DREAM Featherweight Champion Hiroyuki Takaya to fight on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" preliminary card on April 9

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

DREAM Featherweight Champion Hiroyuki Takaya will take part in next weekend's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley event, as multiple published reports over the weekend stated that he'll meet Robert Peralta on the night's preliminary card.

Takaya will return to the United States for the first time since a stint with the WEC in 2008. Though he lost both fights in the WEC, he earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus for his three round bout with Cub Swanson.

Since that loss he's gone 6-2 in his last eight fights, losing to Bibiano Fernandes by split decision in the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix and Michihiro Omigawa in the 2009 New Year's Eve event. He's won three straight fights, most recently defeating Fernandes for the title in a rematch of their 2009 Grand Prix final.

Peralta has won six straight fights heading into his Strikeforce debut, fighting in California's Gladiator Challenger promotion. He brings a 13-3 record with him overall.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley airs live on Showtime from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego on April 9.

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