If you've read Head Kick Legend, you know what kind of coverage we like to offer. If not, Head Kick Legend is a combat sports blog that likes to take a unique perspective on the fight game. We originally started Head Kick Legend to fill in what we saw as a rather massive gap in coverage of kickboxing on the English-speaking side of the internet. This means K-1, It's Showtime!!, Krush and many other shows across the world. On top of that, our work started to bleed over into Japanese MMA, another topic that gets glazed over so easily in English-speaking communities, especially since the fall of PRIDE.

That doesn't mean we have any sort of strict format, so to speak. The primary focus will always be on kickboxing, but we love all MMA as well and when time permits will cover UFC, Strikeforce and everything else under the sun. 

So this is where you come in. Maybe you've already written about fighting for other sites and that fell through, maybe you just have strong opinions and you like to share them through taking part in an online community, or maybe you have these opinions and you just keep them to yourself. Regardless, that means you have the desire and you already follow combat sports close enough, so why not start writing?

We are looking for writers who have a passion for fighting as well as a working knowledge and ability to think critically, expressing your informed opinions. So here is the deal; you sign up for Head Kick Legend (if you haven't already, and why wouldn't you?), then start expressing yourself in FanPosts. Remember that this is blogging and posting news, so attribute sources, provide links and quotes where needed and you don't have to write 2,000 words. Usually keeping a post within a few informative paragraphs says a lot more than writing three pages of verbose prose. Make sure to email me (dve.wlsh+HKL@gmail.com) that you are posting FanShots so that I can review and frontpage them. After a few trial posts, we'll discuss the details of becoming a full poster.

So what exactly is HKL looking for?

• Breaking and current US MMA news (UFC, Strikeforce, etc.)
• Breaking and current Japanese MMA news (DREAM, SRC, etc.)
• Breaking and current kickboxing news (K-1, KRUSH, It's Showtime, etc.)
• Editorial pieces (sparingly -- make it good)

We look forward to seeing what you bring to the table

If you've read Head Kick Legend, you know what kind of coverage we like to offer. If not, Head Kick Legend is a combat sports blog that likes to take a unique perspective on the fight game. We originally started Head Kick Legend to fill in what we saw as a rather massive gap in coverage of kickboxing on the English-speaking side of the internet. This means K-1, It's Showtime!!, Krush and many other shows across the world. On top of that, our work started to bleed over into Japanese MMA, another topic that gets glazed over so easily in English-speaking communities, especially since the fall of PRIDE.

That doesn't mean we have any sort of strict format, so to speak. The primary focus will always be on kickboxing, but we love all MMA as well and when time permits will cover UFC, Strikeforce and everything else under the sun. 

So this is where you come in. Maybe you've already written about fighting for other sites and that fell through, maybe you just have strong opinions and you like to share them through taking part in an online community, or maybe you have these opinions and you just keep them to yourself. Regardless, that means you have the desire and you already follow combat sports close enough, so why not start writing?

We are looking for writers who have a passion for fighting as well as a working knowledge and ability to think critically, expressing your informed opinions. So here is the deal; you sign up for Head Kick Legend (if you haven't already, and why wouldn't you?), then start expressing yourself in FanPosts. Remember that this is blogging and posting news, so attribute sources, provide links and quotes where needed and you don't have to write 2,000 words. Usually keeping a post within a few informative paragraphs says a lot more than writing three pages of verbose prose. Make sure to email me (dve.wlsh+HKL@gmail.com) that you are posting FanShots so that I can review and frontpage them. After a few trial posts, we'll discuss the details of becoming a full poster.

So what exactly is HKL looking for?

• Breaking and current US MMA news (UFC, Strikeforce, etc.)
• Breaking and current Japanese MMA news (DREAM, SRC, etc.)
• Breaking and current kickboxing news (K-1, KRUSH, It's Showtime, etc.)
• Editorial pieces (sparingly -- make it good)

We look forward to seeing what you bring to the table

It is no secret that the Undertaker suffered yet another injury that will put him on the shelf a while, in what was a return from a layoff since Wrestlemania, where before hand he was "taking it light" due to a pyrotechnic accident back in February. For WWE this has to be some sort of record when it comes to a major star that they were planning on relying a good portion of their summer storylines on to come back from a hiatus like this and have to be immediately shelved. The Hollywood writers were able to quickly scramble and work his injury into a storyline which should lead them into Summerslam, but one has to imagine that this wasn't how they imagined the build-up to one of their "big four" PPVs.

This leaves Kane to carry the angle and go on some sort of vengeful tear throughout the summer, a scene that fans have been watching for years now and have never really been sold on after the initial Undertaker vs. Kane angles fell flat for one reason or another. 

This past Monday, a huge opportunity was missed in the "all-brand" Raw that featured Quinton "Rampage" Jackson from UFC as the guest host. While he was tied up with a rather odd and poorly-acted one-night feud with Ted Dibiase Jr. and Rowdy Roddy Piper that only gained heat when "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes started slurring out a promo for the new A-Team film, one has to wonder if this would've been different if the Undertaker was not injured. Undertaker is clearly the biggest mark for MMA within the company and has worked MMA finishes into his matches for years now, including re-enacting the Carlos Newton/Matt Hughes triangle choke/powerbomb finish into a match with Kurt Angle and using a various array of MMA chokes to finish off his opponents. 

