Kazushi Sakuraba vs Katsuyori Shibata at Hero's

Fight Entertainment Group have officially announced that Kazushi Sakuraba will top the bill of their Hero's 2007 (17 Sep 2007) event in Yokohama in a fight against Katsuyori Shibata.

This will be Kazushi Sakuraba's first fight since his controversial clash with Royce Gracie at K-1: Dynamite USA. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend scored a unanimous points victory over Sakuraba. Since then, Gracie has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission for violating its policy on anabolic steroids.

Katsuyori Shibata is the latest convert from Japanese pro-wrestling to try and make a name in Mixed Martial Arts. His sole defeat since switching came in his last fight, when he was submitted by Ralek Gracie at Hero's 2007: Middleweight World Championship Opening Round. Although Sakuraba has an impressive record, including matches with a who’s who of the Pride roster, many feel that he is beyond his sell by date. His clash with fellow old timer Royce Gracie was a disappointment to many observers and a loss to Katsuyori Shibata would surely take him another step closer to retirement.

A surprise addition to the card is the fight between Zelg Galesic and Yoon Dong Sik. Both fighters are veterans of Pride and will be useful to the K1 organisation as they try to pull in fans of the seemingly doomed promotion. Yoon Dong Sik is a hero in South Korea and one of the world's finest judokas. He has been in over 50 international judo competitions and at one time boasted a winning streak of 47 straight victories. Despite all of his success in judo, Yoon is still known as the "king without a crown" for never having made it to the Olympics. Injuries and other obstacles kept him out of Olympic competition, though he still possesses judo victories over four Olympic gold medallists. Yoon Dong Sik finally got a win in Mixed Martial Arts when he submitted Melvin Manhoef in the second round of their match at K-1: Dynamite USA.

Zelg Galesic is a Croatian Middleweight with a big reputation. He built up an impressive record in the United Kingdom, including a Cage Rage title win against British legend Mark Weir. His winning streak came to an end at Pride 34: Kamikaze when he was submitted via Kimura by Makoto Takimoto. Makoto Takimoto, like Yoon Dong Sik, was a top class Judoka before coming over to Mixed Martial Arts. Unlike Zelg’s next opponent, Makoto Takimoto did manage to secure an Olympic gold medal.

The announcement of the Zelg Galesic versus Yoon Dong Sik is a surprise because Zelg is supposed to be fighting Alex Reid at Cage Rage 23: Unbelievable on September 22nd. Assuming that Zelg will not be fighting twice in a week, this means that Cage Rage are going to be left with a hole in their card. Earlier this year, Cage Rage and Fight Entertainment Group were part of a group of promoters who announced an alliance. Whether the Zelg switch is part of this deal or not is unclear.