Hero's
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Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the K-1 Romanex event and various MMA fights on its regular K-1 kickboxing cards, it held its first show on March 26, 2005. The promotion was handled by former Rings head Akira Maeda. At a press conference on February 13, 2008, FEG announced that they discontinued Hero's and were creating a new mixed martial arts franchise, Dream, in collaboration with former Pride FC executives from Dream Stage Entertainment.
History
Although not as popular worldwide as the Ultimate Fighting Championship or the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships, Hero's was very recognizable in the Japanese mixed martial arts scene, thanks in large part to the visibility and resources of FEG and K-1. Hero's events were sometimes co-sponsored and broadcast on the TBS national television network in Japan.[1] In contrast to PRIDE and the UFC, Hero's promoted only three weight classes: middleweight (-70 kg/-154 lbs), light heavyweight (-85 kg/-187 lbs) and heavyweight (+85 kg/+187 lbs)
United States
On March 27, 2007, FEG (the Fighting Entertainment Group) held a press conference at the Los Angeles Coliseum to announce their first US event which was to be held on June 2, 2007. The show, named K-1 Dynamite!! USA, was a joint operated venture with the newly formed Elite XC, British MMA organization Cage Rage, BoDog Fight and the Korean-based Spirit MC. The show was broken down into two parts, with the first part (made up of three fights) being aired for free Showtime and the second part on pay-per-view.
Reformation into Dream
At a press conference on February 13, 2008, FEG announced that they discontinued Hero's and were creating a new mixed martial arts franchise, Dream, in collaboration with former Pride FC executives from Dream Stage Entertainment. In addition to established Hero's stars, (such as Calvancante, Akiyama, and Yamamoto) many other top fighters from around the world (such as Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović and Shinya Aoki) joined the new promotion.
Notable fighters
Many notable mixed martial artists competed in Hero's, including:
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- Template:Flagicon Sam Greco
- Template:Flagicon Antônio Silva
- Template:Flagicon Gesias Calvancante
- Template:Flagicon Hermes Franca
- Template:Flagicon Lyoto Machida
- Template:Flagicon Rani Yahya
- Template:Flagicon Royce Gracie
- Template:Flagicon Vítor Ribeiro
- Template:Flagicon Carlos Newton
- Template:Flagicon Denis Kang
- Template:Flagicon Ivan Menjivar
- Template:Flagicon Caol Uno
- Template:Flagicon Genki Sudo
- Template:Flagicon Hideo Tokoro
- Template:Flagicon Hiroyuki Takaya
- Template:Flagicon Kazuo Misaki
- Template:Flagicon Kazushi Sakuraba
- Template:Flagicon Kiuma Kunioku
- Template:Flagicon Michihiro Omigawa
- Template:Flagicon Norifumi Yamamoto
- Template:Flagicon Shungo Oyama
- Template:Flagicon Yoshihiro Akiyama
- Template:Flagicon Yushin Okami
- Template:Flagicon Jerome Le Banner
- Template:Flagicon Alistair Overeem
- Template:Flagicon Melvin Manhoef
- Template:Flagicon Peter Aerts
- Template:Flagicon Ray Sefo
- Template:Flagicon Joachim Hansen
- Template:Flagicon Sergei Kharitonov
- Template:Flagicon Jan Nortje
- Template:Flagicon Kotetsu Boku
- Template:Flagicon Gary Goodridge
- Template:Flagicon Brad Pickett
- Template:Flagicon Antonio McKee
- Template:Flagicon B.J. Penn
- Template:Flagicon Bob Sapp
- Template:Flagicon Don Frye
- Template:Flagicon Heath Herring
- Template:Flagicon Jake Shields
- Template:Flagicon Nam Phan
- Template:Flagicon Rich Clementi
- Template:Flagicon Brock Lesnar
Hero's Grand Prix Champions
| Year | Weight class | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Middleweight (Script error: No such module "convert".) | Template:Flagicon Norifumi Yamamoto | Template:Flagicon Genki Sudo |
| 2006 | Light heavyweight (Script error: No such module "convert".) | Template:Flagicon Yoshihiro Akiyama | Template:Flagicon Melvin Manhoef |
| 2006 | Middleweight (Script error: No such module "convert".) | Template:Flagicon Gesias Calvancante | Template:Flagicon Caol Uno |
| 2007 | Middleweight (Script error: No such module "convert".) | Template:Flagicon Gesias Calvancante | Template:Flagicon André Amado |
Events
Event locations
* Total event number: 19
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- Template:Flagicon Japan (13)
- Vilnius – 3
- Seoul – 2
References
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