sandy heres the writeup on the sep 25 elimination event:
( from the k-1 website)

Kaoklai Shocks Ignashov at the Budokan

Written by Monty DiPietro.

TOKYO, September 25, 2004 -- Stellar performances from veterans and newcomers alike -- along with a couple of major upsets -- made for plenty of excitement at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final Elimination, a 16-man, one-match tournament which determined the eight fighters for the K-1 World GP Final, set for December 4th at Tokyo Dome.

True to the "back to the basics" theme of this year's World GP, the event was held at the historic Nippon Budokan, an arena originally built for Judo events at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In English, "Budokan" means "martial arts hall."

The building has a special significance for K-1, explained Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa: "The Budokan is where we started K-1, the Budokan is where Musashi and Jerome LeBanner made their debuts, it is where then-newcomer Mike Bernardo knocked out Andy Hug, a legendary Champion who is no longer with us. The Budokan is a spiritual place, it has a vibe. Something special will always happen at the Budokan."

On this night, the best seats went for ¥100,000 apiece ($910, €740) -- that was the ticket face value, before scalpers got a hold of the them -- and the atmosphere in the Budokan was electric.

In the tournament's first matchup, Gary Goodridge of Trinidad and Tobago stepped in against American Mighty Mo. A real brawler, Goodridge is on something of a hot streak in K-1, while the hard-hitting Mo won the Battle at the Bellagio III in August to earn a place here and carry the American hopes toward the GP Final.

Said Goodridge at the pre-event press conference, with confidence bordering on cockiness: " I'm looking forward to watching the other matches, so I'm hoping for this fight to be done in one round!" To which Replied Mo replied, "Well, like Gary said, hopefully I can give it to him in one round!"

And, for all the bravado one hears at press conferences, Mo actually made good on his word. The stocky American threw the left jab from the start, and was able to connect with a right hook early in the first and rattle Goodridge, who never managed to threaten here. Ever stepping in, Mo got the right in midway through the round for a down, and did the same shortly afterward for another. At the clapper, Mo connected with an uppercut and then let the right do it again, recording his third down of the round to win the bout. Mo totally dominated here, and even managed to toss in a couple of low kick for good measure.

Said a jovial Mo from the Winner's Circle: "I feel good to be representing America at the Final this year -- I'm bringing it home, baby!"

Alexey "The Scorpion" Ignashov of Belarus was many insiders' favorite to win the Final this year, but he had to contend with the talented Kaoklai Kaennorsing of Thailand here first. Kaoklai turned aside three challengers to win the K-1 in Seoul GP this July, becoming the lightest (78kg) fighter to ever win a K-1 World GP event. Featuring two of the world's best kickers, this promised to be quite a fight -- the key question being whether Kaoklai could overcome the whopping 40kg weight (and 16cm height) disadvantage. The Thai fighter drew a laugh at the press conference when he quipped, "I'm Asian and I'm small, and so I ask all the Japanese fans to cheer for me!"

The first round saw the two tentative, testing with low kicks. Surprisingly, Kaoklai got a right straight punch through for the best strike, and this set the tone for the match. In the second, things picked up, and, surprisingly, Kaoklai continued to get the better of the exchanges. Ignashov was always reacting to attacks, not ineffectively -- but only rarely initiating anything of his own. Kaoklai's quick, hit-and-run strategy was now clearly getting the better of the big Belorussian, who just looked slow. The pestering Kaoklai got a left kick up to Ignashov's neck midway through the second, and continued to intensify the pressure.

It was more of the same in the third -- Kaoklai in and out with the kicks and punches, Ignashov seemingly unable to get a bead on him. Here Ignashov took a yellow card, and midway through was actually seen running away from his relentless opponent. In the end, one judge had Kaoklai up on points but two saw a draw, and so an extra round was called for.

Here again, Kaoklai pestered and frustrated Ignashov, and if there was a single defining moment in this bout it was when Ignashov brought a high kick round but Kaoklai miraculously ducked out of harm's way at the last instant. Ignashov thought he had his opponent, but preternatural reflexes proved the difference. In the extra round, Ignashov recorded two low blows and took a second yellow card. By now, fans were solidly behind Kaoklai. When the judges' cards were read out, the first, in Kaoklai's favor, drew a cheer; the second, for Ignashov, drew a gasp of disbelief and scattered boos; and the third and deciding, for Kaoklai, set the room erupting in applause. Kaoklai through to the Final -- few would have predicted that.

