DREAM.9/K-1 (Lodz) Results

 

Super Hulk Tournament Results

Minowaman submits Sapp
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (sorry). Bob Sapp decided that he knew jiu jitsu after getting on top of Minowa early and instead of sitting in half guard and pounding Minowa’s face to mince meat, he tried to mount him. Minowa showed superb technique (well, superb compared to Sapp) and reversed him, got on top and sunk in a deep ankle lock for the quick submission victory. Watching Sapp tap out in pain is always fun, especially when the guy is half his size!

Hong Man batters overmatched Canseco
This fight didn’t go as expected as Canseco actually landed some shots, although he looked like he was impersonating the Karate Kid while he was at it. Then Canseco managed to blow his knee out and end up on the ground where Hong Man proceeded to pound him into submission. Glad it ended quickly and without much pain to Jose as it could have been a bad thing for MMA if he had of got seriously hurt.

Sokoudjou and Mousasi score quick wins
Both Sokoudjou and Mousasi were too much for their opponents. Sokoudjou got a takedown after about three attempts and mounted Jan Nortje with ease before pounding him until the referee stopped the fight, and then pounding him some more which resulted in a mini brawl between Nortje’s cornermen (mainly Ray Sefo) and Sokoudjou’s camp. Does anyone else smell a Sefo-Sokoudjou matchup down the road?
Mousasi surprisingly did what Fedor and Cro Cop and even Overeem had trouble doing in disposing of Mark Hunt very quickly with little trouble. He got an easy takedown and finished the fight quickly with a figure four arm lock. This tournament is Mousasi’s in my opinion and I don’t see any of the others giving him any trouble. Rumour has it that Mousasi will face Vitor Belfort at Affliction III in August first.

Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round Results

In one of the biggest upsets in recent times, one fight veteran Joe Warren upset Kid Yamamoto by split decision. Yamamoto, who was the heavy favourite to win the entire tournament, couldn’t stop Warren’s wrestling skills as he was taken down five times in the fight. Furthermore, Yamamoto couldn’t take advantage of the referee’s overzealous stand-ups or get anything working from his back. After a rally at the end of the opening 10 minute stanza, Warren controlled the entire five minute 2nd round and took a pretty comfortable decision (a split decision in Japan against a Japanese fighter who you didn’t completely batter means you won comfortably). In what was a lacklustre affair, Bibiano Fernandes outpointed Masakaszu Imanari over 15 boring minutes. Imanari repeatedly dropped to butt-scoot while Fernandes didn’t want to risk going into the Japanese grappling stars guard as he had the superior stand-up and wrestling (and probably jiu jitsu).
The other two fights in the grand prix stand out as fight of the year candidates. Hiroyuki Takaya survived a fierce ground and standing assault from Yoshiro Maeda before scoring a stunning one punch knockout with 20 seconds remaining in the first round. In the other match, Hideo Tokoro took full advantage of his 2nd chance in the tournament scoring a 2nd round submission win over Abel Cullum. After a ground battle of epic proportions which saw constant transitions and submission attempts from both men, Tokoro sunk in a rear naked choke early in the 2nd round to earn his place in the Finals.

Kawajiri dominates Calvancante

In a highly anticipated battle between two of the Lightweight divisions non UFC stars, Tatsuya Kawajiri dominated the middle and end portions of the fight with good stand-up skills and effective ground and pound to grind out a unanimous decision over Gesias ‘JZ Calvan’ Calvancante. After a good start by JZ in which he landed with several hard strikes, Kawajiri shot in for a takedown and had to battle out of a tight guillotine choke. Once free, Tatsuya started a pattern in which he dominated the stand-up, scored a takedown, espcaped a guillotine choke and dominated with punches from on top. JZ could do little back as his long layoff showed its effects as Kawajiri grinded out the decision.

Mayhem-Jacare ends prematurely

In the main event of the evening, the DREAM Middleweight title fight between Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ De Souza ended in a no contest after an illegal kick from Mayhem left Jacare unable to continue.

K-1 Results
Last years Amsterdam qualifier runner-up Zabit Samedov earned a place in this years Final 16 (and I’d say a rematch with the man who beat him in Amsterdam last year, Errol Zimmerman) by winning the Qualifying event in Lodz, Poland on Sunday. Samedov defeated Sakalauskas and Raul Catinas on points to reach the final of the qualifier. His opponent, Sergei Lascenko, fought three times the previous day in the European Muay Thai Championships, then scored first round knockouts over Noel Cadet and Dimitri Bezus before succumbing via third round stoppage to Samedov.

Hari destroys Schilt at “It’s Showtime”

2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Runner-up Badr Hari made his comeback a successful one, destroying three time K-1 Champion Semmy Schilt in 45 seconds at the annual “It’s Showtime” event in Holland. Hari jumped on Schilt at the opening bell and pushed the K-1 Super Heavyweight champion across the ring with hard blows. A barrage culminating with a left hand dropped Schilt onto the ropes and although he was up at one he was on clearly wobbly legs. Hari then showed his superb finishing skills reigning in combinations knocking Schilt out with a right hand.

This fight had been built up for a number of years and was probably the best thing Hari could have done for his career. I’m not sure if he’s allowed in K-1′s Grand Prix this year, but if he is it’s going to be difficult for anyone to beat him. I’d love to see a rematch between him and Overeem at the Final 16 to prove the first win was not over the prime Hari but rather an out of conditioned fighter who had just fought three hard fights on one night only three weeks prior. As much as I (and a lot of fans) don’t like Hari, on his night he’d probably beat anyone in a kick boxing match in the world.

As for Schilt, his career has really slipped. The loss to Aerts in the Final 16 was unfortunate for him but this one was only the 2nd time he has been knocked out in his kickboxing career (the other was five years ago). Yes Aerts and Hari are among the very best in the world, but Schilt in my opinion seems to have been worked out. He looks the best in the world when he can stand his ground and deliver unanswered blows on his opponents but when someone big like Aerts or Hari takes the fight to him the technical flaws that his size allows him to get away with become more obvious and easier to take advantage of.

In a bit of an upset, unheralded Mourad Bouzidi scored a first round TKO over K-1 semi finalist Errol Zimmerman. The fight was stopped due to a cut caused by a clean Bouzidi knee landing flush to the face. Bouzidi seemed to be in control of the fight, mixing up good movement with his aggression to keep Zimmerman off balance. The loss is the third in a row for Zimmerman who needs to get a few fights with some decent veterans in before he fights the likes or Hari and Aerts again. Also victorious on the card was Andy Souwer, Gago Drago, Tyrone Spong and Melvin Manhoef who scored a KO win over Stefan Leko. I actually forgot this card was even on and probably would have made an effort to watch it as it was on Setanta had I known.

