The year 2021 is the 28th year in the history of the K-1, an international kickboxing event. The year started with K-1: K’Festa 4.

List of events

K-1: K’Festa 4

''K-1: K'Festa 4'' was a kickboxing event held by K-1. It was originally scheduled to be held on January 24, 2021, at the

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming ...

Yoyogi is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Geography The area encompassed by Yoyogi is typically defined two ways: * Only the five Yoyogi . * The former , corresponding roughly to the area south of National Route 20 (K� ...

, Japan, but was later postponed as the Japanese prime minister

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fro ...

declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The event was rescheduled for two dates: March 21 and March 28, 2021, to be held at the Tokyo Garden Theater and Nippon Budokan, respectively.

Background

Originally scheduled fights

The event was supposed to be headlined by a match between the reigning K-1 Super Featherweight champion

Takeru Segawa is a Japanese kickboxer. He is the former K-1 Super Featherweight champion, K-1 Featherweight champion and K-1 Super Bantamweight champion. He is the only three weight champion in K-1 history. A generational talent, Takeru is considered to b ...

and the reigning Krush Super Featherweight champion

Leona Pettas is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super featherweight division of K-1, where he is the Super Featherweight champion. He took the family name of his first trainer Karateka Nicholas Pettas. Pettas is the 2022 K-1 Super Featherw ...

. Former K-1 Heavyweight champion

Kyotaro Fujimoto is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2011 to 2019 and a kickboxer. He began competing again as a professional kickboxer in 2021. He is the former K-1 Heavyweight Champion and successfully defended the title against kickbox ...

was to make his comeback to kickboxing, following a ten-year hiatus. He is scheduled to fight Kosuke Jitsutaka. Former K-1 Super Lightweight champion

Rukiya Anpo is a Japanese kickboxer, who commpeted in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions of K-1. A professional competitor since 2011, he is the former K-1 Super Lightweight champion and the 2021 K-1 welterweight Grand Prix runner-up. As o ...

was scheduled to fight Kaito.

Yuto Shinohara is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2014, he is the former Krush Super Lightweight champion and a one-time Krush Lightweight title challenger. As of January 2023, he ...

was set to face

Yuma Saikyo Yuma Saikyo (西京佑馬) is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. He is the former Krush Super Featherweight champion. As of 1 August 2020, he is ranked the #7 flyweight in the world by Combat Press. Kickboxing career Saikyo m ...

, with both fighters coming off a two fight losing skid. Tomoya Yokoyama was to fight TETSU, while Akihiro Kaneko was set to fight Momotaro Kiyama. 2019 K-1 Featherweight GP finalist Jawsuayai Sor.Dechaphan was scheduled to fight

Shuhei Kumura Shuhei Kumura (玖村修平) is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. He is the current Krush Featherweight (-57.5kg) champion. As of June 2022, Combat Press ranks him as the fourth best super flyweight kickboxer in the world. K ...

, while his brother

Masashi Kumura is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super bantamweight division of K-1. He is the former Krush Super Bantamweight champion, having held the title between 2019 and 2021. Kumura is a two-time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist, having ...

was scheduled to fight Dansiam Ayothaya Fight Gym. The 2017 super welterweight finalist

Yasuhiro Kido Yasuhiro Kido ( ja, 城戸康裕; born December 25, 1982) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super welterweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2003, he is the 2008 K-1 World MAX Japan tournament winner and th ...

was scheduled to fight Daiki Matsushita. Former K-1 Super Lightweight champion

Masaaki Noiri is a Japanese kickboxer who competes in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. He began practicing karate as a young boy and had great success in both full contact karate and amateur kickboxing in his early teens, which included winning th ...

was scheduled to fight Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai. The rest of the main card was rounded up with the following fights: Hiroki was to fight Ryuka at lightweight,

Mio Tsumura Mio Tsumura (born 14 April 1995), popularly known as MIO, is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the atomweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2011, she is a multiple-time Shootboxing tournament winner, having won th ...