In the next fight, Dutch K-1 veteran Peter Aerts, who has won the World GP three times, met Canadian Michael McDonald. Aerts has smarts and experience, but so does McDonald, a fast fighter who is always dangerous.

McDonald had an aggressive start here, leaning in with his smart punch and kick combinations. Aerts assumed his usual upright stance, tossing in low kicks. This was a good technical bout, both men launching textbook strikes, both men more than able on defense.

In the second Aerts got a knee in from the clinch which felled McDonald and proved the difference in the match. McDonald did get a good solid right hook in shortly afterward, and this opened a gash over Aerts' left eye, prompting a doctor check. But the Dutchman was cleared to continue, and rode out the round and the fight in a defensive mode to take a comfortable unanimous decision. Remarkably, Aerts has made it to the K-1 World GP Final every year since the sport's inception -- this will be his 12th trip!

Thirty-nine year-old Ernesto Hoost, K-1's only four-time World GP Champion, took on Brazilian Kyokushin fighter Glaube Feitosa in the fourth fight. Amid rumors that he will retire next year, Hoost predicted that the bout would be "the first step on my road to a fifth championship."

This was another good technical fight, the first round one of the best on the night. A fit Hoost, looking better than he has in years, was constantly coming in with his punch combinations. Feitosa, for his part, looked something like fellow Kyokushin fighter Francisco Filho in his upset of Remy Bonjasky last May -- composed and focused and good with the guard, fast with the legwork, always ready with the deadly twisting high kick.

In the second, soon after the referee took a good head butt, Feitosa planted a hard kick on Hoost's midsection to double the four-time Champion over. But Hoost recovered, and was light on his feet throughout this one, generally staying out of harm's way and always coming forward, uncharacteristically aggressive. In the third Feitosa missed more than he connected, and although he worked Hoost's lead leg with low kicks to effect, Hoost was always good on the counter, and was better with the punches.

A well-deserved unanimous decision for Hoost, who earned his chance to make history in 10 weeks at the Tokyo Dome.

New Zealand's Ray Sefo is the consummate K-1 veteran. So dedicated has Sefo been to conditioning as of late, for the first time in more than a decade, he weighs less (4kg less) than his younger brother Rony. Sefo has always been in the pack this time of year, and now he means to win it all. His opponent here was Hiromi Amada, one of the toughest Japanese K-1 fighters. Amada had won his last five bouts.

Two similar builds and similar fighting styles made this was a very entertaining bout. The hard-fought first ended with the two crouched toe-to-toe, locked in a slugfest. As would happen throughout the fight, Sefo got the better.

Sefo played his characteristic drop-the-guard and taunt routine here, doing so more than usual, actually, and the crowd loved it. The outclassed Amada bore the brunt of the showboating, but even he had to smile in the second, when Sefo dropped his guard and deftly dodged five consecutive punches, his head quickly cocking this way and that. Sefo looked very good here, lean and quick and in control throughout.

Amada never gave up, but he never really got into this one either, and despite landing a few when Sefo had his guard down at his side, could only watch as, in the final minutes, Sefo outdid himself with the swaggering. First it was a bow and a kiss thrown to the crowd in defiance of any Amada threat. Then Sefo danced the dopey monkey, and followed this with the fancyfoot jig. All the while, Amada could not lay a glove on him.

Of course, occasionally Sefo would get serious and snap in a straight punch or three, he also worked the hooks and uppercuts to effect, and launched several high kicks, a couple making partial contact with Amada's head. A unanimous decision and Sefo was on his way to the Final.

In what was technically a Superfight, Defending World GP Champion Remy Bonjasky (who has a bye to the Tokyo Dome Final) stepped in against former Sumo Yokozuna Akebono.

With his flying knees and spectacular kicking attacks, the 28 year-old Bonjasky is the ne plus ultra of finesse in the K-1 ring -- if he were a car, he would be a Ferrari. Akebono, on the other hand, is the biggest fighter in K-1, standing 203cm and weighing in 215kg, all power, a veritable bulldozer. In close quarters, a bulldozer can mess up a Ferrari, and Bonjasky has to know that. Still, at the pre-event press conference the Dutch fighter promised he would take the fight to Akebono.

