Khalidov-Santiago Rematch for Sengoku Middleweight Title

Parent company World Victory Road is set to announce a championship rematch between Polish MMA standout Mamed Khalidov and American Top Team rep Jorge Santiago for the new-look Sengoku Raiden Championships card on March 7 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

Sherdog.com confirmed the title bout with Shu Hirata, who represents Khalidov in North America and Asia. The official fight announcement is expected Monday afternoon at a press conference in Tokyo, along with several other additions to the card.

Khalidov and Santiago met in the Sengoku ring last November, though the Brazilian's Sengoku middleweight crown was not on the line. It took the 29-year-old Khalidov less than two minutes to punch out Santiago, breaking his impressive nine-fight winning streak.

It was originally thought that WVR would promote a rematch between promotional star Kazuo Misaki and Santiago for the title, having met for the vacant title last January, while Khalidov would meet Canadian journeyman Joe Doerksen. However, this week, the company opted to cut to the chase by awarding Khalidov the title bout.

“I believe that despite the quick result of the first match, this will be a top quality fight," says Khalidov. "Thanks to Sengoku for this opportunity to show my skills in the Japanese ring again and to Santiago’s team for accepting the fight."

"It will be a very important day for Polish MMA history and for all MMA fans," adds Martin Lewandowski, Khalidov's chief handler and co-owner of top Polish promotion KSW. "It's the first time a Polish fighter will fight for a major title outside of Poland. Mamed is KSW's first international champion, and is famous in Poland. After this fight he will be known everywhere."