K-1 World MAX 70 kg Tournament Bracket
After securing qualification in September, reigning champion Stoyan Koprivlenski will look to defend his tournament title as he takes on promotional newcomer and former Rajadamnern Stadium champion Hercules. Sporting a record of 61-21 and riding a seven-fight win streak, Hercules enters the tournament after an injury forced original opponent Minoru Kimura to withdraw.
In another quarterfinal clash, Senegalese savate specialist Alfousseynou Kamara, who booked his place with a first-round blitz over Albijon Morina, has drawn Darryl Verdonk. Verdonk secured his spot by knocking down Nurtilek Zhalynbekov three times in his opener and will look to improve on last year’s performance, where he lost his initial matchup.
The winner of the South American K-1 qualifying tournament earlier this year, Brazil’s Jonas Salsicha, aims to continue his impressive form against current Super Welterweight champion Ouyang Feng. Feng is considered one of the early tournament favorites, partially due to his undefeated start to his K-1 career, including wins over fellow participant Darryl Verdonk and Polish standout Kacper Muszynski.
Completing the opening round bracket is a matchup between Zhora Akopyan of Armenia and Aymeric Lazizi of France. Akopyan will be looking to better his performance from last year`s tournament where he exited early, while Lazizi makes his first appearance in the finals after overcoming Abiral Ghimire to qualify for the final eight in Tokyo.
Heavyweight Title Fight: Roel Mannaart vs. Ariel Machado
Roel Mannaart, who returned to the ring earlier this year after a five-year hiatus with a brutal second-round stoppage victory over K-Jee, defends his K-1 Heavyweight title. The GLORY veteran faces another former GLORY fighter in Ariel Machado.
Machado earned his title shot by winning back-to-back tournaments, finishing all three opponents he faced. Known as a low kick specialist in his own right, Machado has stopped four of his last seven K-1 opponents with leg kicks, and he will look to chop down the big Dutchman and return to Brazil as the new heavyweight champion.
Super Lightweight Title Fight: Taio Asahisa vs. Shu Inagaki
Taio Asahisa looks to reclaim the title he lost in 2023, entering the vacant K-1 Super Lightweight Title bout on a four-fight winning streak. A hand fracture two years ago forced Asahisa to relinquish his grip on the title, but recent victories, including a win over Danila Kvach in July, have catapulted him back into contention.
His opponent is Shu Inagaki, a former title challenger returning to the ring after a loss in May. Inagaki, who previously captured a title in Krush and made the final of the K-1 World MAX 2024 65kg World Championship Tournament, seeks to recapture his peak form and claim the K-1 gold.
Bantamweight Title Fight: Issei Ishii vs. Eito Kurokawa
In this Bantamweight Title bout, the more experienced Issei Ishii takes on young gun Eito Kurokawa, who returns to the K-1 stage after a three-year absence, carrying momentum from his success in Krush. Ishii has twice before fought unsuccessfully for the K-1 Bantamweight title, while Kurokawa`s only career loss was to former Super Bantamweight title challenger Rui Okubo.
This will be Ishii’s 11th contest in two years, demonstrating his high activity level. By comparison, 21-year-old Kurokawa has competed only once this year, successfully defending his Krush Bantamweight title with a third-round knockout win over Daina in March. Kurokawa, despite being ranked highly, faces a significant challenge against an opponent with seven times his professional experience.
Oliver Croft