Issue 025
May 2007
By Stuart Tonkin
To the average MMA follower K-1 is little more than something Mirko Cro Cop did before he learnt how to fight, or some mystical level of striking skills to which Joe Rogan compares anyone that can throw a decent punch. I assure you it is quite a bit more. It is, in fact, the MMA of the stand-up fighting world. Muay Thai fighters, kickboxers, boxers, karateka, Olympic wrestlers, sumo wrestlers and even Olympic shot-put athletes all compete under one set of rules to become the holder of the most prestigious title of the stand-up world: The K-1 Grand Prix Championship. And yes, in K-1 Mirko was knocking out guys with his left high kick (and getting knocked out by black men with muscles and blonde hair) long before he made the move to MMA.
K-1 have spent the last two years trying to pull themselves out of a hole, created due to some terrible marketing and match making that managed to turn off even their most hardcore fans, as well as some judging the likes of which would have left even WWE boss Vince McMahon with at least one eyebrow permanently raised. A lot of the damage was caused by the obsession they had with discovering ‘the next Bob Sapp’, and as a result we were witness to some pitiful fights.
Recent damage-control has included the signing of some great up-and-coming talent, the use of some international judges for the Grand Prix events, and the re-opening of doors to some very talented karate fighters that were left in the dark due to political issues a few years ago. Their efforts have been appreciated by the true fans, but they have not yet managed to expand on their current fan base. A radical addition was needed, and somewhat surprisingly to many, K-1 has come up with a dignified blueprint that also manages to add some prestige to the fighters and the company itself.
In 2007 K-1 plans to crown three champions. The Grand Prix Champion (openweight) will be decided by winning the eight-man one-day tournament, just as it has been for the past 14 years. This year it will be held in December, and it is the belt all K-1 fighters strive for. In addition to this they have finally decided to sort out their match making by instituting heavyweight (u100kgs) and super heavyweight (+100kgs) divisions.
K-1 are set to lay the groundwork for their most ambitious plan to date. They plan to hold the first ever K-1 World Cup in 2011. The official event producer, Mr. Tanikawa, has made public their aim to hold events the world over to find champions that can represent each country in one of five weight classes. They will then bring these champions together every four years to find out who really is the best in the world. They already have a well developed middleweight circuit in Japan known as MAX, which is up to 70kg. In addition to MAX and the two other divisions which now make up K-1, they will start a lightweight (under 60kg) and a light heavyweight division (tentatively marked at under 85kg to keep in line with HERO’s). The year 2011 has been strategically chosen so as not to coincide with any other international events such as the Olympics or the soccer/rugby World Cups to ensure the maximum amount of coverage possible for K-1. With their current broadcasting contracts they already cover 135 countries.
The World Cup itself might be a little too far off to get worked up over, but the two K-1 weight class champions will be decided in March (super heavyweight) at K-1 Yokohama, and in April (heavyweight) at K-1 Hawaii. The other major reason for excitement is that many of the more devastating fighters on the circuit manage to win in exciting fashion due to the fact they don’t mind taking some damage to get the job done. When you need to fight three of the best kickboxers in the world over a span of about four hours, it is not hard to see why these fan favourites don’t always do so well in the Grand Prix. In single fights they can afford the luxury of going ‘balls to the wall’.
With two division champions needing to defend their belts and the resulting contender fights, as well as the one-day tournament always on the horizon, K-1 is once again set to explode. Add to that the prospect of the World Cup introducing hundreds if not thousands of currently undiscovered fighters onto the scene, and it is safe to say there has not been a better time to start following K-1. The so-called golden years of the 90’s fans like to nostalgically discuss pale in comparison to what could lie ahead.