K-1 MAX Final 16 on Tuesday

I’ll put the focus on UFC 97 aside for a second as K-1 MAX starts this week with the Final 16 event on Tuesday. I have to say that since I started watching K-1 about eight months ago I’ve been blown away by some of it. The K-1 cards are now right up there with the UFC cards or a good boxing match. There’s either fights with a lot on the line or some quality beatings in store for you at a K-1 card. I’ve spent the last six weeks watching K-1 MAX for the last few years and I’m very much looking forward to Tuesday’s event. After defending champion Masato’s retirement (he’ll face the MAX champion at the New Years Eve event), the final 16 look for their spot in the quarter finals which will take place in July. The field sees past champions Buakaw, Andy Souwer and Albert Kraus return again as well as stand-outs from last years MAX series Artur Kyshenko and Yoshihiro Sato. Also on the card is an exhibition match between Masato and rising Japanese star Hiroya.

Leroy Kaestner vs Andy Souwer
Two time champion (2005, 2007) Andy Souwer returns to the MAX Final 16 and his opponent is a rising star in the sport. Souwer is one of the more accomplished kickboxers in the world holding multiple world titles in different organisations and boasting an incredible record of 130-7 (17-3 in K-1). Souwer is a very well rounded striker who doesn’t have many weaknesses at all. Last year Souwer was eliminated in the quarter finals by Ukranian young gun Arthur Kyshenko which snapped a winning streak that dated back to 2006 and included his MAX title in 2007. Souwer’s last outing saw him drop a decision to Italian star Giorgio Petroysan who is among this years Final 16.
Kaestner is the youngest competitor in this years MAX at just 20 years of age. Training out of Team Aerts, he won the K-1 Holland event last year with three wars on the same night to qualify for this tournament. Standing at just 5’5, his short compact style can be hard for the fighters without enough power to discourage him. Souwer really shouldn’t have too many problems in this fight, I expect him to win a lopsided decision or score a late TKO. Andy Souwer by 3rd round knockout.

Nieky Holtzken vs Chahid Oulad El Hadj
Two relative K-1 newbies will square off in the Final 16 with Holtzken and Chahid in what could be an explosive battle. Holtzken stands over 6′ and knows how to use his reach well. He’s scored some stunning knockouts in his short K-1 career where he’s won five of his six bouts with his only loss coming at the hands of Buakaw. Chahid is making his K-1 debut and I don’t know much about him as I’ve been unable to get any footage of him. From what I understand he’s a very technical fighter who likes to draw the lead of his opponents and counter with fast and accurate shots. I think the experience and size advantage that Holzken has will give him the edge. Nieky Holtzken on points.

Artur Kyshenko vs Alviar Lima
Last years MAX runner-up Artur Kyshenko has one of the tougher fights in order to qualify for the Final 8 in July against hard punching Alviar Lima. I’ll go out on a limb now and say that Kyshenko is my pick for the MAX title this year. The 23 year old Ukranian has bowed out to Masato in both 2007 and 2008 in the semi finals and final respectively. In recent times Kyshenko has defeated Yoshihiro Sato, Andy Souwer, Jordan Tai and Yasuhiro Kido while only losing to Masato in the last two and a half years. His win over Sato in New Years Eve was one of the better fights of the night and with Sato’s recent form it cemented Kyshenko as the best of the new breed of K-1 fighters. Lima is just dangerous, that’s the only way to decribe him. His power doesn’t stand out because of his low KO%, but his knockout of Nieky Holtzken last year shows that when he hits you you’ll go to sleep. Still, Kyshenko is my pick for this years title and I think he’ll make easy work of Lima after a hard fought first round. Kyshenko’s body punches should take their toll and he’ll put Lima away early in the 3rd. Artur Kyshenko by 3rd round knockout.

Chi Bin Lim vs Yuya Yamamoto
Probably the weaker of the eight matches on this years Final 16 card, 2009 Japanese MAX runner-up Yamamoto replaces 2009 Japanese MAX champion Taishin Kohiruimaki after the champion suffered an injury in training. Lim is a three time Korean MAX champion and gets another shot in this years Final 16. I’ll be very surprised if the winner of this fight is anything other then cannon fodder for some in the quarter finals, but this could prove an exciting scrap between two guys who will be desperate to get a win on the big stage. I’ll pick Lim, but only because Yamamoto is taking the fight on short notice. Chi Bin Lim on points.

Dzhabar Askerov vs Giorgio Petroysan
This is the fight I’m looking forward to the most on this card. Two fighters with little K-1 experience but fierce reputations in other organisations. I’ve already mentioned Petroysan earlier in this article as he is coming off a win over Andy Souwer via decision after an extra round. He’s also head Buakaw to a draw and defeated the likes of K-1 veterans Marco Pique and Warren Stevelmans. Petrosyan’s record stands at 55-1-2 in his young career so far, and he’s appeared in K-1 three times, winning twice and drawing with Buakaw. Askerov is known for his semi final achievement on ‘The Contender- Asia’ where he lost to John Wayne Parr in the semi finals. He lost comprehensively on points to JWP in a rematch last September in Australia. Petroysan is someone to watch out for in the future as he’s nly 23 and has already beaten some big names. I expect him to go through with a hard fought decision victory here and he could be a dark horse to take the title this year with a bit of luck on his side. Giorgio Petroysan on points.

Drago vs Yoshihiro Sato
This has potential for fight of the night as do most of Sato’s fights. Last year Sato engaged in two wars with Buakaw, losing one via split decision after an extra round before avenging it with a 3rd round KO to earn his spot in the MAX semi finals. Once there, he went to war with Masato, dropping him before losing a unanimous decision. He finished the year out with a majority decision loss to Kyshenko at Dynamite! but has since snapped the losing streak with a 2nd round KO over Sergey Golyaev in February. Drago is a fan favourite who sits behind the Souwer’s, Masato’s and Buakaws on the 2nd tier MAX fighters. Drago is always dangerous with his heavy hands and aggressive style and could put Sato out if he’s on his game. I expect that Sato will use his leg kicks to wear Drago down and stop him in the later rounds, but if he lets Drago in close his iron chin will certainly be put to the test. Yoshiro Sato by 3rd round KO.

