The world’s most famous kickboxing event promotion company is coming back to Yoyogi this spring with a top-of-the-line card packed with highly anticipated bouts.
K-1 World GP is keeping their focus on the one-day tournament format, in which the winner of three consecutive fights will be crowned champion.
This time the tournament is for fighters who weigh in at 55 kg and below—also known as the Super Bantam class.
Though rather small and light, these fighters more than compensate for their lack of size with amazing technique and speed.
Spectators who are new to bouts featuring lighter weight fighters are typically amazed by how much power these fighters can deliver and just how many of these fights end in knockouts. Japan naturally excels in the lighter class and constantly produces top-class fighters, who usually compete in the local Krush league.
Out of the eight fighters—four Japanese and four international—the biggest name is the Japanese national Takeru. The favorite to win this tournament boasts a record of 17 fights and 16 wins—10 of them by knockout.
You can check him out in action here:
But as exciting as the tournament is, it is just an appetizer to the main dish of the night, the fight between two of the arguably best kickboxers in the world: Thailand’s Kaew Fairtex and Japan’s Masaaki Noiri.
Other much anticipated matchups include 60 KG K-1 champion Koya Urabe vs Spain’s Javier Hernandez and Soda Yasuomi vs Yuta Kubo.
—Asi Rinestine
When: April 19th from 16:00
Where: Yoyogi National Stadium, Gymnasium 2 (see map below)
How much: ¥6,000 to ¥30,000
More information: www.k-1wg.com
Masaaki Noiri
Kaew Fairtex
