of the blows was now showing. Yoon again got partial purchase on his opponent's arm, but only briefly, and for the remainder of the round stayed on defense making few attempts to counter. When the final bell came, Mousasi's arm was raised in victory.

Mousasi said afterward, "I knew it'd be tough, Yoon is good at the armbar and I made a mistake in the first round and he almost got me. But I had enough power to escape, and I'm happy with the results, although I wish I could've finished him in the fight. Now I'll train harder than ever to prepare myself to become the champion!"

The card also hosted a DREAM Lightweight GP qualifier. Shinya Aoki of Japan took on compatriot Katsuhiko Nagata for the right to advance to the Lightweight GP Final on July 21 in Osaka. A Silver Medallist in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Nagata turns 35 this year. Aoki is 10 years younger, and used that here.

Aoki dove in for an early mount, pounding a right punch in on the way to the mat. Nagata proved capable on his back, locking up the arms. But after gaining some height on the body, Aoki smothered up one of his dexterous foot chokes, coercing Nagata to a humiliating tapout.

"I had a problem recovering from the weight loss but I managed," said Aoki afterward. "The fight went almost as I planned, my training paid off."

There were a couple of one-match Heavyweight bouts. In the first, Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem of the prestigious Golden Glory Gym stepped in against silium fighter Tae Hyun Lee Republic of South Korea.

A quick start and a quicker end to this one. Overeem opened with a low kick then went uber-aggressive -- a left roundhouse and a punishing right hook, followed by another left and a knee -- to KO the South Korean at just 36 seconds.

Screamed the elated victor from center ring: "Alistair Overeem has come to DREAM, I will be the next champion, and I want [Mirko] CroCop!"

Back in the interview space, Overeem elaborated: "The fight was quick, and in the future I hope to finish fights the same way. I've been weight training for six months, and I've gained weight, so I feel I have more power now."

Also at Heavyweight, Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Ralek Gracie met Russian sambo stylist Gadzhiev Alavutdin.

Some inspired grappling to start, Gracie's takedown failing, the pair flailing on the ground before Gracie found some space -- Alavutdin declining the invitation to approach. After a re-stand, Gracie pumped in a knee to double Alavutdin over, then leapt atop for the ground position he wanted, extracting an arm to hyperextend for the submission by juji-gatame.

Said Gracie post-bout: "He was tough and very aggressive and it was a good fight. I was practicing mostly for grappling, and it's another notch for the Gracie family, thanks to my brothers and everyone I train with, that's what it's all about! I can't wait to come back here and represent the Gracie family again."

In a Featherweight one-match, it was Japanese grappler Hideo Tokoro versus jiu-jitsu fighter Darren Uenoyama of the United States.

Uenoyama tested with a couple of kicks before Tokoro connected with a vicious knee that caught the American hard on the jaw, sending him to the canvas. The Japanese dove atop his stunned opponent, but rather than continuing with strikes, tried to work an armbar. He almost did, but couldn't -- and this let Uenoyama back into the fight. Soon the American was on his feet, and commenced to punching away fervently. What ensued was a thrilling up-and-down, back-and-forth fight full of punching, takedowns and ground reversals. Uenoyama frequently passed Tokoro's guard with big right punches, but Tokoro had his strikes as well, getting in a knee, this time to the body, taking a side mount and pounding in another knee to Uenoyama's head as the round ended.

In the second, Tokoro went down to his back and Uenoyama stood and kicked, but as he leaned forward to pass with a punch was met by a hard Tokoro heel to the jaw. After another takedown it was Tokoro on top, striving again and again to extract the arm to no avail. Uenoyama had his chances, getting on top and punching to the body and head, but unable to decisively pass Tokoro's guard. A fast fight with plenty of aggression and athleticism, Tokoro taking the win by unanimous decision.

"I won the fight," said Tokoro afterward, "but it was close. This experience will help me take the next step. I'd been practicing striking, it was good that I could use what I have been learning in the ring today. I believe that my level as a fighter has stepped up a little bit, but in DREAM fighters have to have a broad range of techniques to win. I need to keep on working and winning to challenge the best one day."

During the evening's intermission, a draw was held in the ring to determine the matchups for the July 21 DREAM Lightweight GP Final in Osaka. The random selection set Eddie Alvarez (USA) against Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan) in the first semifinal; and Shinya Aoki (Japan) against Carl Ueno (Japan) in the second.

The DREAM.4 Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 2nd Round attracted a crowd of 14,037 to the Yokohama Arena. The event was broadcast live in Japan on SkyPerfect TV Pay-Per-View, and live in the United States on HDNet Fights (see http://www.hdnetfights.com). It will be delay-broadcast across Japan on the TBS Network. For broadcast-schedule information in other countries, contact local providers. As always, visit the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp) for comprehensive coverage of this and all FEG productions.