News K-1 announces return of the famous WGP + launch of global expansion, also plans to get back into MMA

[Trabaho]

K1 is my favorite organisation of all time. It died when they skipped a wp year and then sold the rights to FFC and Mirko won that lackluster HP where actually Glory's GP had more top names.

Would watch if it comes back.

Maybe go for 3 divisions.

Real K1 Was always open weight and K1 Max 70kg.

They could add a middle ground of 80kg or 85kg.

Though the beauty of K1 was it was the best kickboxing show globaly. At had all the best fighters.

Now if it comes back good luck getting the top guys from Glory and One FC to come over. One can hope.

But it has to be the primary best kickboxing org in the world to be real K1.

The WGPs were the 16 best guys globaly competing at HW and LW

So I don't expect it to come back like it used to

 

[Super2]

 

[PhilMcCavity]

K1 is back?!?!? That’s “groot nieuws!”

 

[Bobby Boulders]

LFG!!!!!!!

The return of Hero*s is upon us.

 

[TJ Dillashank]

K-1 is looking to expand globally, having invited ONE Championship, GLORY, KSW, RISE, KOK, and many more organizations to participate in the heavyweight World Grand Prix and qualifying tournaments all around the world.
The winners of those qualifying tournaments are supposed to meet in the “Final-8” WGP on the big New-Years-Eve event in Japan, just like it used to be back in the days.

K-1 also wants to get back into the MMA business and organize events with help of UFC-Hall-of-Fame athlete and legendary PRIDE FC figure Kazushi Sakuraba.
During the early 2000's K-1 also worked with other MMA-organizations in its 'Dynamite' series, with the premise of K-1 athletes facing off against fighters from PRIDE FC, DREAM and Sengoku.
Rumors state that K-1 is looking to resurrect the 'Dynamite' name with major annual events.

Great news, especially for OG combat sports fans!
This should bring back memories from the late 90’s / early 00’s

Report from one of my colleagues from MainEventNL:



Report from BeyondKick:

Im a newer fan but holly shit we need another grand pre

Also need a lightweight one if you ask me

 

[NoSmilez]

Dunno if I agree with this statement remotely. Japan basically runs every weight class 147 and below with the occasional top Thai talent stepping in.

55KG is also one of the best weight classes in the sport right now by far. Hard to say they don't have talent.

These aren't even the traditional K1 weight classes. It is not going to be pre 2012 K1.

 

[Siver!]

K-1 is looking to expand globally, having invited ONE Championship, GLORY, KSW, RISE, KOK, and many more organizations to participate in the heavyweight World Grand Prix and qualifying tournaments all around the world.
The winners of those qualifying tournaments are supposed to meet in the “Final-8” WGP on the big New-Years-Eve event in Japan, just like it used to be back in the days.

K-1 also wants to get back into the MMA business and organize events with help of UFC-Hall-of-Fame athlete and legendary PRIDE FC figure Kazushi Sakuraba.
During the early 2000's K-1 also worked with other MMA-organizations in its 'Dynamite' series, with the premise of K-1 athletes facing off against fighters from PRIDE FC, DREAM and Sengoku.
Rumors state that K-1 is looking to resurrect the 'Dynamite' name with major annual events.

Great news, especially for OG combat sports fans!
This should bring back memories from the late 90’s / early 00’s

Report from one of my colleagues from MainEventNL:



Report from BeyondKick:

I wouldn't say I grew up with K-1 exactly, but it definitely was operating in the background while I tried to figure out who everyone was in MMA.

It took me a good few years to really get to grips with MMA, and K-1 was always kinda referenced or happening somewhere separately.

I hope they get some exciting stuff going!

 

[wildchild88]

If Japan can get anywhere even slightly close to oldschool K-1 vibes, then I'll get a ticket to Tokyo just to watch it.

 

[BoxerMaurits]

Glory is still the best org for 170 pounds and up. however, below that its all a pick em. 154 pounds goes to ONE fc easily. K-1 MAX tier talent right now with Allazov, Superbon, Sittichai, Marat and Ozcan. 147 Glory does have a beast of a champ in Petch but I still think RISE and K-1 have plenty of guys to beat him. 130s, 120s and 110s are all a race between K-1 and RISE. RISE just had a big quarter final to its 122 pound tournament.

Man, my biggest wish is that GLORY trades their featherweight champ Petpanomrung for ONE’s heavyweight champ Roman Kryklia.
Kryklia literally has cleaned out the competition in ONE (maybe the Rade Opačić rematch is there, but that’s it. I say bring in Opačić too! Lol), so it’ll be interesting to see how Kryklia will do in the by far better heavyweight division of GLORY.

The same goes for Petch in GLORY, at featherweight. Ofcourse there’s a few upcoming guys Petch hasn’t fought yet, like Ahmad Chikh Mousa who put on a great fight against the champ not too long ago, but I feel like there’s bigger fish to fry for Petch in ONE Championship.
There’re just so many fun matchups for him, in kickboxing aswell as muay thai, at 145lbs aswell as 155lbs (I know he recently challenged GLORY’s lightweight champ Tyjani Beztati and lost, and although Petch certainly didn’t look bad at all he also didn’t look like he was going to give Tyjani a world of trouble playing the long distance game against a much bigger and taller Beztati, I think he’ll have way more success against “normal” sized lightweights. Petch vs Tayfun Özcan for example would be a hell lot fun and maybe even give flashbacks to Petch vs Robin van Roosmalen, Dutch style vs Thai style).
So let’s give the fans what they want and trade those guys!

