MMA-URLS

It's so hard to say goodbye. At least, that seems to be the case for former PRIDE FC Grand Prix winner and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight contender Mirko Filipovic. After losing to Roy Nelson at UFC 137 via third round technical knockout (TKO) last October, "Cro Cop" announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) after 10 years in the game. That retirement, however, was short lived as Mirko decided that he wanted one more attempt to try and go out on top. On March 10, 2012, the ex-Croatian cop went back to his kickboxing roots as he took on fellow kickboxing legend Ray Sefo, in a K-1 rules kickboxing match in Mirko's hometown of Zagreb, Croatia. When it was all said and done and the final bell rang, Mirko had done enough to defeat Sefo and in the process, went on top in front of his friends and family, capping his fight career in a perfect fairy-tale ending he so long desired. Or so we thought. K-1 today announced the lineup for its upcoming "K-1 Rising 2012 - K-1 World Max Final 16 2012" event, which is set to go down in Madrid, Spain on May 27, 2012 and lo and behold, Mirko Filipovic was amongst the names listed set to compete in the all-striking extravaganza. Get the details from Reuters, after the jump: "K-1 Rising 2012 - K-1 World Max Final 16 2012" Announces Fight Card K-1 Global Holdings Limited has announced the Fight Card for the May 27, "K-1 Rising 2012 - K-1 World Max Final 16 2012" in Madrid, Spain, the first K-1 elimination tournament of the year. Fighters compete for a share of two million dollars in prize money. K-1 lets a wide array of the world's best stand up fighters square off, bringing together their own techniques born from Karate, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, and other martial arts. K-1 MAX 1. Mike Zambidis (Greece) vs Chahid Oulad El Hadj (Morocco) 2. Abraham Roqueñi (Spain) vs Andy Souwer (Holland) 3. Artur Kyshenko (Ukraine) vs Su Hwan Lee (South Korea) 4. Harut Grigorian (Belgium) vs Murthel Groenhart (Suriname) 5. Longern Superpro Samui (Thailand) vs Chris Ngimbi (Congo) 6. Gago Drago (Armenia) vs Andy Ristie (Suriname) 7. Xu Yan (China) vs Yasuhiro Kido (Japan) 8. Yuji Nashiro (Japan) vs Reece McAllister (UK) SUPER FIGHT Mosab Amrani (Morocco) vs Zeben Diaz (Spain) HEAVYWEIGHT 1. Badr Hari (Morocco) vs Anderson "Braddock" Silva (Brazil) 2. Mirko Cro Cop (Croatia) vs Loren Javier Jorge (Spain) 3. Daniel Ghita (Romania) vs Paul Slowinski (Australia) 4. Rico Verhoeven (Holland) vs Sergii Lashchenko (Ukraine) Perhaps the sweet taste of victory was all Mirko needed to revive the fighting spirit in his 37 year old body one more time. But is he rolling the dice one too many times? Loren Javier Jorge, Mirko's opponent, is no slouch, with 68 victories to his credit to go along with nine kickboxing championships and could prove a tough test for Filipovic who is 10 years his elder. Anyone think "Cro Cop" is pressing his luck by competing again? Or will he surprise everyone tuning in on Memorial Day weekend? Opinions, please.

Posted in: vs, kickboxing, mirko, spain, madrid spain

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Posted in: kickboxing, punch, imanari, shaolin, rvideo

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Check out this weekend's fight from Sergei Kharitonov. The Pride and Strikeforce veteran took on American fighter Mark Miller in a kickboxing fight at a United Glory show in Moscow, Russia. Kharitonov walked away victorious via 1st round knock out. This was Kharitonov's first fight since his MMA loss to Josh Barnett in the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. The Russian fighter has been dabbling in kickboxing for the past few years, making his K-1 debut against Daniel Ghita in 2009. With the win over Miller, he brings his kickboxing record up to 3-2. Video of the full fight is below: Nice KO from Kharitonov here, who has been improving his stand-up game since his move to Golden Glory gym a few years ago. With Strikeforce putting an end to the Heavyweight division and no discussion of Kharitonov making the move to the UFC, I'm not sure where his career goes from here. Perhaps he can add a veteran presence to the M-1 or Bellator Heavyweight divisions, while also continuing to focus on K-1. Check back later for full results from the United Glory show and the rest of this weekend's kickboxing action.

Posted in: fight, glory, kickboxing, kharitonov, glory show

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Just two weeks after Mirko Filipovic battled Ray Sefo in a high profile kickboxing bout, the sport of kickboxing is at it again with another big event "United Glory" based out of Moscow, Russia which features two of the top kickboxers on the planet. The event will be available online with a live stream at GFL TV with a pricetag of $15. It begins this morning at 10 a.m. ET. Former UFC competitor and multiple time K-1 World Grand Prix winner Semmy Schilt returns to action for the first time in over a year. He'll be battling Brice Guidon, a training partner of Jerome Le Banner. Guidon is no worldbeater by any means but he should be a stiff enough test to see where Schilt stands after such a long layoff. Also fighting on the card will be top kickboxer Jerome Le Banner, one of K-1's legends who's been fighting professionally for 19 years now. He'll be battling a resurgent Errol Zimmerman, who's riding a seven fight win streak which includes 5 first round knockouts. The other key kickboxing bout will be a very interesting match between Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinalist Sergei Kharitonov, who holds just a 2-2 professional kickboxing record. His opponent, Mark Miller, was one of the great comeback stories of 2011, returning from open heart surgery to defeat Nikolaj Falin via knockout in the opening seconds. The rest of the card is smattered with a large contingent of smaller scale kickboxing bouts and even a trio of MMA matches which include former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez among others. We'll have the results of United Glory after the jump: Mixed Martial Arts fights 95 kg Ilir Latifi vs Vladimir Gerasimchik65 kg Cesario di Domenico vs Murad Machayev76 kg Anatoly Safranov vs Gasan UmalatovHW Ricco Rodriguez vs Ruslan Magomedov Kickboxing fights 73,9 kg Nieky Holzken vs David Kiria72,5 kg Maxim Vyrovski vs Dzhabar AskerovHW Jamal Ben Sadik vs Vitaly OparinHW Igor Jurkovic vs Zabit Samedov98 kg Ali Cenic vs Sergey MaslobojevHW Sergei Kharitonov vs Mark MillerHW Errol Zimmerman vs Jerome Le BannerHW Sem Schilt vs Brice Guidon

Posted in: fight, vs, kickboxing, kg, gfl tv

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Posted in: fight, mma, kickboxing, mirko, cop

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"Sugar" Ray Sefo and "Cro Cop" Mirko Filopovic weigh in one day prior to their kickboxing match from Croaitia. HeadKickLegend will have coverage of this event as well as the undercard, which features Daniel Ghita amongst many others.

Posted in: day, kickboxing, ray, sugar, croaitia headkicklegend

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Right leg Cablevision, left leg DirecTV. "Cro Cop" fans bummed over the way Mirko Filipovic ended his mixed martial arts (MMA) career will get another chance to watch the famed striker go out on top when he takes on fellow kickboxing legend Ray Sefo on Saturday, March 10, 2012, live from Croatia. And stateside fans won't be left in the dark. That's because FIGHT NOW TV is going to bring the "Final Fight" pay-per-view (PPV) to North American fight fans via cable and satellite and worst case scenario, Internet live stream. Here's when and where to tune in on March 10 for "Filipovic vs. Sefo:" Cablevision subscribers can watch live on FIGHT NOW TV, channel 464 as part of their iO Sports & Entertainment Pack. Satellite customers will be able to see the event on DIRECTV PPV, channel 123 HD or 124 SD. All others can catch this historic event on FIGHT NOW TV broadband PPV player powered by Ustream. Visit www.fightnow.com for details. The event begins promptly at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). Also scheduled to fight on the "Final Fight" card are: Igor Jurkovic (29-3, 23 KO) vs. Freddy Kemayo (60-18, 43 KO) Daniel Ghita (39-7, 29 KO) vs. 2011 SuperKombat WGP Final champion Sergei Laschenko (29-9, 12 KO) Former Croatian Muay Thai Champion Mladen Brestovac (36-8, 25 KO) vs. Dutch heavyweight WFCA kickboxing winner Mourad Bouzidi (65-15, 32 KO) Former WKA European titleholder Dzevad Poturak (47-16, 30 KO) vs. Ismail "Mr. Pain" Londt (27-3, 12 KO) Mladen "Dynamite" Kujundzic (8-3, 5 KO) vs. TBA 2009 World Kickboxing champion Agron Preteni (56-10) vs. European kickboxing king Guy Pacome Assi (11-6, 5 KO) Stefan Jelicv (6-1, 6 KO) vs. Michael Duut (15-5, 7 KO) Former WKA European champ Ivan Posavec (19-4) vs. Miran "Rocky" Fabjan (34-5) *All fights and fighters are subject to change. Alright Maniacs, the stage is set for Cro Cop's final fight. Who's tuning in?

