K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination
kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the
K-1
K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
organization. Each year,
K-1
K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in the K-1 World GP. This tournament has had nine different winners with
Ernesto Hoost and
Semmy Schilt each winning four times.
Match-ups
Usually combatants of the quarter-finals of a 16-man 8-match tournament are paired by drawing. In the case of the Final in the
Tokyo Dome it is widely different. The whole event is combined with a ceremony and a press conference. The process looks like a lottery show in the beginning with all the fighters pulling a ball from a glass bowl. The balls represent numbers 1 to 8, which determine the fighters' order in choosing a position from a giant tournament tree figure by standing in front a drawn bracket (from A to H) on the poster, which represents the fighter's corner-color and the line-number of the match. The next fighter does the same, but he can now choose between challenging the one on the stage or an "empty" section. This procedure goes on until one fighter remains who has no choice but to fill one slot left next to the one lone fighter. This system gives a freedom of choice and tactics to the fighters with the help of a little luck.
K-1 World Grand Prix dates and venues
Champions
See also
*
List of K-1 events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Korakuen Hall, Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
2023 events
2022 events
...
*
List of PRIDE events
*
List of male kickboxers
This is a list of notable male professional kickboxers.
A
* Donegi Abena
* Lukas Achterberg
* Thomas Adamandopoulos
* Serhiy Adamchuk
* Romie Adanza
* Armando González
* Benjamin Adegbuyi
* Israel Adesanya
* Peter Aerts
* Ryo Aitaka
* Vi ...
External links
K-1 Japan Official websiteK-1 World official website
{{K-1 World GP Champions
K-1 events
Sports competitions in Japan
Recurring sporting events established in 1993