Executive Producer Masato Announces: Dec. 15 Athens Event
Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:44 pm
Executive Producer Masato Announces: Dec. 15 Athens Event Highlights
Hello, everyone. This is K-1 Executive Producer Masato bringing you the highlights for the upcoming K-1 event.
K-1 RISING 2012 WORLD MAX FINAL 8 will be held on December 15th in Athens, Greece. It will be a one-day tournament to determine the 2012 World Champion for the -70kg weight class. The 8 fighters who have won in the Best 16 for the weight class last May 27 in Madrid, Spain will fight to aim for the title K-1 WORLD MAX World Champion and a 300,000 dollar prize.
The previously announced fight card was based on our careful consideration to bring our fans the ultimate knock-out sport, K-1.
Here are my points of note regarding the upcoming fighters and cards.
1st Fight: Mike Zambidis (Greece) vs. Reece McAllister (UK)
2nd Fight: Yasuhiro Kido (Japan) vs. Murthel Groenhart (Netherlands)
3rd Fight: Artur Kyshenko (Ukraine) vs. Chris Ngimbi (Congo)
4th Fight: Andy Souwer (Netherlands) vs. Andy Ristie (Suriname)
Quarter Final 1st Match： Mike Zambidis vs. Reece McAllister
MIKE ZAMBIDIS (Greece):
Having fought twice with Zambidis, I can say that he has a great punching technique that can KO his opponent in a single blow. I think he has the highest probability of all the fighters in this tournament for a one-punch KO. The jump kick that he uses sometimes is something should keep an eye on.
As he has the shortest height among the MAX fighters, I think he have a tough time fighting McAllister who would counter his punches with matching knee strikes.
In the previous Madrid event, Zambidis showed us a great fight against an opponent which matched his type and physical stature. Zambidis in Madrid showed us how strong he is as a fighter.
In this first match, will he be able to neutralize Reece McAllister with a single punch? McAllister does not seem to be the type who are able to take a beating, which could be the key to determine the winner.
REECE MCALLISTER (UK):
A -19- year-all-around fighter, who has become stronger than ever, even more so than in his previous Madrid fight. 183 cm tall and with a long reach, he could possibly outbox Zambidis and block his attacks. In his previous fight, he showed great skill in blocking his opponent Nashiro. Though there are some doubts about his resilience, the fight’s trajectory could change depending on how well he could hold up to Zambidis’ attacks.
Quarter Final 2nd Match： Yasuhiro Kido VS Murthel Groenhart
YASUHIRO KIDO (Japan):
Kido has a clever fighting style and excels in kicking techniques from a long distance. Also, his back hand blow that he occasionally brings out is not by chance but rather a carefully calculated move that surely makes contact with his opponent.
On the other side, he might be at a disadvantage when exchanging blows from a short distance.
In the previous Madrid event in last May, he showed a great fight with a back hand blow resulting in a KO. I think his upcoming opponent Groenhart will put pressure on him with his punch strikes. If he relies only on kicks, he might not be able to win against Groenhart. For Kido to win, he should need to train harder on his punches.
MURTHEL GROENHART (Netherlands):
His strengths lie in his determination and power in exchanging blows. With his height, he is one tough fighter to beat. In his previous bout with Harut Grigorian, he showed his determination and punching technique that commanded the fight. In the quarter finals, I think he would go after Kido and bring his all in an intense fight. Though he may be strong in single matches, with his all-out, intense fighting style, will he be able to hold out his stamina for the rest of tournament?, that is my point.
Pagetop
Quarterfinals – Third Match: Artur Kyshenko VS Chris Ngimbi
Will the power fighter Kyshenko, who has an impressive record in K-1, win his first champion title? On the other hand, Ngimbi has a long fighting record and is popular among the fans in Europe as evidenced in the previous Madrid event. This could be a close fight where hard to predict who would win.
