Oyama single-handily raised the bar of competition in the 2009 "M-1 CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY AFFLICTION" when he enlisted top-shelf talents such as former EliteXC fighters Giva Santana and Shane Del Rosario as well as one-time Affliction veteran Fabio "Negao" Nascimento to help spearhead his five-man squad.

So while Team USA East waited on pins and needles to find out who their USA West counterparts would be for their M-1 Challenge semifinal matchup on Sept. 26 in Rostov, Russia (to be available live on Internet PPV at M-1Global.com), Oyama was not going to make any hasty decisions about who was going to select to fill out his roster.

Oyama was faced with two tough decisions as he searched for replacements for WEC-bound lightweight Dave Jansen and light heavyweight Raphael Davis, who is slated to compete in the upcoming Abu Dhabi Combat Championships during the M-1 Challenge semifinals.

After his USA West team went 3-0 in team challenge play and 13-2 in individual fights, Oyama refused to cave into pressure and name his replacements before he had found fighters he was confident that could take his team to the M-1 Challenge finals.

Oyama announced over the weekend that those two fighters are lightweight Steve Magdaleno and light heavyweight Spencer Hooker. With both Magdaleno and Hooker secured, all four rosters and 10 scheduled fights for the Sept. 26 M-1 Challenge semifinals in Rostov, Russia are now finalized.

Reacting to USA East's coach Reed Wallace's slick recruiting of IFL veteran Delson Heleno to fight for him at welterweight and undefeated blue chip prospect Ivan "Batman" Jorge to fight at lightweight, Oyama felt the need to raise the ante.

Enter Hooker and Magdaleno, two emerging talents on the cusp of breaking out in this sport.

Magdaleno joins Team USA West as a member of the VMAT Gym, the fight gym owned and operated by current UFC light heavyweight Vladimir Matyushenko and also the home to recent UFC acquisition Jared Hamman. When Magdaleno steps into the ring with Jorge on Sept. 26, both fighters will be putting undefeated records on the line. Jorge, a native of Brazil, is 9-0, while Magdaleno has a 6-0 record with four of his wins coming via early stoppage.

Hooker trains out of Colorado Springs and has a 6-1 record. A submission specialist with five wins via tap out, Oyama's decision to enlist Hooker's services is likely a counter to former WEC vet Chuck "The Reverend" Grigsby's standing at the USA East resident light heavyweight.