K-1 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii

Kazuyoshi Ishii

is a Japanese master of Seidokaikan karate and founder of the K-1 fighting circuit, a widely televised international martial arts competition combining Muay Thai, karate, sanshou, taekwondo, kenpo, boxing, and kickboxing...

, a former
Kyokushin

Kyokushin

is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui . Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training...

karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

, Karate

Karate

, Taekwondo

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

, Savate

Savate

Savate , also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay...

, San Shou

San shou

Sanshou or Sanda or an "unsanctioned fight" is a Chinese hand-to-hand self-defense system and combat sport. Sanshou is a martial art which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the intense study and practices of traditional Kung Fu and modern combat fighting techniques; it...

, kickboxing, western-style boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, and other martial arts. Its rules are similar to those of kickboxing but they have been simplified to promote exciting matches that may end in a knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

win. The main difference between K-1 rules and kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

is the use of knees, allowed in K-1 but not in International kickboxing.

There are K-1 Regional Elimination Tournaments which qualify fighters for the K-1 World Grand Prix

K-1 World Grand Prix

K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in...

, along with licensed K-1 Fighting Network events designed to develop new talent internationally and there is also a 70 kg (154 lb) Middleweight division called K-1 MAX ("Middleweight Artistic Xtreme"). In 2007, K-1 introduced two new Title belts separate from K-1 World GP Champions, Super Heavyweight World Title for fighters over 100 kg/220 lbs and Heavyweight World Title for fighters under 100 kg/156–220 lbs.

The letter K

K is the eleventh letter of the English and basic modern Latin alphabet.-History and usage:In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive; this sound is also transcribed by in the International Phonetic Alphabet and X-SAMPA....

in K-1 is officially designated by the organisation as a representation of words karate

Karate

, kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

and kung fu.

History

K-1's predecessor Seidokaikan

Seidokaikan

is a style of full contact karate, or Knockdown karate, founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii in 1980.-History:First formed in 1980 by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a former Kyokushin Karate practitioner who began his training under Hideyuki Ashihara in 1969...

Karate was formed in 1980 by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a former Kyokushin karate practitioner who had formed his own organization to help promote the best stand-up martial artists. Seidokaikan arranged several successful challenge events against other martial arts organizations, originally using rules based on the Kyokushin Knockdown karate rules, but gradually adapting and changing closer to kickboxing rules. In 1993, Mr. Ishii founded the K-1 organization exclusively as a kickboxing organization, closely cooperating with, but independent from Seidokaikan.

Broadcast deal

On November 21, 2008 HDNet Fights

HDNet Fights

HDNet Fights is a US based mixed martial arts promotion and a television outlet for various other MMA and combat sports promotions. Its broadcast lineup included DREAM, Sengoku, K-1 and K-1 Max, Strikeforce, Adrenaline MMA, SportFight, Ring of Fire, Ring of Combat, M-1 Global, Ring of Honor,...

announced its partnership with then owner Fighting and Entertainment Group

Fighting and Entertainment Group

Fighting and Entertainment Group is the leading Japanese combat sport promoter. Its current president is Sadaharu Tanikawa and it is the parent company behind the mixed martial arts series Dream and formerly, the largest kickboxing promotion in the world, K-1.On December 31, 2010 after the Dream...

to air K-1 events in North America.

On March 30, 2010 K-1 has teamed up with one of their broadcast partners, Fuji TV, to film the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama in 3D, being the first combat sports show to be filmed fully in 3D.

Financial Problems

Starting in 2010, multiple stories began to surface regarding the financial troubles of K-1 and their parent company FEG. Simon Rutz, the owner of the Dutch-based kickboxing promotion It's Showtime

It's Showtime

It's Showtime is a kickboxing and mixed martial arts promotion based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded by Simon Rutz in 1998 and held its first show in 1999. They are known to cross promote their events with K-1 and other European promotions from Italy, Belgium and England...

, claimed in January 2011 that some fighters from It's Showtime had not been paid for fights in K-1.

In early 2011, the company publicly announced that they were facing financial problems and would take some months off to restructure. It has been speculated that the financial problems are severe, so FEG can end up losing the ownership of K-1.

The organization along with most of its trademarks (with the notable exception of K-1 MAX) was sold to Japanese real estate firm Barbizon Co. Ltd. on July 28, 2011.

