MMAVu

Here’s former MLB MVP Jose Canseco’s mixed martial arts debut:

This gimmick match just reeks of desperation from the fight promotion. Since appearing on the scene as a successor to Pride FC, the group has had weak television ratings, and this was just another step to, “how low can you go?”

Canseco apparently came to the ring with a baseball bat, and his “posse”, which consisted of his girlfriend as the cornerman…and no one else. Yikes. As you can see, Canseco never threatened Choi, and looked more like Carl Lewis than a mixed martial artist, which makes sense, since he isn’t one. Hopefully we never see him compete in MMA again, but you never know, if the fight is a ratings success, and Canseco needs the money…

Don't ask. I have no idea why Jose is smiling. Maybe he knows something we don't?

DREAM 9 is set to go down early Tuesday morning, May 26 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. They could make a few bucks from arena naming rights I imagine…anyways, there are some stellar fighters on the cards, but some of the match ups are questionable at best.

The card features the promotion’s Featherweight Grand Prix, as well as a Super Hulk (Freakshow) Tournament. Some of the guys participating in the Hulk tourney are Jose Canseco (yes, the former MLB player) vs Hong Man Choi, and middleweight Gegard Mousasi vs super heavyweight Mark Hunt. Check out the discrepancies in the weigh-ins below. Canseco, by his own admission, needs the money, hence the dude’s mixed martial arts debut at a young tender age of…44 years. Crazy.

Featherweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals:
Norifumi Yamamoto (137) vs. Joe Warren (138)
Masakazu Imanari (138) vs. Bibiano Fernandes (138)
Yoshiro Maeda (138) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (138)
Abel Cullum (138) vs. Hideo Tokoro (138)

Super Hulk, Open Weight Quarterfinals:
Ikuhisa Minowa (196) vs. Bob Sapp (319)
Jan Nortje (352) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (224)
Gegard Mousasi (218) vs. Mark Hunt (286)
Hong Man Choi (330) vs. Jose Canseco (253)

DREAM middleweight title:
Ronaldo Souza (184) vs. Jason Miller (185)

Non-tournament bout:
Gesias Calvancante (154) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (154)