http://www.k-1gp.net/top548.htm

I hope not!!

Any news?

http://www.so-net.ne.jp/srs-dx/report/news_20031005k.html

a guy from sherdog said that he injured his arm.

What a shame for Jerome and the K-1. He will truly be missed at the Grand prix!

It looks like Ernesto Hoost is going to get a new belt to his big collection; I cannot see whom besides Jerome Le Banner, who is strong enough to stop him for winning another title?

LeBanner is definitely out- on advice from his doctor. No new opponent has been named for Botha yet.

I wounder who the new opponent will be?

Mirko

maybe mirko but somehow i think it is a little too late to get him to fight and then commit to december. he probably doesn't even have a contract anymore.

the second choice would be to take the iggy-bernardo fight or the filho-leko fight and split them up. for the sake of argument, let's say iggy fights botha then bernardo would be open to fight holm or mcdonald or even schilt.

one thing i can say about the k-1 is that the show always goes on. that office must be losing a ton of sleep now.

I think Mirko is staying with Pride. I don't see him back in K-1 anytime soon. K-1 pissed Mirko off when they wouldn't give the money he deserved. And made him out as second-fiddle to Sapp prior to their fight. They totally disrespected Mirko prior to the Sapp fight in my opinion.

I was just joking about Mirko:) sorry.
I think K-1 will have a hard decision to make.

McDonald would be great.

he showed real good combos and really worked the
body of his opponents in the last K-1 USA.

I hope the Black Sniper gets a chance....

******** vs botha
aerts vs ********
hoost vs abidi (or graham if the deal can be closed in time)
bonjasky vs. sapp
leko vs filho
sefo vs williams
ignashov vs. bernardo

mcdonald, holm, schilt, venetiaan, or mirko. who will get the call?


aerts-abidi would be fun to watch. aerts would be especially motivated.

as i said before, i can't see botha fighting a reserver. ishii will probably split one of the veteran fights up. i see either iggy or filho fighting the boxer.

Felix;

I think that it will be Holm or McDonald, if I am to pick one or two of the "reserve" fighters named above.

1) Semmy has not been fighting in the K-1 in year 2003, so he is not a hot subject.

2) Venetiaan is waiting for the result from his drug/doping test, taken at the K-1 2003 Andy Hug Memorial. So I don’t believe in Venetiaan before the result of his test has been declared. It would be a wrong signal to send, if you allow Venetiaan to fight, when he is accused for taken illegal drugs.

3) Mirkro got what it takes to fight in the Grand Prix, he is one of the best all around fighters in the world. But I think his career in the K-1 is more or less over. CroCop is a Pride and MMA fighter today, and I will agree with you Felix about the Cop might not even have a contract anymore? I would love to see CroCop getting the chance, but I don’t think he will?

4) Martin Holm is a good choice. The strong Swede did very well against Ray Sefo, fighting Sugerfoot even in a tuff fight. Holm was also strong against Ernesto Hoost in Paris, fighting the champ in a long 5 rounds fight, under rules where knee strike was not allowed - Holms best and strongest weapon. Holm is a big talent; his style reminds me of cocktail between Ignashov and Remy Bojansky... Bring him on! Defiantly a man of the future.

5) McDonald would in my eyes also be a good and fair choice. McDonald was fighting like a dream in the 2003 K-1 Las Vegas, and his fight against Remy in the finale was one of the best fights in the K-1 this year. McDonald is “old”, so if he is going to get a last chance to get to the Dome; this is the last call for the Black Sniper.

So it is going to be Holm and McDonald as I see it.

Oliver,
How old is Mcdonald?
I know very little about the guy, but to look at I would have imagined he'd be early 30s.

Mcdonald is born in 1965, so he is as "old" as Ernesto Hoost.

But it is hard to see!

oliver,

1)schilt fought this year against bonjasky. he won too.

so far his k-1 record is:

win musashi
draw hoost
win mcdoanld
win bonjasky

2)i had my doctor write notes for school. the k-1 can have their own tests done by an independant [lying cheating bastard] doctor and get a negative result.

