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\"JZ\" Calvancante Ready for Aoki and Dream Tournament
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante will fight Saturday in Japan. (MMAweekly.com Photo)
After winning back-to-back tournaments in K-1 Hero's, Gesias "JZ" Calvancante (14-1-1) was scheduled to face Japanese jiu-jitsu master Shinya Aoki (14-2-0) on New Year's Eve at Yarennoka but the fight had to be scrapped when a knee injury forced Calvancante off the card.
Saturday, March 15, "JZ" will finally get his shot at Aoki when the 2 top-ranked lightweights face off in the first round of Dream 1 Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 1stRound in Saitama, Japan.
Currently in the Bodog Sportsbook, the American Top Team fighter is the -175 favorite to beat Aoki and at 16/5 odds to take the entire tournament. Aoki is the underdog in the first round at +145 but at 3/1 odds to win the grand prix.
A fearsome grappler, Aoki's best chance for victory is on the ground, but Calvancante says he isn't afraid to take the fight to the mat.
"I don’t care, I’m an MMA fighter," he tells MMAweekly.com. "I have a nice team with the American Top Team, for me the best in the world right now. We work with everything. I work with the best guys in the world, especially in the ground game."
Official Odds for Dream 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 1st Round
Saturday, March 15 - Saitama, Japan
- Hayoto Sakurai (-800) vs. Hidetaka Monma (+500)
- Gesias Calvancante (-175) vs. Shinya Aoki (+145)
- Tatsuya Kawajiri (-850) vs. Kultar Gill (+550)
- Mitsuhiro Ishida (-1000) vs. Bu Kyung Jung (+550)
- Luiz Buscape Firmino (-240) vs. Kazuyuki Miyata (+190)
- Andre Amade (-135) vs. Eddie Alvarez (+105)
- Artur Oumakhanov (-185) vs. Katsuhiko Nagata (+155)
- Joachim Hansen (-200) vs. Kotetsu Boku (+160)
Bet on Dream odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
All lines subject to change.