(The Fireball Kid returns on Saturday; Diaz may be ringing in ’09 overseas.)

— Though most of us want to see him return to the UFC eventually, Nick Diaz‘s next fight will likely be in Japan. Diaz’s manager Cesar Gracie told MMA Weekly that he’s already been contacted by Fight Entertainment Group (Dream’s parent company) and Sengoku, and Diaz will be competing either on FEG’s K-1 Dynamite! card on New Year’s Eve, or Sengoku VII on January 4th. Diaz’s EliteXC contract states that he can compete in Japan as long as it doesn’t interfere with his EliteXC duties — so, no problems there.

— According to MMA Fighting, former IFL lightweight standout Chris Horodecki will return to action on November 24th at the Shootboxing “S-Cup 2008,” a one-night eight-man tournament that will go down at the Saitama Super Arena; the tournament will also feature PRIDE vet Luiz Azeredo. Known as “standing vale tudo,” Shootboxing doesn’t incorporate ground-fighting, although throws and standing submissions are allowed. Horodecki is still penciled in to compete at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” show on January 24th.

— Kamipro floats the rumor that ring-entrance virtuoso Genki Sudo could be coming out of retirement for a one-off fight. “If I come back, NY eve is the biggest impact,” Sudo is quoted as saying. The Neo Samurai hasn’t competed since New Year’s Eve 2006, when he submitted Damacio Page via triangle choke at K-1 Premium Dynamite!!

— The final fight order for Saturday’s Sengoku VI card in Saitama has been released. The event will feature the quarterfinals and finals matches for Sengoku’s lightweight and middleweight GPs, as well as three non-tourney matches. In light heavyweight action, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will take on Europe Top Team’s Moise Rimbon, while Team Quest product Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal faces Chute Boxe’s Fabio Silva. In the lightweight co-main event, Takanori Gomi goes up against Sergey Golyaev, a Red Devil Sport Club member and M-1 vet who hasn’t competed in almost two years. Way to push yourself, Gomi.