Marius Zaromskis : Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
NYE Finally Coming Together
The event still lacks the spectacle ratings draw that has drawn the casual Japanese public to fight specials over the years. There was a fear FEG would have to pay for a spot on Tokyo Broadcasting System this year, which would indicate the company’s financial underpinning, television rights revenue, has given way. Three weeks out, it remains unclear whether or not “Dynamite” will air in the United States.
Two Japanese standouts that will not be competing on the card are Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Michihiro Omigawa. Both have signed with the UFC. Omigawa, Sherdog.com’s No. 4-ranked featherweight, has re-signed with the UFC and will face Chad Mendes at an unspecified event next year. UFC President Dana White confirmed signing Yamamoto, one of the few remaining crossover Japanese fighting stars, on Twitter.