Posted in: fight, ko, vs, kickboxing, stream heres

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At UFC Japan two big men with a KO power meet in the heavyweight tilt between New Zealand's own, Mark Hunt, and the French Muay Thai practitioner, Cheik Kongo. While Mark Hunt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, the highest title in the world of competitive striking, his technical skill is often overshadowed by the fact that it was largely his physical attributes which won him this title. Hunt only succeeded in getting to the tournament final by injuring Ray Sefo's eye in a losing effort against Sefo in the semi finals, drawing his fellow Kiwi into a brawl because he could not deal with Sefo's superior technical kickboxing. Cheik Kongo, on the other hand, receives enormous credit for his string of kickboxing titles despite a complete absence of any verification of an official kickboxing record. Kongo was once, though it is hard to believe now, in serious title contention in the UFC, after picking up 3 solid TKO wins through 2008 - 2009 before meeting Cain Velasquez and being taken down seemingly at will en route to a unanimous decision loss. It is hoped that this fight will remain standing, in which case it is important to consider the strengths of each man in that domain. Hunt's abilities are well know - he has one of the most solid chins in the history of combat sports. In his career he has taken Cro Cop's high kick flush on the jaw, and the strongest blows from Ray Sefo, Mike Bernardo and Jerome Le Banner. Hunt has mixed it up with the best kickboxers in the world and come out with mixed results, but has been knocked out cold only once, in an MMA match against Melvin Manhoef, perhaps the biggest puncher, pound for pound in the world. Hunt also holds a thunderous punch - being able to knock out the iron jawed Jerome Le Banner, and break the orbital bone of Ray Sefo. Once Hunt entered MMA, his career was perhaps the worst nurtured of any prospect, meeting Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Bobish, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop in his first four fights. Somehow managing, with a complete absence of MMA experience, to get the better of the latter three. Clearly Hunt fights best against strikers, Cro Cop and Silva being the two highest profile strikers in MMA at the time. But his matches against Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem and Sean McCorkle exposed his woefully inadequate takedown and submission defense. Since his loss to McCorkle in his UFC debut, however, Hunt has experienced a career renaissance - developing the takedown defense to repeatedly stuff Brock Lesnar's training partner, Chris Tuchscherer en route to a walk-away uppercut knockout during a sprawl. Hunt continued his improvement, out grappling veteran Ben Rothwell, and brutalizing him on both the feet and the floor. While Rothwell is no master of the ground game or of takedowns, he is certainly a better wrestler than Kongo, and will make Kongo's night long if he is forced to revert to his wrestling strategy. Hunt has, however, been prone to eating too many shots due to his great chin allowing him to. In a way reminiscent of Chuck Liddell, who could not learn to keep his hands up even when working with Howard Davis Jr., Hunt may be too stuck in his ways to learn to keep his hands up. It was this fault which got him knocked out by Manhoef and stunned by Gegard Mousasi, who is not known as a hard puncher. Kongo, for his part, is an extremely interesting striker from a technical perspective. His kicks and Thai plumm (double handed neck clinch) are brutal, and were almost entirely responsible for his kickboxing success. While he has shown his Thai clinch during his UFC tenure, and that he can do significant damage from the guard against. What is particularly fascinating is the enormous credit given to Kongo as a boxer; based purely on his kickboxing titles, UFC fans credit him with having skill in his hands which he simply does not possess. Kongo often carries his chins high and pushes his punches out without being in good position to defend counter shots. The punches Barry dropped him with were simple looping counters that should not land on a "world class" kickboxer with the reach and height advantages which Kongo carried into that fight. Watch this fight from Kongo's mysterious kickboxing career and notice how he relies almost entirely on his savage kicks and clinch work - factors that have been largely absent from his UFC career as he is so weak off of his back that he cannot risk attempting them except against weaker opposition. Cheick Kongo vs Marcin Rozalski .mp4 (via chim55) Important to notice from this fight is firstly how Cheik Kongo's kickboxing record is apparently 12 - 12 with 0 KOs, certainly different from the 21 - 2 listed on Wikipedia, seemingly the only available evidence of his career. What is most obvious is how easily Kongo out maneuvers and manhandles his opponent however - how often do we see him use those low kicks in his MMA career? Almost never, and that is the sad downside of his have next to no guard game. Were his legs and hips as dexterous on the ground as they are on the feet, he could throw such biting strikes without concern. Most noticeable, however, is Kongo's only real attempt to box with his opponent, at 4:11 where he is wobbled while wading in with sloppy, stepping punches. His lack of head movement and unconvincing feints allowed his opponent to throw the lead hand shot onto Kongo's chin as he walked backwards - not a powerful punch and eerily reminiscent of the backward walking punches which Kongo used to great effect on the similarly head-movement averse, Cain Velasquez. Notice how Kongo's own lack of head movement leads him to eat a shot from Velasquez despite landing cleanly on his opponent. It is these kinds of 50/50 punching exchanges which Kongo occasionally wins big in, perpetuating the belief that because he has knockout power, he has good boxing. Pat Barry was caught similarly but due to diving in with reckless abandon was put out cold. Mark Hunt, however, has made a career of baiting opponents to trade with him. Hunt succeeded in giving as good as he got against bigger punching, technically elite, Ray Sefo and Jerome Le Banner - if he stuns Kongo as Barry or Mir did, Kongo has little hope of pulling out a flash knockout as he did against Barry, and lacks the power of Melvin Manhoef. The most important factor of this match is the wrestling. When two good strikers meet, they often wrestle in a tedious display of "octagon control" (simultaneously the dumbest and vaguest criteria in sports) for 15 minutes, and when two great grapplers meet they often choose to put on a light contact kickboxing exhibition. When Kongo failed to get the better of Mitrione on the feet, eating the few significant strikes of the match, he chose to lean against Mitrione on the fence to eek out the third round and pick up a decision, whether Hunt's counter-wrestling is of the level where he can muscle his way off of the fence will likely decide this fight if Kongo drops the first round. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: fight, hunt, kongo, career, kickboxing

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The Liberal government has given its stamp of approval to Kickboxing Ontario to be the governing body for amateur MMA.

Posted in: mma, kickboxing, ontario, kickboxing ontario, province

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Kickboxing fans rejoice. After the mostly stand-still 2011, this year is already off to a big start. We've seen one major show already in the Badr Hari headlined It's Showtime event, and the upcoming months have a slew of huge fights heading our way. The past week has seen some big fight news from the kickboxing world - here we'll gather it all together. And we'll start with the company that has truly established themselves as the #1 kickboxing company in the world: It's Showtime Card Featuring Aerts vs. Spong It's Showtime has big plans for 2012. They got off to a good start in January, and last week they announced the full card for their next major show. On June 30, they'll be presenting a show in Belgium and the line-up is stacked. In the main event, beloved K-1 and kickboxing icon Peter Aerts will take on Tyrone Spong in Aerts's retirement fight. It's hard to imagine kickboxing without Aerts, and it will be an emotional moment to see him go, but this is a fantastic fight. That's just the top of this massive card though. You also will have Chris Ngimbi defending the It's Showtime 70 kg title against former K-1 MAX 2 time champion Andy Souwer, plus fights from Daniel Ghita, Jerome Le Banner, Hesdy Gerges and many others. Full card is in the complete entry. Huge, huge event here that we will definitely be talking about more in the coming months. It's Showtime also announced the rest of their 2012 season which features 6 additional dates including stops in Japan and Brazil. Notably absent from the list is Amsterdam. The company's former home has become increasingly strict on combat sports, and It's Showtime has pulled out of promoting in Amsterdam. From the look of their schedule, they're looking to make Belgium their new home base. Complete card plus lots more news after the jump. It's Showtime 57 & 58Brussels, Belgium - June 30 Peter Aerts vs. Tyrone SpongRobin van Roosmalen vs. Harut GrigorianDaniel Ghita vs. Frederic SinistraDanyo Ilunga vs. Filip VerlindenAndy Ristie vs. Samir DjabbaMichael Duut vs. TBAJerome Le Banner vs. Rustemi KreshnikChris Ngimbi vs. Andy SouwerHesdy Gerges vs. Rico VerhoevenSergei Lascenko vs, TBAAlka Matewa vs. Duoli ChenMarat Grigorian vs. Buenung TopkingFatih Ozkan vs. Sonny Dagraed United Glory Announces Full Card with Semmy Schilt, Ricco Rodriguez, more We knew United Glory would be running a show in Moscow on March 30 headlined by Semmy Schilt plus Jerome Le Banner vs. Errol Zimmerman and Mark Miller vs. Sergei Kharitonov. They've now filled out the card. Starting at the top, Schilt will be facing Le Banner teammate Brice Guidon. Guidon is a good fighter, but he'll be facing a stiff test in the 4 time K-1 champion. They also added Robin van Roosmalen vs. Dzhabar Askerov in what should be a good fight. The card will be split between kickboxing and MMA fights. The most interesting fight on the MMA side sees former UFC Heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez face fellow UFC veteran Denis Stojnic. Stojnic had the tough assignment of facing Cain Velasquez in Stojnic's UFC debut, then following that fight up with Stefan Struve. He's 4-0 since leaving the UFC and there is talk that a strong showing here could get him called back up. As always with these United Glory shows, be cautioned that the card is definitely subject to change. Past shows have seen a tremendous amount of cancellations and reshuffling up to the very last minute, though they did improve that trend somewhat in 2011. We'll see how this one ends up, but for me, as long as I get to see Semmy Schilt again, I'm happy. United Glory World Series 2012Moscow Russia - March 23 Semmy Schilt vs. Brice GuidonJerome Le Banner vs. Errol ZimmermanSergei Kharitonov vs. Mark MillerJamal Ben Sadik vs. Colin GeorgeMaxim Yyrovski vs. David KyryaRobin van Roosmalen vs. Dzhabar AskerovAli Cenic vs. TBATommy Depret vs. Sergey Golyaev (MMA)Denis Stojnic vs. Ricco Rodriguez (MMA)Cesario de Dominico vs. TBA (MMA)Ilir Latifi vs. TBA (MMA) Cro Cop Returns to Kickboxing We've previously reported on this, but just a reminder that Mirko Cro Cop will be returning to kickboxing action in just a few weeks. He takes on K-1 legend Ray Sefo on March 10 in Zagreb, Croatia. The card is being billed as "Cro Cop Final Fight," though Cro Cop has indicated that it is not officially his retirement. This will be Mirko's first kickboxing fight since 2003, Sefo's first since 2010. While the focus of this show is clearly on Cro Cop, they've also added a full line-up with some great supporting fights. The highlight is Daniel Ghita vs, Sergei Lascenko, who had a great 2011. Other good names on the card include Freddy Kemayo and Dzevad Poturak. Cro Cop Final FightZagreb, Croatia - March 10, 2012 Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic vs. Ray SefoIgor Jurkovic vs. Freddy KemayoDaniel Ghita vs. Sergei LascenkoMourad Bouzidi vs. Mladen BrestovacIsmael Londt vs. Dzevad PoturakMarin Dosen vs. Mladen KojundzicPacome Assi vs. Agron PreteniMichael Duut vs. Stefan JelicMiran Fabjan vs. Ivan PosavecSahak Parparyan vs. TBA Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Artur Kyshenko And finally, on March 24, #1 pound for pound kickboxer in the world Giorgio Petrosyan steps in to the ring to face Artur Kyshenko as part of a Fight Code show in Milan, Italy. If you've never seen Petrosyan compete you are missing out on one of the premiere stand-up artists on display today. The man is an artist in the ring, and it's always a pleasure to see him compete. This fight is particularly exciting, as Kyshenko has been on a rampage since making the transition to Mike's Gym. He's 7-1 in his last 8, and has re-established himself as one of the most dangerous men at 70 kg. Petrosyan hasn't lost a fight since 2007, and for the first time in a long time, this is a fight that will really challenge him. Make no mistake, this is THE big fight at 70 kg - don't miss it.

