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. 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:
- Australia Sam Greco
- Brazil Antônio Silva
- Brazil Gesias Calvancante
- Brazil Hermes Franca
- Brazil Lyoto Machida
- Brazil Rani Yahya
- Brazil Royce Gracie
- Brazil Vítor Ribeiro
- Canada Carlos Newton
- Canada Denis Kang
- El Salvador Ivan Menjivar
- Japan Caol Uno
- Japan Genki Sudo
- Japan Hideo Tokoro
- Japan Hiroyuki Takaya
- Japan Kazuo Misaki
- Japan Kazushi Sakuraba
- Japan Kiuma Kunioku
- Japan Michihiro Omigawa
- Japan Norifumi Yamamoto
- Japan Shungo Oyama
- Japan Yoshihiro Akiyama
- Japan Yushin Okami
- France Jerome Le Banner
- Netherlands Alistair Overeem
- Netherlands Melvin Manhoef
- Netherlands Peter Aerts
- New Zealand Ray Sefo
- Norway Joachim Hansen
- Russia Sergei Kharitonov
- South Africa Jan Nortje
- South Korea Kotetsu Boku
- Trinidad and Tobago Gary Goodridge
- United Kingdom Brad Pickett
- United States Antonio McKee
- United States B.J. Penn
- United States Bob Sapp
- United States Don Frye
- United States Heath Herring
- United States Jake Shields
- United States Nam Phan
- United States Rich Clementi
- United States Brock Lesnar
Hero's Grand Prix Champions
| Year | Weight class | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Middleweight (70 kg (154.3 lb)) | Japan Norifumi Yamamoto | Japan Genki Sudo |
| 2006 | Light heavyweight (85 kg (187.4 lb)) | Japan Yoshihiro Akiyama | Netherlands Melvin Manhoef |
| 2006 | Middleweight (70 kg (154.3 lb)) | Brazil Gesias Calvancante | Japan Caol Uno |
| 2007 | Middleweight (70 kg (154.3 lb)) | Brazil Gesias Calvancante | Brazil André Amado |
Events
| Event | Date | Location | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero's 1 | March 26, 2005 | Japan Saitama, Japan | Saitama Super Arena | 13,000 |
| Hero's 2 | July 6, 2005 | Japan Tokyo, Japan | Yoyogi National Gymnasium | |
| Hero's 3 | September 7, 2005 | Japan Tokyo, Japan | Ariake Coliseum | |
| Hero's 2005 in Seoul | November 5, 2005 | South Korea Seoul, South Korea | Olympic Gymnastics Arena | 7,460 |
| Hero's Lithuania 2005 | November 26, 2005 | Lithuania Vilnius, Lithuania | Siemens Arena | |
| K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!! | December 31, 2005 | Japan Osaka, Japan | Osaka Dome | 53,025 |
| Hero's 4 | March 15, 2006 | Japan Tokyo, Japan | Nippon Budokan | |
| Hero's 5 | May 3, 2006 | Japan Tokyo, Japan | Yoyogi National Gymnasium | |
| Hero's 6 | August 5, 2006 | Japan Tokyo, Japan | Ariake Coliseum | |
| Hero's 7 | October 9, 2006 | Japan Yokohama, Japan | Yokohama Arena | |
| Hero's Lithuania 2006 | November 11, 2006 | Lithuania Vilnius, Lithuania | Siemens Arena | |
| K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! | December 31, 2006 | Japan Osaka, Japan | Osaka Dome | 51,930 |
| Hero's 8 | March 12, 2007 | Japan Nagoya, Japan | Nippon Gaishi Hall | |
| Dynamite!! USA | June 2, 2007 | United States Los Angeles, California, USA | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 18,340 |
| Hero's 9: Middleweight Tournament Opening Round | July 16, 2007 | Japan Yokohama, Japan | Yokohama Arena | |
| Hero's 10: Middleweight Tournament Final | September 17, 2007 | Japan Yokohama, Japan | Yokohama Arena | |
| Hero's 2007 in Korea | October 28, 2007 | South Korea Seoul, South Korea | Jangchung Gymnasium | |
| Hero's Lithuania 2007 | November 10, 2007 | Lithuania Vilnius, Lithuania | Siemens Arena | |
| K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!! | December 31, 2007 | Japan Osaka, Japan | Osaka Dome | 47,928 |
Event locations
* Total event number: 19
Tokyo – 5
Yokohama – 3
Osaka – 3
Nagoya – 1
Saitama – 1
Vilnius – 3
Seoul – 2