was to fight

Mako Yamada Mako Yamada (山田真子, born 26 May 1994) is a Japanese kickboxer and former boxer, currently competing in the atomweight division of K-1. Yamada is a former boxing world champion, having held the WBO mini flyweight title in 2014. She is t ...

at a 46 kg catchweight, Kamlaiphet Pran26 was to fight Daisuke Fujimura at super welterweight, Petchseenil Sor.Puangthong was to fight Miho Takanashi at atomweight and

Sina Karimian Sina Karimian (born 23 January 1988) is an Iranian kickboxer. He currently competes in K-1, where he is the current K-1 Cruiserweight Champion. Kickboxing career Karimian participated in the 2018 K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight (−90 kg) Tou ...

was to fight Seiya Tanigawa at cruiserweight.

K'Festa 4 Day 1

March 21st event

The card will be headlined by a rematch between

Yuki Egawa is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super featherweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2013, he is the former Krush Featherweight and K-1 Featherweight champion. Combat Press ranked him as a top ten super f ...

and

Tatsuya Tsubakihara is a Japanese kickboxer, currently fighting in the featherweight division of K-1. He is the former K-1 featherweight champion, having held the title in 2021. As of July 2022, he is ranked the #3 Super Flyweight in the world by Combat Press. He' ...

for the K-1 Featherweight title. The two previously fought at the K-1 World GP 2020 in Osaka, with Tsubakihara winning a majority decision. In the co-main event, the K-1 Super Lightweight champion Hideaki Yamazaki is scheduled to fight Fukashi Mizutani in a non-title bout. Former two-time Krush Welterweight title challenger

Kaisei Kondo Kaisei Kondo (近藤魁成) is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Osaka, Japan. He was ranked the ninth best super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Combat Press between March and September 2022. Biography Early years The son of a ...

will face Maki Dwansonpong. K-1 and Krush Cruiserweight title challenger

Hisaki Kato is a Japanese-French professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer who most recently competed in Bellator's Middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2013, he has also competed for Rizin. Background Born and raised in Pari ...

is scheduled to fight Mahmoud Sattari.

Fight Card

K'Festa 4 Day 2

March 28th event

The main event bout between

and

for the K-1 Super Featherweight Championship will serve as the headliner. The heavyweight bout between Kyotaro and Kosuke Jitsutaka was likewise rescheduled. The fight between the former K-1 Lightweight champion

and Kaito was scrapped, as Anpo was forced to withdraw due to injury. Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai, Dansiam AyothayaFightGym, Kamlaiphet Pran26 and Petchseenil Sor Puangthong will all be unable to compete due to travel restrictions caused by the

. TETSU versus Tomoya Yokoyama, MIO versus

, Akihiro Kaneko versus Momotaro Kiyama and Hiroki versus Ryuka were all rescheduled for this event as well.

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021: Japan Bantamweight Tournament

K-1 World GP 2021: Japan Bantamweight Tournament was a kickboxing event held by K-1 originally scheduled for May 23, 2021, at the

Ota City General Gymnasium Ota City General Gymnasium is an arena in Ōta, Tokyo is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is often called Ōta City. , the ward has an estimated population of 716,413, with 379,199 households and a populatio ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan. Due to a state of emergancy imposed as a way to combat the

, the event was later rescheduled for May 30, 2021, to be held at the Yokohama Budokan in

Naka-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563 and a population density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km². Geography Naka Ward ...

, Japan.

Background

K-1 Featherweight champion

is expected to face

in a non-title bout. Former K-1 Lightweight champion Kenta Hayashi was scheduled to fight Vitor Tofanelli. The 2018 Super Featherweight champion

Kotaro Shimano Kotaro Shimano (born 8 June 1992) is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Futtsu, Japan. He is the former Krush Super Featherweight champion. As of 1 August 2020, he is ranked the #9 flyweight in the world by Combat Press. He first entered t ...

was set to fight

Sano Tenma Sano Tenma (佐野天馬, born July 25,1997) is a Japanese kickboxer who has fought in K-1, Krush, and Glory of Heroes. Championships and awards Professional *Bigbang ** 2017 Bigbang Featherweight Champion (1 defense) * Krush ** 2014 Krush ...

