Vale Tudo Japan Just Got Better: Sato vs. Joe Warren

Remember we told you about the awesome upcoming Vale Tudo show? Legendary grappler and SHOOTO vet Rumina Sato is set to take on one of the most promising breakout stars of the year, Joe Warren. Sato, obviously, is concerned about this, as he should be.

Warren made his name in DREAM recently, defeating Chase Beebe and Japanese hero KID Yamamoto in stunning fashion. Warren went from another Team Quest wrestler-turned-prospect to one of the best Featherweights in the world in the blink of an eye, and this fight will be no less of a challenge for him.

Leading Shooto promoter Sustain announced Sunday that longtime Shooto fan favorite and former 143-pound Pacific Rim champion Rumina Sato will fight Joe Warren at Vale Tudo Japan 2009.

"I initially said I wanted to fight a strong foreigner for VTJ, but when they told me who it was, my reaction was, 'Are you for real?'" chuckled Sato.

Despite Sato's comments at last month's VTJ '09 news conference indicating his desire to drop to a weight close to 135 pounds for VTJ, the fight is contracted to be at 138.9 pounds -- the weight of Dream's "featherweight" class -- and will be under Vale Tudo Japan rules.