Posted in: fight, vs, card, kickboxing, cro

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Recently, it was revealed that Stephen Thompson would follow up his impressive head kick KO win in his UFC debut by facing long-time UFC veteran Matt Brown at UFC 145. It was surprising news because, while not a world beater, Brown is talented, tough and versatile in a way that usually goes beyond what you'd put a blue chip prospect in the cage with. Thompson is no combat neophyte though, having achieved high levels of success in kickboxing endeavors. But to Brown, Thompson's successes in situations such as the World Combat League simply don't matter. Via MMA Weekly: Middle Easy transcribed the quote: Name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai, Malaipet, and Joe Schilling; guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level… I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style. It's starting to sound like we may see a slightly more chippy version of Matt Brown than we're used to in the lead up to a fight. More SBN UFC 145 coverage

Posted in: ufc, world, matt, kickboxing, thompson

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The world of kickboxing has been in turmoil since Japanese promotion K-1 fell apart a few years back. On their way down they stiffed tons of fighters for money, which is pretty much the sketchiest thing you can do as a fight promoter. If the world was just, they'd get a good Overeem-style face shoving right out of the scene. But since the world isn't, it looks like the same dirtbags are preparing to try and bring K-1 back yet again.To understand what's up, you need a bit of background. There are two key characters on the K-1 side of things: founder Kazuyoshi Ishii and president Sadaharu Tanigawa. Ishii was in charge during the glory days of K-1 until he had to go to jail over tax evasion charges. Enter Tanigawa, who runs parent company FEG and the little MMA promotion that couldn't, DREAM. Most people blame him for everything that's gone wrong with K-1 and while I'm sure there were mitigating circumstances (like the Japanese fight scene going down the toilet), it's hard to look past all the sketchy lies and nonpayments done while he has been at the head.The story is Ishii has teamed up with Dutch kickboxing camp Golden Glory and Total Sports Asia to bring kickboxing back. Meanwhile, Tanigawa has teamed up with rival Dutch promotion It's Showtime and a shadowy figure named Mr Kim to revive K-1. Last week, the Golden Glory guys started signing up former K-1 fighters by offering them full payment on what K-1 owed. Meanwhile, Ishii and Mr Kim transfered the K-1 brand to a business owned by Kim and sent out contracts of their own, offering 50% of owed moneys to fighters willing to sign on. Thus far, It's Showtime fighters are the main ones taking K-1 up on that offer.So this basically boils down to a proxy battle between the guys who are trying to rip Alistair Overeem off and the guys who are being driven out of Amsterdam for having too many criminal connections. Stuck inbetween are the fans, who just wanna see some top-tier kickboxing from time to time involving some fighters that actually matter.

Posted in: fighter, kickboxing, ishii, mr kim, everything thats

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[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] In the crass world of international Kickboxing, the language barrier is an important one and can sometimes be a deciding factor between amazing news and just good news. I'm giving this preamble as a precautionary measure for people who are excitable or might even be a bit lackluster in English. Earlier today Golden Glory put out a video hyping the return of the "K-1 Final 2012." In a lot of cases when it comes to promoters, they will use the K-1 name to promote their own Kickboxing product as K-1 is a recognizable name. Glory has always used the K-1 name to promote their Kickboxing fights on their cards, so with a recent announcement on their part of three huge kickboxing tournaments, realistically you could make the assumption that is what they are talking about. What doesn't add up is the fact that they say there will be more news later, when they have already announced their tournaments. Read More...

Posted in: glory, kickboxing, name, news, news im

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One more for the road. Former PRIDE and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Mirko Filipovic may just have some fight left in him after all. "Cro Cop" is apparently all healed up from a torn bicep injury he suffered last year, and is ready to give his hometown fans one last treat in what is expected to be his swan song. He is lined up to take on former K-1 kickboxing standout Ray Sefo on March 10, 2012, in a K-1 rules bout in Mirko's hometown of Zagreb, Croatia. The two kickboxers competed for K-1 in their younger years, but never crossed paths and a fight between the two dangerous strikers never came too light. However, they will finally have the chance to go toe-to-toe before retirement comes knocking at the door. Check out Sefo's tweets via his official Twitter account after the jump: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Some news for you all my fight with Mirko Cro-Cop has been confirmed for March 10th!!! The fight will be a K-1 rule fight, it's held in Zagreb Croatia I'm told it'll be in front of 25,000 people The promotion is called Fight Channel Promotions it's a TV Network in Croatia, the fight will be K-1 rules.... It's important to note that even though the rules will be under the K-1 striking format, the fight is NOT being put on by K-1, but rather a Croatian TV network. After running wild in Japan during his five-year stint with PRIDE, capturing the 2006 open-weight Grand Prix in the process, "Cro Cop" joined the big boys of the UFC heavyweight division. He could never recapture the glory days the enjoyed "Far East," though. The Croation also enjoyed a successful kickboxing career in K-1, defeating greats such as Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts and Mike Bernardo. Sefo, on the other hand, tried his hand at MMA, amassing a 2-1 record, splitting two fights under the Strikeforce banner. "Suger's" true passion, however, lay in kickboxing as he spent most of his days competing under the K-1 banner, facing the best strikers in the world such as Jerome le Banner, Tyron Spong and Melvin Manhoef just to name a few, and has more the 60 kickboxing matches under his belt. The official announcement is expected to be made in the coming days. Anyone think "Cro Cop" can follow in the footsteps of Chris Lytle before him and end his combat career with a win? Or will Sefo play spoiler and send the crowd home disappointed? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, kickboxing, sefo, rule, cro cop

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37-year old PRIDE icon Mirko Filipovic may be done with Mixed Martial Arts but it appears he’s still got a little fight left in him. According to Ray Sefo via Twitter, who is a decorated striker in his own right, the two are set to collide in Croatia on March 10 as part of a kickboxing event in Filipovic’s proverbial backyard. The show will be promoted by a Croatian television network called Fight Channel Promotions and it is believed “Cro Cop” will call it quit for goods after the bout regardless of result. Though neither man has actively competed in the sport for years both have experienced a high level of success in the past including numerous wins under the K-1/ISKA banners. Filipovic’s last kickboxing match came in 2003 and capped off a four-fight winning streak including victories over Mark Hunt, Bob Sapp, and Remy Bojansky. Comparably, Sefo didn’t take to the ring in 2011 but had a handful of appearances in years prior including three wins in his last four fights. PHOTO CREDIT – FEG

