Sep 26, 2008 - Following his win over Masanori Tonooka at DREAM.6 on Tuesday, Yoshihiro Akiyama asked for a fight against 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo Hidehiko Yoshida.
At the post-fight conference, Akiyama, also a judoka, said he wanted the fight because he dreamed of participating in the Olympics as a child.
Yoshida is currently tied to World Victory Road's "Sengoku" promotion, but there are rumors of a co-promotion for a New Year's Eve event. Akiyama is DREAM's top ratings draw -- his fights are always the most watched of all DREAM fights -- and a fight against Yoshida would fit the criteria as an attention-grabber for a New Year's Eve card in Japan.
Another unexpected challenge was made at DREAM.6, with Akiyama on the receiving end. Lightweight submission fighter Shinya Aoki stated his interest in fighting Akiyama after his 70-second submission win over WEC veteran Todd Moore.
"I appreciate his statement," Akiyama said. "I'm very happy to be respected by Aoki. However, I'm not interested in fighting him at all."
Whether if it's against Yoshida or not, Akiyama's next fight is expected to take place on New Year's Eve.
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