Hinata vs Souwer Sept 18th at Shootboxin: Ishin 4/ Not good news for chances of MAX Grand Prix

Dave mentioned this earlier today, but there was a big fight announcement earlier this week that kind of slipped through the cracks of bad K-1 news.

On September 18, Hinata will attempt to shock the world again as he faces Andy Souwer. The fight will be the main event of Ishin 4 from Shootboxing. The card will also include Shootboxing star Takaaki Umeno v. Satoru Suzuki in a strong semi-main event.

As outlined, this is bad news for the chances of a MAX Grand Prix, but good news for Souwer fans. The #2 ranked fighter has been sidelined for most of the year with an eye injury, and it's good to see him back in action. Typically, Souwer maintains a very buys schedule, so this long lay off must have been tough for him. The former MAX champion has a lot of experience with Shootboxing, as he is the defending S-Cup champion. It will be interesting to see him back in the Shootboxing ring, and wearing his trademark long pants.

The obvious wisdom says Hinata is out of his league here, and he probably is. But that is the exact same thing that was said before his last fight where he defeated Artur Kyshenko in July. Beating Souwer is a big step up from beating Kyshenko, but if Hinata could somehow pull it off, it would be the biggest back to back upsets in years.

Whether you think Hinata has a chance or not, this is an excellent fight, and with K-1 unable to provide quality MAX division fights, it's great to see Shootboxing help pick up the slack.