K-1 Grand Prix

Throughout the year there are 6 K-1 World Grand Prix tournaments and 4 main K-1 MAX events. The winners will qualify to the K-1 and the K-1 MAX WGP Final Eliminations held in Osaka Dome

Osaka Dome

Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka...

, Japan. From there the final top 8 fighters will compete in the K-1 World GP Finals in Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...

, Japan.

List of K-1 events

Every year there are dozens of other K-1 qualifying tournaments and preliminaries all over the world.

To date K-1 has held events in 38 countries.

The following is a list of countries that K-1 has held events in chronological order: Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

(1993–2011) Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

(1994, 2001–2003, and 2006–2010) France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

(1995, 2002–2008, and 2010) Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

(1995–1999, 2000, and 2003) United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

(1998 and 2000–2008) Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

(2000–2005 and 2010) England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

(2000, 2002–2004, and 2006–2007) Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

(2000–2008) Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

(2000–2008) Belarus

Belarus

Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

(2000 and 2010) Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

(2000, 2002, 2007, and 2009–2010) South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

(2000–2002 and 2006) New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

(2000–2006) Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

(2000–2001 and 2006–2009) Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

(2001) Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

(2001–2002, 2006, and 2010) Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

(2002–2004, 2009, and 2011) Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

(2002–2006) Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

(2003–2010) Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

(2003, 2006, and 2010) Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

(2003–2004 and 2009) Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

(2004) Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

(2004 and 2006) Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

(2004 and 2007–2010) South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

(2004–2010) Canary Islands

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

(2005–2006 and 2009) Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

(2005–2006 and 2008) Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

(2005–2010) Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

(2006–2007 and 2010–2011) Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

(2006–2008) Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

(2007 and 2010) Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

(2007) Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

(2007 and 2009) Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

(2007 and 2009–2010) Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

(2007) Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

(2008) Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

(2008) Moldova

Moldova

Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...

(2009–2011)

Qualification and match-ups

The system of K-1 changes from time to time as a response to growing popularity in different parts of the world.

In the beginning, the K-1 series was a single tournament in Japan with fighters participating by invitation. K-1 has now branched out to all parts of the world and has been divided into preliminary Grand Prix-s, Fighting Networks and qualifiers. There are six regional GPs on all continents (except Africa and Antarctica) and all of them have the exclusive right to send the winners to the Final Elimination. Preliminaries are organized in countries with minor attendance and consists of tournaments where the winners qualify to the regional GPs.

K-1 attempted to gain popularity in the United States by holding two GPs, however only a few Americans have ever qualified for the Finals. In 2006 one of the American GPs was relocated to Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand. Additionally the K-1 Paris GP lost its qualifying right in favor of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

.

The Final Elimination is an event where 16 participants compete for the final eight spots in the Finals. The line-up is made up of 6 new GP winners, the eight finalists from the previous year's Final, plus 2 fighters selected by the K-1 organization. In 2006 there were some minor modifications because Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.- Biography :...

was replaced by Glaube Feitosa

Glaube Feitosa

Glaube "Brazilian Warrior" Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005 Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist...

who reached the final match, therefore he was included in the 2006 Final Elimination.

Match-ups

Usually the combatants of the Elimination 16-men 8-match super fights are paired by drawing. This is done differently at the Tokyo Dome, however. The event is combined with a ceremony where the fighters pull a ball from a glass bowl with a number on it. The balls are marked with numbers 1 through 8, determining fighter order. The fighter with the number 1 ball will choose first "empty" section. This procedure goes on until all the fighters have selected their first quarterfinal opponent.

Restructuring

In 2007 the K-1 organization introduced two new title belts and restructured the qualification system. The two titles can be acquired through single fights. One was created for the heavyweights under 100 kg fighters and the other for the super-heavyweights. Meanwhile, the well-known 8-man tournament system remains and the GP titles are still handed out.

The new tournament qualification system will be: the 8 finalists of last year, 4 new Grand Prix winners and two new single title champions; if some of the fighters hold more than one title, then the extra ones will be chosen by the organization. The last two spots will be selected by K-1 and the votes of fans from around the world.".

Tactics

The principal objective of K-1 is to win either by a knockout or by a split or unanimous decision. Victories are usually achieved by kicks to the legs, head or midsection or using traditional boxing punches, such as the jab

Jab

A jab is a type of punch used in the martial arts.Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended...

s, hooks

Hook (boxing)

A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent...

or uppercuts.