From the bell Akebono launched a Bob Sapp-style charge, corralling Bonjasky into the corner and laying in with the body blows. Alas, this was about as good as it got for Akebono, for after Bonjasky slipped out of the trap he was able to attack at will and stay out of the way of Akebono's counters. Akebono lumbered round the ring, from time to time he got a good hook in, but throughout Bonjasky used his speed to pepper the big guy with punches and kicks. To the crowd's delight, Akebono laughed off a flurry of punches in the second, sending the message that Bonjasky's fists were not hurting him. But when Bonjasky put a high kick up to the side of Akebono's head midway through the third, this did hurt him, and he went down, not unlike a building felled by implosion, and lay on the canvas in a heap for a long while. Akebono's fifth K-1 fight, and fifth loss.

Perennial Japanese contender Musashi squared off against enfant terrible Cyril Abidi of France in the penultimate matchup. Only Bonjasky could stop Musashi (in the title bout) at last year's Final, and the Seidokaikan fighter had gone undefeated this year. Plus, for the first time since the 1990s, Musashi had something resembling a natural hair color, which may indicate he had spent more time on training and less at the salon.

Abidi struck first early in the bout with low and high kicks, and this set the crowd chanting "Abidi!" But Musashi's defenses were sound, and the Japanese fighter got a hard kick to Abidi's midsection that was the most damaging strike of the first.

Again, from the bell to start the second, Abidi came out with his wide-open attacking style, and here Musashi answered with a good high kick. Now the chant was "Musashi!", and soon a left punch and a high kick, then a right hook got through, and Musashi had the edge he needed to win the round on all three cards.

In the third, Abidi opened up again, just missing with his haymakers and big high kicks. Musashi kept his cool, and while he was not spectacular here he did what he had to do to win comfortably and take Japan to the Tokyo Dome Final. This being the first year the Japan GP Winner did not automatically qualify for the Final, Musashi was justifiably proud that he had fought his way into the Final Eight.

French powerhouse Jerome LeBanner had gone 3-0 since coming back from a nasty fracture to his left forearm, but he had not faced a particularly strong fighter in these bouts. Widely regarded as the best K-1 fighter never to win the World GP, LeBanner received a thunderous reception when stepped in against Francois "The White Buffalo" Botha of South Africa in the card's main event.

LeBanner threw mostly kicks in the first, and looked good with these to take the round. But some of the ferocity of LeBanner's attack was missing -- by midway through the bout, he had used his left but thrice. For his part, Botha was much improved -- especially good was his blocking, the lack of which had been his downfall in previous bouts. In the second, Botha's aggressive style paid off -- a right hook caught LeBanner going the other way and stunned the Frenchman. Botha followed up immediately, chasing LeBanner down with punches. None of these connected like the right had, but their cumulative effect was to send LeBanner to one knee for a down, which brought the crowd to their feet: Had Botha, winless in his four K-1 fights, found a way to beat one of K-1's best?

Yes, he had. LeBanner looked for chances in the third, but Botha's defenses were up to the task. When LeBanner did get in with a high kick, he was unable to follow up, and Botha was able to recover. Botha finished the fight throwing jabs, keeping his opponent at bay, always threatening and always in control, looking a much smarter fighter than he had in the past.

There was some confusion when the judges' cards were read out. The first scored the bout a draw, the second gave it to Botha by a point, and the third also scored it a draw. But even as the crowd cheered in anticipation of a tie-breaking extra round, LeBanner turned to his cornermen and began shaking his head. When the ring announcer called "Seconds Out," LeBanner's cornermen did not leave the ring, and the fighter himself went to the referee to indicate he was not going to answer the bell. Nobody was sure how to proceed until, finally, a white towel was thrown, which gave Botha the win by TKO.

LeBanner went to a local hospital to have his left arm examined after the fight, and did not appear for his post-bout interview.

After a less-than-convincing start to his K-1 career, Botha picked the perfect time to turn things round. Said the jubilant boxer afterward: "I studied LeBanner, I knew what he was going to do. This was my first time preparing for a fight this way, I finally feel that I'm among the best!"

A fine tournament, and at the end of the night, it was probably the Dutch who were the biggest winners, as a trio of fighters from the Netherlands (Bonjasky, Aerts and Hoost) will represent Europe at the Final. There will also be two Asians (Musashi and Kaoklai), and one fighter each from North America (Mo), Africa (Botha) and Oceania (Sefo) at the Tokyo Dome.

The K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final Elimination attracted a sellout crowd of 14,860 to the Nippon Budokan. It was same-day broadcast nationwide in Japan on the Fuji TV Network, and is set to be shown in some 95 countries on a delayed basis. Check the K-1 Official Website for official results from the Final Elimination, as well as the matchups for the Tokyo Dome Final, which will be posted soon after they are determined in a September 26th draw.