Three hours of dudes choking each other in Yokohama. Art? Maybe. Violence? Definitely.
DREAM.11 took place on October 6, 2009, at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group’s DREAM. The main event features Shinya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen for the Lightweight Championship, where Aoki seeks to reclaim the title after losing to Hansen in 2008, and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rubin Williams in a middleweight clash.
Practical Effects
Real submissions, no choreography, someone's arm actually breaks
Production
Japanese broadcast energy: lasers, screaming, complete sensory overload
Acting
Sakuraba's dramatic entrances deserve their own Oscar category
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
DREAM was Japan's answer to UFC's global expansion, keeping the 'freakshow' spirit alive while America went corporate. This show captures the final era of Japanese MMA's creative weirdness.
Aoki fought in his signature rainbow tights here—part of his 'Street Fighter villain' persona that made him the closest thing MMA had to an anime character.
JP