The classic defensive boxing stance is rather ineffective against leg kicks, and fighters are more or less forced to constantly move and counterattack. The traditional clinch, often used in boxing, is not allowed, which has led to a very high knockout ratio in the K-1, since the fighters in other stand-up fighting sports often use the clinch to gain time to recover if they have been hit. The traditional Muai-Thai clinch (two hands grabbing the back of the opponents neck or head) is not allowed in K-1 rules. However, a single handed Muai-Thai clinch is allowed. If a fighter grabs an opponent with the intent of using a knee-technique he must let go after one single blow. In Thai Boxing, the fighters often hold on to each other to continuously use their knees and elbows. The same is said for Karate and Tae Kwon Do, though they consider clinch knees and elbows more circumstantial and only when the opponent is weakened to avoid neck and groin counters.

The rules themselves are constantly adapting and changing to create a competition which allows for participants of different styles to fight in a fairer manner, although these rules accommodate kickboxing rules as the main basis.

Rules

Each match is three or five rounds in duration, with each round lasting three minutes.
The match can end by Knockout, Technical Knockout, Decision, Disqualification, Draw or No Contest.
Both the referee and the ring doctor have full authority to stop the fight.
The fight is scored by three judges on a ten-point must system (The winner of each round receives ten points, and the loser receives nine or less. If the round is even, both competitors receive ten points).
If there is a draw after three rounds, the judges' scores are thrown out and one or two extra three-minute rounds are contested. The judges' decision will then come from the scoring of each extra round only. If, after the extra round(s), there is still a draw, the judges will decide a winner based on the flow of the entire match, considering even the slightest difference. A fight can only end in a draw if both fighters go down at the same time and cannot get up, or in the case of accidental injury in the late stages of the contest.
The three-knockdown rule is in effect (three knockdowns in a round results in a technical knockout).
The mandatory eight count is in effect (the referee must count to at least "eight" on all knockdowns).
The standing eight count is in effect (the referee has the right to declare a knockdown on a fighter who appears to be in a dangerous condition to continue in the match).
A fighter can be saved by the bell only in the last round.

In K-1 single elimination tournament matches:

Each match is three rounds in duration.
The three-knockdown rule becomes a two-knockdown rule for all matches except the final.
One or two reserve fights are held prior to the single elimination matches. If for any reason a fighter who wins and advances through the brackets is unable to continue, a reserve match competitor, or the fighter's opponent from the most recent match, takes his place. There are certain exceptions to this rule (i.e. a fighter who lost a match by knockout might not be eligible to replace another fighter).

Source: K-1 Website

Fouls

The following actions in K-1 are considered fouls:

Using the head or elbow to deliver a blow
Attacking the opponent in the groin
Delivering wrestling or judo throwing or submission techniques
Thumbing, choking or biting the opponent
Punching the opponent in the throat
Attacking the opponent while he is down or in the process of getting up
Attacking the opponent after the referee calls a break
Holding the ropes
Using offensive language to the referee
Attacking the back of the head with a punch
Attempting to cause the opponent to fall out of the ring
Voluntarily exiting the ring during the course of a match
Attacking an opponent who turns around and shows his back (unless the opponent loses his will to fight)
Delivering a backspin blow in an unauthorized area
Charging inside the opponent's arms with the head held low (inducing a head-butt)
Fighting in a passive manner (without attacking), including continuous holding and clinching
Attacking more than once while holding the opponent's kicking leg, or while holding the opponent's neck with both hands

A fighter is penalized as follows:

Caution – verbal reprimand by the referee
Warning – fighter is shown a yellow card
Point Deduction – fighter is shown a red card

Two cautions result in one warning. Two warnings result in a point deduction, and three point deductions in one round can result in a disqualification.

A red card is shown automatically if a fighter commits a foul with malicious intent.

Reception

The sport is very popular in Japan, Korea, Brazil and in Europe but enjoys only limited popularity in the United Kingdom and the United States. K-1 is rarely broadcast on English television, and the majority of US states does not sanction fight events, therefore K-1 fights are banned. To date, all K-1 tournaments in the US have taken place in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

or Honolulu

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

(with one exception: Milwaukee 2001).

The events are frequently shown on Tokyo Broadcasting System

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

and Fuji TV in Japan, XTM in South Korea, Combate, Combate HD and SporTV

SporTV

SporTV is a Brazilian cable television network that has its programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat. It's the most watched sports channel in Brazil.- Auto Racing :*Formula One *Stock Car Brasil...

in Brazil, HDNet

HDNet

HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...