The Undertaker always gets good heat, and while it looks like they will be building to Kane vs. Undertaker for what feels like the millionth time (including the house show circuit, it probably is), using the A-Team angle with Rampage on one of the more heavily-watched episodes of Raw for the summer seems like a perfect way to make Undertaker, a fan of Rampage's happy, and of course to build up to Summerslam. Of course there is that whole incident of Undertaker not signing a young Rampage's autograph years ago, but I'm sure Rampage would've been thrilled to be working with the "Dead Man" on this week's Raw as opposed to the freakshow that fans were treated to.

Cross-posted from Head Kick Legend.

The K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama is in the books, with things falling into place for the 2010 World Grand Prix with the best of the best showing what they have to offer in 2010. The biggest questions going into this event surrounded Peter Aerts and Alexey Ignashov and where both men stand in the current K-1 world.

Peter Aerts looked like the incredibly shrinking man in Yokohama today, as the once bulkier Aerts entered into the ring against Kyotaro at a small 213lbs, actually smaller than we've ever seen him in K-1. Kyotaro on the other hand looked better than he probably ever has, which paid off for him.

It isn't often where a defending champion will be a giant underdog, but against Peter Aerts, Mr. K-1, Kyotaro was quite simply in over his head most thought. So what does that mean? It means that Kyotaro was going to go in with a fire that we haven't seen since his vicious knockout of Melvin Manhoef and knock out the K-1 legend and make it look easy. 

It is easy for some fans to write Aerts off due to aging, and while he may be getting smaller and having issues keeping up his mass, his talent is still nearly unrivaled and Kyotaro really pulled off an amazing feat in knocking Aerts out.

As for Ignashov, while many will be critical for him being on the defensive the whole fight, the truth of the matter is that Badr Hari is a beast of a fighter at this point in his career and to stand for three rounds with Hari and only get knocked down once should be see as a victory in and of itself for Ignashov. Ignashov looked a lot better than he has in a while and was simply overmatched by Hari, which tells me that K-1 won't have a problem bringing him back in the near future.

Continue reading this post »

Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate. Always stay tuned to Head Kick Legend for the best in K1 and Japanese MMA coverage.

At 4am Eastern time Saturday morning live on HDNet the K-1 Grand Prix is set to take place. As the first K-1 show of the year K-1 has gone ahead and set the bar quite high for this non-tournament show. This show opens up the K-1 heavyweight season with a bang, featuring two title fights and a rematch years in the making between Alexey Ignashov and Badr Hari. On top of that, longtime K-1 Japanese stalwart Musashi gets a heartfelt retirement ceremony.

The big draw for the MMA fans here is Alistair Overeem entering into K-1 competition again in 2010 just about a month away from defending his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship for the first time in years and fighting in the United States again. At Head Kick Legend I take a look at this fight as well as the rest of the card.

#4: Alistair Overeem v. Dzevad Poturak
Alistair Overeem is set to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship in May against Brett "The Grimm" Rogers, but first he takes on a very game challenge of Poturak in a tune-up fight. His manager, Bas Boon has done a tremendous job over the past few years of raising Overeem's stock by having him compete often in both K-1 and MMA and rack up impressive win after win. Overeem is looking to possibly take part in this year's World Grand Prix if his schedule permits, look for him to be on fire against Poturak.

Head Kick Legend will have live coverage tonight as the show unfolds and more coverage can be foundas well of the FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2010.

Kickboxing is one of the aspects of MMA that still remains somewhat in the dark to MMA fans. Fighting Arts likeBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and wrestling have caught the eye of most MMA fans, as has the general idea of "MMA Standup" which is often-times called kickboxing. Kickboing, of course, is its own sport with K-1 being the premier league in the world. K-1 holds yearly tournaments which culminate into the World Grand Prix, to decide who the best K-1 fighter is in the world. K-1's style, while a mix of Kyokushin Karate and Kickboxing, is still Kickboxing's biggest outlet and is only now catching fans' attention. 

At Head Kick Legend our mission is to get the word out about kickboxing and K-1 and help spread the K-1 Fever, as Michael "The Voice" Schiavello calls it. In an attempt to help fans immerse themselves in the K-1 world, we start off introducing K-1's founder, Kazuyoshi Ishii and how he went from a tournament Kyokushin Karate fighter to the founder of K-1 sitting in a prison cell for tax evasion.

The friendship with pro wrestler Akira Maeda did a few things, the most important was led Kazuyoshi Ishii to abandon the cut-and-dry world of knockdown karate and create a new tournament format that would revolve around promoting the personalities who compete in the ring as much as they promote the action in the ring. Unlike promotions like AJKF who adhered strictly to promoting kickboxing as a sport, Ishii worked with Maeda to come up with an idea of creating a spectacle. In 1993 Ishii ran his first show under the K-1 banner, a show which would feature a mixed ruleset of Kickboxing and Kyokushin Karate, as well as some traditional fights. The success of this first show, headlined by his student Masaaki Satake led to an event the very next month, featuring standouts from the worlds of Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Karate, leading into the K-1 World Grand Prix the next month.

Read the whole story at Head Kick Legend.

Kickboxing is one of the aspects of MMA that still remains somewhat in the dark to MMA fans. Fighting Arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and wrestling have caught the eye of most MMA fans, as has the general idea of "MMA Standup" which is often-times called kickboxing. Kickboing, of course, is its own sport with K-1 being the premier league in the world. K-1 holds yearly tournaments which culminate into the World Grand Prix, to decide who the best K-1 fighter is in the world. K-1's style, while a mix of Kyokushin Karate and Kickboxing, is still Kickboxing's biggest outlet and is only now catching fans' attention. 

