That didn't last long.
Just days after announcing that Shinya Aoki would fight mouthy mixed martial arts journeyman, Antonio McKee, at DREAM 17: "Fight for Japan," it seems as though "Mandingo" is already a last-minute scratch.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 alum, Shane Nelson, who apparently has zero visa issues unlike McKee, has agreed to take on the DREAM Lightweight Champion on super short notice, according to Sherdog.com.
DREAM 17 takes place on May 29, 2011, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Aoki is currently riding a four-fight win streak and has won six of his last seven bouts, dating back to July 2009. The only setback during that span for "Tobikan Judan" was a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez in April 2010.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard most recently submitted Lyle Beerbohm with a neck crank at Strikeforce: "Diaz vs. Daley" last month. He'll have a significant advantage over the relatively green Nelson on fight night.
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Nelson won two of his four fights inside the Octagon, besting George Roop and Aaron Riley before dropping back-to-back fights to the aforementioned Riley and Matt Wiman at UFC 107 in Dec. 2009.
"Sugar" -- who sat out the entire 2010 fight season after being handed his walking papers by the UFC -- has fought just once since that time, submitting Jai Bradney earlier this year at Nitro MMA: "Nitro 2" in Australia.
This fight against Aoki will undoubtedly serve as the toughest test of his professional mixed martial arts career.
DREAM 17 will also feature the opening round of the promotion's 135-pound grand prix tournament, which includes bantamweights Hideo Tokoro, Masakazu Imanari, Yoshiro Maeda, Keisuke Fujiwara, Darren Uyenoyama, Kenji Osawa, Takafumi Otsuka and Atsushi Yamamoto.
Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/17/21766 ... 9-in-japan