DREAM.14 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held in Saitama, Japan
Saitama Super Arena by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion DREAM. The event is scheduled to take place on May 29, 2010. The event is expected to air live in North America on HDNet.

Welterweight: Nick Diaz (21-7, 1 NC) vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (35-10-2): The real attraction for casual American fans will likely fall on the hands of Nick Diaz as he clashes with Japanese MMA legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in welterweight action. Diaz is currently sidelined in the United States due to the post-fight altercation following Strikeforce: Nashville's main event, but he believes Strikeforce will probably offer him catchweight fights due to their lack of depth at welterweight. For the time being, a bout against Sakurai, a fighter that Diaz believes is far better than Takanori Gomi or Shinya Aoki, will feed his appetite to brawl.

Coming off two straight defeats, Sakurai will try to rebound in a bout that would probably shock most of the MMA world if Nick Diaz actually lost. Sakurai's poor performance against Akihiro Gono at Dynamite 2009 and knockout loss to Mariusz Zaromskis during the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix have only further led fans to believing he's on the downside of his career. He did manage to beat Shinya Aoki down relatively easily in a welterweight battle, but most fans have chalked that up to the strength and size difference as Sakurai was heavier.

Diaz is better on the ground than Sakurai, and Sakurai's major offense is going to come from heavy overhand combinations. If Diaz tries to stand in front of Sakurai and leave his chin open, perhaps Sakurai could miraculously finish off the granite chin of Nick Diaz. I'd bet against that happening, however, as I think we'll see a typical Diaz clinic of a dizzying display of countless punches landing on Sakurai's face in combination with heavy body shots. Nick Diaz will finish off the 34-year-old veteran, pushing his record to 0-3 in his last three fights and making him wonder if he should simply retire.

Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (26-11-1, 2 NC) vs. Ralek Gracie (2-0): The "Gracie Hunter" moniker will be brought out of the closet once again as Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba will enter the cage against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Ralek Gracie. Ralek is fairly green in the sport with only two victories at the young age of 24. The 40-year-old Sakuraba has over forty fights under his belt, and he still remains a dangerous submission threat to the unfortunate strikers who can't hang on the ground.

Sakuraba will need to rely on his striking to win him this battle, and historically -- he's always been great at avoiding takedowns and submissions. I fear Sakuraba's days are coming to an end in the sport as a competitor, but I can see him keeping this fight on the feet and battering Ralek on his way to a decision victory.

Featherweight: Joachim Hansen (19-9-1) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (12-8-1): This should be one of the more interesting battles on the DREAM 14 card as former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen will battle within the confines of the featherweight division once again as he takes on powerful striker Hiroyuki Takaya. Hansen is coming off a narrow split decision loss to Bibiano Fernandes at DREAM 13 while Takaya was defeated by both Fernandes and Michihiro Omigawa in his two most recent bouts.



Tags: dream 14, dream