If you say “July 19th” to most MMA fans, they immediately think of Affliction’s debut pay per view, and the UFC’s free counter programming on Spike TV.
However, flying under the radar or out of the programming reach of some fans was a card that flew in the face of the “David vs. Goliath” battle between the UFC and Affliction.
Those who braved DREAM 5’s 2 AM start time on HDNet were treated to an exciting show that featured the conclusion of the promotion’s lightweight tournament. For fans who appreciate a little WWE-style drama, Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez was forced to sitout of the championship fight against Shinya Aoki after he was grazed under the eye by an accidental from Tatsuya Kawajiri in a semi-final match earlier that evening.
MMAPayout’s Andrew Falzon had a chance to chat with Mike Kogan, President of Fight Entertainment Group USA, one of the organizations overseeing DREAM.
The first part of the interview is available for download, or can be heard in the MMAPayout Audio Player at the top of the page.
In the first interview, Kogan talks about DREAM’s origins and we briefly recap some of the drama that unfolded at the DREAM lightweight finals. Kogan also answers the question on the mind of every hardcore MMA fan: What about a rematch between Alvarez and Joachim Hansen?