Andre Dida vs Buakaw Por. Pramunak
Former Chute Boxe member Andre Dida is the first round opponent for two time champion Buakaw Por. Pramunak. Dida is more famous for MMA then K-1 where he has only had one fight. He was eliminated in the first round of last years DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix by Eddie Alvarez via TKO in an electrifying battle. Buakaw is one of the more lethal strikers on the planet and despite his recent poor form (which I think can be put down to over fighting) is one of the favourites to win the MAX this year. The 2004 and 2006 champion will look to become the first three time MAX champion this year but has lost two of his last three fights. After bowing out in the quarter finals last year in an exciting war with Sato, he defeated Kultar Gill by first round KO at the MAX final before dropping a decision to Albert Kraus in November in Holland. Buakaw fought seven times last year (two against Sato and two against Kraus) which I think he’ll need to cut back so he can be fresh for a run at the title. He was back in the ring within three weeks after beating both Kraus and Sato earlier in the year which is just too much fighting at this level. I expect Buakaw to have an easy nights work with Dida. His leg kicks and punching combinations will be too deadly and I’ll be surprised if this fight goes to a third round. Buakaw Por. Pramunak by 2nd round KO.

Albert Kraus vs Yuichiro Nagashima
Despite Nagashima losing in the Japanese MAX tournament earlier in the year, he had a strong chance of winning the crown had he not lost on a cut in the 2nd fight to Yamamoto. Albert Kraus appears to be reviving his career with recent wins over Buakaw, Warren Stevelmans, Mike Zambidis and Yashihiro Kido included in his six fight winning streak. Kraus lost to Buakaw in the Final 16 round last year but likely would have gone further had he been given an easier first round match. K-1′s first MAX champion is among the favourites to win this years event, and should prove too skilled for the flamboyant Nagashima. Nagashima dresses in weird clothes, but can fight as hard as the rest of them with a dangerous punch and iron chin, he’ll likely take a beating before going down to Kraus, in fact he’ll probably be crazy enough to last the distance. Albert Kraus on points.

Other Fights
As I sais before, also on the card is the first of Masato’s three fight retirement plan which is an exhibition match with Hiroya, the young Japanese superstar who many are tipping to be the next Masato. Also included in this plan is a fight (likely with DREAM standout Tatsuya Kawajiri) at the MAX final before a showdown with the winner on New Years Eve. The reserve fight sees K-1 MAX Japan semi finalist Yasuhiro Kido take on K-1 MAX Korea runner-up Su Hwan Lee.

K-1 Yokohama: Bonjasky beats Overeem, Maeda wins 100kg belt

 

Remy Bonjasky took a three round unanimous decision with a third round knockdown to defeat MMA star Alistair Overeem in the main event super fight at the annual K-1 event in Yokohama last night. The Yokohama event usually sees the first action from the major Heavyweight stars since the previous years Grand Prix and this years event didn’t dissapoint with six of last years quarter finalists in action. Overeem seemed the busier fighter for the majority of the fight but was unable to clearly dominate Bonjasky to score a lead on the scorecards. Both judges scored the opening two rounds 10-10 (I gave Overeem the 2nd round) and he was in firm control of the first two minutes of the third round. With roughly 30 seconds remaining, Bonjasky landed a knee to Overeem’s chin followed by an overhand right that dropped the former PRIDE star to the canvas. Overeem beat the count but the 10-8 round was enough to give Bonjasky a unanimous decision win over three rounds.
A lot of MMA fans don’t get the K-1 scoring system. Basically, you have to win the round clearly to get a 10-9 round. K-1 scores a lot of 10-10 rounds for the reason that it’s a three round stand-up battle so in order for the fighter to get a win he needs to show dominance with either a knockdown or a sustained beating to win on points in that time which leads to more action. The extra rounds makes up for this and while some fights end up with dodgey decisions, a lot more fights are decided by the fighters rather then the judges. I thought Bonjasky fought like shit compared to his performance in the last Grand Prix. He didn’t look comfortable under fire leading me to believe he didn’t train as hard as he normally does and I thought without the knockdown that Overeem would have surely won a decision. However, the only real dominating part of the fight was the knockdown which was a clean knockdown in which Overeem was hurt so the right man got the decision (although I wouldn’t have minded seeing a 4th round).

The co feature of this event saw a four man tournament for the vacant K-1 Heavyweight belt which was stripped from Badr Hari after his disgraceful showing in the K-1 WGP Final last year. With Gokhan Saki, Tyrone Spong and Melvin Manhoef making up three of the four, it was last years runner-up at Fukuoka Keijiro Maeda who upset both Manhoef and Saki to win the title. Maeda shocked the heavily favoured Manhoef in the first fight with a short right hand that left Manhoef unable to beat the count in the very first round. The 22 year old who lost his chance at competing in the Grand Prix last year against Ewerton Teixera, frustrated Manhoef with movement and leg kicks before countering a wild attack with a right hand that ended Manhoefs night early.
In the other semi final, nothing could seperate Gokhan Saki and Tyrone Spong for the first three rounds of their fight as they traded evenly with neither getting even the slightest edge. The fight was scored 30-30 and an overtime round decided the fight. In what was another close round, Saki left no doubt as he polaxed Spong with a right hand. The knockout was sudden and completely unexpected. Saki and Maeda battled out another close battle in the final, but Maeda was simply too sharp for last years Grand Prix semi finalist and took the title after an extra round. Whether this means that Maeda gets Hari’s spot in the Final 16 or not I don’t know, but it seems to be the best way to sort that situation out.

Also on the card, three time K-1 champion Peter Aerts made his comeback from his knockout loss to Badr Hari a successful one with a unanimous decision after an extra round against 2008 semi finalist Errol Zimmerman. Aerts successfully attacked the body throughout the fight, landing two and three punch combinations to the body as well as hard body kicks. Zimmerman was game though and answered with some heavy leg kicks and fast punching combinations that looked to have ‘the Dutch Lumberjack’ in trouble briefly in the 2nd round. After three rounds in which Aerts appeared to win comfortably, the judges scored a draw. Aerts again took control with his body attacks and grinded out a four round unanimous decision. Aerts looked much sharper in this fight then against Hari although the Hari that fought in December was a completely different animal to Zimmerman.

In other action, Ewerton Teixera upset Jerome Le Banner with a five round split decision victory. Le Banner fought in spurts and it hurt him on the judges cards in the end. After a slow first two rounds in which Teixera was doing all the work (although not landing with much), Le Banner seemed to outwork him in the 3rd round and then in the first extra round (one judge scored the extra round to Le Banner). In the fifth, Le Banner again fought in spurts and it was enough for Teixera to edge him out. Le Banner seems to think that if the other guy can’t hurt him, then he shouldn’t beat him and often fights to his opponents level. Had he turned the heat on Teixera from the start he would have won that fight easily. Also both Semmy Schilt and Glaube Feitosa scored easy wins over Hesdy Gerges and Junichi Sawayashiki respectively. Schilt controlled ever second of his fight, but despite a 2nd round knockdown couldn’t finish his game opponent. Feitosa repeatedly bounced Sawayashiki off the canvas before the referee intervened in the 2nd round.