ARTUR KYSHENKO (Ukraine):
I have fought with Kyshenko twice before. He is a large-bodied, powerful fighter who can do anything, from punches, to kicks, to knee strikes. In particular, he has a powerful punch. In the previous event, he KO’ed his opponent with his punch and overwhelming power; on the other hand, I felt that he might have lost some of his speed. With his body type, it might be tough for him to trim down to -70 kg. The key is how he can maintain a good condition until the day of the fight.
CHRIS NGIMBI (Democratic Republic of the Congo):
He is a skillful and all-round type fighter, but his main specialty is the flying knee. I heard that he has been fighting since he was a child, having lived as a refugee in the capital of Kinshasa of the former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). Having supported his 2 younger sisters through kickboxing, he possesses a steadfast fighter heart. With his record, skill, and popularity especially in Europe, his fight with Kyshenko is one to look forward to.
Quarterfinal 4th Match : Andy Souwer VS Andy Ristie
Personally, I think this is the most notable fight card of this event. Will Sauer's total power win him victory, or will Ristie's destructive strength overpower Sauer? This is a fight to watch out for.
ANDY SOUWER(Netherlands):
The two-time World Champion of K-1 MAX,Andy Souwer, is an all-rounder who can do anything. In the Madrid event, his bout with Abraham Roqueñi was a bitter struggle, but in the end, Souwer bested his opponent. Though there would be both favorable and unfavorable conditions in the fight, victory will depend on how he can adjust his weight in time for the fight. He is also very experienced with K-1 tournament, and as he said this would be his last tournament fight, I am sure he will come to the fight in full force. I'm excited to see this match.
ANDY RISTIE (Suriname):
Andy can destroy his opponent with a single hit, and also has deadly punches and knee strikes in his repertory. If Ristie wins, it would probably be by KO. In his previous bout, he was unable to down his opponent Drago, but instead damaged him severely. Ristie sometimes lets down his guard when punching, so I think Souwer would aim for that. It would be interesting to see how Ristie would respond. Ristie will step in the ring to knock down Souwer,as he always does against his opponents. That is the main attraction of this match.
Hello, everyone. This is K-1 Executive Producer Masato bringing you the highlights for the upcoming K-1 event.
K-1 RISING 2012 WORLD MAX FINAL 8 will be held on December 15th in Athens, Greece. It will be a one-day tournament to determine the 2012 World Champion for the -70kg weight class. The 8 fighters who have won in the Best 16 for the weight class last May 27 in Madrid, Spain will fight to aim for the title K-1 WORLD MAX World Champion and a 300,000 dollar prize.
The previously announced fight card was based on our careful consideration to bring our fans the ultimate knock-out sport, K-1.
Here are my points of note regarding the upcoming fighters and cards.
1st Fight: Mike Zambidis (Greece) vs. Reece McAllister (UK)
2nd Fight: Yasuhiro Kido (Japan) vs. Murthel Groenhart (Netherlands)
3rd Fight: Artur Kyshenko (Ukraine) vs. Chris Ngimbi (Congo)
4th Fight: Andy Souwer (Netherlands) vs. Andy Ristie (Suriname)
Quarter Final 1st Match： Mike Zambidis vs. Reece McAllister
MIKE ZAMBIDIS (Greece):
Having fought twice with Zambidis, I can say that he has a great punching technique that can KO his opponent in a single blow. I think he has the highest probability of all the fighters in this tournament for a one-punch KO. The jump kick that he uses sometimes is something should keep an eye on.
As he has the shortest height among the MAX fighters, I think he have a tough time fighting McAllister who would counter his punches with matching knee strikes.
In the previous Madrid event, Zambidis showed us a great fight against an opponent which matched his type and physical stature. Zambidis in Madrid showed us how strong he is as a fighter.
In this first match, will he be able to neutralize Reece McAllister with a single punch? McAllister does not seem to be the type who are able to take a beating, which could be the key to determine the winner.