Posted in: fight, year, kickboxing, sefo, filipovic

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This article was originally posted by Fraser Coffeen at Bloody Elbow. I'm reposting it in it's entirety. All credit goes to Fraser. Earlier this week, I looked at 2011: The Year in Kickboxing, with a focus on the big news stories of the year, and asked you, the reader, if you thought the year was one of transition or decline for the sport. An overwhelming 70% of you said it was in decline. Sad, but understandable given all the bad news kickboxing fans were subjected to over the past 12 months. Today, I take one final look at the year, but this time with a focus solely on the good. Here, my picks for year end awards in the world of kickboxing. Because despite all the trials and tribulations, there was still a lot of action this year, with amazing fights, jaw-dropping KO's, and beautiful performances from some of the best strikers in the world. So let's take a look at the highlights of 2011: 2011 Kickboxer of the YearGIORGIO PETROSYAN It seems almost automatic to hand the award to Petrosyan once again, but he's undeniably deserving. Petrosyan is the clear-cut top kickboxer in the world, and I'd place him on a level with men like Anderson Silva and Manny Pacquiao as the best stand-up fighters in the world, period. Just look at the stats: a remarkable record of 69-1-2. Undefeated in 5 years. The two time (and, in theory, reigning) K-1 MAX champion. And, unlike some top names (Buakaw, I'm looking at you), Petrosyan is not slowing down with a more relaxed or sparse schedule. He fought 5 times in 2011, all while taking care of his nagging hand injuries, defeating men like Sudsakorn and Cosmo Alexandre. In fact, Petrosyan is so good that any minuscule chink in his armor is seen as a huge deal. Some look at his 2011 as a down year for him because he did not actually defeat Chahid Oulad El Hadj (an accidental low blow led to a No Contest) and because some extremely questionable judging led to a Split instead of Unanimous Decision win over Zeben Diaz. When those are the biggest signs of weakness you can come up with, you're dealing with a serious force. Up next for The Doctor is Abraham Roqueni on January 21, and, in what should be a massive fight, Artur Kyshenko on March 24. Kyshenko is one of the few names Petrosyan still needs to vanquish - a win here will only further the dominance of this rare and gifted artist. Fight of the Year and KO of the Year, with videos, in the full entry 2011 Fight of the YearARTUR KYSHENKO vs. YODSAENKLAI FAIRTEX If you have any doubt why Petrosyan vs. Kyshenko is such a big deal, let this fight from Rumble of the Kings 2011 on November 26 explain it to you. From roughly 2007-2008, Kyshenko looked like the heir apparent in K-1 MAX - the next super fighter to put his name next to Buakaw, Souwer, and Masato. He made it to the 2008 Max GP Finals, defeating Andy Souwer along the way, and when Masato retired, many (including myself) picked him as the next Grand Prix champion. That didn't happen. He fell to Souwer in 2009, then had a tough 2010 with a pair of unexpected loses. After that, he changed camps, joining up with Mike's Gym (home to Badr Hari and Melvin Manhoef), and absolutely got his career back on track. 2011 was a great year for him, with a series of impressive wins and his only loss coming in the finals of a grueling tournament. Heading into this fight, Kyshenko was undeniably back. Yodsaenklai was, at one time, the clear cut best Middleweight Muay Thai fighter on the planet. From 2005-2010 he was virtually unbeatable, establishing himself as a dominant force in the international scene. Starting in 2010, his 200+ professional fights began to catch up with him, and the once unassailable Yodsaenklai suddenly started to lose a few fights. But don't take that to mean he was falling apart - just that the formerly undefeatable Thai fighter was in fact beatable now, if you played your cards just right. When these two came together, the result was a classic. Huge shifts in momentum, technical brilliance from both ends, great heart - it's everything right about the sport. Enjoy: 2011 KO of the YearMARK MILLER vs. NIKOLAJ FALIN From the United Glory World Series Finals on May 28, this incredible 9 second KO would merit discussion for the punch alone, but it's the backstory that really makes it unique. After gaining some exposure in the international kickboxing scene thanks to fights in K-1, in 2006, Miller discovered he had a very serious heart condition. In 2007 he had open heart surgery. For most athletes, such a massive operation would spell the end of their professional careers, and for awhile, that seemed to be the case with Miller as well. But Miller never gave up. He continued training, and in 2011, his first fight back after the surgery was set. Simply stepping into the ring on May 28 would have been a huge accomplishment - winning, an even greater feat. But for Miller, just competing - even just winning - wasn't enough. He wanted to prove to everyone what he could still accomplish. And with a bomb of a right hand, he did just that. A beautiful story, capped off by a beautiful punch straight out of a Rocky movie. It's one of those rare moments that transcends the sport - where the action becomes not just a story of two kickboxers, but a story of true human struggle and triumph. There you have it - my picks for the kickboxing highlights of 2011. Let's see what 2012 brings us. What about you? What were your favorite kickboxing moments of 2011?

Posted in: fight, year, kickboxing, kyshenko, petrosyan

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Earlier this week, I looked at 2011: The Year in Kickboxing, with a focus on the big news stories of the year, and asked you, the reader, if you thought the year was one of transition or decline for the sport. An overwhelming 70% of you said it was in decline. Sad, but understandable given all the bad news kickboxing fans were subjected to over the past 12 months. Today, I take one final look at the year, but this time with a focus solely on the good. Here, my picks for year end awards in the world of kickboxing. Because despite all the trials and tribulations, there was still a lot of action this year, with amazing fights, jaw-dropping KO's, and beautiful performances from some of the best strikers in the world. So let's take a look at the highlights of 2011: 2011 Kickboxer of the YearGIORGIO PETROSYAN It seems almost automatic to hand the award to Petrosyan once again, but he's undeniably deserving. Petrosyan is the clear-cut top kickboxer in the world, and I'd place him on a level with men like Anderson Silva and Manny Pacquiao as the best stand-up fighters in the world, period. Just look at the stats: a remarkable record of 69-1-2. Undefeated in 5 years. The two time (and, in theory, reigning) K-1 MAX champion. And, unlike some top names (Buakaw, I'm looking at you), Petrosyan is not slowing down with a more relaxed or sparse schedule. He fought 5 times in 2011, all while taking care of his nagging hand injuries, defeating men like Sudsakorn and Cosmo Alexandre. In fact, Petrosyan is so good that any minuscule chink in his armor is seen as a huge deal. Some look at his 2011 as a down year for him because he did not actually defeat Chahid Oulad El Hadj (an accidental low blow led to a No Contest) and because some extremely questionable judging led to a Split instead of Unanimous Decision win over Zeben Diaz. When those are the biggest signs of weakness you can come up with, you're dealing with a serious force. Up next for The Doctor is Abraham Roqueni on January 21, and, in what should be a massive fight, Artur Kyshenko on March 24. Kyshenko is one of the few names Petrosyan still needs to vanquish - a win here will only further the dominance of this rare and gifted artist. Fight of the Year and KO of the Year, with videos, in the full entry 2011 Fight of the YearARTUR KYSHENKO vs. YODSAENKLAI FAIRTEX If you have any doubt why Petrosyan vs. Kyshenko is such a big deal, let this fight from Rumble of the Kings 2011 on November 26 explain it to you. From roughly 2007-2008, Kyshenko looked like the heir apparent in K-1 MAX - the next super fighter to put his name next to Buakaw, Souwer, and Masato. He made it to the 2008 Max GP Finals, defeating Andy Souwer along the way, and when Masato retired, many (including myself) picked him as the next Grand Prix champion. That didn't happen. He fell to Souwer in 2009, then had a tough 2010 with a pair of unexpected loses. After that, he changed camps, joining up with Mike's Gym (home to Badr Hari and Melvin Manhoef), and absolutely got his career back on track. 2011 was a great year for him, with a series of impressive wins and his only loss coming in the finals of a grueling tournament. Heading into this fight, Kyshenko was undeniably back. Yodsaenklai was, at one time, the clear cut best Middleweight Muay Thai fighter on the planet. From 2005-2010 he was virtually unbeatable, establishing himself as a dominant force in the international scene. Starting in 2010, his 200+ professional fights began to catch up with him, and the once unassailable Yodsaenklai suddenly started to lose a few fights. But don't take that to mean he was falling apart - just that the formerly undefeatable Thai fighter was in fact beatable now, if you played your cards just right. When these two came together, the result was a classic. Huge shifts in momentum, technical brilliance from both ends, great heart - it's everything right about the sport. Enjoy: 2011 KO of the YearMARK MILLER vs. NIKOLAJ FALIN From the United Glory World Series Finals on May 28, this incredible 9 second KO would merit discussion for the punch alone, but it's the backstory that really makes it unique. After gaining some exposure in the international kickboxing scene thanks to fights in K-1, in 2006, Miller discovered he had a very serious heart condition. In 2007 he had open heart surgery. For most athletes, such a massive operation would spell the end of their professional careers, and for awhile, that seemed to be the case with Miller as well. But Miller never gave up. He continued training, and in 2011, his first fight back after the surgery was set. Simply stepping into the ring on May 28 would have been a huge accomplishment - winning, an even greater feat. But for Miller, just competing - even just winning - wasn't enough. He wanted to prove to everyone what he could still accomplish. And with a bomb of a right hand, he did just that. A beautiful story, capped off by a beautiful punch straight out of a Rocky movie. It's one of those rare moments that transcends the sport - where the action becomes not just a story of two kickboxers, but a story of true human struggle and triumph. There you have it - my picks for the kickboxing highlights of 2011. Let's see what 2012 brings us. What about you? What were your favorite kickboxing moments of 2011?