At Head Kick Legend our mission is to get the word out about kickboxing and K-1 and help spread the K-1 Fever, as Michael "The Voice" Schiavello calls it. In an attempt to help fans immerse themselves in the K-1 world, we start off introducing K-1's founder, Kazuyoshi Ishii and how he went from a tournament Kyokushin Karate fighter to the founder of K-1 sitting in a prison cell for tax evasion.

The friendship with pro wrestler Akira Maeda did a few things, the most important was led Kazuyoshi Ishii to abandon the cut-and-dry world of knockdown karate and create a new tournament format that would revolve around promoting the personalities who compete in the ring as much as they promote the action in the ring. Unlike promotions like AJKF who adhered strictly to promoting kickboxing as a sport, Ishii worked with Maeda to come up with an idea of creating a spectacle. In 1993 Ishii ran his first show under the K-1 banner, a show which would feature a mixed ruleset of Kickboxing and Kyokushin Karate, as well as some traditional fights. The success of this first show, headlined by his student Masaaki Satake led to an event the very next month, featuring standouts from the worlds of Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Karate, leading into the K-1 World Grand Prix the next month.

Read the whole story at Head Kick Legend.

Cross-posted from Head Kick Legend

In just over twelve hours, fans across the world are in store for the premier Martial Arts New Year's Eve festival for the seventh year running. This year is different, however, as American fans will for the first time be able to (ahem, legally) watch K-1 Dynamite!! live on HDNet. It is always a long ride, but is by far one of the greatest sporting spectacles of the year, hands down the tops in combat sports. It might not bring the stern, serious, "take us seriously, we are a legit sport!" atmosphere of say the blockbuster UFC 100, but what it brings is much, much more. It is time to look at the rich history of K-1 Dynamite from its inception as well as each year's top moments.

PRIDE Shockwave/K-1 Dynamite
The first K-1 Dynamite show actually wasn't on New Year's Eve at all, it was August 28, 2002 and a co-promotion between DSE's PRIDE Fighting Championships. To understand how important this event was, you need to understand the magnitude of this event, as the two largest martial arts promotions in Japan joined forces in a co-promotional card unlike the world had ever seen drawing a massive 91,108 fans to the Tokyo National Stadium. The bouts were star-studded, including a Jiu-Jitsu grappling bout between Hidehiko Yoshida and Royce Gracie, a kickboxing bout between two of the best, Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt, K-1 and PRIDE star Mirko Cro Cop against Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba and the bout that stole the show; Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp. Bob Sapp's amazing powerbomb and Nog's awesome comeback showed heart and skill can overcome brute strength and the fight became a defining moment in Japanese MMA history.

 K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! was the first event K-1 held on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2003) in front of 44,000 fans in the Nagoya Dome. The number wasn't as high as the co-promotion, but nobody expected it, as the arena they booked was a bit more modest than the massive arena for the Shockwave/Dynamite show. Much like the first Dynamite, this show featured a mix of kickboxing and MMA bouts, this time with an interesting twist that most MMA fans are quick to forget; one of the major selling points of this show was a co-promotion of sorts between K-1 and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Masayuki Naruse of New Japan Pro Wrestling, a former star in Akira Maeda's RINGS promotion, took on K-1 Jan Nortje and made a complete fool of him in MMA rules, choking him out. New Japan's young star Shinsuke Nakamura entered into his fourth MMA bout under Antonio Inoki's urging to meld pro wrestling and MMA together against K-1 standout (at the time) Alexy Ignashov. It was a controversial bout between the two, as Nakamura controlled the bout on the ground completely and Ignashov, the man who was 2003's Badr Hari (aka, their new, big future star). The fight was embroiled in controversy as after checking a cut on Ignashov and the fight was restarted, Nakamura dove in for a double leg and was caught by a disgusting knee kick that landed him right on the mat and the fight was called immediately for Ignashov. Nakamura immediately stood up, albeit dazed, and was livid. NJPW's legion of fans were able to argue enough over the next few months to get the fight turned to a No Contest and they met again, Nakamura making easy work of Ignashov. But we haven't gotten to the main event, what is still the most watched live fight in history, Bob Sapp vs. Akebono in K-1 rules, a freakshow if there ever was one, but incredibly popular with fight fans in Japan.

K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!!
The tradition continued in 2004, this time giving fight fans a much better fight card, with less focus on the freakshows (although they were still there on the top of the card) and more great action. K-1 packed the Osaka Dome with 53,000 fans this time around. Bob Sapp and Akebono were once again the main attractions, as dictated by TBS after their smash hit the past year, this time in bouts against other opponents. Bob Sapp took on K-1 superstar Jerome Le Banner in a strange, mixed rules fight to "level" the playing field. There were no judges, rounds 1 and 3 were K-1 rules, rounds 2 and 4 were MMA rules. It was declared a draw after all four rounds with Sapp looking worse for the wear. Akebono took on MMA legend Royce Gracie and was made to look like a whale out of water, being taken to the ground by the BJJ legend and tapped out with a wrist lock in just over 2 minutes of the first round. The big fight for fans helped build up the legend of Masato, the man who fights his last fight tonight, as he took on emerging Japanese superstar KID Yamamoto. The two had an awesome K-1 MAX rules war with Masato taking the nod.