K-1 GP 2009 in Yokohama Predictions

First of all I’m sorry for the lack of updates over the recent weeks. I’ve been extremely fucking busy and haven’t even been able to check out news sites let alone update anything. That and there wasn’t all that much worth talking about. That all changes this weekend with the first big K-1 event of the year. Featured is the current K-1 champion Remy Bonjasky against the man who destroyed Badr Hari, Alistair Overeem. Also on the card is a four man tournament to crown the 100kg champion (Hari was stripped of this title for his behaviour in last years GP) featuring Melvin Manhoef, Gokhan Saki, Chalid Die Faust and Tyrone Spong. Plus Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner and Errol Zimmerman in action.

Remy Bonjasky vs Alistair Overeem
Prediction- Bonjasky on points
I gotta go with Bonjasky under K-1 rules. Overeem definately has a strong chance in this fight but I think Bonjasky’s defence will be too tight and he’ll make Overeem look amatuerish in certain parts of this fight. Overeems sheer size and strength will pose anyone problems but there’s a few factors in this fight that are different from when Overeem KO’d Badr Hari in the 1st round on New Years Eve and they all favour Bonjasky.
First of all, Hari was three weeks removed from suffering two knockdowns and fighting three times in one night. Surely he didn’t train that much during those three weeks if at all. Second, little was known of how dangerous Overeem’s stand-up actually is. Out-striking an MMA fighter is one thing but against someone as good as Hari not many expected Overeem to last. Hari didn’t know exactly how dangerous he was, Bonjasky now does. The element of surprise that Overeem had over Hari he doesn’t have over Overeem. Last, Bonjasky is a much bigger man then Hari with a more proven chin and despite giving away some size to Overeem, he’s a fully fledged heavyweight (well super heavyweight by K-1 standards) and will be better equipped to deal with Overeem’s physical attributes.
Overeem will likely start fast, but Bonjasky should ride out the storm and pick him apart en route to a decision win (possibly in an extra round, but the longer the fight goes the mroe I favour Bonjasky) or a late stoppage.

K-1 Heavyweight title tournament
Chalid Die Faust vs Melvin Manhoef
Prediction- Manhoef by first round KO
Die Faust is as dangerous as they come when in form and has a bit of size over Manhoef, but Manhoef’s power and explosiveness should prove too much for the hot and cold Chalid. Manhoef I think will catch him heavily during an exchange and end matters with one punch midway through the first round.

Gokhan Saki vs Tyrone Spong
Prediction- Spong on points
I’m going purely off hype here but Spong has plenty of it. He’s won world titles in different organisations from 70kg up to his current weight (90-95kg). Whether he has the power to dent the chins of some of the best Heavyweights in the world or not remains to be seen and Saki may prove too experienced on the big stage, but should Spong live up to his hype Saki could be in trouble.

Either way, I don’t envy whoever wins this fight as Manhoef should prove too dangerous for either man. My overall pick is for Manhoef to win the entire thing and to do it in less then 10 total minutes of fighting. For the competition he’s up against, and I’m not saying it’s bad, I think he brings too much for all three guys right now. Saki has the best chance of upsetting him as he has solid technique with some size behind it, but I think Manhoef would find his chin eventually and end matters.

Peter Aerts vs Errol Zimmerman
Prediction- Aerts by 3rd round KO
Old timer vs young gun and it’s one that’s hard to pick. I’m going with Aerts to outlast Zimmerman and stop him late but it’s hard to know what he has left. Did he use the last ace in his hand against Schilt in September or does he have more up his sleeve? Zimmerman has speed and power and could make things ugly for Aerts if he doesn’t show up or if he’s indeed past his use by date, but he’s shown a lack of stamina in the later rounds in previous fights and if Aerts gets the sniff that I think he’ll get with his years of experience, I think he’ll turn the screws on Zimmerman and force a stoppage.

Jerome Le Banner vs Ewerton Teixera
Prediction- Teixera on points
I’m going for an upset here. I think Le Banner is used goods and Teixera’s style will give him fits if he isn’t in peak condition which I don’t think he will be. Teixera looked good against Zimmerman and while Le Banner is a different kettle of fish, I think he’ll be able to pick Le Banner’s assaults off and land clean counter shots of his own while frustrating the human refrigerator.

Glaube Feitosa vs Junichi Sawayashiki
Prediction- Feitosa by 2nd round KO
Interesting fight between two guys both in need of a win if they want to be in this years Final 16. I’m not at all sold on Sawayashiki and I think Feitosa has too much power for him. At some stage he’ll land and then we’ll see if Sawayashiki has what it takes to make it in K-1.

K-1/DREAM Update: Bonjasky vs Overeem March 28

With the endless supply of boxing and MMA so far this year, I’ve neglected the K-1 season which started two weeks ago on the 23rd of February. Now I still don’t fully understand how everything works and this is the first full season I’ll be watching, but at the MAX event there was an eight man tournament and I’m pretty sure the winner gets a spot in the final 16 for the MAX Grand Prix. Taishin Kohiruumaki won the tournament with a decision win over Yuya Yamamoto in the final after stopping Yahuhiro Kido and decisioning Andy Ologun earlier in the night. Also on the card, last years MAX semi finalist Yoshihiro Sato knocked out Sergey Golyaev and K-1 MAX 2002 Champion Albert Kraus won a decision over Su Hwan Lee.

The next K-1 event takes place March 28th and it’s a big one. There’s a tournament to determine the K-1 100kg champion after Hari was stripped of his title for his actions in the Grand Prix final last year against Remy Bonjasky. The four man tournament features Melvin Manhoef against Chalid Die Faust with the winner to meet the winner of the Gokhan Saki vs Ruslan Karaev rematch from last years GP Quarter Finals that saw Saki win via decision. This tournament should be explosive as the Karaev-Saki fight last year was superb and both Manhoef and Die Faust have serious power. I’d like to see Manhoef win and be a contestant in this years K-1 Grand Prix.

The main event sees K-1 Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky take on the man who destroyed Badr Hari at Dynamite, former PRIDE star Alistair Overeem. This matchup has major significance in the K-1 strikers vs MMA strikers debate as it pits arguably the best MMA Heavyweight striker against the K-1 champion and unlike the Badr Hari match, Bonjasky has had significant time to prepare for Overeem. A win for Overeem would make him a big money draw for the UFC should they look to sign him (Overeem was posing for photographs with Dana White at UFC 93) or it could set up a run for the K-1 title at the end of this year.

