Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com
Kazushi Sakuraba has been
working with Akihito Tanaka.
A series of marquee bouts were firmed up this week for the K-1 “Premium 2008 Dynamite!!” show on New Year’s Eve.
Perennial Japanese MMA attraction Bob Sapp will face Akihito Tanaka at the K-1 event on Tuesday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. In a bit of Japanese fantasy matchmaking, Tanaka -- a professional wrestler who trains under Kazushi Sakuraba -- will play the role of Kinniku Mantaro, a Japanese comic book character, in the fight. “Kinnukuman” will wear a mask during the bout. Tanaka has some legitimate credentials, having won the Emperor’s Cup national amateur wrestling title.
Also announced for “Dynamite!!” were bouts pairing Hayato “Mach” Sakurai with Katsuyori Shibata and Andy Ologun against Yukio Sakaguchi. The Ologun-Sakaguchi fight is expected to draw ratings because both fighters’ brothers, who will likely work the respective corners, are entertainment stars in Japan.
Finally, ninth-ranked heavyweight Alistair Overeem will face K-1 bad boy Badr Hari in a K-1 rules match.
In addition to being a network television special in Japan, “Dynamite!!” may air as a live and on-demand Internet pay-per-view on www.eventmagic.tv, according to press release issued by the site.