Yamamoto to make Dream debut against unblemished Benavidez

Dream on Tuesday announced the first official fight for Dream 5 scheduled to take place at the Osaka Castle Hall on July 21, which will feature the finals of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix.

Ultra-popular Japanese featherweight Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto faces off with undefeated American bantamweight Joseph Benavidez at a catch weight fight of 138 pounds. Yamamoto comes off a knockout victory over Abu Dhabi Combat champion Rani Yahya at K-1 Dynamite!! 2007, while Benavidez enters the fight after scoring a submission victory over Maurice Eazel at the Palace Fighting Championships 8.

A relative unknown on the international scene, Benavidez trains out of Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento, Calif. with World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Urijah Faber. He will be making his Japanese debut against Yamamoto.

Dream 5 will be headlined by the finals of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix with the remaining fighters meeting in the semi-final round, then moving on to the final bout all in the same night. Fighters that remain in the tournament include Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, and Caol Uno. The final fighter will be determined at Dream 4, where Shinya Aoki meets Katsuhiko Nagata with winner gaining the final spot in the Grand Prix.