K-1 made its way to Brasília, the capital city of Brazil, for the K-1 World GP, which hosted the South American leg of their international qualifying tournament. This event marked the first time in 18 years that a K-1 sanctioned event was held in Brazil, with the last one taking place in 2006. Supported by the Sports Agency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, it became the largest K-1 tournament ever held in the country.
Brazilian fighter Ariel Machado was crowned tournament champion, securing two impressive knockouts and a decision victory over Guto Inocente. With this win, he earned the right to compete in the ‘K-1 WORLD GP 2024 in Tokyo’ Openweight Final Tournament, a one-day event featuring eight fighters, scheduled to take place at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on Saturday, December 14.
This marks Machado's return to Japan, where he competed in last year's Openweight Grand Prix but fell short against the devastating calf kicks of Liu Ce. The Chinese powerhouse went on to win the tournament and later captured the K-1 Cruiserweight (-90 kg) title against Sina Karimian earlier this year.
In the quarterfinals, Machado faced fellow countryman Abner Ferreira. The former GLORY fighter employed a calf kick-heavy strategy against the sharp-looking Ferreira — a tactic that paid off as Ferreira crumbled under the relentless assault on his legs. After two knockdowns, he was unable to continue.
Guto Inocente advanced to the semifinals with ease, stopping Jefferson Salviano in under a minute. A powerful middle kick to Salviano's ribcage left him unable to continue. Inocente, who had previously challenged for the GLORY Heavyweight title, was the clear favorite in the tournament due to his more notable achievements in the division compared to Machado, who spent the bulk of his career at light heavyweight.
In what many considered the real final of the tournament, Machado and Inocente fought a thrilling, back-and-forth match. Machado's speed and sharpness eventually won out, earning him the victory.
Anderson Braddock, another prominent name in the tournament, advanced to the final on the opposite side of the bracket. However, he was unable to compete due to an injury, so Jhonny Klever, who had lost earlier that night to Braddock, took his place. In a final test for Machado, he delivered another impressive stoppage with low kicks, securing both the tournament victory and his ticket to Japan.