3)mirko is a special kind of fish. you just got to put a lot of bait on the hook. with lebanner out of the tourney, i imagine there is some leftover cash lying around in the ishii vault.

4)agree

5) agree



maybe we'll get lucky and see kakuda come out of retirement and get creamed by aerts. then he can give a speech from rocky again or maybe he can steal arnold's "i'm not a nazi" speech. that would be funny.

Hi!

Just to add info...the drug tests at Basel K1 were carried out by the Swiss Olympic Committee and were strictly controlled.

Smiler

it appears abidi will meet botha and graham will fight hoost.

this leaves one place for someone to fight aerts.



i'm a little surprised they would create an either-or situation with botha and abidi.

Kakuda is over the hill, but I like the idea!! I wonder who would have been judge in his fight... If he was to get a 2nd comeback. Maybe Bob Sapp? Kakuda and Bob seem like they walk hand in hand. Kakuda was a good Seido karate fighter, but he has never been a top contender in the K-1. Than rather Nakasako, because then you got money back guarantee for a first round KO.

Crocop is a special kind of fish, you never know who he would say yes to fight? He doesn’t cares if it is Mark Hunt, Bob Sapp, Igor Vovchanchyn or Mike Tyson. To me it seems like CroCop would fight Hulk for free, just as long he is allowed to wear his Croatian swimming shorts.

There are a handful of opportunities, and at the bottom-line I hope that it ends up with Holm, Mcdonald or Crocop.

Any roomers about Mike Tyson getting a chance? Surprise surprise…….

abidi vs botha
aerts vs ********
hoost vs graham
bonjasky vs. sapp
leko vs filho
sefo vs williams
ignashov vs. bernardo


still one place for aerts' opponent. the rumor is mcdonald, not tyson.

i'm guessing they chose abidi because he is french and the k-1 paris shows are pretty successful. with no lebanner, they had to pick le roi des weirdo.

have McDonald and Aerts fought eachother before?
if So, what was the outcome?

thanks

Michael Mcdonald Vs Peter Aerts could turn out to be a copy of Aerts Vs Ray in fighting style. Good boxing skills Vs low kicks and knee strikes… Or should I say hands Vs legs.

Sounds very interesting and like a good and fair match up!

I reckon that Ignsahov or Bonjasky may cause an upset this year!

seeing how iggy made it to the semis in 2001 and bernardo hasn't even fought in the grand prix since '98, it would be an upset if bernardo won.


peter and mcdonald fought once and peter knocked him out pretty fast. any fan that turned his head for a hot dog missed the fight. that was in '99 i believe. aerts blew apart 6 guys that year until lebanner knocked him out.

mcdonald is still just a rumor though. we'll see what the official decision is in the next day or so.

"any fan that turned his head for a hot dog missed the fight".


LOL!!

Ignsahov and Bojasky will both made it to the Dome, and properly by KO.

Ignashov Vs Mike could end on points, in a boring fight. But I don’t believe for a split second, that that the fight between Remy Bojansky Vs Bob Sapp, will be longer than a 2 rounds fight. Bob don’t have air for more than 2 rounds, so it will end on KO or TKO…

Check out Bob Sapp in his fight against Kimo. In the last 15 seconds in the 1st round Bob is totally finish, he cant hardly breath or stand up, and he has only been hitten once! And we are talking against Kimo, this is Remy Bojansky who has a talent and a technique that are 2nd to none. Remy is so fast and smart, that he can delivery a knee strike to Bob’s chin and nose - faster than Bob can eat a slice pizza with double pepperoni. Bob will never see it coming, but he will feel it!

Sapp’s only chance is a lucky punch. Anything else would be wishful thinking. If Bob don’t hit Remy early in the first round hard and clean, the beast will go down, be stopped by the judge or by his corner.

Luckily McDonald is a much better fighter now
than he was a few years ago. If he gets the
spot, i would be happy. I think the results
will go at least a couple rounds. Long enough
to maybe even eat 2 hots dogs!
:-)

Holm or one of the others mentioned would also be good.