at super featherweight. The event featured an eight-man bantamweight tournament, contested solely by Japanese fighters. Mao Hashimoto was later replaced by Naoki Ōmura. Momotaro was scheduled to face Narufumi Nishimoto in a featherweight bout. A second featherweight bout announced for the event was contested by TOMA and Yusho Kanemoto. Junki Sasaki was scheduled to fight in a 56 kg catchweight bout against Rat EiwaSportsGym, the highest he has ever weighed in at. Katsuya Jinbo was to fight Aqil Bukhari at a 75 kg catchweight. Former Shootboxing Minimumweight champion

was scheduled to fight the Krush atomweight champion Miyuu Sugawara. A second atomweight bout announced for the event was a matchup between MOE and Yu.

K-1 Japan Bantamweight Tournament bracket

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka

K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka was a kickboxing event held by K-1 on July 17, 2021, at the

Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan is a collection of three separate buildings operated by the Fukuoka Convention Center Foundation. Fukuoka Kokusai Center The Fukuoka Kokusai Center opened in . A Sumo Tournament is held here every November. Many ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, Japan.

Background

Gonnapar Weerasakreck Kongnapa (or Gonnapar) Weerasakreck is a Thai Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is the former K-1 Lightweight champion and former Krush Lightweight champion. After having over a hundred fights in Thailand, Gonnapar moved to Japan in 2010. ...

was scheduled to make the first defense of his K-1 Lightweight Championship against

Taio Asahisa Taio Asahisa (born 16 January 1998) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently fighting in the lightweight division of K-1, where he is the reigning champion. As of May 2021, he was the #1 ranked Super Bantamweight in the world according to Combat P ...

. Former K-1 Featherweight champion

was scheduled to fight the two-time Krush Super Featherweight title challenger Tatsuya Oiwa. Egawa later withdrew from due bout due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

protocols. A lightweight bout between

Koya Urabe is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. He is the inaugural and former two time K-1 World GP 2016 -60kg World Tournament Champion. As of December 2020, he is the #10 ranked Super Bantamweight according to Combat Press, first e ...

and

Fumiya Osawa Fumiya Osawa (born 11 September 1991) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently fighting in the lightweight division of K-1 and Krush, where he is the incumbent Krush Lightweight champion. Osawa is the 2018 K-1 Lightweight Grand Prix finalist. Kickb ...

was announced for the event. It was their fourth meeting, with Urabe having won two of their previous three bouts. The co-main event saw the former K-1 Super Lightweight champion

was scheduled to fight Koki in a welterweight bout. The second welterweight bout saw Kota Nakano face Maki Dwansonpong. A Cruiserweight bout between

K-Jee "K-Jee" is a 1971 song by American soul and funk band The Nite-Liters. Written by Harvey Fuqua and Charlie Hearndon it charted in 1971 at No. 17 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B chart, and at No. 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Charts Cover ve ...

and

Ryo Aitaka is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions of K-1. He is a one-time K-1 Cruiserweight title challenger, having fought for the title in 2020. Kickboxing career BigBang Early career Aitaka made h ...

was announced for the event. A welterweight bout between Kota Nakano and Maki Dwansonpong was scheduled for the event. BigBang Heavyweight champion Kosuke Jitsukata was scheduled to fight the undefeated Naoto Maruyama. 21-fight K-1 veteran Naoki Yamamoto was scheduled to fight Satoru Nariai at super featherweight. Former Krush Super Featherweight champion

was scheduled to fight Tatsuki at lightweight. A rematch between

Miho Takanashi Miho Takanashi (born 26 May 1993) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently fighting in the minimumweight division of K-1, where she is the former Krush Atomweight champion. As of June 2021, she is the #10 ranked pound for pound female kickboxer in t ...

and MARI was announced for the event.

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021: Yokohamatsuri

K-1 World GP 2021: Yokohamatsuri was a kickboxing event held by K-1 on September 20, 2021, at the

Yokohama Arena is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the ...

