| Yarennoka 2007 | |
|---|---|
 The poster for Yarennoka 2007 | |
| Promotion | Yarennoka Executive Committee (former Pride staff), M-1 Global, and Fighting and Entertainment Group |
| Date | December 31, 2007 |
| Venue | Saitama Super Arena |
| City | Saitama, Japan |
| Attendance | 27,128[citation needed] |
Yarennoka! (Japanese pronunciation: [jaɾennoka]) was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event that took place on December 31, 2007 at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.[1] The event was promoted by the Yarennoka! Executive Committee, composed of former Pride Fighting Championships executives, and held in association with Fighting and Entertainment Group, DEEP, and M-1 Global.[2][3] The event aired on HDNet and was billed as "Fedor Returns" in the United States; while it was shown on SKY Perfect, a Japanese pay per view network.
It was headlined by a fight between former Pride heavyweight champion and 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix champion Fedor Emelianenko and K-1 2007 World Grand Prix Finalist Hong-man Choi. The undercard showcased many top lightweight fighters and was also marked by a marquee matchup of the Pride 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Champion Kazuo Misaki and the Hero's 2006 Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion Yoshihiro Akiyama.[4][5] The event was a farewell show to Pride fans after their acquisition by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in early 2007.[6]
It is also credited for inspiring the former Pride executives and the Fighting and Entertainment Group to create the new fight series, Dream.
- ^ Leidecker, Tim (November 29, 2007). "Politics of Promoting on New Year's Eve in Japan". Sherdog. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Stupp, Dann (December 13, 2007). "Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong-man Choi Official for Dec. 31". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- ^ Kotani, Taro (December 13, 2007). "Cooperation Makes for New Year's Eve Cards". Sherdog. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- ^ "Return of Fedor Caps Big MMA Month for HDNet". Sherdog. December 7, 2007.
- ^ Leidecker, Tim (November 21, 2007). "M-1 Global Teams with Former Pride Staff". Sherdog. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
- ^ Tong-hyung, Kim (December 11, 2007). "Freak Show?". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2007-12-18.