On a dutch forum was a rumour that Sem Schilt is going to JAPAN !!!

Holm Vs Semmy would also be a good fight. Two BIG knee strikers.

Mcdonald is better today than he was 4 years ago, I agree... But I don’t think he is strong enough to beat Peter Aerts, especially not when it is for a spot in the Grand prix. Peter Aerts want is more hungry than The Black Sniper, because it is also close to last chance for the Dutch Lumberjack to win again.

K-1 FInal Elimination Lineup
Oct 5, 2003

By Mike Afromowitz (mike@k-1usa.net)


*Update* - Jermoe LeBanner has injured his arm. His replacement will be announced shortly.

With the Saturday, October 11th K-1 “Final Elimination” card just around the corner, the seven matchups for the Osaka, Japan card have been hammered out. Here is the lay of the land for the first K-1 Japan event in history that will air live on United States Pay-Per-View television:

Peter Aerts (Holland) vs. Jerrel Venetiaan (Holland)
Ray Sefo (New Zealand) vs. Carter Williams (United States)
Francisco Filho (Brazil) vs. Stefan Leko (Germany)
Alexey Ignashov (Belarus) vs. Mike Bernardo (Republic of South Africa)
Ernesto Hoost (Holland) vs. Cyril Abidi (France)
Bob Sapp (United States) vs. Remy Bonjasky (Holland)
Jerome LeBanner (France) vs. Francois Botha (Republic of South Africa)

At 32 years of age, Peter Aerts is seeking his 4th career K-1 World Grand Prix title. While injuries plagued him during the second half of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002, “The Dutch Lumberjack” imposed his will this year and racked up enough victories to earn a spot in the October 11th event that will award each of its single fight winners a place in December 7th’s World Grand Prix Finals tournament.

Another one of Holland’s promising talents, Jerrel Venetiaan earned his place in the “Final Elimination” loop by defeating three straight opponents during May 30th’s K-1 World Grand Prix single-elimination tournament in Basel, Switzerland.

Making his debut in Japan, 23-year-old American Carter Williams will be overmatched by K-1 veteran Ray Sefo in terms of fighting experience in K-1’s birthplace, but not in terms of raw talent. Beginning with his May K-1 USA tournament win when he outpointed defending champion Michael McDonald and stopped Japan’s Yusuke Fujimoto and six-time world kickboxing champion Rick Roufus, Williams proved he belongs in the big show.

Since that career breakthrough night, Williams has reeled off four more consecutive victories, three of which came by way of knockout. Sefo, a former International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) world kickboxing champion and the 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix Finals runner-up, enjoys the status of one of K-1’s most popular athletes. 2002 was arguably the New Zealander’s best year to date on the fighting circuit as he earned five wins in six appearances.

On July 13th, Brazilian Kyokushin Karate star, Francisco Filho, made his long-awaited return to K-1 action after back-to-back knee and shoulder injuries sidelined him for over 12 months. Filho’s appearance on October 11th will be his second of the year since he fought fellow K-1 standout Mike Bernardo to a draw during his comeback fight in Fukuoka, Japan.

Germany’s Stefan “Blitz” Leko has become an increasingly dangerous force in “The New Fighting Sport” since he took the August 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Semifinals crown by brutally knocking out Aerts in the championship round of the eight-man single elimination tournament at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Team Glory mentor and mastermind kickboxing trainer, Cor Hemmers of Holland, who assumed command over Leko’s training last year, is credited as the primary force behind his 29-year-old protégé’s improvement.

25-year-old Alexey Ignashov has earned the respect of his international competition during his three years of activity in the K-1 Superheavyweight circuit. The 6’5”, 239 pound fighter’s long knees are recognized as one of the most potent forces in the fight game and have earned him the nickname “The Scorpion.”

South African Mike Bernardo has repeatedly beaten his top-flight opponents to the punch with superior western boxing skills that led him to the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Heavyweight championship several years ago. Bernardo has gone as far as the championship round of the World Grand Prix Finals tournament in 1996, but has not yet stood in the winner’s circle of the Tokyo Dome.