Posted in: fight, year, kickboxing, kyshenko, petrosyan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Half full, or half empty? That's the question you have to ask yourself when trying to evaluate 2011 in the world of kickboxing. There's no doubt this was the most tumultuous and news-worthy year in kickboxing in quite some time, but exactly how you view all these events depends on your own views. Let's take a look at both sides: The Glass is Half Empty: 2011 as a Year of Decline It's been a disheartening experience trying to cover kickboxing this year. Obviously, the big news of the year all centered around the collapse of K-1 - an event that has been a long time coming. For some time, we had heard stories of fighters never being paid for taking part in K-1 shows. In late 2010 and 2011 that list grew out of control, with major names like Giorgio Petrosyan and Ray Sefo coming forward and saying they were owed vast sums by the organization. K-1 went on an indefinite hiatus at the start of the year, and as the months continued, the end seemed inevitable. In summer, the company was finally sold, to a shell company whose true partners remain somewhat unclear. There was talk of a 2011 K-1 Grand Prix to be co-promoted by It's Showtime at the end of the year, but that didn't happen, and for the first time since 1992, this year will see no K-1 Grand Prix champion crowned. The loss of K-1 had a ripple effect throughout kickboxing, particularly in the Heavyweight division. K-1 had always been the main home for Heavyweights, and their absence led to a real lack of action in the division in 2011, with potentially far-reaching changes. Biggest Heavyweight news is the retirement of Badr Hari. After a mostly inactive 2010 and 2011 due to various legal issues, Hari will fight his final kickboxing fight in 2012 before moving on to a career as a boxer. Hari was a divisive figure, but there's no doubt his presence will be missed. We've also lost Kyotaro to boxing, Cosmo Alexandre to MMA, and there's talk of both Tyrone Spong and Gokhan Saki following Cosmo's lead. Amongst the K-1 legends, Semmy Schilt has been totally MIA all year, while Ray Sefo, Peter Aerts, and Jerome Le Banner have been more occupied with pro wrestling careers than with kickboxing. So no K-1, no Schilt, no Hari, no Aerts, no Grand Prix... it was a rough year. And it will take a lot for the sport to push through this rough patch. So if you want to view this as the end of the sport, you certainly have reason to. However... The Glass Is Half Full: 2011 as a Year of Transition It's important to remember that K-1 is not the same thing as kickboxing. They are a kickboxing organization - one of many. True, they are (were?) the biggest, and their loss is akin to MMA losing the UFC. But that doesn't mean the sport is dead, and in the absence of K-1, a number of organizations have stepped up their game around the world, including Krush and SuperKombat. No organization had more success in 2011 than It's Showtime. The long-time top kickboxing organization in Europe established itself as #2 to K-1 a few years ago, and took that #1 mantle this year. 2011 highlights include the year's biggest tournament (the 70kg Fast and Furious show), strong shows throughout Europe, and building up new names. 2012 looks even better with a big January 28 show headlined by Badr Hari vs. Gokhan Saki, rumblings of a major show in the spring, and planned expansion into major markets in Australia, Japan, and Brazil (still no US though!). It's Showtime has slowly built themselves up thanks partly to a more sports-oriented approach, and their hard work has now truly begun to pay off. And of course, the K-1 news isn't all bad. As 2012 begins, the chances of K-1 actually mounting a comeback are strong, with a new organization (FIKA) and leader (original K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii) at the helm. They have announced plans for a full Grand Prix schedule in 2012, and rumors of shows in the spring have begun to circulate. For the first time in nearly a year, I am (cautiously) optimistic about the future of K-1, and the chances for a return of the Grand Prix. Add in new fighters like Robin van Roosmalen and Ismael Londt making a name for themselves in 2011, and you can see a lot of positives for the future, and a clear path to a better 2012. In the end, perhaps it is too early to truly tell the story of kickboxing in 2011. If the sport continues the downward slope of the year, this will likely be looked at as the beginning of the end. If it bounces back, this will be a bumpy patch in the road and a time of transition. Which will it be? No one can say for sure right now - we can only guess at what the future holds. So, half full, or half empty? Check back all week for more 2011 Kickboxing Year in Review coverage. Poll Kickboxing in 2011: Transition or Decline? Transition Decline Too soon to say   7 votes | Results

Posted in: time, year, kickboxing, organization, half

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] If you follow European Kickboxing there will always be one referee that stands out the most and that is Joop Ubeda. Even if you don't know him by name, you'll know who he is; the stout, muscular and bearded referee who officiates nearly every big match. To some extent, he is the Big John McCarthy of the Kickboxing scene, as he is extremely well known and respected for his craft. He is without a doubt the most popular and polarizing figure in refereeing in the world of European Kickboxing. The familiar sight of Joop might be no more, though. Coming from a report from Kickbox.nl, Joop seems a bit hurt and dejected with It's Showtime not choosing to have him at their January 28th event in the Netherlands. Read More...

Posted in: kickboxing, joop, european kickboxing, joop ubeda, kickboxing scene

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem accomplished the unbelievable, winning the K-1 World Grand Prix title in 2010 by beating Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki and then Peter Aerts in the final. In the process, Overeem, 30, became the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ever to capture the most prestigious title in the world of kickboxing. The hulking 6'5" Dutchman won three fights at the annual one night, eight-man event, which is the most coveted tournament in kickboxing, while simultaneously holding the Strikeforce heavyweight belt. "The Reem" will look to add another belt to his collection when he takes on Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 this upcoming Friday night (Dec. 30). The winner of the match will earn the opportunity to next challenge UFC Heavyweight Champion, Junior dos Santos, in 2012. Let's take look (with fight videos) at what made "Demolition Man" one of the hottest names in MMA thanks to his rise to capture the K-1 World Grand Prix after the jump: After finally defending his Strikeforce title against Brett Rogers in May, Overeem was set to enter the final 16 in the 2010 Grand Prix. His opponent was Australian Ben Edwards. who exploded onto the scene with his GP qualifier, drawing attention by breaking a record by defeating all three opponents in a K-1 tournament in a combined three minutes and 28 seconds. The Reem made quick work of his brave, but overmatched opponent. The game Edwards put up a fight for Overeem, but Alistair showcased improved technical skill, dropping Edwards with a well timed counter, backing him into a counter a placing an overhand right like a laser before finishing him off. Overeem wasn't just a meathead who could bully talented guys around with his physical attributes, but a refined kickboxing machine. Next up was Spong, a supremely talented kickboxer under the tutelage of kickboxing legend Ernesto Hoost; however, he is undersized for the heavyweights, and much of his experience is at a lighter class. In kickboxing however, the money is at heavyweight. Despite bulking up, Spong was still considered an underdog because of the extreme size difference: Overeem started his way against the more experienced Spong, who gave the Demolition Man a very tough three-round battle. Overeem lost the first round against Spong, but managed to capitalize and outpoint the Surinamese striker in round two and even effectively putting the eight-count on Spong in round three. Next up, the always dangerous and also exceptionally talented stablemate, Gokhan Saki. Despite just been in an atrocious war with Romanian Daniel Ghita, Saki showed little signs of slowing down and effectively scored on The Reem early on. That is, of course, up until Overeem unleashed hard kicks to Saki's body, breaking the Turk's arm and elbow, and advancing to the final of the competition. In the final, Overeem squared off against the Dutch Lumberjack Peter Aerts. The veteran was reported to be injured (right eye cut), with Semmy Schilt being a potential replacement, but still made his way to the final showdown against the Demolition Man. Overeem made a quick work of Aerts, knocking down the legend with punches and knees early in the opening frame. And with all his heart, Aerts couldn't get up after a 10 count. Overeem was crowned the new 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. Overeem's dreams came true, as it surely was the biggest, the most valuable, and the most important achievement in his career. There's no room for debate -- Overeem dis what many people thought was impossible. Can Overeem now top such an achievement by capturing UFC gold in 2012?

Posted in: overeem, heavyweight, kickboxing, demolition man, spong

Read the full article at MMA Mania

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Dutch author Karel ten Haaf is reporting once again on kickboxing news, this time pertaining to It's Showtime and K-1. He has connections inside the kickboxing world, having written a book about K-1, most notably Anil Dubar, the trainer of Daniel Ghita. Karel broke the news of match-ups for the K-1 Final 16 this year before it was cancelled. It's confirmed that It's Showtime will be holding an event on June 30, somewhere in the Netherlands. They've said that full details about the event will be announced during their January 28 show in Leeuwarden. The event is being described as "huge" and that can only lead us to speculate that it'll be at the Amsterdam ArenA. The card that Karel ten Haaf is reporting definitely makes me think that it'll be at the Amsterdam ArenA. Among the reported match-ups are: Read More...

Posted in: event, kickboxing, ernesto hoost, amsterdam arena, karel

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: News, JapanBefore Josh Barnett takes on Daniel Cormier tentatively in March for the Strikeforce GP title, the former UFC champ will take part in a pro wrestling match on the New Year's Eve "Genki Desu Ka!!" card in Japan. On Tuesday, promoters announced that Barnett will face Hideki Suzuki in the IGF pro wrestling portion of the card. Also added Tuesday is a pair of kickboxing bouts. Yuta Kubo will take on Nils Widlund, while Masaaki Noiri meets Kengo Sonoda. The current "Genki Desu Ka!!" lineup is below. Main Event (MMA) Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii Dream Lightweight Title Bout Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka Dream Featherweight Title Bout Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue Dream Bantamweight World GP Semifinals: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques Semifinals: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos Finals: Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos Reserve: Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev Other MMA Bouts Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata Mixed Rules Bout (Two rounds: R1 kickboxing, R2 MMA) Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno IGF Pro Wrestling Matches Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi Sawada Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts Josh Barnett vs. Hideki Suzuki Kickboxing Bouts Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: bout, vs, kickboxing, barnett, masaaki noiri

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Posted in: kickboxing, return, march, mirko, cop

Read the full article at Reddit

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] In a ridiculously awkward turn of events, Mirk Cro Cop's recent retirement from MMA has made his name pop up more and more in the news than it ever did in his UFC run on an international level. What we know so far is that Mirko plans on returning to the Kickboxing world and it seems that March is his projected return date against a fearsome opponent in Errol Zimmerman. There is also negotiations ongoing with Dzevad Poturak for a bout in June. Both of these fights are incredibly tough fights for an aging Mirko who has been competing in MMA for years without competing in Kickboxing. He also has been away from training for Kickboxing, which can be a giant problem for a fighter coming from Mixed Martial Arts. Then there is this piece of news, where Jerome Le Banner is set to be in action. His proposed opponent? Mirko Cro Cop. Read More...