("HDNet Fights") in the United States and on Eurosport

Eurosport

Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...

in Europe. Reruns of older events are also aired on The Fight Network

The Fight Network

Fight Network is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel devoted to airing programming related to wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and other combatant styles...

in Canada and Star Sports

STAR Sports

STAR Sports is a cable sports network owned by STAR TV and ESPN. It shows sports programs. In partnership with ESPN, its corporate name is ESPN STAR Sports. They are the official Asian station of the Barclays Premier League...

in India. Smaller K-1 sanctioned events are also broadcast in other countries by national and local sport channels.

There have been a few alleged nationality biased controversies as well. On May 13, 2006, an all-Dutch judging panel decided in favor of Remy Bonjasky

Remy Bonjasky

Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...

from Netherlands against Jerome Le Banner

Jérôme Le Banner

Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....

from France at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

. Many thought Jerome Le Banner had won the contest but judges had a slim majority decision in favor of the Dutch fighter Bonjasky (30–30, 29–28, 30–28). Le Banner filed a protest and K-1 officials from Japan and the United States reviewed the match based on current K-1 Grand Prix judging criteria and two weeks later on June 30, 2006, the result was reversed and Jerome Le Banner was officially announced as the new winner.

List of K-1 world champions

Full list of all the K-1 tournament champions see List of K-1 champions.

K-1 World Grand Prix Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:35%; font-size:90%"
|-
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Year
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Runner-up
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality
|-
| 1993
| Branko Cikatić

Branko Cikatic

Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić is a Croatian former heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian born fighter to achieve international success...

Independent State of Croatia
| Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Fritz "Mr. Perfect" Hoost is a Dutch former kickboxer and four-time K-1 World Champion. He made his debut in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just one win short of the world title...

Netherlands
|-
| 1994
| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands
| Masaaki Satake

Masaaki Satake

is a Japanese former super heavyweight karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was one of the pioneering heavyweight fighters in K-1, after being a member of Kazuyoshi Ishii's Seido-Kaikan school and organization.-Biography and career:...

Japan
|-
| 1995
| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands
| Jérôme Le Banner

Jérôme Le Banner

Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....

Early Modern France
|-
| 1996
| Andy Hug

Andy Hug

Andy Hug was a Swiss Seidokaikan and Kyokushin karateka and kickboxer from Wohlen. Hug was the K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 champion and runner up in 1997 and 1998.-Biography and career:...

Switzerland
| Mike Bernardo

Mike Bernardo

Michael "Mike" Bernardo is a South African former kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo is known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994...

South Africa
|-
| 1997
| Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Netherlands
| Andy Hug

Andy Hug

Andy Hug was a Swiss Seidokaikan and Kyokushin karateka and kickboxer from Wohlen. Hug was the K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 champion and runner up in 1997 and 1998.-Biography and career:...

Switzerland
|-
| 1998

K-1 World Grand Prix 1998

K-1 Grand Prix '98 Final Round was a martial arts event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, December 13, 1998 in front of 63,800 spectators. It was the sixth K-1 World Grand Prix final involving eight of the world's best heavyweight fighters , with...

| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands
| Andy Hug

Andy Hug

Andy Hug was a Swiss Seidokaikan and Kyokushin karateka and kickboxer from Wohlen. Hug was the K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 champion and runner up in 1997 and 1998.-Biography and career:...

Switzerland
|-
| 1999

K-1 World Grand Prix 1999

K-1 Grand Prix '99 Final Round was a martial arts event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the seventh K-1 World Grand Prix final involving eight of the world's best fighters, with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules. The eight finalists had all qualified via elimination fights at the K-1 World...

| Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Netherlands
| Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović
|

Independent State of Croatia
|-
| 2000

K-1 World Grand Prix 2000

K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the eighth K-1 Grand Prix final, involving eight of the world's top fighters, with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules...

| Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Netherlands
| Ray Sefo

Ray Sefo

"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...

New Zealand
|-
| 2001

K-1 World Grand Prix 2001

K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 8, 2001 in front of 65,000 spectators. It was the ninth K-1 Grand Prix final, involving eight of the world's top fighters, with all bouts fought...

| Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt ; is a New Zealand kickboxer and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is known for his raw strength, iron chin and knockout power. He won the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final...

New Zealand
| Francisco Filho

Francisco Filho

Francisco Filho may refer to:* Francisco Filho , martial artist born in Bahia* Francisco Filho , football coach born in São Paulo...