Champ vs champ fight: Tyjani Beztati vs Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9
(Look at the ridiculous size difference, lol. I’m sure Petch will have more success against normal sized lightweights):

 

[KID Yamamoto]

These aren't even the traditional K1 weight classes. It is not going to be pre 2012 K1.

K-1 had been marketing 63kg and below for years. They had a big 63kg MAX tournament in 2010 lmao


Also K-1 isn't just Heavyweight and 70KG. Their biggest star since Masato fights between 122-135 pounds. Takeru is the biggest current star in the sport these aren't pointless weightclasses lol.

 

[BoxerMaurits]

Im a newer fan but holly shit we need another grand pre

Also need a lightweight one if you ask me

I agree.
I’m sure you already know about it, but GLORY will organize an 8-man heavyweight Grand Prix in December, with all the big names.
On August 19 there’s a very fun 4-man qualifier tournament with the winner getting a ticket to the December Grand Prix, and on September 9 Badr Hari will fight James McSweeney in Paris (I’ll be there) with a WGP-ticket on the line aswell.
I’m hearing Alistair Overeem and Jamal Ben Saddik (probably) will get a wildcard to participate in the tournament. Hopefully Rico Verhoeven will fight in the tournament aswell and it’ll be fucking legendary.

Talking about 155lbs aka the K-1 MAX GP, a year ago ONE did a Grand Prix at 155lbs and (although it wasn’t a one-night tournament, which would’ve been way better) it delivered some absolutely great freaking high-level fights.
Chingiz Allazov won the thing which led to him dismantling Superbon Banchamek a few months later. I’m kindly waiting for the rematch

 

[NoSmilez]

K-1 had been marketing 63kg and below for years. They had a big 63kg MAX tournament in 2010 lmao


Also K-1 isn't just Heavyweight and 70KG. Their biggest star since Masato fights between 122-135 pounds. Takeru is the biggest current star in the sport these aren't pointless weightclasses lol.

Look at what happened in 2010. Honestly that was the fall of K1. I don't know why you keep wanting to debate this weird issue. If you want a 63 kg division then it is fine. It's not going to be K1 of old.

 

[SoSo]

Started watching K1 when Ray Sefo was the biggest thing since sliced bread in NZ kickboxing. They even broadcast it on regular TV on channel 3 late on Friday nights if I remember properly. TV 3 when it first became a channel used to show highlights from Australian kickboxing. Stan the Man etc.. Years before they broadcast K1. Then Mark Hunt came along. 100% recommend his book by the way. Dude had a messed up South Auckland upbringing. Around the same time was UFC VHS from blockbuster followed a couple years later by Pride rips on a cd at a horrendous bit rate from a friend of a friend. Good times.

I know K1 has still been doing its thing this whole time, but an open weight GP with a good purse might bring back some of the glory days. Maybe after they get one in the bag again we might see some decent fighters not signed to the UFC show up. One can hope anyway.

 

[rob mafia]

i used to watch them whenever i could back in the day. recently, seem to only catch k'festa (sometimes watching it alongside a rizin airing at the same time), but the k'festa shows have been great.

kickboxing is fractured as hell just in japan, let alone the world. but i hope they can pull off both solid WGPs and mma, ala heroes/dynamite (shit, remember romanex? haha)

 

[Barteh]

Started watching K1 when Ray Sefo was the biggest thing since sliced bread in NZ kickboxing. They even broadcast it on regular TV on channel 3 late on Friday nights if I remember properly. TV 3 when it first became a channel used to show highlights from Australian kickboxing. Stan the Man etc.. Years before they broadcast K1. Then Mark Hunt came along. 100% recommend his book by the way. Dude had a messed up South Auckland upbringing. Around the same time was UFC VHS from blockbuster followed a couple years later by Pride rips on a cd at a horrendous bit rate from a friend of a friend. Good times.

I know K1 has still been doing its thing this whole time, but an open weight GP with a good purse might bring back some of the glory days. Maybe after they get one in the bag again we might see some decent fighters not signed to the UFC show up. One can hope anyway.

Mark Hunt has a book? He seems like one of the dumbest and most illiterate guys around. I bet his life story is interesting though.

 

[mjfan23]

Yes!!!

 

[Kryptt]

I'll watch their MMA segment if it looks half decent and easy access.

 

[Vegesus44]

After Badr Hari stomped out Remmy back in the day, no one should watch that corrupt crap.

Just a narrative for gangsters making money.

I'm still salty as fuck about that fight.

 

[theincognito]

Excellent. There was nothing like the world GP.

I doubt it can ever reach the same level again though. That was a golden age of HW kickboxing.

 

[Ace70 V2]

Bring back the legends. Aerts, Hoost, Le Banner, and Bonjasky.