Posted in: kickboxing, mirko, cop, cro, kickboxing world

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Mirko Cro Cop, or Mirko Filipovic if you prefer, announced last week that he will be back in action in 2012, but not in the venue you might expect. Cro Cop will return to his roots of kickboxing for a K-1 event on March 10 in Zagreb, Croatia. No opponent is yet finalized, though both Dzevad Poturak and Errol Zimmerman have been mentioned as possible Cro Cop opponents. This will be Mirko's first fight since losing to Roy Nelson at UFC 137 and subsequently (sort of) announcing his retirement from MMA. The Pride and UFC veteran has lost 4 of his last 6 fights, with his last 3 fights all ending in stoppage loses for Mirko. It will also mark his first time back in a kickboxing ring since 2003 when he faced Bob Sapp and shattered Sapp's orbital bone with a brutal left hand. Before making the transition to Pride and MMA, Mirko was a decorated kickboxer, with a seven year run in K-1. Cro Cop's greatest successes in K-1 came first in 1999, then again in 2002. In 1999, Cro Cop unveiled his now trademark head kick knock out, using his big KO power to make it to the finals of the 1999 K-1 Grand Prix. There, he was stopped by his long-time K-1 rival, and arguably the best heavyweight kickboxer of all time, Ernesto Hoost. In 2002 he was already starting to move full-time to MMA, but ended his K-1 career with a spectacular 4-0 run that saw him defeat Sapp, future 3X Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky, and reigning Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt. Kickboxing fans tend to be fiercely loyal to the veterans of the sport, and a return from Cro Cop will be huge. Also big news for kickboxing fans is the fact that Cro Cop says the fight will be on a K-1 show. K-1 was sold earlier this year and have not promoted any heavyweight shows since the 2010 Grand Prix, though they are looking to resume a regular schedule in 2012. Will this mark an early return for K-1? Unfortunately, probably not. K-1 has long been in the practice of lending their name to smaller, local promotions, such as K-1 ColliZion. It's likely that this is a locally promoted show that is simply using the K-1 name. Still, Cro Cop is back in a K-1 ring. Yes he's older, and maybe he should be hanging the gloves up instead of soldiering on, but surely I am not the only one who finds this to be incredibly exciting news, right?

Posted in: kickboxing, cro cop, mirko, cop, cro

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] This week we bring you something a bit newer and different, as Rian Scalia (@rianscalia) and myself (@LiverKickdotcom) come to you for the first time with the LiverKick podcast. We kick off with this, a test of sorts, which we recorded on Saturday night after all of the excitement surrounding the UFC show and the Amir Khan fight. There was not exactly a ton of happenings within the world of Kickboxing, but we decided to go over the fan-generated list of Fights of the Year that they've submitted. Look for an official poll from us soon so you can vote for the Fight of the Year! We also discuss what is going on with FIKA, Cro Cop returning to K-1 action and what to look forward to in 2012. Support Kickboxing! Listen to the Podcast!

Posted in: fight, kickboxing, liverkickcom part, middleeasy networkdiv, fangenerated list

Read the full article at Middle Easy

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Part of the fun of running a site dedicated to the art of Kickboxing is that sometimes in Mixed Martial Arts there will be moments where a fighter will go for something that seems so out-of-nowhere and unique, but it has been done before in Kickboxing. Part of the fun is pointing these classics out to fans, which either means introducing them to a part of fight history or giving a gentle reminder of just how awesome Kickboxing can be. The buzz today is focused on Marius Zaromskis landing a somersault kick, leading to a big KO at Rumble of the Kings. You can check that out here and see it for yourself. A truly spectacular move, but it did not connect flush and needed a lot of follow-up to finish the fight. Immediately upon seeing that, I was reminded of Peter Graham's crowning moment in K-1 history, which took place in 2006 against none other than Badr Hari. Hari was still young, skinny and not yet able to truly harness his potential (you could make an argument that he has yet to do this, but that is for another post) yet, and Graham had a lot to prove on the K-1 circuit. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: part, kickboxing, somersault kick, kickboxing part, buzz today

Read the full article at Middle Easy

This article was originally posted by Fraser Coffeen on BloodyElbow. It used to be that following kickboxing largely meant following K-1. But now that the world's #1 kickboxing organization has stepped into a (temporary? permanent?) hiatus, it's a bit harder to follow the sport. That doesn't mean things aren't happening though. In 2011, a number of organizations throughout the world, and particularly in Europe, have stepped up and put on increasingly stacked shows featuring the world's top kickboxing talent. Here, we round up recent results, news, and fight announcements from the international kickboxing scene. Earlier this month, It's Showtime held an event in Spain (full results here). The big name on the card was #1 Middleweight and all around kickboxing phenom Giorgio Petrosyan, who faced the unranked Zeben Diaz. Petrosyan got the win, but it wasn't easy, as he took a split decision. Petrosyan should have rolled right over Diaz - just an off night, or a sign of troubles ahead? We may find out on January 21, as Petrosyan faces Abraham Roqueni (who holds a 2011 win over Andy Souwer) in Italy. That show brought It's Showtime's 2011 to an end, but the company has big plans in 2012, including a November 2012 show in Brazil. Next up for It's Showtime is a huge show on January 28 from The Netherlands. That show is headlined by Badr Hari's retirement fight against Gokhan Saki, but it's a stacked line-up outside of the main event as well, and features Tyrone Spong vs. Melvin Manhoef, Daniel Ghita vs. Hesdy Gerges, Errol Zimmerman vs. Rico Verhoeven, and a lot more. On paper, it's the best kickboxing card we've seen since the demise of K-1. Check the full line-up here. Over in Japan, RISE held a big show yesterday that featured an 8 man Heavyweight Grand Prix. Former K-1 GP Final 16 fighter Singh "Heart" Jaideep emerged the winner from a field that included Stefan Leko and Mighty Mo. Japan's women's kickboxing star RENA was also victorious on the card, defeating Erika Kamimura. In other Heavyweight tournament action, Errol Zimmerman won an 8 man tournament for SuperKombat, defeating Roman Kleibl in the finals. Also participating were Ben Edwards and Stefan Leko. This is a big win for Zimmerman, who was at one time a top 5 Heavyweight, but has really struggled as of late. Also on that card, Rico Verhoeven upset Hesdy Gerges by decision. Andy Souwer rematched Bellator fighter Toby Imada under Shootboxing rules. The two met in 2010, with Imada scoring the huge upset win over the highly decorated Souwer. This time, Souwer was better prepared and defeated Imada to gain his revenge. It was a needed win for Souwer, who was 5-3 in the past year. That doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that prior to this run he had only lost 9 times in roughly 130 pro fights. Upcoming fights to watch out for: Artur Kyshenko vs. Yodsaenklai Fairtex (Nov. 26, Rumble of the Kings); Ryuji Kajiwara vs. Tetsuya Yamato (Dec. 9, Krush.14); Jerome Le Banner vs. Andrei Kirsanov (Dec. 30, Thailand); Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Abraham Roqueni, Buakaw Por. Pramuk vs. Dzhabar Askerov (Jan. 21, Yokkao Extreme); Badr Hari vs. Gokhan Saki, Tyrone Spong vs. Melvin Manhoef, more (Jan. 28, It's Showtime)

Posted in: show, vs, kickboxing, souwer, petrosyan

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

It used to be that following kickboxing largely meant following K-1. But now that the world's #1 kickboxing organization has stepped into a (temporary? permanent?) hiatus, it's a bit harder to follow the sport. That doesn't mean things aren't happening though. In 2011, a number of organizations throughout the world, and particularly in Europe, have stepped up and put on increasingly stacked shows featuring the world's top kickboxing talent. Here, we round up recent results, news, and fight announcements from the international kickboxing scene. Earlier this month, It's Showtime held an event in Spain (full results here). The big name on the card was #1 Middleweight and all around kickboxing phenom Giorgio Petrosyan, who faced the unranked Zeben Diaz. Petrosyan got the win, but it wasn't easy, as he took a split decision. Petrosyan should have rolled right over Diaz - just an off night, or a sign of troubles ahead? We may find out on January 21, as Petrosyan faces Abraham Roqueni (who holds a 2011 win over Andy Souwer) in Italy. That show brought It's Showtime's 2011 to an end, but the company has big plans in 2012, including a November 2012 show in Brazil. Next up for It's Showtime is a huge show on January 28 from The Netherlands. That show is headlined by Badr Hari's retirement fight against Gokhan Saki, but it's a stacked line-up outside of the main event as well, and features Tyrone Spong vs. Melvin Manhoef, Daniel Ghita vs. Hesdy Gerges, Errol Zimmerman vs. Rico Verhoeven, and a lot more. On paper, it's the best kickboxing card we've seen since the demise of K-1. Check the full line-up here. Over in Japan, RISE held a big show yesterday that featured an 8 man Heavyweight Grand Prix. Former K-1 GP Final 16 fighter Singh "Heart" Jaideep emerged the winner from a field that included Stefan Leko and Mighty Mo. Japan's women's kickboxing star RENA was also victorious on the card, defeating Erika Kamimura. In other Heavyweight tournament action, Errol Zimmerman won an 8 man tournament for SuperKombat, defeating Roman Kleibl in the finals. Also participating were Ben Edwards and Stefan Leko. This is a big win for Zimmerman, who was at one time a top 5 Heavyweight, but has really struggled as of late. Also on that card, Rico Verhoeven upset Hesdy Gerges by decision. Andy Souwer rematched Bellator fighter Toby Imada under Shootboxing rules. The two met in 2010, with Imada scoring the huge upset win over the highly decorated Souwer. This time, Souwer was better prepared and defeated Imada to gain his revenge. It was a needed win for Souwer, who was 5-3 in the past year. That doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that prior to this run he had only lost 9 times in roughly 130 pro fights. Upcoming fights to watch out for: Artur Kyshenko vs. Yodsaenklai Fairtex (Nov. 26, Rumble of the Kings); Ryuji Kajiwara vs. Tetsuya Yamato (Dec. 9, Krush.14); Jerome Le Banner vs. Andrei Kirsanov (Dec. 30, Thailand); Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Abraham Roqueni, Buakaw Por. Pramuk vs. Dzhabar Askerov (Jan. 21, Yokkao Extreme); Badr Hari vs. Gokhan Saki, Tyrone Spong vs. Melvin Manhoef, more (Jan. 28, It's Showtime)

