Dream 8 Breakdown

Dong Sik Yoon vs. Murilo Rua

The Storyline: Universidade da Luta has aligned itself with Dream from day one. Following in the footsteps of Andre Dida, who took part in Dream’s lightweight tournament, Rua (16-9-1) will become the second team member to fight for the promotion. The former Pride star will return to Japan for the first time in almost three years to take on Yoon (4-6).

The Breakdown: Although he became famous for his ruthless muay Thai fighting style, Rua possesses an underappreciated ground game, as well. He went the distance with top black belts like Mario Sperry, Ricardo Arona and Paulo Filho in the past. After defeating Shungo Oyama last April, Yoon has since dropped a hard-fought decision to eventual Dream champion Gegard Mousasi and was knocked out by Andrews Nakahara.

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The Prediction: The loss to Nakahara -- a fighter with a comparable style to Rua -- showed that Yoon’s run to the top of the Dream middleweight division was over. At age 36, he may not have the explosiveness and power to compete with athletes who are 10-15 years younger. If “Ninja” can stay out of submission danger early and keep the fight standing, he becomes the heavy favorite to knock out the Korean judoka once fatigue sets in.