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, Japan.

Background

The former K-1 lightweight champion Kenta Hayashi was scheduled to face the reigning Krush Super Lightweight titleholder

Daizo Sasaki Daizo Sasaki (born 20 November 1990) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight divisions of Krush and K-1. He is the former Krush Super Lightweight champion, the former Krush Lightweight champion, the 2018 K-1 Super ...

in a super lightweight bout. Newly crowned Krush Women's flyweight champion Kotomi was scheduled to face Rikako Sakurai in a 53 kg catchweight bout. Kaito Ozawa was scheduled to face Yuta Kuneida in a featherweight bout.

Hirotaka Asahisa Hirotaka Asahisa (朝久裕貴, born 21 June 1996) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super featherweight division of K-1 and Wu Lin Feng. He is the current WLF Super featherweight champion. A professional competitor since 2012 ...

was scheduled to face MOMOTARO in a super featherweight bout. Ryusei Ashizawa was scheduled to face

Hirotaka Urabe Hirotaka Urabe is a retired Japanese kickboxer. He was the 2015 K-1 Super Featherweight Grand Prix winner, as well as the inaugural and two time Krush Super Featherweight champion. As of December 2020, he was the #10 ranked Super Flyweight, a ...

in the second super featherweight bout of the main card. A rematch between

and Yutaro Yamauchi at super welterweight was announced for the event, eight years after their first meeting, which Kido won by unanimous decision., MMA veteran and Olympic Judo gold medalist

Satoshi Ishii is a Japanese-born judoka, mixed martial artist, kickboxer and submission grappler who has held Croatian citizenship since 2019. Ishii won the gold medal in Olympic Judo at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, a silver medal at the ...

was scheduled to make his kickboxing debut against

in a super heavyweight bout. Former K-1 heavyweight champion

was scheduled to face the reigning K-1 Cruiserweight champion

in a heavyweight bout. A one-night welterweight world Grand Prix was held during the event, featuring eight competitors:

, Alan Soares, Riki Matsuoka, Maki Dwansonpong, Kona Kato,

, Ruku Kojima and Ali Ayinta. On September 8, 2021, it was revealed that Kona Kato had to withdraw from his bout due to

related reasons, and was replaced by FUMIYA. Daiku Kazuki was rescheduled to face Darvish Kurogi. Toshiki Taniyama was scheduled to face the former Krush lightweight champion

in a lightweight bout. A featherweight bout between the reigning Krush Featherweight champion Takahito Niimi and two-time Krush Super Bantamweight title challenger Taito Gunji was announced for the event. Tatsuki Shinotsuka was scheduled to make his sophomore appearance against Toma Tanabe in a featherweight bout. A bantamweight bout between two former Krush bantamweight champions,

Koki KOKI-TV (channel 23) is a television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned by INSP (TV channel), Imagicomm Communications alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYT-TV (channel ...

and Akihiro Kaneko, was announced for the main card.

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021 in Osaka

K-1 World GP 2021 in Osaka was a kickboxing event held by K-1 on December 4, 2021, at the

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium is an indoor sporting arena located in Namba, Osaka, Japan. It first opened in 1952 and the current building was constructed in 1987. It is the venue of a professional sumo tournament ( honbasho) held in March every year. The capacity of the ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan.

Background

A K-1 Featherweight Championship bout between the reigning champion

and title challenger Taito Gunji was announced as the main event.

Fight Card

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
2021 sport-related lists K-1 events 2021 in kickboxing 2021 in Japanese sport

List of events

K-1: K’Festa 4

Background

Originally scheduled fights

K'Festa 4 Day 1

March 21st event

Fight Card

K'Festa 4 Day 2

March 28th event

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021: Japan Bantamweight Tournament

Background

K-1 Japan Bantamweight Tournament bracket

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka

Background

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021: Yokohamatsuri

Background

Fight Card

K-1 World GP 2021 in Osaka

Background

Fight Card

See also

References

External links