Brazil
|-
| 2002

K-1 World Grand Prix 2002

K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 7, 2002 in front of 74,500 spectators. It was the tenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving ten of the world's top fighters , with all bouts...

| Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Netherlands
| Jerome Le Banner

Jérôme Le Banner

Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....

Early Modern France
|-
| 2003

K-1 World Grand Prix 2003

K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1 organization. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday,December 6, 2003 in front of 67,320 spectators. It was the eleventh K-1 World Grand Prix final involving ten of the world's best fighters...

| Remy Bonjasky

Remy Bonjasky

Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...

Netherlands
| Musashi

Musashi (kickboxer)

is a retired professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is 4 time K-1 Japan tournament champion, a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist...

Japan
|-
| 2004

K-1 World Grand Prix 2004

K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the twelfth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving twelve of the world's best K-1 fighters from eight countries, with all bouts fought under K-1 Rules...

| Remy Bonjasky

Remy Bonjasky

Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...

Netherlands
| Musashi

Musashi (kickboxer)

Japan
|-
| 2005

K-1 World Grand Prix 2005

K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Tokyo Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, November 19, 2005 in front of 58,213 spectators. It was the thirteenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving twelve of the world's best K-1 fighters...

| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt , also known as Sem Schilt, is a Dutch Ashihara karateka, kickboxer, mixed martial artist and four time K-1 World GP champion. He is the first and only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won,...

Netherlands
| Glaube Feitosa

Glaube Feitosa

Brazil
|-
| 2006
| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

Netherlands
| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands
|-
| 2007

K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Final

K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Final was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 8, 2007 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 15th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...

| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

Netherlands
| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands
|-
| 2008
| Remy Bonjasky

Remy Bonjasky

Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...

Netherlands
| No runner-up (Badr Hari disqualified)
|-
| 2009

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...

| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

Netherlands
| Badr Hari

Badr Hari

Badr "The Golden Boy" Hari is a Moroccan-Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam. He is a former K-1 Heavyweight champion and K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 finalist. As of May 2011, Hari is ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world by LiverKick.com...

Morocco
|-
| 2010

K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final

K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final was a martial arts event that was held by the K-1 on Saturday, December 11, 2010. It was the 18th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...

| Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem

Alistair Cees Overeem is a British born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat...

Netherlands
| Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

Netherlands

K-2 World Grand Prix Champions

Ernesto Hoost

Netherlands
| Changpuek Kiatsongrit
|

Thailand
|-

K-1 World MAX Champions

Albert Kraus

Albert “The Hurricane” Kraus is a Dutch welterweight kickboxer. He was the first K-1 World MAX 2002 champion and has also held four separate world titles in kickboxing and Muay Thai...

Netherlands
| Kaolan Kaovichit

Kaolan Kaovichit

Kaolan Kaovichit is a Thai former kickboxer. He was the runner up of K-1 World Max 2002.-Biography:Kaolan Kaovichit was born in Songkhla Province, Thailand on May 12, 1978 as Jahormat Miyundichar.-Titles:...

Thailand
|-
| 2003
| Masato

Masato (kickboxer)

Masato Kobayashi is a Japanese former welterweight kickboxer. He was the world champion of ISKA at Welterweight under Oriental rules, and he is the winner of K-1 WORLD MAX World tournament in 2003 and 2008...

Japan
| Albert Kraus

Albert Kraus

Albert “The Hurricane” Kraus is a Dutch welterweight kickboxer. He was the first K-1 World MAX 2002 champion and has also held four separate world titles in kickboxing and Muay Thai...

Netherlands
|-
| 2004

K-1 World MAX 2004 World Tournament Final

K-1 World MAX 2004 World Tournament Final was a kickboxing and martial arts event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the third K-1 MAX final for middleweight kickboxers involving eight finalists and two reserve fighters, with all bouts fought under K-1 rules...

| Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por. Pramuk is a Thai welterweight Muay Thai kickboxer, fighting out of Por Pramuk Gym, in Bangkok, Thailand...

Thailand
| Masato

Masato (kickboxer)

Japan
|-
| 2005
| Andy Souwer

Andy Souwer

Andreas "Andy" Souwer is a Dutch welterweight shoot boxer. He is two time K-1 World MAX champion as well as a three time Shootboxing World tournament champion, fighting out of Mejiro Gym, Amsterdam, Netherlands....

Netherlands
| Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por. Pramuk is a Thai welterweight Muay Thai kickboxer, fighting out of Por Pramuk Gym, in Bangkok, Thailand...