Also on the card is the rematch between Badr Hari and Errol Zimmerman (who I’m in complete shock about not being in the Heavyweight title tournament) which was an excellent fight last year with both guys being knocked down before Hari won with a third round knockout. Last years quarter finalists Jerome Le Banner and Ewerton Teixera face off as well as Final 16 contestants Glaube Feitosa and Junichi Sawayashiki, two guys who will have to go through qualifying (or get voted in by the fans) in order to make it back this year.

This weekend however is the first DREAM event of the year. DREAM.7 features 6 of the first 7 fights of the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix with the other fight to take place at DREAM.8 (plus Kid Yamamoto receiving a bye to make up the final 8). The other fights see Tatsuya Kawajiri and Mitsuhiro Ishida in seperate bouts and Shinya Aoki fighting at Welterweight against Ross Gardner (Aoki is the current favourite for the Welterweight Grand Prix starting at DREAM.8). My picks for the Grand Prix matches are as follows:

Masakatsu Imanari vs Astushi Yamamoto (Imanari by submission 0-10 mins)
Hiroyuki Takaya vs Jong Won Kim (Takaya by KO 0-10 mins)
Yoshiro Maeda vs Micah Miller (Maeda by KO 10-15 mins)
Chase Beebe vs Joe Warren (Beebe by submission 0-10 mins)
Takafumi Otsuka vs Bibiano Fernandes (Fernandes on points)
Akiyo Nishiura vs Abel Callum (Callum by submission 0-10 mins)

Enjoy the action this weekend! The DREAM card caps off a quality weekend with UFC 96 and a decent HBO card on.

DREAM/K-1 Dynamite looking good

I recently read an article about the upcoming DREAM/K-1 New Years Show which will feature a mixture of K-1 rules and DREAM MMA rules matches. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this fight card is looking. The things I was worried about were 1) a lack of Fedor who was meant to headline and b) a lack of Cro Cop-Alastair Overeem rematch which I’m still not sure why it was scrapped (help someone?). Still, a few of the K-1 WGP competitors have backed up and a few of the lightweights have stepped up to make this a very interesting card and one I will definately cover. I’m not sure what the main event will be and I don’t care because this is a stacked card for the hardcore MMA fans. In no particular order, here are the fights of interest:

Semmy Schilt vs Mighty Mo (MMA)
Whether this was K-1 or DREAM rules, Schilt is going to tear him a new one. Still, it’ll be good to see where Schilt’s confidence level is after losing to Aerts in the Final 16 as well as how he looks in MMA after a few years of not really competing in the sport on a full time basis.

Mirko Cro Cop vs Hong Man Choi
Not sure what rules this fight is under (again help somebody?) but this will be interesting either way. Fedor had trouble getting Choi on his back so this will be a stand-up war whether forced or by force of habbit between a former K-1 runner up in Cro Cop and a man mountain who troubles everyone in Hong Man. With 4oz gloves on it’ll be interesting to see how Cro Cops chin holds up to someone like Hong Man.

Mark Hunt vs Jerome Le Banner (MMA Rules)
So I hear anyway. Both guys are very similar standing up but due to Hunt’s MMA experience he’ll have a huge advantage if he gets Le Banner on his back, especially with the weight advantage. If this is indeed MMA rules I expect Hunt to win by ground and pound.

Eddie Alvarez vs Shinya Aoki
MMA rules of course here for what should have been the DREAM lightweight grand prix final. This will be an interesting scrap with Alvarez having the huge edge in strength and standing up and Aoki having a huge advantage on the ground. The winner will likely get a shot at the winner of the JZ vs Joachim Hansen fight on the same card for the title should DREAM not go bankrupt next year.

Joachin Hansen vs Gesias ‘JZ’ Calvacante
Another great fight here. I expect this to be fight of the night with both guys liking to bang on their feet. I’m leaning towards JZ by close decision but it could go either way.

Kazuhsi Sakuraba vs Kiyoshi Tamura
A battle between Japanese MMA pioneers/legends. As long as one guy doesn’t get injured walking into the ring it should be an excellent fight. I think Tamura might go to work on Sakuraba’s dodgey knees with his leg kicks and may score a stoppage in this fight.

Artur Kyshenko vs Yoshihiro Sato (K-1 Rules)
I really don’t know much about either guy other then they’re both K-1 MAX super stars. If MAX is all it’s cracked up to be then this could be a war!

Gegard Mousasi vs MUSASHI (K-1 Rules)
Strange fight this one. MUSASHI is a bigger guy but he’s been in shit form lately and why they’re getting Mousasi to go up in weight and fight a Heavyweight K-1 fighter in K-1 rules is a mystery to anyone. Even their name’s are the same which will make things confusing.

Oh, a quick word on the site. Next year looks like a go for boxing rankings and maybe MMA rankings for the five main divisions. Also I will be writing a feature article at the start of each month based on whatever anyone wants me to write it on. January’s will be the end of year awards. I’m looking to do things in there like ’10 greatest fights of the 80s’ or ‘Best MMA fighters of the 90s’ etc where basically I’m given a topic and I’ll go and research it for a month by watching fight films etc and then do an article on it for all you guys to flame me over. If anyone has anything in particular for February’s edition then post it in this thread. First decent idea in will get their choice. Expect a UFC 92 Predictions article and recap, a K-1 predictions article and recap plus the end of year awards and Rankings up over the next two-three weeks.

K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 Results

I thoroughly enjoyed this event. This was my first live taste of K-1 and I thought it was fucking fantastic. There might have only been the one stoppage (well there was two but only one was proper) but the fights were mostly entertaining and the fact that they were all heading towards something made each fight more interesting. The build-up to the Aerts-Schilt fourth fight made that fight in particular highly anticipated.

Ruslan Karaev KO2 Chalid ‘Die Faust’
Fight of the night by far! This was an absolute slugfest with the better skilled fighter Karaev dominating most of the fight but the hard punching ‘Die Faust’ equalising the fight with his murderous power. Karaev dominated the first half of the round before he got decked by a right hand. He then came back to drop ‘Die Faust’ three times in the second round to win the fight by stoppage. Karaev’s chin seems to be his downfall and I think he has a chance of making the semi finals but I’ll be surprised if he is one of the two finalists.

Jerome Le Banner UD3 Junichi Sawayashiki
Le Banner is an imposing figure in the ring and Sawayashiki didn’t have the firepower to deal with him. Unlike a few of the other fights that went three rounds, this one didn’t need an extra round. Le Banner pushed the action from start to finish and was the clear winner of every round. My main problem with Le Banner is that he’s so mechanical; almost like a K-1 version of Vitali Klitschko. Against the smoother technicians I think he will struggle. Still, I think Le Banner has a strong chance at taking his first K-1 title this year.