 K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!!
2005 was a year that's Dynamite show became best known for the undercard chaos and being headlined by one of the best matchups imaginable for the MMA world at the time. Pulling in 53,000 fans to the Osaka Dome again, this show was spectacle with a lot of sport. The star of Bob Sapp had waned a bit over the years, with Sapp now in the middle of the card (a ploy by TBS to even out the ratings from just the top fights) getting worked over by Musashi. Japanese television personality Bobby Olgun put a beating on Akebono in one of the main events, while Hideo Tokoro stepped into a no-win situation of Gracie Rules against Royce Gracie in what ended in a draw. The undercard saw Yoshihiro Nakao earn his nickname of "Kiss" as he faced off with current UFC star Heath Herring, well, the face off was as far as we got, as during an intense staredown Nakao planted a kiss on Herring's lips and was met with a right hook that knocked him out. The main event saw two of my personal favorite fighters, and two of the best 155lbs fighters meet in the finals of the Middleweight (155lbs) tournament. Sudo had an elaborate, nothing short of incredible entrance while KID was full of attitude as always. KID overcame Sudo's grappling and was able to TKO him with a flurry of punches to take the title in what was the best of both sport and spectacle.

K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!  
Dynamite!! 2006 was a night that stirred up a lot of controversy amongst the MMA community, as well as a night where we wished a fond farewell to one of Japan's finest. The newly renamed Kyocera Osaka Dome was once again home to Dynamite!!, pulling in 52,000 fans this time around. The stars of the show were out again, but a bit different this time around as Bob Sapp missed his first K-1 Dynamite!! show since its inception, leaving Akebono to pull the weight for Sapp against Giant Silva, once again falling to an armlock in the first and Hong Man Choi stepping in to fulfill freakshow duties against television personality Bobby Olgun. Badr Hari made his first Dynamite!! appearance beating the pulp out of Nicholas Pettas and Masato's star continued to burn even brighter in one of the main events dissecting Satoru Suzuki in round two of their K-1 MAX rules bout. Yamamoto was fed a gimme fight, as was Genki Sudo as Sudo sunk in a triangle on Damacio Page late in round one to score what turned out to be his tearful last win, as he announced he would no longer be a fighter and would persue acting, music and peace for the rest of his life. The main event saw South Korean national who competed for Japan in Judo Yoshihiro Akiyama take on Kazushi Sakuraba in what turned into a nightmare for Akiyama. Akiyama, who in 2003 was accused of "greasing" his gi and forced to wear a "reserve" gi, went on with a clouded mind to lose his next two bouts and miss the medal in the World Judo Championships was once again accused of being "slippery." Sakuraba attempted to take down the Judoka and could not, and as he argued to the ref that Akiyama was "slippery" he got his face pounded in. In January FEG decided he was indeed "greasing" and the fight was ruled a No Contest.

 K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!
Dynamite!! 2007 once again saw Kazushi Sakuraba as the posterboy, this time facing fellow former (and now once again) professional wrestler and one of the founding fathers of MMA in Japan, Masakatsu Funaki in a dream bout. Once again in the Osaka Dome, this time pulling in just under 48,000 fans the downturn of MMA in Japan was starting to be felt. 2007 saw the return of Bob Sapp as he took on television personality Bobby Olgun (I say this as he only really fought yearly at Dynamite!!) in one of the feature bouts. KID Yamamoto, his star in full effect took on the awesome Rani Yahya in one of the main events and KO'd Yahya in the second round. Masato defended Japan's honor against Korean slugger Yong Soo Choi and child prodigy HIROYA made his first appearance at the biggest stage of them all, being upset in the finals of the U-18 tournament by YUDAI, who is now blackballed for usurping HIROYA. I wish I was kidding. Minowaman was crushed by a giant man named Zuluzinho and Kiyoshi Tamura and Hideo Tokoro had a pretty awesome fight. Of course the big story was that Sakuraba still has it, submitting Funaki in the first round with an armbar.

K-1 Dynamite!! 2008  
No longer are we PREMIUM, apparently, as the downturn of fan interest in MMA in Japan was in full effect last year. The big show moved to a more modest arena, this time the Saitama Super Arena pulling in just over 25,000 fans. That number is still staggeringly high compared to your average UFC show in the United States, but in Japan this was not a good sign, nor was the Tokyo Broadcast Station, K-1's partner every New Year's capping K-1 off at a four hour timeslot, with the full broadcast on PPV hours later. K-1 attempted to stream the show live to international viewers live on an outsourced website, but that fell through last minute, leaving Dynamite!! 2008 as a giant, disastrous headache to FEG. Bob Sapp fought Akihito Tanaka dressed up as a Kinnikuman in a shamelessly over-sponsored squash fight, HIROYA finally got his Dynamite!! tournament win that K-1 wanted so badly, Ikuhisa Minowa as Minowaman was in full superhero effect tapping out Golden Glory slugger Errol Zimmerman in just over a minute. Cro Cop made his final-to-date Japanese appearance knocking out Hong Man Choi with a leg kick while the top of the card saw Shinya Aoki win a WAMMA title with an amazing submission win over the very tough Eddie Alvarez. Kazushi Sakuraba headlined yet again, being taken to a tough decision loss by former UWF star Kiyoshi Tamura in a bout that fans thought would never fall into place after Tamura shot it down so many times before. DREAM made its impact on K-1 felt, as Kawajiri beat the snot out of Kozo Takeda and Gegard Mousasi put Musashi on the shelf for a year. Manhoef did the impossible knocking out Mark Hunt in 18 seconds and the big story of the night was Alistair Overeem's star was born, knocking out the Golden Boy, Badr Hari in 2 minutes!

This all sets the stage for this year's Dynamite!!, once again set for the Saitama Super Arena, featuring the retirement of Masato against Andy Souwer, DREAM vs. Sengoku Raiden Championship, the Super Hulk tournament finals and Ray Sefo's attempt to get back into the saddle with K-1 and the showdown between Japanese Judo gold medalists Hidehiko Yoshida and Satoshi Ishii! We have a ton of coverage of Dynamite!! 2009, and will be bringing you the blow-by-blow live, tonight at 3am Eastern!