Aside from being the most accomplished fighter in K-1 history with a record four World Grand Prix titles under his belt, Holland’s Ernesto Hoost has shown that he is, perhaps, the tournament’s most durable fighter who deserves an “Iron Man” award for his refusal to slow down at the age of 38.

2003 has been another year under sun for Hoost, who picked up victories in both of his appearances earlier this year. In 1999, French kickboxer Cyril Abidi debuted in K-1 competition with a brilliant five-round victory over Petar Majstorovic and followed the performance up with two consecutive knockouts over Aerts and a technical knockout over Sefo.

Since that early stage of his career, though, Abidi has experienced some rough times as he was twice viciously mauled last year by opponents possessing much lesser stand-up fighting experience in Sapp and mixed martial arts heavyweight contender, Quinton Jackson.

On August 15th, appearances by Sapp and Remy Bonjasky highlighted the K-1 “Battle At The Bellagio” Las Vegas card. While the 6’3”, 365-pound Sapp narrowly escaped the clutches of Superfight opponent Kimo by recovering from a knockdown and delivering his own high-powered knockout blow, Bonjasky put on an aggressive and dynamic display of high-flying kicks and knees to capture the eight-man tournament championship and the admiration of the 8,000 spectators in attendance.

Labeled time and time again as the “next Ernesto Hoost,” Bonjasky is expected to be tested next week as he will face a fighter who carries over one hundred pounds more than him and one who enjoys punishing his opponents at close range where Bonjasky often strikes with his airborne tactics. Sapp is coming off of a September 21st first round victory over fellow former NFL player, Stefan Gamlin.

Styles will likely collide most when two-time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals runner-up Jerome LeBanner squares off with the event’s curveball in heavyweight boxing contender, Francois Botha. Added to the card last week after he came to terms with K-1’s front office in Japan, Botha will test his elite western boxing skills under K-1 rules for the first time.

LeBanner, a swing-for-the-fences style fighter who sustained a broken elbow during his World Grand Prix Finals championship round bout with Hoost last December, reaffirmed his standing as one of the sport’s best by earning victories during both of his ring appearances this year. The French kickboxer, whose defensive skills have been questioned at times, could very well be taken to task by the polished punching techniques of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) number 10-rated opponent.

i doubt that remy will beat sapp,he can't handle big guys (remember the fight vs Semmy)schilts dominated the whole fight.

Semmy has massive reach and some technical skills to back it up, completely different to Sapp who can't throw a punch properly.
Bonjasky will have watched the Cro-cop vs Sapp fight a million times and know the way to beat Bob is speed. Keep moving and keep hitting, and those are two things that Remy does very well. Barring pure luck Remy should be favourite.

My words Glen.

Remy is a great bloke and an incredible fighter, though yet to come of age - he has much more to offer, and I think is about 2 years off reaching his full potential.

And he's good enough now!

It will be a great spectacle - Remy using speed and technical ability - Sapp trying to cut him off in the ring and drop bombs!

I won't be betting on the outcome!

Sensible head says that Remy will either outpoint Sapp comfortably, or be KO'd by a lucky bomb....

Smiler

Smiler,

You have to bet on the outcome on the Ax pool.

My money is Remy, 1st or early 2nd round KO/TKO. Bob Sapp is one big and strong giant, but his chin is a soft as a goose down pillow, and his high weight and pure physical fitness, makes him run out of gas two minutes into the first round, so I think he will be an "easy" target for Remy.


Bob has two weapons, his lucky punch and Kakuda.

Remy vs Sapp will have to end in a KO.......there is no way bob will last 3 rounds of 3 minutes, chasing remy round the ring.
If bob lands the big bombs, bob by KO.......if it goes any more than half way through the 2nd i can see bob been too short of breath, then remy will prob jump on him with flying knees or kicks!

I'll have to toss a coin for the outcome, and place my bet on chance.....

Smiler