Gokhan Saki UD (Ex. 1) Ray Sefo
I did think Sefo was up after the first three rounds but the fight was very close and the fact that Sefo was in such bad shape after three rounds shows that he wasn’t going to be in contention for the Final 8. Saki let Sefo fight his fight a bit too much and should have tried to use his speed a bit more, but even though I thought Sefo was in front after three rounds, Saki was in much better shape and the right guy went through to the finals. Saki, like Karaev (infact thats who he’s fighting, but I’ll get to that shortly) might make the semis, but I doubt he goes further.

Errol Zimmerman UD3 Glaube Feitosa
Zimmerman lived up to expectations and handed Feitosa a beating in the first two rounds. Zimmerman’s speed is incredible and he puts together a great variety of combinations with power. A few things that I think Zimmerman needs to work on is 1) not getting so right hand happy; he probably could have put Feitosa away if he didn’t throw his money punch time after time and instead used other shots to set it up and 2) his stamina; Feitosa came back and won the 3rd round after Zimmerman gassed. Lets say this was a semi final of the final 8. Had Zimmerman fought once already that night he likely would have lost that fight due to his fatigue (thats assuming Feitosa could have stayed standing after his first fight of course). I think Zimmerman has a good chance at making the final, but it’ll definately depend on his stamina. Either way, I think Zimmerman will win his first K-1 World Grand Prix within five years.

Remy Bonjasky UD3 Paul Slowinski
I underrated Slowinski a lot in this fight, he really made a good fight of it and I thought that it should have gone another round. I honestly thought the fight wasn’t as one sided as the commentators made out and that it could have gone either way after the three rounds. Slowinski was landing more shots, Bonjasky was landing harder shots. I hope Slowinski is brought back to fight in an alternate fight as he was one of the better fighters who lost on Saturday night. Bonjasky looked a little rusty, but I’m sure he’ll be fine come finals time and he has a very good shot to claim his third crown.
PS- Bonjasky’s walk-out music was ficking ace! For those of you who don’t know, he walked out to Charles Bronson’s characters theme music from ‘One Upon a Time in the West’

Ewerton Teixera UD3 Musashi
Honestly, get rid of both of them and let the loser of the Aerts-Schilt fight take the eigth place. I’d be happy to never see either of these guys fight again. To be fair on Teixera, it was mroe Musashi who wasn’t there to win and should retire. I can’t see Teixera getting past the first round in the finals.

Badr Hari TKO (Ex. 1) Hong Man Choi
The fight was ruled a draw and Hong Man Choi’s trainer threw in the towel before the first overtime round. Hari controlled 8 mins 55 secs of the 9 mins and then got dropped. Even with the knockdown I still had him up 29-28. The judge that scored for Hong Man Choi should be shot. Hari looked as good as you can when you fight someone that much bigger then you. When he fights someone a mroe suitable height he’ll look a lot better and should he make it past his quarter final fight I think he could win the lot.

Peter Aerts UD3 Semmy Schilt
Thats right, the three time defending champion won’t be in the main bracket at the finals. I assume Schilt will come in as an alternate, but someone will have to pull out for him to get a chance to defend his title. Aerts did what he had to, he got inside and he outworked Schilt. I had Aerts up 29-28 (I gave Schilt the first round) and, even though I do think it should have gone an extra round or two, I’m glad it didn’t as I wanted to see Aerts win. Depending on how his body holds up over three rounds, I think Aerts is a good chance to win his fourth crown and tie Ernesto Hoost’s record.

The Final Match-ups
The match-ups were selected after the fights. After Karaev (3rd), Bonjasky (4th) and Zimmerman (2nd) chose where they wanted to fight instead of who, Gokhan Saki selected Ruslan Karaev as his opponent. Next up Teixera chose Zimmerman as his opponent. Aerts had the option of fighting either Bonjasky or letting Le Banner choose between him and Bonjasky and he decided to be the first fight of the finals and let Le Banner take his choice. Le Banner left Badr Hari to face Aerts and chose to face Bonjasky for the second time.
The way the draw stands, the winner of Aerts-Hari will face the winner of Zimmerman-Teixera and the winner of Bonjasky-Le Banner will fight the winner of Karaev-Saki. Going off this, I expect Peter Aerts to face Remy Bonjasky in the Final match. I think Zimmerman will breeze through Teixera, but other then that anything could happen. I think either Aerts or Hari will be too experienced for Zimmerman, but if they have a hard fight it might gift Zimmerman a finals spot. I also think the same with Bonjasky and Le Banner in that they should handle either of Karaev or Saki easily (I honestly don’t have any idea who will win that fight) but depending on how they handle each other it could be difficult. It could very well end up being two of the regional titlists facing each other in the final after the experienced guys beat each other up. Either way I can’t wait for December 6th and not because of De La Hoya vs Pacquiao!

PS- Did I mention that I got 7/8 in my first go at picking K-1?

K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 starts tonight

I decided to expand my interests. Basically for about ten years boxing was my life. I’d follow the sport very closely, watch any live fights I could see and come online for updates on a Sunday afternoon when I couldn’t see the fights. Then I saw MMA. Now boxing and MMA are basically my life. I’m a little older now so work is thrown into that as well as training but whenever I get spare time I watch boxing or MMA whether it be old or current. Instead of finding another interest outside of people bashing each others brains in, I’ve decided to start following kickboxing. The K-1 Grand Prix was advertised in my pay TV guide about a month ago so I’ve spent that time trying to watch as much as I can. Tomorrow night the 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix begins with the first round of elimination bouts. I’m no K-1 expert (I don’t claim to be an expert about MMA or boxing, I just know a fuckload more about it then the average moron) so if any K-1 enthusiasts read this and are cool enough to comment to put me straight then go for it. I’ve read and watched through as much as I can get my hands on (which is anything on youtube or articles I can find) and this is basically what I’ve noted with the fighters competing. One of my favourite boxers fights this weekend (Shane Mosley) and I really don’t give a crap compared to how much I’m looking forward to this.

The fighters
Here is the lineup for this years K-1 World Grand Prix (which will now be referred to as the ‘K-1 WGP’). For those of you who (up until a few weeks ago) didn’t really know how K-1 worked, they have four or five qualifying events throughout the year to deterime some of the spots in the final 16. Eight of those spots are made up of last years final eight, and the remaining spots are wild cards.

