DragonzRage
07-02-2002, 01:13 PM
This is for those of you who are interested in K-1. This K-1 World Max FInals was the first world championship tournament for middleweights that K-1 has ever done. It was a good event with some solid fights.
In the first fight, Japanese fighter Masato fought against American Duane Ludwig. After a pretty even first two rounds where the fighters still seemed to be feeling each other out, Masato knocked Ludwig out in the third. Masato was impressive, with solid boxing and powerful Muay Thai technique. Albert Kraus who I think is from the Netherlands fought a Muay Thai fighter (I think from South Africa). Kraus showed right from the get go that he is a puncher. His boxing combos were smooth and powerful. He barely threw a kick the entire time. It was a kicker vs puncher match, with Kraus trying to bust in with the boxing combos while his opponent used a longer reach to kick in the long range and clinch whenever Kraus came in. Kraus scored some decisive shots in the third round which earned him the decision in an otherwise pretty even fight. In the third quarterfinal another Japanese kickboxer fought some karate kickboxer (probably kyokushin, but I'm not sure) who seemed to have something to do with Andy Hug. Early in the fight the Japanese guy landed a solid knee to the midsection that immediately put his opponent down for the count, giving him the victory.
The last quarterfinal pitted thai champion Kao Lan Kao-Vi-Chit against a Chinese Sanda fighter named Zhang Ziapo. This was the first time I know of where a Chinese Sanda fighter competed in a K-1 championship, and unfortunately it was a pretty pathetic showing for the Chinese. The Sanda fighter didn't seem to have any strong kickboxing skill. All he did the entire time was repeatedly throw an ineffective sidekick followed by wild overhand flurries. The thai punished him with repeated kicks and also threw him around in the clinch, landing some hard knees. The thai won an easy decision in a very one-sided match.
The first semifinal put Masato against Albert Kraus. It was a pretty even exchange, but Kraus landed his punches more effectively and scored a knockdown I think in the second round. In the third round however, Masato started coming back and seemed to adapt to Kraus' one dimensional strategy. He landed some good counter punches that I think gave him the third round. Nevertheless, the one knockdown scored was from Kraus, and that was enough to give him the decision over his most serious challenger for the championship. In the second semifinal the thai and the other Japanese guy started with a pretty even exchange but the thai eventually gained control with his solid kicks and clinch work. The Japanese guy showed a serious lack of heart and a bad attitude as he resorted to doing nothing more than putting the thai in a headlock whenever they got close. But this pathetic survival tactic didn't stop the thai from beating his sorry a$$ like a redheaded step child and knocking him down twice. Finally the thai ended it with a combination of knees and kicks that put the no heart fool down for the count. So that left Kraus and Kao-Vi-Chit for the finals.
Right from the get go I saw a flaw in the Thai's technique that would probably prove fatal against a guy like Kraus: his boxing sucked! The thai was pretty strong with his kick combos and clinch attacks, but he simply lacked boxing skill. And this was his undoing. Early in the first round Kraus went to work getting in close and letting his hands fly. He traded kicks with the thai for a bit but then rushed in with rapid hooks that knocked the thai out. It was a quick and disappointing final match. Although the thai was tough, I wasn't extremely impressed with his skills. He just wasn't that quick on his feet and like I said he didn't have much boxing skill. I think that it really should've been Masato and Kraus in the finals. But all in all it was a great event and I'm glad that K-1 has finally given some attention to the fast and exciting middleweights. The middleweight category also allows for a more diverse pool of competition including Muay Thai fighters from Thailand and Chinese Sanda guys.
In the first fight, Japanese fighter Masato fought against American Duane Ludwig. After a pretty even first two rounds where the fighters still seemed to be feeling each other out, Masato knocked Ludwig out in the third. Masato was impressive, with solid boxing and powerful Muay Thai technique. Albert Kraus who I think is from the Netherlands fought a Muay Thai fighter (I think from South Africa). Kraus showed right from the get go that he is a puncher. His boxing combos were smooth and powerful. He barely threw a kick the entire time. It was a kicker vs puncher match, with Kraus trying to bust in with the boxing combos while his opponent used a longer reach to kick in the long range and clinch whenever Kraus came in. Kraus scored some decisive shots in the third round which earned him the decision in an otherwise pretty even fight. In the third quarterfinal another Japanese kickboxer fought some karate kickboxer (probably kyokushin, but I'm not sure) who seemed to have something to do with Andy Hug. Early in the fight the Japanese guy landed a solid knee to the midsection that immediately put his opponent down for the count, giving him the victory.
The last quarterfinal pitted thai champion Kao Lan Kao-Vi-Chit against a Chinese Sanda fighter named Zhang Ziapo. This was the first time I know of where a Chinese Sanda fighter competed in a K-1 championship, and unfortunately it was a pretty pathetic showing for the Chinese. The Sanda fighter didn't seem to have any strong kickboxing skill. All he did the entire time was repeatedly throw an ineffective sidekick followed by wild overhand flurries. The thai punished him with repeated kicks and also threw him around in the clinch, landing some hard knees. The thai won an easy decision in a very one-sided match.
The first semifinal put Masato against Albert Kraus. It was a pretty even exchange, but Kraus landed his punches more effectively and scored a knockdown I think in the second round. In the third round however, Masato started coming back and seemed to adapt to Kraus' one dimensional strategy. He landed some good counter punches that I think gave him the third round. Nevertheless, the one knockdown scored was from Kraus, and that was enough to give him the decision over his most serious challenger for the championship. In the second semifinal the thai and the other Japanese guy started with a pretty even exchange but the thai eventually gained control with his solid kicks and clinch work. The Japanese guy showed a serious lack of heart and a bad attitude as he resorted to doing nothing more than putting the thai in a headlock whenever they got close. But this pathetic survival tactic didn't stop the thai from beating his sorry a$$ like a redheaded step child and knocking him down twice. Finally the thai ended it with a combination of knees and kicks that put the no heart fool down for the count. So that left Kraus and Kao-Vi-Chit for the finals.
Right from the get go I saw a flaw in the Thai's technique that would probably prove fatal against a guy like Kraus: his boxing sucked! The thai was pretty strong with his kick combos and clinch attacks, but he simply lacked boxing skill. And this was his undoing. Early in the first round Kraus went to work getting in close and letting his hands fly. He traded kicks with the thai for a bit but then rushed in with rapid hooks that knocked the thai out. It was a quick and disappointing final match. Although the thai was tough, I wasn't extremely impressed with his skills. He just wasn't that quick on his feet and like I said he didn't have much boxing skill. I think that it really should've been Masato and Kraus in the finals. But all in all it was a great event and I'm glad that K-1 has finally given some attention to the fast and exciting middleweights. The middleweight category also allows for a more diverse pool of competition including Muay Thai fighters from Thailand and Chinese Sanda guys.