Pro wrestling has always been seen as a rather incestuous industry; since Vince McMahon took over the reigns of WWE all of those years ago, wrestling hasn't really strayed from his formula. It makes sense because it worked, and it worked for a very long time. If you watch current MMA, boxing, kickboxing or pro wrestling, you can be sure the presentation has a lot to thank from Vince McMahon as well as the promoters he shamelessly stole ideas from and re-branded as his own. The only problem is, the pro wrestling formula is arguably quite dated. Stars like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were all enough to keep fans interested and building new fans.

The problem is now the current fanbase has dwindled a bit. It happens, it was expected, but the problem is the fans who grew up watching wrestling who will fondly talk about Papa Shango cursing the Ultimate Warrior and Stone Cold flipping off the boss before showering him in beer and giving him a Stone Cold Stunner have moved on. While fans do grow out of wrestling, the problem is when they reproduce and start a family, they won't flip on the television to WWE and reminisce with their children as to the crazy grapplers they loved growing up and support their fandom. Instead, they will most likely be tuning into UFC and telling their kids about when Chuck Liddell knocked Tito Ortiz into oblivion or the epic encounters between Chuck and Randy Couture.

Hulk Hogan, of all people, has been described as a guy who holds onto his legacy and is resistant to change. So it is surprising to look at his recent interview with Fanhouse on how he views MMA and wants to learn from it.

"MMA is spanking the WWE as far as the pay-per-view stuff," Hogan told FanHouse on Tuesday. "Dana White and the UFC has done an amazing job, and it's all about timing. The UFC was ready to close its doors, they were losing a ton of money, they were going under, they were getting ready to go out of business, and then they did a reality show called, The Ultimate Fighter. They developed the characters; they made people care about the fighters; the people found out who the fighters were; they breathed life into the fighters. That's what I want to do with TNA. They've got the best talent in the world down there, but no one is breathing life into the characters."

Not only will Hogan be appearing on TNA television in a role he describes as, "the Vince McMahon of TNA," he also said that he will be running the show creatively behind-the-scenes. It is there that the 56-year-old will look to emulate what the UFC has been able to accomplish over the past decade. 

"I have learned a ton of stuff from MMA, watching them," he said. "They remind me of TNA. Ton of talent, but no one has put that Frankenstein, shock the monster, breathe some life into the characters. I learned a ton from MMA, and I get along great with Dana White -- he's awesome."

Cross-posted from Head Kick Legend.

Will US fans see the Flying Dutchman in person finally? Photo credit HKL/Daniel Hebertson

World domination is not something to take lightly, nor is the fact that K-1 has not touched U.S. soil since the U.S. Grand Prix in Hawaii in 2008, with the last Los Vegas show being the Vegas Grand Prix in 2007. To say the least it has been quite a while since the United States has gotten some K-1 love. That being said, there have been some rumors spreading around today about a possible reality series to be airing in the United States.

It sounded too good to be true and there were no reliable sources on this. Well, after some digging, Head Kick Legend spoke with a K-1 official and can indeed confirm that there will be a K-1 Realty Series set to hit U.S. airwaves in 2010 that is getting the details ironed out right now. When we hear more about it we'll bring you th details, but for now all that we can say is that the rumors are true, this is in the works.

That isn't it, though. K-1 airing on HDNet and all of the support of fans in the United States has twisted the arm of FEG and K-1 is set to make their return to U.S. soil. If all goes according to plan there will be a grand total of three K-1 shows in the United States. Three. There are no more details right now as to the dates or if all three will happen, but my most educated guess would be the Hawaii Grand Prix, Las Vegas Grand Prix and possibly another Dynamite!! USA show which would run a mixed format of kickboxing and MMA. While the last Dynamite!! USA show was questionable in its success, the chances of K-1 booking a 100,000 seat arena again is very slim (although there were 42k in attendance, 18k confirmed, the number was less than 4k paid).

I can only thank every fan in the U.S. who has supported K-1 over the past few years and shown that American fans love kickboxing, too.

Promoted from the Fan Posts by Kid Nate.

Cross posted from Head Kick Legend

After speaking with sources inside of Golden Glory, there is an update on the story of Andrei Arlovski's camp claiming the fight they were offered was against Alistair Overeem. With all of the rumors about Overeem that float around, the Golden Glory camp assures Head Kick Legend that the fight between Alistair Overeem and Kazuyuki Fujita was being negotiated weeks before the K-1 World Grand Prix on December 5th. Bas Boon himself chose Kazuyuki Fujita as the opponent for Overeem, citing Alistair's rather intense schedule recently, including the World Grand Prix where he fought Ewerton Teixeira, knocking him out in just over a minute, then having an intense showdown with Badr Hari, where Hari ultimately scored the TKO victory. With fighting 5 fights within two months, Boon thought an opponent like Fujita would be a better fit for the run-down Overeem.

Since Fujita was the hand-selected opponent, the idea is that K-1 could have contacted other possible opponents in case Fujita did not accept the fight, but Golden Glory and Alistair Overeem did not have any negotiations with Andrei Arlovski for a fight.

