The following is a listing of the best pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighters in the world as of January 2010:

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The Yokohama Arena was the center for a day full of surprises from Dream’s latest offering.

While crowning the promotion’s first featherweight champ was set in stone, the appearance of Kazushi Sakuraba at the last minute did somewhat balance out the absence of Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, who was rumored to be on the card during the final weeks before the show. However, to most MMA fans, the show’s main attraction was a title match, but of the non-tournament variety with Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen finishing their trilogy off in grand style. The trilogy may be complete, but the rivalry may not.

Shinya Aoki won his second career title (I’m guessing nobody really recognizes WAMMA) by submitting then-Dream lightweight champ Joachim Hansen with only four seconds left in the second and final round of their title fight. The loss did bring the title itself full circle as Hansen TKO’d Aoki last summer in the final of the lightweight Grand Prix to win the tournament and the title. Aoki won the first meeting between the two in quick fashion via submission at Pride’s Shockwave 2006 show. The fight itself didn’t have the action or quickness that the other two had with Aoki opting for a more slow-paced approach, one that played to his best better than it did for Hansen who relies on his striking much more than Aoki. What transpired was next to fifteen minutes of grappling and mat work with little standing action. However, the final twenty seconds is what made the fight noteworthy: with both men on the mat and doing little, Hansen decided to try and earn an escape before the final seconds ticked off, made his move to break free, and Aoki caught him in the exact position needed for an Armbar and got it.

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All 16 competitors scheduled for the DREAM.11 event successfully made weight for the show.

The show, which takes place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, airs on HDNet in North America on Tuesday morning. It features the semifinals of both the “Super Hulk” tournament and the featherweight grand prix. The headline bout for the evening features the third bout between top lightweights Shinya Aoki and Joachim Hansen.

Full weigh in results:

• Bob Sapp (341) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (220)
• Hong Man Choi (319) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (192)
• Kazuyuki Miyata (138) vs. Daiki Hata (138)
• Hiroyuki Takaya (138) vs. Hideo Tokoro (138)
• Bibiano Fernandes (138) vs. Joe Warren (138)
• Kazushi Sakuraba (184) vs. Rubin Willians (181)
• Tatsuya Kawajiri (154) vs. Melchor Manibusan (152)
• Shinya Aoki (153) vs. Joachim Hansen (150)

Gegard Mousasi has been removed from the DREAM Super Hulk tournament due to a shoulder injury sustained in his grappling exhibition with Fedor Emelianenko.

The tournament, which could only happen in Japan, features smaller fighters battling giants. Mousasi defeated Mark Kerr in the first round and was scheduled to face Rameau Thierry Sokodjou in the second round.

DREAM is actively searching for a replacement for Mousasi. The tournament resumes on the Oct. 6 show.

Sources have confirmed to Inside Fights that Strikeforce and DREAM will announce a partnership tomorrow in Japan. The nature of the partnership is being kept under wraps, but it’s likely that DREAM will want to use new Strikeforce signee Fedor Emelianenko.

DREAM 10 saw the ascent of a tournament underdog, resurgence of Paulo Filho, Japanese debut of the infamous JT Money, and a few other noteworthy happenings.

Following are the selected excerpts from the post-fight interviews culled from the DREAM official website.

Much to the fans’ consternation, Shinya Aoki and Vitor Ribeiro threw a wayward wrench in the expectation by staging an unmemorable stand-up exchange for much of the fight.

Immediately after the fight, Aoki grabbed the mic and beamed, “isn’t muay thai interesting!?”  The fans and media remained unconvinced, and in the post-fight interview, he and Ribeiro offered an explanation on what had transpired in the ring.

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DREAM 10 brought us one big surprise, one big comeback, and a card full of entertaining fights. A new welterweight grand prix winner was crowned while Paulo Filho and Shinya Aoki made significant comebacks.

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Shinya Aoki’s victory over Vitor Ribeiro at DREAM.10 this weekend earned him a title shot at current DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen. The fight, which will be the third fight between the two competitors, will take place at the October 6 DREAM.11 event.

The latest DREAM.11 card:

• Featherweight grand prix finale
• Super Hulk grand prix finale
• Champ Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki (DREAM lightweight title)
• Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
• Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante vs. TBA
• Bibiano Fernanders vs. Joe Warren
• Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hideo Tokoro
• Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
• Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

If you’re a betting man and you picked Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis to win the DREAM welterweight grand prix, you’re probably laughing all the way to the bank.

Zaromskis, considered an afterthought and a more than significant underdog, blasted through tournament favorite and Japanese national hero Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Jason High to win the DREAM welterweight grand prix and the DREAM welterweight championship.

Zaromskis used high kicks to finish both fights, perhaps turning himself into a smaller version of Mirko Cro Cop. He upped his DREAM record to 3-0 and moved his overall win streak to four fights.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Marius Zaromskis vs. Jason High
• Shinya Aoki d. Vitor Ribeiro
• Jesse Taylor d. Dong Sik Yoon
• Paulo Filho d. Melvin Manhoef
• Katsunori Kikuno d. Andre Amade
• Jason High d. Andre Galvao
• Marius Zaromskis d. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
• Tarec Saffiedine d. Seichi Ikemoto

Jason “Mayhem” Miller will face Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a rematch at DREAM.11 in September. It will be the third fight for Mayhem and Jacare after the second match on May 26th ended in a no contest due to an illegal knee delivered by Miller to the downed Jacare.