Posted in: show, vs, kickboxing, souwer, petrosyan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Muay Thai is called the art of eight limbs. For many kickboxers, it's just a clever turn of phrase. If your career is concentrated in Japan or Europe, it's likely you really practice the art of four limbs - hands and feet. Only rarely will knees come into the picture. Standing elbows are out of the question. To purists, K-1, the kickboxing brand most familiar to North American MMA fans, is barely Muay Thai kickboxing at all. "You're allowed to throw one knee at a time. There's pretty much no clinch in K-1 fighting," fighter Elaina Maxwell said. "In traditional Muay Thai, there's elbows, knees, and what most fans know as 'kickboxing' all combined together." Tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, while many fans will be watching Dan Henderson fight Cung Le, Maxwell and some of the best strikers in North America will be letting all eight limbs go. Nevada is one of the few athletic commissions that allows professional Muay Thai fights in their purest form. It's not for the faint of heart. But promoter Scott Kent from Lion Fight Promotions thinks it's a level of violence Americans are ready for. "I think the time is right," Kent said. "With the explosion of the UFC and MMA across America, we have the advantage of promoting a sport that everybody in MMA already trains in. Because you have to in order to be a complete MMA fighter. So we are able to hack into our traditional Muay Thai audience, since the sport is already very popular in many parts of Asia, but also expand that audience because of the exposure of MMA." The show will stream live from The Joint at the Hard Rock on Go Fight Live. While many smaller shows like Kent's have gravitated towards HDNet, which features a rotating cast of North American based promotions, Lion Fights has taken a step into what could be the next big thing in content distribution - streaming pay per view. "I think it's a great way to bring our fights to a global audience," Kent said. "With their distribution, a lot of folks get a chance to see these fighters that wouldn't normally have the opportunity." Maxwell is one of the MMA crossover stars Kent is hoping will make a difference at the box office. Her record shows a blank kickboxing slate, but don't be fooled. Although she's never competed in a professional Muay Thai rules match, the San Francisco based fighter has lots of experience using all the tools of the trade. Maxwell is also one of the most successful American San Shou fighters of all time, combining punches, kicks, and wicked throws with devastating ease. The Cung Le protege won a gold medal in the Chinese sport in Macau in 2003 and is a dynamic striker. "We rocked the house in 2003 and 2005. Cung Le is the best San Shou coach that the United States has ever had...That was an awesome experience," Maxwell said. "I want to go back again, but the politics in traditional martial arts are not fun. And all I want to do is fight. Plus, it's hard to go from getting paid to fight, back to paying to fight. " Maxwell has turned her attention instead to mixed martial arts. She's lost her three highest profile bouts, Strikeforce fights with Gina Carano, Miesha Tate, and Shanya Baszler, but has won both of her bouts this year. Fans shouldn't read too much into her appearance in a kickboxing event. With Strikeforce on the verge of folding and the UFC remaining steadfast in a refusal to promote women's fights, the future for women in the sport seems bleak. But Maxwell is taking it all in stride. "I don't think women should be afraid. Sure, they're not going to be in the UFC unless they're holding the ring card," Maxwell said. "I don't think the women's sport is dying. There are more than a few organizations out there that will showcase MMA. I just wanted to stay busy. I love to fight and really wanted to test my standup game. "That's where I come from and I love it. One of the last times I actually fought a kickboxing match in Las Vegas it was at the Stardust," Maxwell said, referencing a Las Vegas hotel that was blown up in the name of progress in 2007. "So, that was awhile ago right? It should be fun." Lion Fights: Battle in the Desert 4 will be available live tomorrow night on Go Fight Live. The event is also available on demand for UFC fans who want to purchase the kickboxing event and watch it sometime after UFC 139 is complete. Elaina Maxwell would like to thank kickboxing coach Kirian Fitzgibbons, Dan Russell at Mainstreet Chiropractic, and Fight Chix.

Posted in: fight, mma, kickboxing, thai, maxwell

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Tomorrow is the first leg of the Shoot the Shooto/Shooto the Shoot events, with Shooto's portion of the card taking place and I've decided to finish this look at kickboxing vs MMA with what is one of the strangest, most bizarre fights, in theory and in practice, between kickboxing and MMA and that is last year's special rules match between Shinya Aoki and Yuichiro Nagashima at Dynamite!!! 2010. When the fight was announced, most were confused as to what rules it would take place under, but FEG released the details that there would be a 3 minute kickboxing round and a 5 minute MMA round using MMA gloves for both, with the order being decided by a coin flip. When it happened, the kickboxing round was determined to be first and most figured Nagashima would need to put Aoki away in that three minutes or else the fight would almost assuredly be Aoki's. What followed was the strangest 3 minutes of kickboxing, characterized by Aoki clinching whenever Nagashima got close, shooting for takedowns and throwing dropkicks. Read More...

Posted in: mma, aoki, kickboxing, minute, nagashima

Read the full article at Middle Easy

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] With the K-1 WGP Final 16 being cancelled, making this the first year in K-1's existence without a World Grand Prix, many are throwing around the misconception that Kickboxing is dying. The statement couldn't be any more false. It's a reality of the Kickboxing world: For many, K-1 is kickboxing. With K-1 not hosting a World Grand Prix this year, many have also falsely declared that the organization is dead which is another notion that couldn't be any farther from the truth. The false thought of K-1 supposedly being dead in the minds of many fans is enough to claim that the entire sport of Kickboxing is dying. Dave Walsh gave some information on K-1's future here, to get rid of the thought that K-1 is dead. The reality is that right now, there are a lot more viable options for kickboxing than in the past. Yes, the big monster K-1 isn't around for the time being but think for a minute: For all the years that K-1 ruled kickboxing, was there really any alternatives with potential? Sure, SuperLeague was around for a few years and had some real quality, but it didn't last that long. There were pretty much no sustainable alternatives in Kickboxing that were easy to follow. Fast forward to the present day and there's a healthy stable of Kickboxing promotions slowly rising to prominence. It's Showtime in 2010 and mostly in 2011 has really expanded their territory, both geographically and in the general picture of Kickboxing. Fight Code has really put together a nice 2011, slowly gaining some ground. SuperKombat is also gaining ground, and with some tweaks here and there could really expand their product, especially its internet presence. Read More...

Posted in: world, year, kickboxing, liverkickcom part, kickboxing world

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Matt Roth made the trek to UFC 136 in Houston, Texas last week on behalf of MMA Nation, and was able to sit down with Tyrone Spong ahead of the event on Saturday. Keeping in mind kickboxing and MMA fans alike, the interview touched on Spong's place as an elite kickboxer, his future plans as they relate to kickboxing and MMA, and the state of things in the kickboxing world more generally. Perhaps the biggest revelation: Spong remains in conversation with MMA promotions as he considers transitioning into the sport. In truth, this is effectively an acknowledgement of something that many of us have known for some time. All signs have pointed toward Spong heading the way of MMA (at least in part), as he's made the move to America, worked in close proximity to top wrestlers, and become increasingly willing to speak about a possible transition into the sport (and increasingly visible to MMA fans). Since this interview, Spong has addressed the move to MMA on his Twitter account. Still nothing concrete, but it's evident he's looking in that direction. Further addressing the matter of kickboxers transitioning to other combat sports, Spong offers an interesting take on Badr Hari and Gokhan Saki as they look toward the sport of boxing. It's evident that Spong isn't so certain about the lofty expectations that Hari in particular seems to be setting. Spong is a gracious man, but it's his honest assessment of things and his points are well worth considering. As for kickboxing, Tyrone Spong will soon meet Melvin Manhoef under the It's Showtime banner. Fans have anticipated that he would be included in the upcoming K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16, but Spong indicates that he still hasn't been paid by FEG for his last K-1 appearances and he doesn't intend to fight until he's received payment. Check out the interview and be on the lookout for related news.

Posted in: mma, kickboxing, mma fans, spong, tyrone spong

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] The recent news of Badr Hari's departure from the Kickboxing world into the world of Boxing has shaken up many kickboxing fans, as do higher level fighters like Cosmo Alexandre making his MMA debut tomorrow and guys like Tyrone Spong and Gokhan Saki looking into other combat sports to make a possible home as well. I can understand it, but it feels like an alarmist reaction to a sport that is finally getting its sea legs without K-1 to prop it up. In a recent interview with Luke Thomas of MMANation, Pat Barry not only discussed his upcoming fight this weekend for the UFC, but also discussed the current state of Kickboxing as well. Pat Barry echoes all of the thoughts that many Kickboxing fans believe; someone needs to put some serious money into Kickboxing in the United States and promote it right and it would do well. Fans love to see fighters knock each other around, yet Kickboxing has a rather meager following in the US. Pat does not see Kickboxing dying any time soon, nor does he see a few fighters heading to other combat sports as a serious detriment. Watch the interview...

Posted in: sport, combat sports, kickboxing, barry, kickboxing fans

Read the full article at Middle Easy

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Maybe it was because it was in Josh Quayhagen’s hometown. Maybe it was because this was the first MMA bout for Brazilian kickboxing star Cosmo Alexandre.

