EliteXC champ Noons vs. Amade, Kikuno and Chonan added to DREAM.13
Former EliteXC champ K.J. Noons (7-2 MMA, 0-0 DREAM), who recently signed with Strikeforce after taking an MMA sabbatical to compete in pro boxing, takes his first fight in nearly two years when he meets Andre Dida (6-4-1 MMA, 0-2 DREAM) next month.
Noons joins Strikeforce's Japanese partners, DREAM, on the promotion's March 22 DREAM.13 card.
Other announced matchups include DEEP lightweight champ Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-1 MMA, 1-1 DREAM) vs. UFC vet Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6 MMA, 2-1 DREAM), vet Ikuhisa Minowa (44-30-8 MMA, 6-3 DREAM) vs. Jimmy Ambriz (14-12-1 MMA, 0-1 DREAM), and Ryo Chonan (16-10 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) vs. Andrews Nakahara (2-1 MMA, 2-1 DREAM).
DREAM.13 takes place at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, and airs on HDNet in North America.
Noons looks to continue his three-fight win streak, which included a November 2007 TKO (due to cuts) of Nick Diaz to win the EliteXC lightweight belt and a TKO (due to strikes) of Yves Edwards in a title defense seven months later. Now back and focusing on MMA, he fights Amade, who's suffered three consecutive losses following a streak of seven undefeated fights. The recent losses have come against tough competition in Gesias "JZ" Calvancante, Eddie Alvarez and Kikuno.
Kikuno, meanwhile, recently suffered a submission loss to Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez at DREAM.12 in October. The loss snapped a nine-fight win streak. He looks to build a new one against Hironaka, the current Cage Force lightweight champ and owner a four fight win streak, which included a first-round TKO of Won Sik Park at DREAM.12. Since a 1-3 streak in the UFC from 2006 to 1008, Hironaka is 4-1.
Minowa, meanwhile, looks to continue a recent hot streak after three consecutive wins over Bob Sapp, Hong Man Choi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou – all in DREAM. The victories helped the longtime PRIDE fighter becomes DREAM's first-ever "Super Hulk" tournament, which was an open-weight tourney held in 2009. "Minowaman" now meets journeyman Ambriz, who fights for DREAM for the first time since a submission loss to Sergei Kharitonov at DREAM.6. The former KOTC champ and WEC fighter had been penciled in to fight undefeated Bobby Lashley at "Strikeforce: Miami" in January, but Strikeforce officials ultimately scrapped the bout, and Lashley fought Wes Sims instead. Minowa is the latest in a long line of notables who have faced Ambriz, including Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez and Jeff Monson.
Finally, former PRIDE and UFC fighter (and DEEP champ) Chonan, perhaps best known for a 2004 submission victory over current UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, looks for his second straight win since getting his UFC walking papers. He now meets fellow welterweight Nakahara, a top-level karate competitor who made his pro MMA debut in 2008. He's since suffered a loss to Kazushi Sakuraba with TKO wins over Dong Sik Yoon and OyamaShungo Oyama.
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/18081/elitexc ... eam-13.mma