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  - HDNET'S MEZGER LOOKS BACK ON DREAM 12
Sunday, November 08, 2009 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com
As mixed martial arts sees its popularity rise in some areas and fall in others, sometimes previously unconventional tactics must be used to maintain the balance of the sport and keep it prosperous worldwide.
It is with this idea in mind that Dream recently decided for the first time to hold an event in a cage, hoping to capitalize on the rise of the UFC’s popularity in the U.S. and perhaps kickstart its own popularity in America and reinvigorate interest in Japan.
Thus the White Cage of Destiny was born. A six-sided white cage made of Japanese fishing mesh, separating Dream’s version from the UFC’s, and hopefully distancing itself from the longstanding disapproval the Japanese public has for fighting in an American style cage at the same time.
To talk about what was labeled “the great experiment,” Dream 12 commentator Guy Mezger spoke to MMAWeekly.com about what went down at that historic show.
“I’ll be honest, when I first looked at it on paper, I wasn’t interested, but it really turned out to be a much better show than I first anticipated,” said Mezger of Dream’s first cage show.
“I think a lot of guys weren’t accustomed to the cage, so they didn’t use it to its best advantages, but I think overall it was a good show and it will be interesting to see how the Japanese respond to the cage (in the long run).”
While it’s currently unknown if Dream will continue to use the cage in future events, Mezger does believe that things are on the upturn for the promotion, based on how the fans reacted at the show.
“The thing is, fans in Japan are a little more subtle, but they’re getting a little more boisterous and a little bit more outspoken,” stated Mezger. “I don’t know if it relayed well in the broadcast, but the audience was very much into the fights. I was a little surprised by that.”
Of the evening’s matches that had some of the more memorable outcomes, Mezger was asked his opinion on the controversial win by Dong Sik Yoon over formerly undefeated late replacement fighter Tarec Saffiedine via split decision.
“To be honest, the problem is the scoring system,” commented Mezger. “It is really so arbitrary. I understand why they do score it that way, to encourage fighters to try to finish the fight, but it doesn’t always work that well.
“I didn’t agree with the decision (at the time), I still don’t agree with the decision, but I understand how it comes about.”
Then there was Kazushi Sakuraba pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat once again by submitting Zelg Galesic with a kneebar after eating what seemed like an overabundant amount of unprotected shots to the face, which in some cases may have caused a stoppage for a less revered fighter.
“I do think they should have stopped the fight sooner, and of course, people will argue that (Sakuraba) did get the kneebar, but I’m thinking long-term,” said Mezger. “He’s 40 years old, and the shots stay with you, so I don’t think they did him any favors in that fight (by allowing him to take such punishment).”
Lastly, the evening’s most explosive moment belonged to Dream welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis, who once again staked his claim to being one of the sport’s premier strikers with a 19-second head kick knockout of Myeon Ho Bae.
“There’s just something about him,” stated Mezger. “I don’t know if it relates on TV, but if you meet him in person, he’s got this look in his eyes and you know he’s something special.
“You can tell that the Korean fighters are not accustom to the really hard Thai-style kicks, because they just put one hand up to block. He actually blocked Zaromskis’ kick, but he got hit so hard that his forearm got driven into his jaw and he got knocked out anyway.”
Zaromskis has since signed a multi-fight contract to also compete for Strikeforce in the United States.
Impressive wins also came for Yoshiro Maeda, Eddie Alvarez, and Alistair Overeem, all leading up to possible spots on Dream’s biggest night at the Fields Dynamite!! 2009 show on New Year’s Eve.
“The Dynamite show is the culmination of serious matches, freak shows, and the gimmee matches,” said Mezger. “I expect it to be an interesting card. There will be something for everybody on it.
“You know, by the end of the year we’ll have done 38 live events on HDNet, and that’s more programming than anyone else. We’re definitely the home for MMA, and I hope the fans keep supporting us and keep watching.”
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