A strong source in the Japanese MMA industry has confirmed to Sherdog.com that Don Quijote, the primary sponsor of World Victory Road's Sengoku, is now a controlling partner of Pancrase.

The Japanese powerhouse chain retailer is best known for their penguin mascot and sponsorship of HidehikoYoshida (Pictures) and Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures). Don Quijote’s chairman Takao Yasuda is also a powerful figure within the World Victory Road promotion.

After years of operating in the red, Don Quijote has bought out Pancrase's debt and now has a controlling stake in the promotion. With the change, former Pancrase leader Masami Ozaki has been replaced by former Pancrase director and matchmaker Yasushi Sakamoto.

Pancrase will still operate as a separate and autonomous promotion despite drawing a considerable chunk of their resources from the same pool of capital.

While Tanigawa's statements may seem benign on their own, Sherdog.com has also learned from a source close to Ishii that he has had additional discussion with J-Rock president and World Victory Road executive Takahiro Kokuho. The source could not substantiate the content of the meetings, but did confirm that since his release, Ishii had met on multiple occasions with the Sengoku executive.

Although it is too early to speculate or attempt to divine business plans, it is necessary to recognize the allegiances Ishii holds. While in prison, Ishii's sole contact in the Japanese MMA world was the notorious Seiya Kawamata, an admitted intermediary between Japanese promoters and organized crime groups, and a central figure in the Shukan Gendai tabloid's now-infamous negative smear campaign against Pride parent company, Dream Stage Entertainment. Kawamata has also continued to work in relation with Kokuho and World Victory Road since the promotion's inception.

Furthermore, FEG's revamped MMA promotion, Dream, has brought on board several former Dream Stage Entertainment staff, including former DSE executive director Hiroyuki Kato and current Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara. In addition to growing tensions over television ratings, the Dream promotion's operations have largely been carried out by the former DSE staffers with whom Ishii has a longstanding rocky relationship with.