Although not as popular worldwide as the
Ultimate Fighting Championship or the now defunct
Pride Fighting Championships, Hero's was very recognizable in the Japanese mixed martial arts scene, thanks in large part to the visibility and resources of
FEG and K-1. Hero's events were sometimes co-sponsored and broadcast on the
TBS national television network in Japan. In contrast to PRIDE and the UFC, Hero's promoted only three weight classes: middleweight (-70 kg/-154 lbs), light heavyweight (-85 kg/-187 lbs) and heavyweight (+85 kg/+187 lbs)
United States On March 27, 2007, FEG (the Fighting Entertainment Group) held a press conference at the
Los Angeles Coliseum to announce their first US event which was to be held on June 2, 2007. The show, named
K-1 Dynamite!! USA, was a joint operated venture with the newly formed
Elite XC, British MMA organization
Cage Rage, BoDog Fight and the Korean-based Spirit MC. The show was broken down into two parts, with the first part (made up of three fights) being aired for free Showtime and the second part on
pay-per-view.
Reformation into Dream At a press conference on February 13, 2008, FEG announced that they discontinued Hero's and were creating a new mixed martial arts franchise,
Dream, in collaboration with former Pride FC executives from
Dream Stage Entertainment. In addition to established Hero's stars, (such as Calvancante, Akiyama, and Yamamoto) many other top fighters from around the world (such as
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović and
Shinya Aoki) joined the new promotion. == Notable fighters ==