18 fights took place last weekend at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall in Fukuoka, Japan, and they did not disappoint. A mix of top-level contenders, champions, and rising talent put on a strong showing, with Roel Manaart making his long-awaited return to the ring after five years away.
While K-1’s cruiserweight and openweight divisions have seen plenty of action in recent years, the heavyweight title had remained dormant, though not vacant, since Manaart last defended it.
Despite visible ring rust, the Dutchman came out aggressive, battering the smaller K-Jee from the opening bell en route to an inside-the-distance victory. K-Jee, who has now lost seven of his last eight bouts, had no answer for Manaart’s relentless calf kicks. Though he showed early resistance, he ultimately folded in the second round after multiple knockdowns.
Following the bout, Ariel Machado, who has enjoyed a late-career resurgence since moving up to heavyweight, entered the ring and called out the returning champion for a clash at the next K-1 event. Just minutes earlier, Machado had scored a calf-kick knockout of his own against Rio Richardson.
SAHO DEFENDS HER TITLE FOR FIRST TIME
The other K-1 title bout saw former ONE title challenger Lara Fernandez take on reigning K-1 Women's Flyweight (-52 kg) champion SAHO.
The usually aggressive Japanese striker struggled to find her range against the taller, rangier Fernandez, resulting in a lackluster affair. Still, SAHO found her mark in the second round, scoring a knockdown with a clean right straight. It was enough to secure a comfortable decision win and successfully defend her title for the first time.
Acknowledging her underwhelming performance, SAHO admitted, “I’m really not satisfied at all. What people expect from me is to finish fights, and that’s the only thing that matters. If I don’t deliver on that, the belt won’t increase in value. I can’t be content with this.”
At the post-fight press conference, K-1 producer Mitsuru Miyata spoke about a potential collaboration with RISE, with the goal of matching SAHO against RISE champion Tessa de Kom.
TOP CONTENDERS TAKE HOME WINS
On the MAX front, Kacper Muszyński and Zhora Akopyan scored stoppage wins over solid opposition, reaffirming their status ahead of September’s tournament.
Muszyński in particular stands out as a strong favorite, second only to the reigning champion, if he chooses to remain at 70 kilograms. Given his physique, maintaining the weight could be a challenge, and his team has already expressed interest in moving up.
Featherweight (-57.5 kg) champion Takumi Terada dispatched Angelos Kaponis quickly, pressuring the Greek fighter against the ropes and landing a huge overhand right followed by a left hook that forced the referee to stop the fight in the opening round.
After the fight, Terada announced his intention to move up and challenge K-1 Super Featherweight (-60 kg) champion Rémi Parra: "I’m the current champion, and I wasn’t satisfied being placed in the early semi-main event slot, but I think I was able to show my true ability this time. There are no more opponents left for me here, so I’m calling out K-1 Super Featherweight champion Rémi Parra. I’m the only one who can beat him, so please make it happen."
