On tonight’s April 25 episode of Inside MMA, Ron Kruk announced the official partnership between HDNet Fights and FEG that will allow the network to air all six DREAM events during 2008.

The Japan based upstart organization, DREAM, is a collaboration between FEG, the parent company of K-1 and Hero’s, and former Pride staff.

On March 15 the organization made their debut with DREAM.1, the opening round of the Lightweight Grand Prix which was highlighted by a showdown between Gesias Calvancante and Shinya Aoki.

DREAM.2 is scheduled to take place on April 29 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and will feature the opening round of the Middleweight Grand Prix.

Unfortunately DREAM.2 will not be live and will air four days after the event date on Saturday, May 3 at 10:30pm ET. Thankfully it looks like all of the other four DREAM events will be broadcast live. Also they will be replaying DREAM.1 on Friday, May 2 at 10:30pm ET.

Here is your DREAM schedule for 2008 on HDNet FIGHTS

• (05/02/2008) DREAM.1 Lightweight Grand Prix - First Round
• (05/03/2008) DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix - First Round
• (05/11/2008) DREAM.3 Lightweight Grand Prix - Quarter Finals
• (06/15/2008) DREAM.4 Middleweight Grand Prix - Quarter Finals
• (07/21/2008) DREAM.5 Lightweight Grand Prix - Final
• (09/23/2008) DREAM.6 Middleweight Grand Prix - Final

Click here to check out the HDNet FIGHTS / DREAM promo video.

While the debut of DREAM.1 wasn’t televised in the US, you can look forward to watching the rest of the DREAM events in 2008, live and in high definition.

The director of FEGUSA, Mike Kogan, informed Sherdog on Friday that FEG (Fight Entertainment Group) and Mark Cuban’s HDNet are very close to sealing a deal that would televise a total of six DREAM events from Japan in 2008.

For those of you who missed the DREAM.1 Lightweight Grand Prix don’t fret. If everything goes through with the deal, a delayed broadcast of DREAM.1 could air next week. The next event to air on the high definition network will be DREAM.2 on April 29 featuring the first round of the much anticipated Middleweight Grand Prix. All future events should be "near live" according to Kogan. Although the deal has not been officially signed yet, Kogan says that it is very close to being finalized and that the most important aspects of the deal are already agreed upon.

HDNet is already a huge player in the field of mixed martial arts promotion and is scheduled to air at least 24 live events in 2008. HDNet continues to grow and recently partnered with Strikeforce to air four events during 2008. Other partners that have been acquired by the network include Maximum Fighting Championships and the International Fight League.

HDNet also recently got involved with the UFC / Randy Couture debacle which has grown into a full fledged circus act over the past few months. HDNet sued Zuffa in February and signed Couture to a deal that will begin when his UFC contract expires. Mark Cuban’s plan is to promote a fight between "The Natural" and of course "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. The earliest the fight could take place would be in the fall.

I will keep you updated on further details. Don’t go far, more MMA news is on the way!

Mark Cuban and his company HDNet FiGHTS has partnered up with Strikeforce to televise four events during 2008.

This is one of many partnerships as of late for the hi-definition subscription network. HDNet announced partnerships with Maximum Fighting Championship and the International Fight League earlier this week.

Andrew Simon, the CEO of HDNet FiGHTS says that this latest announcement reinforces their commitment to deliver at least 24 live events in 2008 and that the new partnership will guarantee many great match ups for mma fans. The first show for the two promotions will be "Strikeforce at the Dome".

The February 23 event will feature K-1 knockout artist Bob "The Beast" Sapp taking on the undefeated pro boxer Jan "The Giant" Nortje in a battle of epic proportions.

The 10 bout card will also feature UFC veteran Maurice Smith as he takes on fellow kickboxing champion Rick Roufus and in a battle of the welterweights Duane "Bang" Ludwig will battle it out with the hard nosed submission artist Steve Berger who has 14 submission wins under his belt.

February is a busy month for HDNet FiGHTS. In addition to "Strikeforce at the Dome" the hd channel will also offer a live Maximum Fighting Championship card from Edmonton, Canada on February 22 featuring Pete Spratt and Ryan Ford in the main event. The following Friday the International Fight League will make it’s 2008 debut live from Las Vegas on February 29.

HDNet is definitely becoming a serious player in mixed martial arts promotion and is consistently expanding it’s repertoire of partners to include some of the biggest names in mma. HDNet FiGHTS is available with select cable providers. Visit HDNetFiGHTS.com for availability in your area.

More mma news is on the way!