Friday Signing Bonus: Aoki/Kawajiri, Silva/Akiyama, and More

It’s entirely possible Strikeforce’s Gilbert Melendez will give Shinya Aoki a shiny new scar or two on 4/17, but his promoters in Japan are assuming he’ll return with little damage: according to MMAJunkie.com, Aoki could face Tatsuya Kawajiri in a Dream event this July. Despite Aoki’s status as Dream’s lightweight champion and Kawajiri’s stature as a ring veteran, it hasn’t happened yet. Kawajiri has fought damn near everyone else, though, including Melendez. It’s an incredible line-up for Aoki, which means it probably won’t happen. (TKO, Act of God. Never fails.)

Thursday, Loretta Hunt reported that Wanderlei Silva will face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 on July 3 in Las Vegas. Akiyama, a Judoka who gained infamy in Japan for allegations he “greased” against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2006, broke his orbital bone in a win against Alan Belcher at last summer’s UFC 100. Since Silva enjoys punching orbital bones, Akiyama may want to configure his gameplan accordingly. (Traditionally, Silva is 3-0 against Judo players and roughly 102-0 against Japanese fighters.)

The ugliest news of the week also comes from Hunt, who quotes Strikeforce wrangler Scott Coker as saying Brett Rogers “qualified” for a heavyweight title shot against Alistair Overeem on May 15. Parity for that is apparently lasting at least a round against Fedor Emelianenko before you start seeing cartoon birds around your head.

It’s not the first example of a challenger contending for a major title off of a defeat: that honor goes to Ken Shamrock’s ’02 fight with Tito Ortiz following a loss to Don Frye, but at least Shamrock had the decency to drop the fight in a different promotion. I get that Strikeforce wants fireworks, but the long-term cost to the integrity of their titles may not balance out. Maybe we’re not so far off from television and European titles, McMahon-style.