As for the future for the Demolition Man, Boon states that there is one more fight on his contract with K-1, which will take place in March or April. Alistair will take off the few months after the Dynamite!! show (which is well deserved) before his K-1 bout in the Spring. What this means to fans in the US? Fedor Emelianenko has a bout scheduled in April for Strikeforce, and the heavy rumor has been Alistair Overeem will be the man involved; Alistair Overeem will not compete in Strikeforce until later 2010. So the hopes of Alistair Overeem facing Fedor Emelianenko on CBS are once again put on hold. We have been assured that Alistair has not chosen any of his opponents, Golden Glory management has been "carefully choosing" his opponents, Alistair will fight anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Bas Boon has assured Head Kick Legend that Alistair Overeem will fight in Strikeforce in the United States in 2010. Quote; "Prepare America, Alistair is coming, 2010 will be the year of the Dutch cyclone, demolition time in the US!"

This Fan Post was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.

Cross-posted from Head Kick Legend.

Big things going down in Japan today as FEG and WVR heads announced the partial card for FEG's annual Dynamite!! show, sponsored by FieLDS and Don Quijote. They've announced some of the DREAM vs. Sengoku bouts as well as a K-1 rules bout. Tanigawa stated he was not ready to release the full card as of yet, with some bouts still under negotiations, but the match-ups they did announce are great.

K-1 Rules
Yosuke Nishijima vs. Ray Sefo

MMA Rules
Norofumi "KID" Yamamoto vs. Masanori Kanehara
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Akihiro Gono
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Izumi
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Hideo Tokoro vs. Marlon Sandro
Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Dynamite!! 2009 coverage

Reposted from Head Kick Legend, which will be your home for the K-1 World Grand Prix this weekend.

The K-1 World Grand Prix is coming and it is coming fast, so it is time to get down to it and pull out some predictions. Kid Nate and Leland Roling of BloodyElbow fame throw their hats into the ring alongside myself and Fraser Coffeen as we break down what could be the greatest combat sports card of the year.

WGP Quarterfinals
Badr Hari vs. Ruslan Karaev

Dave Walsh: These guys have met before, as I went over a while back, and I have to say that along the way Badr Hari has continued to grow while Karaev has stalled. Ruslan holds a controversial win over Badr, which by all means should have been a no contest or a DQ, and Badr holds a blockbuster KO over Karaev. Karaev has not had the best of years and I think his 2009 in K-1 will come to a close staring up at the ring lights. 

Leland Roling: While a lot of fans are looking at this rubber match with an eye for the explosive results the first two encounters produced, I'm a bit hesitant to believe we'll see the same Ruslan Karaev we saw in both those previous match-ups. Hedsy Gerges made Karaev look completely out of his element at Ultimate Glory 11, and he was able to inflict significant damage during that fight. That bout really wasn't that long ago, and I'm willing to bet it won't take long for Hari to exploit some weaknesses in Karaev's limbs from the damage he took in that fight. Furthermore, Hari's new strength & conditioning program looks to have visibly bulked him up. That'll give him even more power with his vaunted striking game. I think Hari takes out Karaev convincingly within the span of the fight. Badr Hari via KO.

Kid Nate: It depends on how much Karaev has left. I don't think he's the same fighter who has been such a nemesis for Badr Hari in the past.

Fraser Coffeen: Quarter-Finals - I'm lumping these together as in all four fights there is a clear cut favorite, and I'm not picking any upsets.  Karaev looked terrible in his recent loss to Hesdy Gerges, and I can't imagine he's been able to train at 100%.  This should be a quick and easy Hari KO.  Teixeira is a tough fighter who I don't think has any tools to beat Overeem, but will prove to be an irritant, dragging the Demolition Man to a drawn out decision win.  Le Banner is beloved, but he's just not a factor - Schilt by decision.  The 4th quarter-final is probably the most compelling, As Errol Zimmerman showed last year that he has the potential to be at the top level.  He had a rough start to 2009, but has come back in recent months.  Still, Bonjasky is just too skilled and experienced for him.  Bonjasky by KO.

Ewerton Teixeira vs. Alistair Overeem

DW: I feel like this is the fight that most MMA fans are interested in, and probably the fight that will surprise a lot of people. Teixeira is not a push over by any  means and has all the technique in the world to counter Overeem's power. Overeem is clearly the favorite, as he should be, but Teixeira is going to make him earn this win.

LR: Some would say this is a rather tough pick because Teixeira has a range game that could give Overeem some problems if he isn't able to close distance, but Overeem's size and ability to close distance quite easily due to his improved defense should bank him three rounds of battering Teixeira around like a rag doll. Teixeira should really focus heavily on hurting the knees of Overeem, but I imagine he'll eat some fierce punches for his efforts. Overeem should be able to close distance and give Teixeira way too much to handle. Alistair Overeem via decision

Kid Nate has Teixeira picking apart Overeem.

Jerome LeBanner vs. Semmy Schilt

DW: Schilt has been underestimated by fans who caught their first GP (or their first GP in a long time, as it could be) on HDNet last year, primarily because he was not in the finals last year after Peter Aerts skillfully removed him from contention. Fans had no such luck this year and the Tower of a man is back in the hunt, looking for his fourth championship. JLB just doesn't have the drive anymore, Schilt does.

LR: I'm a huge JLB fan in the heart, and his spirit to continue driving forward despite being pretty incapacitated at times due to exhaustion or injuries is quite unbelievable to watch. The problem for JLB is that he simply can't land the combinations that he used to drive through his opponents' chins earlier in his career, and his slow, plodding style really leaves him open to fighters who can use distance and length to damage him. Schilt is the epitome of that type of fighter, and his size is formidable to any fighter regardless of who it actually is. Schilt should cruise through this fight, but look for LeBanner to will his way to finishing the fight still on his feet. Semmy Schilt via TKO

Remy Bonjasky vs. Errol Zimmerman

DW: Zimmerman has youth on his side, which should also be a factor in it not being too heartbreaking when Remy flying kicks his head off. I expect both men to take some damage in this fight and hope Zimmerman puts on a good show, but ultimately this is Remy's fight to lose.

