HARI, BONJASKY, KARAEV AND ARLOVSKI OUT OF GRAND PRIX; K-1 FINAL 16 FORECAST PART ONE
The biggest tournament for fist and feet will officially start on October 2nd as the K-1 World Grand Prix of 2010 begins its Final 16 matches. There will be a different atmosphere this go around as three participants of the Final 8 in 2009 will NOT be competing, despite automatically qualifying for the Final 16 this year. Those three are Russian Ruslan Karaev, "The Flying Dutchmen" Remy Bonjasky and perhaps the biggest name in kickboxing today, Badr Hari.
Karaev is reportedly suffering from a bad knee injury and has opted out of his bout with Tyrone Spong. Bonjasky is still recovering from detached retina surgery he had in the summer and Hari is not competing due to personal and legal issues.
Former UFC champion, Andrei Arlovski, was also suppose to compete in this years Final 16, as he was voted in by the fans in a K-1 poll. Arlovski has gone on to confirm his withdrawal from the event via his Twitter account.
It's tough to see guys like Hari, Karaev and Bonjasky not in there but thankfully K-1 can still put on high profile kickboxing bouts despite the absence of big name talent.
Alistair Overeem vs. Ben Edwards
In the 2009 WGP, "Ubereem" obliterated Ewerton Teixeria with one of the most devastating clinch-and-knee knockouts in recent memory. Ubereem's Final 8 run was cut short after Badr Hari TKO'd him with the "two knock down rule" in a round. These are only tournament rules and usually there is a "three knock down rule" in place. Going 2-0 (2 KO's) in MMA and 1-0 (1 KO) in kickboxing since Hari eliminated him, Overeem is prime to make a run at the K-1 Grand Prix title in 2010.
Overeem's opponent is 25-year-old Ben Edwards, who needed less than 3:30 to dispose of his last three K-1 opponents combined. Most notably finishing rival Paul Slowinski in their trilogy fight. Fighting in his first Final 16, Edwards is an underdog against Ubereem but he is also the dark horse in this tournament. Edwards is a knockout machine with 29 of his 31 wins coming via KO and has only been out of the first round once since 2009. To be fair, Overeem is a big step up in competition for Edwards, however, the Aussie may surprise and turn heads on October 2nd.
Tyrone Spong vs. Ray Sefo
Trained by the lengendary Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong is easily one of the most talented fighters in K-1. At 25-years-old, Spong, who has 64 wins under his belt only fought once in 2010, losing a decision to Jerome Le Banner. Spong isn't sculpted like a Alistair Overeem and may find a lot of trouble against larger opponents should he make the Final 8.
This spot was originally for Ruslan Karaev but Ray Sefo has confirmed he will be filling in for the injured Russian. The good news for Sefo is he gets in the Final 16 but the bad news is it was on a week notice. Riding a decision win in May to Ionut Iftimoaie, Sefo is on a three-fight win streak. Sefo doesn't lack heart, but is probably lacking cardio for this bout. It's in his best interest to go for the kill early and avoid a three-round fight.
Semmy Schilt vs. Hesdy Gerges
The favourite of the tournament is last year's champ and four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champ, Semmy Schilt. The 6'11 Dutch "Hightower", on size alone, creates match up problems for everybody in the grand prix. His most recent fight was against Errol Zimmerman, in which he won be unanimous decision. The receipt to take out Schilt, is to get inside and pressure him. Badr Hari displayed this perfectly in 2009 (non-tournament) when he KO'd Schilt in less than a minute, the first time he had been KO'd in five-years.
The 2010 It's Showtime Champion, Hesdy Gerges, will be getting his second crack at Schilt. Gerges lost in early '09 by decision when they first met. The Egyptian stands at 6'6 and around the 225 pound range. Hard to believe he is small compared to the nearly seven-foot, 290 pound Schilt. Gerges specializes in Muay Thai but the clinch strategy is hard to achieve on Schilt for obvious reasons. Gerges is coming off a successful Showtime title defense against Rustemi Kreshnik on September 12th.
Jerome Le Banner vs. "Kyotaro" Keijiro Maeda
K-1 Heavyweight champion, "Kyotaro", could be one of the most underestimated fighters in K-1 despite being heavyweight champ. Kyotaro has one-punch KO power in his right hand, which is good news cause Jerome Le Banner has been known to have a questionable chin. Peter Aerts was he latest victim to the 24-year-old champ's right hook earlier this year.