Last Years Finalists

Semmy Schilt
- 2005, 2006, 2007 K-1 WGP Champion
- The only man to win three K-1 WGP titles in a row
- The defending three time K-1 WGP champion
- Has never lost a fight in a K-1 WGP

Record against other competitors
Peter Aerts (2-1), Remy Bonjasky (2-0), Jerome Le Banner (3-0), Glaube Feitosa (3-0), Musashi (2-0), Paul Slowinski (1-0), Ray Sefo (2-0)
Hong Man Choi (0-1)

Schilt is a rare breed of fighter in that he started in MMA and was a top heavyweight there for a while and then transferred to kickboxing and started kicking arse there Usually you get the top kickboxers coming into MMA, but Schilt trained his grappling as well as his karate for years (and even won fights by submission) before he switched to K-1. Schilt basically retired from MMA after being TKO’d by Sergei Kharitonov in the PRIDE 2004 Open Weight Grand Prix Quarter Finals and then knocked out Remy Bonjasky at the 2005 K-1 WGP Semi Finals on his way to winning his first crown. The last two K-1 WGP’s, Schilt fought Peter Aerts in the final, winning a war in 2006 based on a 2nd round knockdown and then winning by 1st round stoppage last year after Aerts hurt his knee. Schilt is the heavy favourite to win again this year.

Remy Bonjasky
- 2003, 2004 K-1 WGP Champion
- 2006, 2007 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist
- One of only four men to win back to back K-1 WGP titles

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-2), Jerome Le Banner (0-1), Peter Aerts (0-1), Musashi (2-0), Ray Sefo (1-0), Badr Hari (1-0), Glaube Feitosa (1-0), Hong Man Choi (1-0)

Bonjasky is a very dangerous fighter who is one of the favourites to win this years K-1 WGP. The last wo years injuries have made it hard for him to fight at his best in crucial bouts. In 2006 he had to drop out of the tournament due to groin strikes and last year he was lacklustre in his semi final matchup against Peter Aerts after a three round war with Badr Hari. If Bonjasky can make to the semi finals in better condition this year, he’ll likely spoil another fighters K-1 dream.

Jerome Le Banner
- 1995, 2002 K-1 WGP Finalist
- 1999, 2007 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist
- Hailed as ‘the best fighter never to win a K-1 WGP title’

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-3), Remy Bonjasky (1-0), Peter Aerts (1-3), Hong Man Choi (2-0), Musashi (1-0), Ray Sefo (0-1), Junichi Sawayashiki (0-1)

Le Banner is K-1′s under achiever. He always seems to make a mess of his chance when he gets it. Le Banner hits fucking hard with 59 KOs from 73 career wins and is probably (again) the hardest puncher in this years event. Le Banner hasn’t won since last years K-1 WGP Finals event and I think most fans are hoping he won’t be ring rusty going into tonights event.

Peter Aerts
- 1994, 1995, 1998 K-1 WGP Champion
- 2006, 2007 K-1 WGP Finalist
- 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist
- Only man to compete in every K-1 WGP Finals Event
- First man to win three K-1 WGP titles
- First man to win back to back K-1 WGP titles

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (1-2), Remy Bonjasky (1-0), Jerome Le Banner (3-1), Ray Sefo (2-1), Musashi (2-1), Glaube Feitosa (2-0), Junichi Sawayashiki (1-0)

Aerts is the K-1 veteran. He’s appeared in every K-1 WGP Finals Event and has made five finals, winning three of them. Aerts made the semi finals of the original K-1 WGP after knocking out future UFC heavyweight Champion Maurice Smith and then came back the following year to win his first crown. Aerts is probably the sentimental favourite to win the tournament this year as he is nearing the end of his career and has come close in the last two years; dropping a close decision to Semmy Schilt in a war in 2006 before blowing his knee out in last years final against Schilt.

Badr Hari
- 2007/2008 (Current) K-1 100kg Champion

Record against other competitors
Remy Bonjasky (0-1), Glaube Feitosa (1-0), Paul Slowinski (1-0), Ruslan Karaev (1-1), Ray Sefo (1-0), Gokhan Saki (1-0)

Hari is one of the dark horses in this years K-1 WGP event. Despite being small compared to some of the other fighters in the tournament, Hari is one of the most explosive fighters in the World. His power is probably only bettered by Jerome Le Banner and even though his won titles at a lighter weight division, at 6’5 he’s got more then enough size to handle the bigger fighters. Hari is on a three fight winning streak since dropping a decision to Remy Bonjasky at last years Finals event including wins over Rey Sefo and Glaube Feitosa by first round knockout.

Glaube Feitosa
- 2005 K-1 WGP Finalist
- 2006 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-3), Remy Bonjasky (0-1), Peter Aerts (0-2), Badr Hari (0-1), Chalid Arrab (1-0), Musasi (2-0-1), Paul Slowinski (1-0), Ruslan Karaev (1-0)

Feitosa came in as an alternate in the 2005 K-1 WGP event and won with a dramatic flying knee knockout over Musashi to earn a spot in the finals with Schilt. Despite losing to Schilt in the first round, his flying knee knockout of Musashi puts him in the minds of K-1 fans forever. Feitosa has consistently fought the best fighters around through his entire career and his record of 16 wins-15 losses is very deceiving. He’ll make a fight with anyone out there into a dog fight.

Hong Man Choi
- World’s largest Professional Fighter (7’2, 350lb)

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (1-0), Remy Bonjasky (0-1), Jerome Le Banner (0-2)

Hong Man Choi is the largest fighter in the tournament and is the only one to have a winning record over defending champion Semmy Schilt. This is Choi’s third K-1 WGP event. He qualified for the 2005 event with a points win over Bob Sapp before being eliminated by Remy Bonjasky in the Quarter Finals. Last year he defeated Mighty Mo by decision in the elimination round before losing out to Le Banner in the quarter finals. Since then he fought PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko in an MMA match, losing by first round armbar.

Junichi Sawayashiki

Record against other competitors
Jerome Le Banner (1-0), Peter Aerts (0-1), Musashi (0-1)

The young Japanese hopeful last year, Sawayashiki shocked the World with a win over Jerome Le Banner in the round of 16. In the final event, Sawayashiki was shown up by veteran fighter Peter Aerts and was knocked out in the first round. Two KO losses since give his fans little hope of him going far this year, but if he can reproduce the form that saw him beat Le Banner last year who knows?

Wild Cards

Paul Slowinski

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-1), Badr Hari (0-1), Glaube Feitosa (0-1), Gokhan Saki (0-1)

Representing Australia, I hope Slowinski does well. Slowinski was eliminated in the first round by reigning champion Semmy Schilt last year, but defeated Mighty Mo in an alternate fight at the Finals event, which is likely what earned him his wild card into this years tournament.

Chalid Arrab

Record against other competitors
Musashi (1-0), Glaube Feitosa (0-1)

‘Die Faust’ returns this year after losing to Feitosa in the first round last year. Arrab is famous for his come from behind win over UFC and PRIDE veteran Gary Goodridge at the K-1 las Vegas event in 2006 where he got up from two knockdowns to win the title by 3rd round knockout. Two weeks before that event Arrab was involved in a serious car accident. Due to his power and determination, Arrab is a dangerous fight for anyone.

