It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven months since Dream’s Super Hulk Tournament burst onto the MMA scene to show the world what a real freak show is all about.  The opening round featured Japanese shit-show regulars like Bob Sapp and Hong Man Choi, but also new faces like Jose Canseco, and even Gegard Mousasi before he pulled out to explore less freakish fighting goals.  But now the tournament has been whittled down to two remaining giant-slayers, and the good people at Dream put together this highlight to remind us what’s at stake this New Year’s Eve when Dynamite!! 2009 ushers in the finale of a pursuit many believed was too ridiculous even for Japan.

The irony here is that the two finalists in the Super Hulk tournament — Ikuhisa Minowa and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou — were two of the least super hulky guys in the tournament.  Not that it’s surprising that Sapp and Choi failed to make it to the finals (hell, Sapp went 0-2, which is kind of impressive considering it was a single-elimination tournament), but Minowaman vs. Sokoudjou is actually an unusually normal fight for New Year’s Eve in Japan.

(Props: BloodyElbow)

At least DREAM knows that their "Super Hulk Tournament" is a cartoonish freak show. Judging from the comic-book-style promotional clip shown above, they’re taking it about as seriously as we are. I don’t speak Japanese, but I was able to gather the following from context clues:

— Minowaman is a big fan of Kinnikuman, and vice versa.
— Hong Man Choi was relatively normal-sized as a child, but started to look like a Korean Rocky Dennis by the time he was a teenager.
— Jose Canseco is a filthy Communist.
— Jan Nortje is an ex-convict. If I had to guess, I’d say tax evasion.
— Like many Africans, Sokoudjou has the ability to speak to giraffes. His KO of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at PRIDE 33 was so beautiful it made Harrison Ford cry. (Ford is referred to here as "Indy Jones.")

After the jump: In the latest installment of Matt Serra‘s UFC 98 video blog, Matty does a media day in New York on two hours of sleep; as usual, Ray Longo is dragged along for comic relief. Also, Sean Sherk‘s workout at API is so intense we threw up just watching it.