Rumor: Hellboy to 145 Pounds for DREAM FW Championship

FiveOuncesOfPain breaks the huge news that overseas terror Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen may shift down from 155 to 145 pounds and challenge DREAM Featherweight Gran Prix champ Bibiano Fernandes for the belt.

Hansen is a Norwegian southpaw who has been a stalwart in Japanese MMA ever since he handed Takanori Gomi his first loss in Shooto in 2003.  He most recently completed a rousing trilogy of fights with Shinya Aoki in DREAM where he was armbarred in the rubber match, and handed fans one of the most exciting brawls of 2008 against Eddie Alvarez in the DREAM Lightweight Gran Prix (Part 1, Part 2).

I was hoping to see Hansen rematch fellow DREAM elite lightweight Tatsuya Kawajiri after an inconclusive first fight where Hansen was DQ'd for an unintentional groin kick, this is definitely exciting news for Hellboy fans. 

Joachim was always lurking towards the top of the pack at lightweight despite being a tad undersized (weight-wise) for the division, and he'll be tall and lanky at 145.  He's one of the best ground-n-pounders in the business, and also has a solid Jiu Jitsu game with damn good striking.  His style reminds me a lot of Kenny Florian's.

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new opportunity for Joachim Hansen.