K-1 has started to put together its New Year’s Eve show, Premium 2007 Dynamite!!, announcing a fight between Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Rani Yahya, as confirmed by Sports Navi in Japan.
After a nine-month layoff due to injuries, Yamamoto returned to K-1 in September winning a unanimous decision over Bibiano Fernandes in a fairly uninspired performance from the usually exciting fighter.
He has competed in multiple weight classes in the past, but it looks with this fight and his last bout against Fernandes that he is committed to fighting at 145-pounds for the long haul.
Yahya is familiar to many American fans after a stunning submission win over Mark Hominick in World Extreme Cagefighting earlier this year.
He went on to fight WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe in September, only to lose a unanimous decision to the defending titleholder.
This will be the fourth appearance for Yahya in K-1 Hero’s, currently sporting a 2-1 record with his lone loss coming to current 154-pound king Gesias “JZ” Calvancante.
The bout is slated for the Dec. 31 fight card taking place at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan.
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