but has been less active recently.

Hunt was nonetheless confident: "I've been training for MMA and striking both, as always. Of course Jerome is a great fighter but I've never seen him fight in MMA so I don't know, we'll see how it goes. I don't think he's going to be a strong challenge to me in MMA because I have much more experience. I want to put him away with a submission but sometimes you want a fight to go one way then it goes the opposite way, so I'll try to finish him with anything I can get. I'm ready to fight and win, I want to make some money! Wish me luck!"

LeBanner did not appear for interviews.


Schilt vs Mo

Also in the Heavyweight class, three-time K-1 World GP Champion Semmy Schilt of Holland will meet scrappy Samoan-American Mighty Mo.

Mo's last K-1 fight was almost five months ago, and he was asked what he'd been up to since: "I've been spending a lot of tie with my kids, and I've been training to learn MMA rules and techniques, working with Josh Barnett on takedowns and knee and arm bar submission holds. I know groundwork, because I wrestled in college, and I think I'm very strong on the ground, where my hook is probably even stronger. Of course, fighting Schilt, it's a whole different game, but that's to my advantage because I have strength when we get inside, on the ground, where he'll be weak because of his build. I'm not saying it's impossible to knock Schilt out standing up, but if I'm smart and get inside, I have the advantage."

Said Schilt: "I'm very excited to be fighting in MMA again, it's been a long time but I am confident, I think. I did some MMA training, but really I want to show the fans a standup K-1 fight, worthy of a K-1 Champion, because I'm good at that.
Told of Mo's preference for ground fighting, Schilt replied, "I'm not afraid of groundwork, I can do more than a triangle choke, so we'll see where the fight goes. If the fight goes to the ground I have the skills to win there as well, my groundwork is capable of neutralizing his attacks. However, I want to knock him out, because that's Semmy Schilt!"


Sapp vs Mantaro

Commensurate with Dynamite's wide appeal is the wide range of bouts on the card, and one of the more bizarre is American Bob "The Beast" Sapp's matchup with a flesh-and-blood anime character, "Kinniku Mantaro," from Parts Unknown, in a Heavyweight bout.

"I've focused on muscular endurance and speed training, I've lost weight and I'm in great shape," said Sapp, who rejected the suggestion he was slumping. "If you check my win-loss record I only have three losses over a nine-year span, I fail to see losing three fights as a slump. In fact, I think with the world economy in a slump, it's MMA itself that's also in a slump, so that's why I'm here! I enjoy this role, and I welcome all pressure, I will be victorious and I will show everyone why I fight, why Japan is number one, and why The Beast is number one!"

The costumed Kinniku Mantaro briefly materialized in the interview space, but said nothing.


Zimmerman vs Minowaman

Errol Zimmerman, a rising Dutch K-1 fighter, will test his MMA skills against Japanese pro wrestler Minowaman.

Zimmerman was asked if he was nervous fighting under MMA rules: "If I felt nervous or frightened, or felt that I couldn't beat him, I wouldn't have taken the fight. I have no impression of Minowaman, I'm just confident I'm going to win. There's nothing different about this fight, I got the call two weeks ago, so I started training, that's all. I may use strikes, I will use what is necessary -- maybe like Badr Hari, I'll stomp him on the head!"
Informed that stomps are also illegal under DREAM MMA Rules, Zimmerman feigned surprise: "Oh shit! There goes my plan…"

Said Minowaman: "I just want to show my own style of fighting, beyond pro-wresting. Zimmerman is a total fighter, but I want to do my best, do what I can do in this fight to please my fans.


In other DREAM MMA Rules fights, it will be Japanese Welterweights Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Katsuyori Shibata; Lightweights Hideo Tokoro and Daisuke Nakamura; and Yukio Sakaguchi versus Andy Ologun of Nigeria at Welterweight.


K-1 Rules

Hari vs Overeem

After accepting penalties imposed by governing body FEG for the foul he committed against Remy Bonjasky at this year's K-1 World GP, Moroccan bad boy Badr Hari was invited to a Dynamite dance with Dutch MMA fighter Alistair Overeem.

Hari's thoughts on the Bonjasky-stomping were the first question asked: "I think 2008 was a very good year and I had a lot of great fights, but I messed it up a little bit in the final. What can I say, I could say a lot but I'll just say I got my punishment and I accept it. I don't look backward, I just look forward."
Although Hari had no conciliatory words for Bonjasky, he did reach out to his fans, "I will try to do my best to show the fans that I'm a sportsman. I regret what happened and apologize to my fans and all the people who supported me, I learned my lesson and will do my best to make sure these things don't happen again."

Hari said the incident didn't affect his preparation for the fight: "At first, I didn't know if I would be suspended or not, so I wasn't sure I'd fight at Dynamite. But I stayed in shape, so I'm ready. Overeem's a good MMA fighter but he doesn't know K-1. Maybe he thinks he does when he trains in the gym, but I'm on different level -- I've knocked out the best, why not him?"

Hari laughed loudly when told that Overeem had pledged to teach him a lesson: "What kind of lesson? I don't care what he says, actually I think if he says that in public, they'll take him to a mental hospital for saying strange things…He'll never beat me!"

Said Overeem, who will be fighting under K-1 Rules for the first time since 2005: "I've seen Badr Hari fight, he's one of the best K-1 fighters right now, he's very fast and very explosive, and he has a very big mouth! I was a bit surprised, like everyone, by his unsportsmanlike behavior in the K-1 finals, but also excited