A pair of middleweight bouts have been added to the Oct. 25 DREAM.12 card in Osaka, Japan, the first DREAM event to utilize a cage. Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho will take on Korean judoka Yoon Dong Sik, while K-1 knockout artist Melvin Manhoef will face off against Croatian striker Zelg Galesic.
Filho has turned himself around after exiting the WEC in November 2008. He beat Manhoef at DREAM.10 in July and won a decision last month over Alex Schoenauer in a light heavyweight bout. Filho will be back at middleweight against Yoon.
Yoon is looking to end a three-fight losing streak and accepting a fight against Filho won't help his case. But Yoon has never been about padding his record: His first four MMA fights were against Kazushi Sakuraba, Makoto Takimoto, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Murilo Bustamante. Yoon suffered a foot injury in his last fight at DREAM.10 in July against Jesse Taylor.
Manhoef lost both his most recent kickboxing and MMA fights. He dropped a decision last month to Remy Bonjasky and lost by armbar to Filho in July. Manhoef is one of the most dangerous punchers in the game and here he's given an opponent who probably will be willing to exchange with him on his feet.
Referred to as "Little Cro Cop," Galesic is returning to action after a 13-month absence. He was last seen at DREAM.6 losing to Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza via armbar.
Fight Card:
Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park
Melvin Manhoef vs. Zelg Galesic
Paulo Filho vs. Yoon Dong Sik
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Chase Beebe
Myeon Ho Bae vs. TBA
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