Posted in: kickboxing, lake charles, mma bout, quayhagen, hometown

Read the full article at Sherdog

If you don't know by now, It's Showtime announced that Badr Hari will be retiring from kickboxing after his January 28th, 2012 bout to pursue a pro boxing career. Ironically, his opponent in that last bout, Gokhan Saki, is also considering leaving the sport, but he wants to switch to MMA.  So Badr has one bout left if the K-1 WGP doesn't go down, then goes into boxing. It's just too bad he's not going to be a very good boxer, for a few reasons. First off, I'm not really surprised at this. Hari is infatuated with boxing and has been for a long time. People want him to go into MMA, but he's never been that interested. On The Voice vs. Badr Hari, he couldn't even name Cain Velasquez when shown a picture of him. But he went on and on about boxing. Cool, he's going to try it out. But I'm not sure he knows what he's getting himself into when it comes to professional boxing. First off, the sport is way more cutthroat than kickboxing (surprisingly enough), especially in the US. And it's not a sport that will let a guy walk in with little to no experience and get big fights, especially at heavyweight. Badr's already 26, almost 27. That's really late to be getting a start in the boxing game. Unless he takes a ton of fights very quickly, he's not going to work his way up. Sure there are shortcuts, like taking fights with old, faded names that need paychecks really badly. But if anyone believes he'll be fighting a Klitscho anytime soon, well...you're dreaming. Unless there's a third Klit brother in the backwaters of the Crimea that no one's heard of that's like 3-1 or something. Another major problem is that, as David mentioned in his piece, Hari gets hit a lot in kickboxing. Yes they are very different sports, but he's never shown any sort of excellent defensive boxing. Is he going to be able to put aside his kickboxing instincts and learn defense? Honestly, I don't think he can. So you'll have a tall, rangy, light-ish heavyweight that isn't great at protecting himself. Not very promising. Finally, Badr's got anger problems. I really hope he doesn't want to kick my ass just for writing this, and I'm just a self-important, yet oddly charming writer on the internet (@TB_Money!). He had major problems controlling his temper in kickboxing and on the street, and I don't think it will be any different in boxing. Even if he does turn out to be a high-level boxer, he's his own worst enemy and he'll likely blow it all up before he can get to the top. Overall, while I'm a huge Badr Hari fan and I really want him to succeed in whatever sport he chooses to compete in, I just don't see it happening. Kickboxing might not be at the level it was at a few years ago, but there are more big-money matchups left for him in kickboxing than there would be in boxing, unless he makes it to the very top of the sport. I understand wanting to try new things, and kickboxing will still be there if he ever chooses to come back. But he's going to get chewed up and spit out by the monstrous ugly machine that is the North American boxing scene, and I don't want to see that happen.

Posted in: sport, boxing, kickboxing, hari, badr

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] The news broke earlier today that Badr Hari would be hanging up his Kickboxing gloves to take up a pair of shiny new Boxing gloves and move his training and focus to the United States. To many this was a shock, but there have been signs of this move for a long time now. Originally Badr Hari was considering making a run for the Moroccan Olympic Boxing Team, but his stint in prison and legal troubles were enough to force him away from that idea. In an interview with Michael Schiavello earlier this year, Badr Hari spoke about how he was a huge Boxing fan and followed the sport very closely, especially the Heavyweights. He couldn’t say the same for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, where he could not even recognize the bigger stars, or the sport of Kickboxing where he only followed where he needed to for upcoming fights. Then there was an interview in August with FightHype where he spoke out about some Heavyweight Boxing contenders like Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek was if he were ready to run right through them right now. Badr Hari’s heart was set on being a Heavyweight Boxer and there was no one in the world who was going to stop him. His announcement came from Kickboxing organization It’s Showtime, who also handle his management and will no doubt have a hand in his boxing career and caused a lot of stir throughout the internet. Some sites are proclaiming Badr’s move as a part of the mass exodus from Kickboxing to MMA while others are taking a look at Badr Hari’s kickboxing fights to determine that he will become a failure at another sport. Read More...

Posted in: boxing, kickboxing, badr hari, hari, badr

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Big news from the kickboxing world today - controversial fighter Badr Hari has announced his retirement from kickboxing. The news came via Hari's management at It's Showtime, stating that the K-1 veteran would be leaving kickboxing in order to move to the US and begin a professional boxing career. Hari will have at least one final fight, as he faces Gokhan Saki on the January 28 It's Showtime card in what will be Hari's last fight. Known as "The Golden Boy", Hari has been one of the most polarizing figures in K-1 and kickboxing for some time. Hari's aggressive style earned him great acclaim and a legion of fans, but his uneven temper has also caused him troubles. In 2008, Hari was the first fighter ever to be disqualified in the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals as he stomped a downed Remy Bonjasky in an ugly scene. 2010 saw a near repeat of this incident when he kicked Hesdy Gerges on the ground in an It's Showtime event. Shortly after the Gerges incident, Hari became entangled in an incident involving the assault of a nightclub bouncer. He was wanted by police in Amsterdam, and left the country for some time. He would not return to the sport until one year later after finally getting these legal issues sorted out. Despite these troubles, Hari remains a very popular fighter. He's had great successes in his career, including twice making the K-1 Grand Prix finals, and holding knock out victories over huge names like Alistair Overeem, Peter Aerts, and Semmy Schilt. His fights with Ruslan Karaev, Stefan Leko, and Errol Zimmerman are all classics for fans of non-stop action and huge KOs. Hari has talked about the switch to boxing for some time, including an announcement that he would box for Morocco in the 2012 Olympics (though that seems to have passed). If he is serious about the move, his personality and heavy hands will make him an intriguing new Heavyweight, though he'll have to answer questions about his chin, defenses, and of course his temper. One other note from this news - the Saki fight will be Hari's last, but he's also scheduled to take part in the K-1 Grand Prix later this year. However, It's Showtime, who is a co-promoter of the GP, stated that Hari may not take part, as the GP may not happen at all due to outstanding fighter pay on the part of K-1. If the GP happens, Hari will be in, but for now the event is in jeopardy.

Posted in: fight, showtime, kickboxing, hari, prix finals

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

With Badr Hari's announcement that he's leaving kickboxing for boxing coming on the heels of K-1 champ Alistair Overeem going exclusive for the UFC, is kickboxing done? Kid Nate asks the question at MMA Nation.

Posted in: mma nation, kickboxing, kid nate, badr hari, hari

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It what can only be described as "sudden", It's Showtime has announced Badr Hari's impending retirement from the sport of kickboxing on their official website. Badr Hari has decided to retire from kickboxing to start a new career as a boxer. On January 28, 2012, Badr Hari will fight his last kickboxing match on the IT’S SHOWTIME event in WTC Expo in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. After this fight, he will go to the United Stated to fully work on his boxing career. This announcement will be a shock to the millions of kickboxing fans all around the world, but the sport of boxing will welcome and embrace this charismatic fighter. In the U.S., many see Badr Hari as the man to relaunch the popularity of boxing, and he’s being seen as a mix of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Even more bizarre than the news that Hari is retiring is the degree to which It's Showtime has their foot on the hyperbole accelerator in reflecting on Hari's boxing prospects. I'm no kickboxing effort, but I've seen enough Hari fights (and even chimed in atop my soapbox on his legal troubles) to know his defense leaves a lot to be desired. I do think Badr's mechanics are competent enough, but American boxing is nothing if not a polished, dedicated machine. David Haye would use Hari as a Moroccan toothpick, and not even Haye is part Tyson, or Ali. But nevermind the obviously absurd comparison. In addition, It's Showtime appears to add weight to the rumor that the K-1 World Grand Prix may not even happen. However, the bad news is not to be outdone by the revelation that Gokhan Saki is also considering retiring from K-1. For a sport that is clearly ailing, this news couldn't come at a worse time. Daniel Herbertson has more at MMAFighting.

Posted in: showtime, kickboxing, badr hari, hari, badr

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Not many events in the kickboxing world can leave you speechless, but the retirement of one of Heavyweight Kickboxing's biggest stars in the past ten years will do just that. The big secret announcement from It's Showtime was originally scheduled for Friday but was then pushed back to today. In the meantime, word got out that Badr Hari would take on Gokhan Saki on January 28th for It's Showtime. To many, this was the big announcement that It's Showtime was trying to keep under wraps, but it would turn out to be much bigger. Badr Hari has spoken about his desire to enter the world of Boxing for a long time now, much more seriously over the past year. This includes talk of possible Olympic Boxing that seemed to die off and talking with Michael Schiavello in a Voice Versus episode about possibly leaving kickboxing for boxing. Add in the steady decline of K-1 over the past few years and Badr Hari's legal troubles and kickboxing became less and less his passion. Read More...

Posted in: boxing, kickboxing, badr hari, hari, badr

Read the full article at Middle Easy

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] We have a very busy schedule coming up for us after a bit of downtime. First off, DREAM.17 marks the return of live Japanese MMA to HDnet on September 24th. That isn't the end of the action for fight fans, though. Not by a long shot. For kickboxing fans there are two huge 70kg tournaments happening in the two kickboxing hot beds of the world. It's Showtime puts on their Fast and Furious 70kg MAX tournament. The Fast and Furious tournament is shaping up to be the biggest tournament of the year, hands down, in any weight class in the kickboxing world. The event will be streamed on It's Showtime's website, ShowtimeFights.com for the usual 10 euros live, and according to Andrew Simon from HDnet, there are plans of airing the event on the 14th of October. On top of that, It's Showtime has promised today that on Friday they will announce the fight card for the January 28th It's Showtime event, including the location and they've promised "REALLY breaking news." Read More...

Posted in: event, showtime, tournament, kickboxing, class

Read the full article at Middle Easy