Thailand
|-
| 2006
| Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por.Pramuk

Buakaw Por. Pramuk is a Thai welterweight Muay Thai kickboxer, fighting out of Por Pramuk Gym, in Bangkok, Thailand...

Thailand
| Andy Souwer

Andy Souwer

Netherlands
|-
| 2007
| Andy Souwer

Andy Souwer

Netherlands
| Masato

Masato (kickboxer)

Japan
|-
| 2008

K-1 World MAX 2008 World Championship Tournament Final

-Results :*Opening Fight: K-1 Rules / 3Min. 3R Ext.1R*K-1 Koushien Final 8 : K-1 Rules / 3Min. 3R-External links:**...

| Masato

Masato (kickboxer)

Japan
| Artur Kyshenko

Artur Kyshenko

Artur Kyshenko is a Ukrainian middleweight Muay Thai kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands...

Ukraine
|-
| 2009
| Giorgio Petrosyan

Giorgio Petrosyan

Gevorg "Giorgio" Petrosyan is an Armenian-Italian welterweight kickboxer, fighting out of Satori Gladiatorium in Gorizia, Italy. He is the two time K-1 World MAX champion and WKN Intercontinental Middleweight Muay Thai champion....

Italy
| Andy Souwer

Andy Souwer

Netherlands
|-
| 2010

K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament Final

K-1 World MAX 2010 –70 kg World Championship Tournament Final was a martial arts event to be held by the K-1 on Monday, November 8, 2010 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. It will be the 9th inaugural K-1 World Max Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...

| Giorgio Petrosyan

Giorgio Petrosyan

Italy
| Yoshihiro Sato

Yoshihiro Sato

is a Japanese kickboxer competing in K-1 at middleweight . He is the former world champion of Muay Thai in WKA and WPKC, and he won the Japanese national tournament of K-1 twice in 2006 and 2007. His official nickname is "Mugen Sniper" which means Infinite Sniper.- Amateur era :He was born in...

Japan
|-

K-1 Super Heavyweight Title Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%; margin:auto; font-size:90%"
|-
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Date
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion

!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Event
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|№ of defenses
|-
| March 4, 2007 – present
| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

–

Netherlands
def Ray Sefo

Ray Sefo

| K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama
| 4 3 April 2010 Errol Zimmerman

Errol Zimmerman

Errol Zimmerman is a Surinamese-Curaçaoan kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands. He is three time Dutch Muay Thai champion and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam tournament champion....

–

Curaçao
3 29 June 2008 Jerome Le Banner

Jérôme Le Banner

Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....

–

Early Modern France
2 13 April 2008 Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt

–

New Zealand
1 23 June 2007 Mighty Mo

Mighty Mo (kickboxer)

Siala-Mou "Mighty Mo" Siliga , is an American kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist, fighting out of Millennia MMA. He is the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas II and the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hawaii tournament champion....

–

American Samoa

K-1 Heavyweight Title Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%; margin:auto; font-size:90%"
|-
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Date
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Event
!style="background: #e3e3e3"|№ of defenses
|-
| April 28, 2007 – December 17, 2008
| Badr Hari

Badr Hari

–

Morocco
def Yusuke Fujimoto

Yusuke Fujimoto

Yusuke Fujimoto is a Japanese former heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1 and was the K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong tournament champion. He is called "Bun Bun Maru" because he takes big swings when he throws punches.-Retirement:...

| style="text-align:center"|K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii
| 1 29 June 2008 Glaube Feitosa

Glaube Feitosa

–

Brazil
|-
| March 28, 2009 – October 21, 2011
| Kyotaro Fujimoto –

Japan
def Gokhan Saki

Gökhan Saki

Gökhan Saki is a Turkish-Dutch heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands...

| style="text-align:center"|K-1 World GP 2009 in Yokohama
| 1 3 April 2010 Peter Aerts

Peter Aerts

–

Netherlands
|-

External links

K-1 Fighters and Tournaments Database
Dutch K1 website
"Kickfighters – K1 World Max 2005", documentary

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Broadcast deal

Financial Problems

K-1 Grand Prix

List of K-1 events

Qualification and match-ups

Match-ups

Restructuring

Tactics

Rules

Fouls

Reception

List of K-1 world champions

K-1 World Grand Prix Champions

K-2 World Grand Prix Champions

K-1 World MAX Champions

K-1 Super Heavyweight Title Champions

K-1 Heavyweight Title Champions

See also

External links