LR: Errol Zimmerman is likely going to be a future star in K-1, but he's definitely ran into a downturn recently. He hasn't looked great in his last few performances, and taking on Remy Bonjasky in the quarterfinals will hopefully light a fire under him to come back into form. Remy still presents his stylistic advantages regardless of whether Zimmerman shows up to this fight. He has the ability to land flying kicks, flying knees, and devastating leg kicks at range and within close range, and he's one of the few fighters in K-1 that can be a real menace even if backed into a corner. While fans are mentioning the fact that Bonjasky can be a bit fragile, he'll defeat Zimmerman here. Remy Bonjasky via decision

Speculation - Semi-Finals and Finals
This is always dicey turf to predict fights that you don't know will happen or not, but we are dicey guys sometimes. 

Kid Nate has Badr Hari over Overeem, then Semmy Schilt as your Grand Prix Champion.

Fraser Coffeen: Semi-Final #1: Hari v. Overeem - Now things get interesting.  This is a fight that I have an incredibly hard time calling, and have gone back and forth on countless times.  On the one hand, Hari has the fire, the experience, the stronger technical skill, and it just feel like his time.  On the other hand, Overeem is on an absolute tear and has already shown that he has the power to capitalize on Hari's less than stellar chin.  Truly, I see this as the fight that decides the 2009 Grand Prix champion.  And, as much as I want to see Hari wear the crown, I have to go with Overeem here via KO.

Semi-Final #2: Schilt v. Bonjasky - Here's the thing about this fight: it's not that this is a bad match-up or that it's not a relevant fight.  It most definitely is interesting - a clash between the two strong GP champions of the past 6 years, and a chance for Remy to finally topple the giant.  But this just doesn't have the same sizzle as Hari v. Overeem.  Still, it should be both a strong and potentially historic fight.  Although I think Remy tends to be underrated, Schilt does too, and I don't see Bonjasky's style being able to take down Semmy.  As seen in their last encounter, Schilt has the range, power, and accuracy to just power straight through Remy's normally immaculate guard and connect.  I expect to see Schilt outpoint him here in an interesting, but not action-packed fight.

Final: Overeem v. Schilt - That seems like a weird final, but that's what I've got.  And I think this is where Overeem's lack of K-1 experience will finally catch up to him.  He simply hasn't been in this kind of tournament setting, facing multiple world-class fighters in a single night.  I'm not doubting his conditioning, but I think this will prove too much for him, especially against a multi-time champion who knows how to pace himself and how to win it all in one night.  I see Schilt keeping his distance and once again picking Alistair apart for the decision victory and his 4th GP title.  As a brief caveat - if the final is Hari v. Schilt, Hari wins it.  

Dave Walsh: Semi-Final #1: Hari vs. Overeem - I don't even want to have to pick this, because there is a history and I think Badr Hari's head was in an awful place at the time. Badr has collected himself and after the Schilt win earlier this year has been 'reborn.' Overeem is arrogant and I see Badr Hari shutting him up once and for all.

Semi-Final #2: Bonjasky vs. Schilt - This is a fight that on paper is incredibly compelling; two men who have tied with some of the other greats for all-time GP wins, and another GP win would be a new record. They've dominated the GP over the past few years, but they haven't done so in a truly exciting fashion. Both men will play up strategy in this fight and Semmy is just too big and will connect more, securing his spot in the finals.

Finals: Schilt vs. Hari - Now, full disclosure is when I saw the betting lines, +275 on Semmy Schilt made me spit water on my monitor and make my 'R' key now not function properly. Semmy Schilt has been completely overlooked this year and a lot of people will be proven wrong, I think. The ring is a bit bigger in K-1, Semmy will know what to expect and as long as he keeps it at his own pace, he'll secure his fourth World Grand Prix crown.

Undercard predictions to follow soon!

From Head Kick Legend: Badr Hari is the baddest man on the planet, we all should know that by now. His cocky attitude, the dynamite in his fists, the pinpoint precision of his knockouts and his hot temper have led him to be one of K-1's biggest stars. If you haven't caught the HDNet Badr Hari special, you should. That being said, Badr is not invincible, as we've seen in the past. In the World Grand Prix this year Badr Hari's first match is one that fans have been dying to see; a rubber match with Ruslan Karaev.

The first bout ended in controversy, with Badr being aggressive with his kicks, but getting backed into a corner. He was caught by a few solid shots and crumpled to the a crouching position, which the ref did not rule as being down yet, where he was kicked in the head by Ruslan Karaev. Badr was in shock and simply did not want to get up, thinking a foul would be called. The foul was never called and the fight was ruled in Karaev's favor.

When they met again it was an all-out war. Badr Hari does not like to lose, so if anything was going to inspire him to go all-out, a loss to a man he considers a lesser fighter would be just that. Karaev proved that he was a formidable opponent, scoring some knockdowns on the Golden Boy, but like a scene out of a movie he knocks Badr down in the second round with a looping left, Badr simply stands up, ducks another, and like a sniper lands a perfect straight right, knocking Karaev clean out.

This rematch will be the first fight of the night for one of these fighters, there is a chance the winner will go into the next fight pretty banged up, and a chance that we'll get another awesome war.

Fraser Coffeen and Dave Walsh from Head Kick Legend run through a preview of the upcoming K-1 World MAX 2009 Finals with a discussion of each bout, from the Superfights to predictions for the Tournament itself.

