Dan Hornbuckle out, Taisuke Okuno in at "Sengoku: Soul of Fight"

http://mmajunkie.com/news/21853/dan-hornbuckle-out-taisuke-okuno-in-at-sengoku-soul-of-fight.mma

Dan Hornbuckle (22-3 MMA, 2-1 SRC) has been forced out of Thursday's World Victory Road event, "Sengoko: Soul of Fight," and Taisuke Okuno (10-5-2 MMA, 1-1 SRC) takes his place.

He now takes on fellow welterweight Ryo Chonan (18-11 MMA, 0-0 SRC), officials formally announced today.

According to a recent Twitter update from Chonan, Hornbuckle was forced off the card due to a bout of influenza.

"Soul of Fight" takes place at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) some portion of the event, which includes an all-day martial-arts festival with additional Muay Thai and grappling matchups, is expected to air via delay on HDNet in the U.S., though details still are being discussed.

Okuno, a former Shooto fighter, competed in the Sengoku welterweight grand prix earlier this year. He knocked out notable Nick Thompson in the quarterfinals before suffering a decision loss to Yasubey Enomoto in the October semifinals. The defeat snapped a four-fight undefeated streak. Okuno never has been stopped in pro competition, and all of his losses have come via decision.

Chonan, a PRIDE and UFC vet, recently has competed for a series of Japanese organizations, including DREAM. He's won three of his past four fights, including a decision win over Andrews Nakahara at DREAM.13 in March and a TKO of Jun Hee Moon at October's big DEEP 50 event.

For the latest on "World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.