HERO'S to Land in US with a Double Headliner

HERO's will enter the US market with a 'double headliner' as its trump card. In a 2.16 interview conducted in Tokyo, Supervisor Akira Maeda made it evident.

BROK LESNAR, a hugely popular WWE champion, and UFC 1's king Royce Gracie were nominated as the co-aces. The debut event for HERO'S is planned for end of May. With aspirations to dominate the world, HERO'S looks to battle with the UFC, the largest MMA organization in the US.
HERO'S has taken on the phrase of "Stop the UFC". It has been decided that the first USA event will take place at the end of May or early June. Akira Maeda SV revealed his intentions, "Within the booming MMA market in the US, the UFC has been buying out other organizations. And with its abundance of capital, they have plucked away fighters from (other organizations). We must absolutely prevent an over-concentration."

The UFC's strength has been spreading worldwide. A TV show that began airing in 2005 has become explosively popular for the UFC, and now their PPV contracts are for 300,000-500,000 households per event. With the favorable profits building up, they uprooted Mirko Crocop, last year's PRIDE Open-Weight GP champion. HERO'S also has a global strategy and could not sit back and stay silent.

Entering the US market also means a written challenge to the UFC. In order to win a double headliner has been prepared. Brock Lesnar, the youngest ever to become champion in the WWE, the largest pro wrestling organization, and the MMA legend Royce Gracie, who established the UFC's historic first event will be the selling acts as co-headliners. In particular, there are high hopes for Lesnar, who is immensely popular in the US. Maeda SV made it known that, "It's been exactly one year since (Lesnar) started MMA training. The timing is right. I've been negotiating with a list of fighters, from famous ones to obscure veterans." The schedule is to announce the fight card and details in the beginning of March.

FEG, sponsors of K-1, which made a successful debut in the US, will back up HERO'S. HERO'S Event Producer Tanigawa (EP) stated that "Creating heroes is our forte." Lesnar and Royce will be promoted to become the US version of Masato and KID. "At the present time, we're opposing the UFC with a bamboo spear, but we will build on our achievements to the point where the bamboo spear changes into a Japanese sword" (Tanigawa EP). The target is to hold four events per year and impede the UFC's momentum.