Ray Sefo
- 2000 K-1 WGP Finalist
- 2002 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-2), Remy Bonjasky (0-1), Jerome Le Banner (1-0), Peter Aerts (1-2), Badr Hari (0-1), Musashi (1-2), Ruslan Karaev (2-0)

Sefo returns to the K-1 WGP again this year, making it his eigth appearance in the event. Sefo is unlikely to get far in this years event and seems to be at the end of a solid career having lost six of his last seven fights. Peter Aerts was his nemesis last year, forcing Sefo to remian on his stool after taking a beating in the first round.

Musashi
- 2003, 2004 K-1 WGP Finalist
- 1996, 2005 K-1 WGP Semi Finalist
- Made the K-1 Japan event finals five times in a row (winning four of them)
- One of only two Japanese fighters to make the K-1 WGP Final

Record against other competitors
Semmy Schilt (0-2), Remy Bonjasky (0-2), Jerome Le Banner (0-1), Peter Aerts (1-2), Ray Sefo (2-1), Glaube Feitosa (0-2-1), Ruslan Karaev (1-0), Junichi Sawayashiki (1-0)

Musashi is a fan favourite in Japan and returns for his eighth K-1 WGP event. Best remembered for his fights with Remy Bonjasky in the 2003 and 2004 K-1 WGP Finals, Musashi is the typical Japanese warrior who makes a fight with anyone he fights but is often beaten badly because of his courage. Musashi hasn’t competed at a K-1 WGP event since being knocked out by Peter Aerts in the alternate match of the 2006 K-1 WGP.

Qualifiers

Errol Zimmerman
- K-1 2008 Qualifying Event (Amsterdam) Winner

Zimmerman is a dark horse to win this tournament despite being only 22 years old. The form he showed in the Amsterdam event shows that he could go far in this years event. Don’t be surprised if this unheralded fighter wins the lot!

Ewerton Teixera
- K-1 2008 Qualifying Event (Fukuoka) Winner

Not much is known of Teixera. From what I can find out, he’s only had a few fights and is by far the least experienced fighter in this event. As an underdog he won the Qualifying Event in Fukuoka, beating Keijiro Maeda (who had beaten Musashi earlier that night) in the final.

Ruslan Karaev
- K-1 2008 Qualifying Event (Taipei) Winner

Record against other competitors
Badr Hari (1-1), Ray Sefo (0-2), Glaube Feitosa (0-1), Musashi (0-1)

Karaev enters his first K-1 WGP tournament on the back of his qualifying wins in Taipei where he defeated three opponents by knockout in one night to qualify. Karaev has fought other competitors, including defeating current 100kg champion Badr Hari in 2006. Its hard to imagine Karaev going a long way in the tournament due to his size (6’2, 210lb) but it wouldn’t be the first time a smaller fighter has done well in K-1.

Gokhan Saki
- K-1 2008 Qualifying Event (Hawaii) Winner

Record against other competitors
Badr Hari (0-1), Paul Slowinski (1-0)

Saki won the Hawaii qualifying event in August with ease, winning his three fights in a total of 6:30. Most were expecting Mighty Mo to go through in this event, but he had to drop out after a tough first round fight. Saki is a young but experienced fighter who is riding a 10+ fight win streak including a knockout win over Paul Slowinski. Saki is another dark horse in this tournament and, like Zimmerman, could go far.

K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16 Matchups and Predictions

Ruslan Karaev vs Chalid ‘Die Faust’ Arrab
Prediction- Arrab by knockout
I think Die Faust will find his chin at some point in this fight and that will be all. From what I’ve seen of Karaev he is the better technician, but looks a little uncomfortable when pressured heavily. I think Die Faust will take the fight to him and crack him at some stage to win the fight by knockout.

Jerome Le Banner vs Junichi Sawayashiki
Prediction- Le Banner by knockout
Le Banners time is running out and I really don’t think they could have picked a better guy for him to fight in the first round to get him motivated. Hopefully he’s made the most of his year off, but if he comes in rusty he could suffer another embarrassing defeat to Sawayashiki. However, I think Le Banner will come in with a lot of intent and tear Junichi to shreds.

Gokhan Saki vs Ray Sefo
Prediction- Saki on points
Like Musashi, Sefo appears to be past his best and the young up and comer Saki should prove more youthful in this fight. Sefo is a dangerous man though and, like Musashi, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go through to the final eight but  I’m not picking him to win this fight. Saki to frustrate Sefo and maybe even stop him.

Glaube Feitosa vs Errol Zimmerman
Prediction- Zimmerman by knockout
From what I’ve seen of Zimmerman I think he’ll go far in this tournament. I think Feitosa, while extremely dangerous, is just one of the guys in his way. Like all of these fights with the new blood against the veterans I think Feitosa stands a great chance but I think Zimmerman will pepper him early and then finish big stopping him in the third round.

Remy Bonjasky vs Paul Slowinski
Prediction- Bonjasky by knockout
Slowinski has had another tough draw, this time drawing the second favourite to win the lot. I can’t see him beating Bonjasky who will be a real threat to Schilt or Aerts should he get through his first two fights unscathed. Bonjasky will go through Slowinski like a warm knife through butter. I can see this one ending with a first round knockout.

Musashi vs Ewerton Teixera
Prediction- Teixera by knockout
Even with just six fights I think Musashi is done as a top level fighter. I’d like to see him win his way through to the final eight, but I don’t think he will. Teixera is a gamble because of his inexperience and it could well be Aerts vs Sawayashiki all over again, but I don’t like Musashi’s chances in this fight.

Badr Hari vs Hong Man Choi
Prediction- Hari on points
Well if Hari’s size is going to be an issue in him under performing, we’re going to find out tonight. he’s facing the biggest fucker on the Earth with any real sort of ability to fight. Along with whoever wins out of Aerts-Schilt and Bonjasky I think Hari is the other guy with a real shot to win the whole thing (although I think Zimmerman is the real dark horse of this event). Hari should be able to get inside of Hari safely and outwork him on the inside to take a decision. It might go into extra rounds, but I think Hari will win nonetheless. Hari by close decision.

Peter Aerts vs Semmy Schilt
Prediction- Aerts on points
Yeah I’m crazy I know, but I think Aerts can win this. It sucks they gave him Schilt in the first round, but I think it’ll suck more for Schilt. Some records are meant to be broken, but some guys are just freaks who continue to defy the rules and I think Aerts falls into that category and will again qualify for the Final event. Aerts put up a good showing in their final fight in 2006 and I think without the previous fights of the night behind him, he could very well cause an upset and keep Schilt on the backfoot all fight. Either way, this should be fight of the night.