REECE MCALLISTER (UK):
A -19- year-all-around fighter, who has become stronger than ever, even more so than in his previous Madrid fight. 183 cm tall and with a long reach, he could possibly outbox Zambidis and block his attacks. In his previous fight, he showed great skill in blocking his opponent Nashiro. Though there are some doubts about his resilience, the fight’s trajectory could change depending on how well he could hold up to Zambidis’ attacks.
Quarter Final 2nd Match： Yasuhiro Kido VS Murthel Groenhart
YASUHIRO KIDO (Japan):
Kido has a clever fighting style and excels in kicking techniques from a long distance. Also, his back hand blow that he occasionally brings out is not by chance but rather a carefully calculated move that surely makes contact with his opponent.
On the other side, he might be at a disadvantage when exchanging blows from a short distance.
In the previous Madrid event in last May, he showed a great fight with a back hand blow resulting in a KO. I think his upcoming opponent Groenhart will put pressure on him with his punch strikes. If he relies only on kicks, he might not be able to win against Groenhart. For Kido to win, he should need to train harder on his punches.
MURTHEL GROENHART (Netherlands):
His strengths lie in his determination and power in exchanging blows. With his height, he is one tough fighter to beat. In his previous bout with Harut Grigorian, he showed his determination and punching technique that commanded the fight. In the quarter finals, I think he would go after Kido and bring his all in an intense fight. Though he may be strong in single matches, with his all-out, intense fighting style, will he be able to hold out his stamina for the rest of tournament?, that is my point.
Pagetop
Quarterfinals – Third Match: Artur Kyshenko VS Chris Ngimbi
Will the power fighter Kyshenko, who has an impressive record in K-1, win his first champion title? On the other hand, Ngimbi has a long fighting record and is popular among the fans in Europe as evidenced in the previous Madrid event. This could be a close fight where hard to predict who would win.
ARTUR KYSHENKO (Ukraine):
I have fought with Kyshenko twice before. He is a large-bodied, powerful fighter who can do anything, from punches, to kicks, to knee strikes. In particular, he has a powerful punch. In the previous event, he KO’ed his opponent with his punch and overwhelming power; on the other hand, I felt that he might have lost some of his speed. With his body type, it might be tough for him to trim down to -70 kg. The key is how he can maintain a good condition until the day of the fight.
CHRIS NGIMBI (Democratic Republic of the Congo):
He is a skillful and all-round type fighter, but his main specialty is the flying knee. I heard that he has been fighting since he was a child, having lived as a refugee in the capital of Kinshasa of the former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). Having supported his 2 younger sisters through kickboxing, he possesses a steadfast fighter heart. With his record, skill, and popularity especially in Europe, his fight with Kyshenko is one to look forward to.
Quarterfinal 4th Match : Andy Souwer VS Andy Ristie
Personally, I think this is the most notable fight card of this event. Will Sauer's total power win him victory, or will Ristie's destructive strength overpower Sauer? This is a fight to watch out for.
ANDY SOUWER(Netherlands):
The two-time World Champion of K-1 MAX,Andy Souwer, is an all-rounder who can do anything. In the Madrid event, his bout with Abraham Roqueñi was a bitter struggle, but in the end, Souwer bested his opponent. Though there would be both favorable and unfavorable conditions in the fight, victory will depend on how he can adjust his weight in time for the fight. He is also very experienced with K-1 tournament, and as he said this would be his last tournament fight, I am sure he will come to the fight in full force. I'm excited to see this match.
ANDY RISTIE (Suriname):
Andy can destroy his opponent with a single hit, and also has deadly punches and knee strikes in his repertory. If Ristie wins, it would probably be by KO. In his previous bout, he was unable to down his opponent Drago, but instead damaged him severely. Ristie sometimes lets down his guard when punching, so I think Souwer would aim for that. It would be interesting to see how Ristie would respond. Ristie will step in the ring to knock down Souwer,as he always does against his opponents. That is the main attraction of this match.