An open-weight bout between Japanese fan-favorite Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa (49-32-8) and Baru Harn (1-1) has been added to the card of DREAM 17: World Bantamweight GP. DREAM officials confirmed the addition early Tuesday morning.
Renown for his penchant of fighting opponents much larger than himself, the 5'9", 190 pound Minowa achieved superstardom in Japan by defeating 300+ pound Bob Sapp, 350+ pound Hong-Man Choi, and 205 pound Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in succession to claim the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament title. Since then the 35-year-old has won five of his last seven bouts, including a first-round submission of Jair Gomes.
Across the cage is yet another behemoth of a man, Baru Harn. A 6'3", 265 pound heavyweight, "Seiryu" has competed just twice in four years, last earning a victory in April of 2010 over Seigo Mizuguchi. The only previous experience of the 33-year-old Mongolian's career was a loss to Yusuke Kawaguchi at 'Deep - 38 Impact.'
DREAM 17: World Bantamweight GP is scheduled for September 24th at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The card features a myriad of Japanese stars, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, and Tatsuya Kawajiri, as well as a quartet of quarterfinal matchups for the DREAM bantamweight tournament.