan.

[SHOGUN]

Wait, what?

Not Tajiri, obviously. He started a new wrestling promotion.

SMASH didn't exactly have the best business plan.

I read that Sakai (other SMASH guy) wanted to put on events mixed with MMA and wrestling and Tajiri wanted to keep it strictly wrestling. Apparently, that was the biggest reason behind the split.

http://www.adcombat.com/news/2012-06-03/smash-purchased-pancrase

Finally the official announcement has been made.

On June 1st Pancrase held a press conference in Tokyo and revealed that they now have a new owner, and its going a pro-wrestling organization called SMASH headed by Masakazu Sakai.

Well, technically, SMASH is not currently functioning as a pro-wrestling promotion.

Back in 2009 when a pro-wrestling promotion called HUSTLE got into the financial trouble, cancelled all four shows, Sakai, who was a "supreme adviser" of the promotion at the time, basically stood up and created SMASH to rescue fighters and fans. SMASH signed many pro-wrestlers from HUSTLE, and also, provided free seats to all fans that were waiting for the money back for the HUSTLE tickets they've already purchased.

Sakai is a business man / event producer who was raised in the orphanage. After working as a salesman for the major insurance company, he made a fortune by coming up with a way to "sell automobiles with no inventory by using satellite". He is currently the head of the company called Quantum Jump Japan and their main business is buying / selling automobiles for driving schools across Japan.

Sakai is a big fan of the pro-wrestler Tiger Mask - which, in the comic book story, was also raised in the children's orphanage - and also admitted publicly that he has a high respect for MMA fighter Kazushi Sakuraba.

SMASH was a success.

He teamed up with a long-time WWE star TAJIRI, began the promotion in March 2009 and in November of the same year, SMASH was so popular that they had no problem doing a sell-out show at the JCB Hall (TDC Hall). In fact, from SMASH 1 to SMASH 24, the promotion did a twenty-four straight sold out shows, and some Japanese pro-wrestling media even called SMASH as the 'Only truly successful pro-wrestling organization in Japan".

However in February of this year, all of sudden, Sakai announced that he is no longer in partnership with TAJIRI and SMASH show on February 19th at the TDC Hall became their last collaboration.

No one really knows what happened between Sakai and TAJIRI but now all pro-wrestlers are gone from SMASH, and apparently Sakai decided to get into MMA business.

Technically this is not the first time Sakai got involved with MMA. He became "the commissioner" of JML (Japan MMA League) in 2011 and since then basically SMASH has been co-sponsoring and co-operating this MMA league for the up and coming fighters with another MMA promotion - DEEP.

And now, SMASH basically stepped up from just being "the commissioner", opened their own MMA division, and purchased Pancrase from Don Quijote.

However its not like SMASH is just concentrating on MMA.

They still continue with their pro-wrestling division and they are going to promote Tenryu Project, another pro-wrestling promotion headed by a popular wrestler Genichiro Tenryu.

In addition, Pancrase's amateur show is now merged with JML and will be operated by DEEP.

And of course, Pancrase will, continued to be managed by the same people, their "playing manager" Ryo Kawamura, general manager Yasushi Sakmoto - who has been working for Pancrase for the longest time - and the head referee Yoshinori Umeki.

On top of this, apparently, they have appointed Ken Shamrock to be their "chairperson" and opening their office in the US, and looking to establish relationship with MMA academies in the North America.

Sounds like they are moving towards "World Standard" which is their slogan but how is Pancrase going to make a leap as a MMA promotion? Are they going to aggressively penetrate into the overseas market? Is this mean they are going to brand "Pancrase" in the US? Or just concentrate on domestic market?

All these questions are still remained to be answered but its always nice to see another successful business man coming into the MMA industry.

Let's hope Sakai will provide something new to the Japanese MMA and will stay in this industry for a long time.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Some hyperbole in that article, but good info. Thanks.

[SHOGUN]

http://mma-japan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1487:dream-some-more-details&catid=49:dream&Itemid=93

Following our little blurb about DREAM the other day, we have had quite the backlash, mostly from Japanese blogs and journalists who are still checking to find out what is going on. Additionally, DREAM reportedly was in contact with Inside MMA today and stated they are "restructuring". The term should be looked at loosely and applied as such. Look at K-1, FEG, and that whole restructuring mess. We won't go further.

This is what we know. Hiroyuki Kato, the man behind the entire thing and arguably the most powerful man in JMMA for some time has been funding the entire gig on his own. Since the pullout of sponsors that was prevalent throughout the last 18 months, Kato has been paying fighters with any money he got from the shows and dipping into his own pockets to fund the rest. DREAM was run as if it were a small business. The promotion had a very minimal number of employees and kept, more or less, handshake agreements with the rest of them. This kept the payroll quite thin. It was not uncommon for fighters to earn a monthly stipend in addition to living expenses. This was only for those in Japan.

Sadly, this way of doing business could no longer continue, or it seems. It would not surprise us if some sort of NYE show was put in place again by Antonio Inoki and the remnants of these guys (after all, these are three of the original PrideFC cats).

We hope we hear some positivity out of Japan soon, for the news is awfully bleak.