HERO'S
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HERO'S is 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. Although the promotion is relatively new, they already include in their roster some of the most recognizable fighters in mixed martial arts, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Norifumi Yamamoto, Melvin Manhoef, Royce Gracie, Don Frye and Vitor Ribeiro. The promotion is handled by former RINGS head Akira Maeda.
Although not as popular worldwide as the Ultimate Fighting Championship or PRIDE Fighting Championships, HERO'S is quite recognizable in the Japanese mixed martial arts scene, thanks in large part to the visibility and resources of FEG and K-1. HERO'S is also eyeing an expansion into the American market, where their proclaimed motto is "Stop the UFC".[1]
On Tuesday 3/27/07, FEG (the Fighting Entertainment Group) the organization that owns and operates both K-1 and HEROs held a press conference at the Los Angeles Colliseum to announce their first US event to be held on June 2nd. The show will be a joint operated venture with the newly formed Showtime Elite XC MMA organization as well as the British MMA organization Cage Rage, the Russian MMA organization Bodog and the Korean based MMA organization Spirit MC. The show will be broken down in two parts with the first part (made up of three fights) to be aired on Showtime, and the second part of the show will be aired on PPV. The proposed headliner of the event will be between former WWE champion Brock Lesnar in his first MMA fight against K-1 veteran the Korean giant Hong Man Choi. [2]
[edit] Rules
- Uses two 5-minute rounds, with an extra round option should the judges be unable to determine a clear winner of the fight.
- Prohibits elbow strikes to the head, kicking by a fighter in the standing position to the face and head of a fighter in the ground position (When both fighters are in the ground position, kicking to the face and head of the opponent fighter is allowed). Knee kicking to the face and head of a fighter in the state of any ground position including 4-point position etc. is also illegal.
- Has moved to a tournament format similar to that seen in K-1, with an eight man tournament. However, the final matches are not decided on the same evening, but at later events. It is unsure if this format will become the standard at this time.
[edit] Current champions
Tournament champions:
| Year/Weight Division | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2005 Middleweight (70 kg) |  Norifumi Yamamoto |
| 2006 Middleweight (70 kg) |  Gesias Calvancanti |
| 2006 Light Heavyweight (85 kg) | Yoshihiro Akiyama |
[edit] External Links
| Professional mixed martial arts organizations | |
|---|---|
| Major promotions: | Ultimate Fighting Championship | PRIDE Fighting Championships | HERO'S |
| Other promotions: | Pancrase | KOTC | Rumble on the Rock | Icon Sport | Elite XC | EFC | WEC | MFC | ZST | DEEP | Cage Rage | Cage Warriors | FFC | IFL | TKO | Strikeforce | WWCN | Cage Fury | BodogFight |
| Defunct promotions: | IVC | RINGS | WFA |
| Sanctioning bodies: | Shooto | International Sport Combat Federation | NSAC |