A true veteran in K-1, Le Banner is an aggressive fighter and probably the best fighter to never win the World Grand Prix. The 37-year-old is the third oldest competitor in the grand prix but age hasn't slowed him down yet. Le Banner's aggressiveness could play against him via right hook to the jaw should he choose constantly pressure Kyotaro.
Karaev is reportedly suffering from a bad knee injury and has opted out of his bout with Tyrone Spong. Bonjasky is still recovering from detached retina surgery he had in the summer and Hari is not competing due to personal and legal issues.
Former UFC champion, Andrei Arlovski, was also suppose to compete in this years Final 16, as he was voted in by the fans in a K-1 poll. Arlovski has gone on to confirm his withdrawal from the event via his Twitter account.
It's tough to see guys like Hari, Karaev and Bonjasky not in there but thankfully K-1 can still put on high profile kickboxing bouts despite the absence of big name talent.
Alistair Overeem vs. Ben Edwards
In the 2009 WGP, "Ubereem" obliterated Ewerton Teixeria with one of the most devastating clinch-and-knee knockouts in recent memory. Ubereem's Final 8 run was cut short after Badr Hari TKO'd him with the "two knock down rule" in a round. These are only tournament rules and usually there is a "three knock down rule" in place. Going 2-0 (2 KO's) in MMA and 1-0 (1 KO) in kickboxing since Hari eliminated him, Overeem is prime to make a run at the K-1 Grand Prix title in 2010.
Overeem's opponent is 25-year-old Ben Edwards, who needed less than 3:30 to dispose of his last three K-1 opponents combined. Most notably finishing rival Paul Slowinski in their trilogy fight. Fighting in his first Final 16, Edwards is an underdog against Ubereem but he is also the dark horse in this tournament. Edwards is a knockout machine with 29 of his 31 wins coming via KO and has only been out of the first round once since 2009. To be fair, Overeem is a big step up in competition for Edwards, however, the Aussie may surprise and turn heads on October 2nd.
Tyrone Spong vs. Ray Sefo
Trained by the lengendary Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong is easily one of the most talented fighters in K-1. At 25-years-old, Spong, who has 64 wins under his belt only fought once in 2010, losing a decision to Jerome Le Banner. Spong isn't sculpted like a Alistair Overeem and may find a lot of trouble against larger opponents should he make the Final 8.
This spot was originally for Ruslan Karaev but Ray Sefo has confirmed he will be filling in for the injured Russian. The good news for Sefo is he gets in the Final 16 but the bad news is it was on a week notice. Riding a decision win in May to Ionut Iftimoaie, Sefo is on a three-fight win streak. Sefo doesn't lack heart, but is probably lacking cardio for this bout. It's in his best interest to go for the kill early and avoid a three-round fight.
Semmy Schilt vs. Hesdy Gerges
The favourite of the tournament is last year's champ and four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champ, Semmy Schilt. The 6'11 Dutch "Hightower", on size alone, creates match up problems for everybody in the grand prix. His most recent fight was against Errol Zimmerman, in which he won be unanimous decision. The receipt to take out Schilt, is to get inside and pressure him. Badr Hari displayed this perfectly in 2009 (non-tournament) when he KO'd Schilt in less than a minute, the first time he had been KO'd in five-years.
The 2010 It's Showtime Champion, Hesdy Gerges, will be getting his second crack at Schilt. Gerges lost in early '09 by decision when they first met. The Egyptian stands at 6'6 and around the 225 pound range. Hard to believe he is small compared to the nearly seven-foot, 290 pound Schilt. Gerges specializes in Muay Thai but the clinch strategy is hard to achieve on Schilt for obvious reasons. Gerges is coming off a successful Showtime title defense against Rustemi Kreshnik on September 12th.
Jerome Le Banner vs. "Kyotaro" Keijiro Maeda
K-1 Heavyweight champion, "Kyotaro", could be one of the most underestimated fighters in K-1 despite being heavyweight champ. Kyotaro has one-punch KO power in his right hand, which is good news cause Jerome Le Banner has been known to have a questionable chin. Peter Aerts was he latest victim to the 24-year-old champ's right hook earlier this year.
A true veteran in K-1, Le Banner is an aggressive fighter and probably the best fighter to never win the World Grand Prix. The 37-year-old is the third oldest competitor in the grand prix but age hasn't slowed him down yet. Le Banner's aggressiveness could play against him via right hook to the jaw should he choose constantly pressure Kyotaro.
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