It has been several weeks since the World Victory Road officials have named Antonio Silva as one of the participants in Sengoku 10. Now, the undefeated super-heavyweight prospect, Ron Sparks, has surfaced as his potential opponent, according to FiveKnuckles.com.
The announcement of Silva-Sparks comes at the heel of the confirmation of a series of bouts slated for Sengoku 10 that feature Nick Thompson, Ryan Schultz, and Dan Hornbuckle amongst others.
Sengoku 10 will take place on September 23 at the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan. It will air on HDNet in North America and is expected to see the MMA debut of 2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi.
Silva last fought at Sengoku No Ran 2009 in January against Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao. The bout ended in an anticlimactic fashion as Nakao injured his knees in the first round, earning Silva a victory via TKO.
He is currently on a five-fight winning streak during which he captured the heavyweight title in now defunct Elite XC by defeating Justin Eilers in July 2008. His record stands at 12-1 and boasts ten wins via KO or TKO.
Ron Sparks, who fights out of Louisville, KY, is a super-heavyweight prospect with 5-0 record. He will be stepping down to the heavyweight division for the first time when he faces Silva. He has recently defeated a veteran fighter, Johnathan Ivey by unanimous decision in a Revolution Fighting League event in Hammond, IN.
He was also scheduled to fight tonight, August 22, against TC Shaw at a Vyper Fight League event in Louisville, KY. However, the event has been canceled due to Shaw's last-minute withdrawal.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com as more bouts for Sengoku 10 become finalized in the coming weeks.