DREAM is in the books, which means it is time for the K-1 World MAX Finals for this year, where we are down to four men; Giorgio Petrosyan, Yuya Yamamoto, Andy Souwer and Buakaw Por. Pramuk. Three of those four names are expected, with Yamamoto the pleasant surprise. Who will take the tournament this year, and what about all of those superfights? Fraser Coffeen and myself break down this huge event in painstaking detail.

#1 - Yuichiro Nagashima v. Xu Yan

FC: After a good run in the Japan GP early this year, Nagashima saw his stock on a fast rise, only to be stopped cold by a quick KO loss to Kraus.  More talk focuses on his cosplay antics than his actual fighting, but since that loss he’s quietly be training at Masato’s Silver Wolf gym.  Yan is a name largely unknown to K-1 fans, but he is well traveled, having competed around the world in Muay Thai and Sanda events, including facing Shootboxing’s Kenichi Ogata in 2007.  He’s also extremely tall and lanky, which could pose some problems for Nagashima.  I’ll go with the upset here and pick Yan by decision. 

DW: Nagashima is a guy who has had a lot of pressure put on him over the last few years, because K-1 is always looking for the next Japanese star to carry the promotion. Masato has been that star, but they knew his time would come, which it happens to be Dynamite!! of this year. So be it, that being said he is not that guy. He has a really fun personality that fans seem to enjoy, especially girls and strange Japanese boys, but as a fighter he has a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the MAX division. Xu Yan is an unknown for a lot of fans, with only one MAX appearance, this year, and that being a loss. This fight is set up for Nagashima to get a win, and you know how those fights usually go. Xu Yan has the reach advantage and the power advantage, while Nagashima has probably better technique. If Xu Yan can take him offguard Nagashima is done.

#2 - Yuya Yamamoto v. Giorgio Petrosyan

FC: On paper this is a huge mismatch, and I think when all is said and done Petrosyan will get the much expected win.  But anyone who thinks he's going to steamroll Yamamoto may be in for a surprise, as Yuya is an exceptionally durable fighter.  In some ways, this reminds me of Wanderlei Silva v. Yoshida from back in the Pride GP, where the "easier" semi-final may not be as easy as you think.  Yamamoto will have the crowd on his side, and you know will be fighting his heart out.  I'm picking Petrosyan to win this, but Yamamoto will rough him up, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Petrosyan come in to the final weakened or even be forced to drop out.  I should also say - best fight of the night?

DW: Petrosyan, plain and simple. He was the "dark horse" for a lot of people, but there is no reason for him to even be that, Giorgio Petrosyan is one of the best there is out there, and while he does not have a lot of KO's to his credit since moving up to elite level competition, that does not mean he isn't a beast. He is. Yuya Yamamoto hasn't had the same sort of bright career as Giorgio has, but has been facing top competition for a little bit longer. He is coming off an impressive win over DRAGO, that being said, he can't stop Petrosyan. 

#3 - Buakaw Por. Pramuk v. Andy Souwer
FC: There's two schools of thought on Buakaw.  One says he's the greatest.  The other says he has lost a step.  I fall into the latter category.  It's been a rough few years for him, with a KO loss to Sato, a near KO loss to Dida, some very close decisions to Kraus and Parr - watching his old fights with Souwer I see an intensity that I just don't see in Buakaw today.  Souwer meanwhile is a guy I think is perpetually taken for granted.  He's the kind of guy that doesn't have one trademark weapon or style, and so you kind of forget how skilled he is.  But he has put it together time and again to become one of the most decorated fighters out there.  I was surprised at how well he handled Kyshenko, and think he does it again here, controlling Buakaw to take a suprisingly one-sided decision.
DW: I've been waiting for this fight for almost 3 years now, and I'm really stoked for it. People have been down on Buakaw over the past year or so, but I think he has more been trying to find himself again and modify his style. He needs to be aggressive against Souwer and while he can't work the clinch or hold Souwer's leg and hack away, he can work his teep and has what I believe to be an unrivaled hook. Souwer is a guy that has always been there, has always been good, but doesn't always get the level of credit he deserves. This is going to be a war, I predict, and I see Buakaw edging out a decision and capturing our hearts yet again.

The rest after the break.

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There has been a lot of debate over the decision for last night's Light Heavyweight Championship bout; did Lyoto do enough to win? Was Shogun robbed? Head Kick Legend takes a look at this fight from a different perspective, that of a kickboxing fan in what was easily a kickboxing bout as opposed to a MMA battle. Neither man utilized much grappling, with only a few takedown attempts being something you wouldn't see in a kickboxing battle. If scored as a kickboxing bout, how does it turn out?

Rewatching the fight, it is easy to realize that this fight bares little resemblance to a Mixed Martial Arts battle outside of Shogun attempting a few takedowns; this was a kickboxing fight. I think a lot of MMA fans are used to scoring and watching fights in a different fashion, but when you adjust the way you look at the fight, a few things become more clear. When you take out who was "stalking" who and who was clinching who, the fight becomes a lot more simple to score. 

Round one was Lyoto Machida's round. He opens with a thai clinch and a flurry of knees. Shogun throughout most of the round, if not the fight was stalling against the cage. In round one he threw a few knees to the hamstrings of Lyoto, but the damage those did really didn't come into the equation until the late rounds of the fight. Nearly every strike Rua threw completely missed the mark or was blocked. I see a lot of people quoting FightMetric to defend their stance, and all I can say is I'm not sure what fight they were watching and that FightMetric, while the output is somewhat scientific, is still validated and entered by humans, so there is a margin of error.

The full analysis is up at Head Kick Legend.