Hearing a variety of different stories about the status of Shinya Aoki for DREAM’s 5/11 Lightweight GP second round. He’s either considering withdrawing from the tournament due to facial injuries caused by punches or he’s already done so. If he has or does withdraw there’s also several conflicting stories that he will or won’t be replaced by the man he beat JZ Calvan. JZC’s camp has indicated that he won’t participate under these circumstances. Or at least that’s the story in some quarters, as other sources have indicated that no such final decision has been made.

It’s also worth noting that this kind of thing is par for the course in the wild world of Japanese MMA. Prior to DREAM.2 there were strong indications from Aoki’s camp that he wouldn’t be available for a rematch on the card and there he was. We’ll see what version of the real story we can find out, but keep in mind that everything is subject to change.