K-1’s upcoming event, K-1 Beyond, is shaping up to be a showcase of top-tier kickboxing talent, with three championship fights taking place in Yokohama, Japan on May 31st.
The reigning Cruiserweight champion and 2023 Openweight Grand Prix winner Liu Ce returns to the promotion to defend his K-1 Cruiserweight title against undefeated Enfusion World Light Heavyweight champion Thian De Vries.
While Liu has seen nothing but success while fighting in the K-1 ring, De Vries has won his last 11 fights all by knockout or technical knockout. Fans can expect a guaranteed war between the two for the K-1 Cruiserweight belt.
In the Super Welterweight division, Sanda specialist and reigning K-1 Super Welterweight champion Ouyang Feng will defend his belt against the surging Enfusion standout Darryl Verdonk.
Verdonk, a former Enfusion Lightweight world champion, has won back-to-back fights since his quarterfinal exit from the K-1 World Max World Tournament last year. Standing on the opposite end of the ring will be Ouyang Feng, the reigning champion, who returns from a successful five-fight winning streak in Wu Lin Feng. The Chinese kickboxer had also participated in the K-1 World Max Tournament last year, but had to pull out after winning the first round due to injury.
For the Super Lightweight belt, Shu Inagaki will rematch with the now reigning Thai champion Yodkhunpon.
Yodkhunpon recently defended his Super Lightweight throne against Hayato Suzuki in an impressive TKO victory. The Thai veteran will also be staying active before his match against Inagaki, being scheduled to face off against Chinese veteran Meng Gaofeng on March 29 at Wu Lin Feng 553.
Top prospect Shu Inagaki, who lost in a tough back-and-forth battle against Yodkhunpon in their first meeting, hopes to make the adjustments necessary to beat the Thai maestro in the rematch.
