DREAM champ Shinya Aoki booked for October's DEEP 50 event by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Sep 30, 2010 at 12:15 pm ET This content is protected For the first time since his fourth professional fight more than six years ago, Shinya Aoki will fight under the DEEP banner. Aoki (25-5), a DREAM champion and recent Strikeforce title challenger, has agreed to fight former pro boxer Yokthai Sithoar (0-0) at next month's DEEP 50 event. The milestone event takes place Oct. 24 at JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The bout marks the 27-year-old Aoki's second fight in a one-month span. On Sept. 25, he scored a unanimous-decision win over Marcus Aurelio in a non-title fight at DREAM.16. The victory moved him to 5-1 in his past six fights, and the lone came to Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez in an April title shot. The submission specialist and top-five ranked lightweight enters the Oct. 24 bout a massive favorite over 35-year-old Sithoar, who's most recent boxing bout came back in 2004. He makes his pro MMA debut after posting a 29-6-3 boxing record while competing exclusively in Japan and Thailand. DEEP, based in Japan, has produced much of Asia's top MMA talent since its 2000 inception. Once a top feeder system for PRIDE Fighting Championships, it now regularly sends prospects to organizations such as DREAM and World Victory Road. Aoki began his pro MMA career with the organization in 2003 and went 3-1 before a move to Shooto and other organizations. Seriously what is the point in this? :roll: I can understanding Aoki wanting to stay busy but why not against a mixed martial artist?
