I’ve heard about it. I’ve read about it. I’ve seen pictures… but until you hear the crisp snap of a guy hitting another guy in the face – from the front row no less – you really don’t understand K1. To me, the novice, it’s like boxing with a little wrestling on the side. I went to Korea to see our friend Akiyama fight and it was pretty intense. A couple of fluffy battles leading up but one bout pitted a tiny 70kg korean vs. a 79kg japanese guy… and let me tell you, these guys went toe to toe for nearly the full time. Bloodied and all, they staggered through until the tiny korean basically pushed his opponent over.
The main event was the return of Akiyama after being suspended for a year. He took it hard, trained for a year and came back tough. He gave himself a 35% chance of winning but found an opportunity halfway through the first and knock the crap of out him. For the YouTube coverage.
