Sengoku 4 features a main event lightweight bout between former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi and Bang Seung Hwan. The opening round of the promotion’s 2008 lightweight grand prix is also slated for the event.

The complete fight card features:

• Takanori Gomi vs. Bang Seung Hwan
• Makoto Takimoto vs. Frank Trigg
• Satoru Kitaoka vs. Clay French
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Rodrigo Damm
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Kazunori Yokota vs. Bojan Kosednar
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Mizuto Hirota vs. Ryan Schultz
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Pawel Nastula vs. Yang Dong Yi
• Peter Graham vs. Moise Rimbon
• Kazuo Takahashi vs. Valentijn Overeem

*****

World Victory Road also announced on Tuesday that Xande Ribeiro, Roger Gracie, and Jorge Masvidal will be in action in separate bouts at Sengoku 5 and also announced the addition of Yuki Sasaki to the promotion’s middleweight tournament field.

Sengoku 5 now includes:

• Xande Ribeiro vs. TBD
• Roger Gracie vs. TBD
• Jorge Masvidal vs. TBD
• Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round participants:
  • Yuki Sasaki
  • Kazuhiro Nakamura
  • Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
  • Siyar Bahadurzada
  • Jorge Santiago

Here is an updated fight card for Sengoku 4:

• Pawel Nastula vs Yang Dong Yi
• Takanori Gomi vs Bang Seung Hwan
• Makoto Takimoto vs Frank Trigg
• Peter Graham vs Moise Rimbon
• Satoru Kitaoka vs. Clay French
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Rodrigo Damm
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Kazunori Yokota vs. Bojan Kosednar
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round
• Mizuto Hirota vs. Ryan Schultz
  Lightweight GP Series 2008 1st Round

Trigg signed a three-fight, non-exclusive contract with the promotion last week.

After compiling a 10-1 record in various promotions between 1997 and 2002, Trigg came to the UFC in 2003, losing his debut bout against welterweight champion Matt Hughes. Following back-to-back UFC wins over Dennis Hallman and Renato Verissimo, Trigg was defeated in back-to-back bouts by Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre.

The losses sent Trigg out of the UFC and into Rumble on the Rock, where he defeated Ronald Jhun and lost to Carlos Condit. He next went to Icon Sport in late-2006 where he defeated Jason “Mayhem” Miller to capture the promotion’s middleweight title. At PRIDE 33 in early-2007 Trigg defeated Misaki via unanimous decision. In March 2007 Trigg dropped the Icon Sport middleweight title to Robbie Lawler but bounced back in December at an HDNet Fights event with a first-round submission victory over Edwin Dewees.

Takimoto, a PRIDE veteran, won a gold medal in judo at the 2000 Olympics. After going 3-3 in PRIDE between 2004 and 2007, Takimoto scored a major split decision upset of Murilo Bustamante at Yarennoka New Years Eve 2007. He was unable to follow up the win, however, losing to Evangelista Santos at Sengoku 1 in March. Takimoto has won two of his last three bouts.

Sengoku 4 takes place on August 24th at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

No opponent has yet been determined for his debut fight, which will take place on August 24th at Sengoku 4.

According to the report WVR is planning a middleweight tournament for 2009 which Trigg would also likely participate in, possibly setting up a rematch against ranked middleweight Kazuo Misaki.

After compiling a 10-1 record in various promotions between 1997 and 2002, Trigg came to the UFC in 2003, losing his debut bout against welterweight champion Matt Hughes. Following back-to-back UFC wins over Dennis Hallman and Renato Verissimo, Trigg was defeated in back-to-back bouts by Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre.

The losses sent Trigg out of the UFC and into Rumble on the Rock, where he defeated Ronald Jhun and lost to Carlos Condit. He next went to Icon Sport in late-2006 where he defeated Jason “Mayhem” Miller to capture the promotion’s middleweight title. At PRIDE 33 in early-2007 Trigg defeated Misaki via unaimous decision. In March 2007 Trigg dropped the Icon Sport middleweight title to Robbie Lawler but bounced back in December at an HDNet Fights event with a first-round submission victory over Edwin Dewees.

• EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw may be on his way out of ProElite, though reports from his son, Jared Shaw, contest otherwise.
• UFC veteran Ken Shamrock has called for a rematch against Royce Gracie, who may or may not serve as Shamrock’s final opponent.
• The UFC has made the undercard bout between Dustin Hazelett and Josh Burkman available for free viewing on UFC.com. Hazelett earned submission of the night for his super slick armbar.
• “Big” John McCarthy and Mauro Ranallo have been announced as the broadcast team for Affliction “Banned.” This could help explain McCarthy’s previous public statements regarding the UFC’s competition with the Affliction show.
• UFC veteran Jeff Monson has called out Kimbo Slice via an almost-comical YouTube video.
• Brock Lesnar has been rigorously training with seven time BJJ world champion Rodrigo “Comprido” Leite Medeiros for his upcoming bout with Heath Herring at UFC 87.
• Current Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le is leaning more towards an acting career and less towards fighting, according to a recent interview.
• CB Dollaway has stated that he did not “fully commit to the tap” regarding his stinging TUF 7 finale loss to Amir Sandollah.
• Last week UFC veteran Matt Hughes settled out of court on “battery and assault” charges, which stem from an incident that transpired nearly two years ago at UFC 64.
• Dana White said that he feels republican John McCain is the “best presidential candidate for MMA.”
• MMA journeyman Shonie Carter said in a recent interview that his stint on “The Iron Ring” has helped to get “people knowing the minorities in MMA.”
• Affliction has revealed that they are planning events for October and February.
• Paul “Semtex” Daley will return to competition following a six-month retirement to take on Bojan “Zelva” Kosednar at Cage Warriors “Enter the Rough House 7″
• Despite losing her professional debut and suffering a broken jaw that will require surgery, the AFL remains interested in signing Kim Couture to bolster its Women’s division.
• Ken Shamrock’s nephew, lightweight Jeff Shamrock, has signed with Strikeforce.

Their opponents for the event, which takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, have not yet been announced.

Gomi, a former PRIDE and Shooto champion, last fought at Sengoku 1 in March, defeating Duane Ludwig via first-round TKO. In his previous bout, “The Fireball Kid” was submitted by Nick Diaz via gogoplata but the bout was ultimately ruled a no contest after Diaz test positive for marijuana. He holds victories over Hayato Sakurai, David Baron, Marcus Aurelio, and Jens Pulver as well as losses to Aurelio, BJ Penn, and Joachim Hansen.

Trigg, a UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, and ICON veteran, will fight for the first time since defeating Edwin Dewees via first-round submission in December at an HDNet promoted event. Trigg has lost to some of the sports best including Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, and Hayato Sakurai. A former ICON middleweight champion and two-time UFC welterweight challenger, “Twinkle Toes” holds notable wins over Kazuo Misaki, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Ronald Jhun, Renato Verissimo, and Dennis Hallman.