Jonas Salsicha vs. Darryl Verdonk
The rematch between Jonas Salsicha and Darryl Verdonk was a fight to remember, as the Brazilian defended his title despite a late rally from his Dutch advisory.
It looked as if it would be another dominant victory for Salsicha, who triumphed in the first round when the two first met in the final of the K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament last November, after the first two rounds saw him brutalise Verdonk and drop him three times.
Summoning every reserve of power he had, Verdonk landed a left and right hook that sent Salsicha to the canvas with only 40 seconds left. As his opponent stood wobbly and the crowd erupted into a rapture of cheers, Verdonk threw everything he had to try and win the fight, but it was not enough to send the fight to an extra round.
A fantastic win for Salsicha and a brave performance from Verdonk, both men will now be looking ahead to September where they will both feature in the 2026 K-1 MAX 70kg Tournament Opening Round.
Dengue Silva vs. Alfousseynou Kamara
K-1’s Middleweight belt returned to Brazil as Dengue Silva defended his title against tough Senegalese savate specialist Alfousseynou Kamara by unanimous decision.
A giant for the weight class standing at 6ft 3in, Silva chose to battle Kamara up close rather than stay at range and attempt to strike at distance. The result was a gruelling fight where both men landed hard shots during brutal exchanges, Silva having great success with knees up the middle whereas Kamara landed sickening hooks to the jaw.
At the end of the second round one of these exchanges saw Kamara hit the deck after Silva landed a sharp 1-2, but he was up quickly to see out the round. The Final round saw neither man look to give an inch, which ended with a point to the canvas and a brawl to see the end of a fantastic contest.
With that victory Silva becomes the first man to successfully defend the K-1 Middleweight title, as for Kamara his exciting all action style will surely see him return to the K-1 stage soon enough.
Ariel Machado vs. Claudio Istrate
Controversy continues to surround Claudio Istrate in the K-1 ring, but the pantomime villain from Italy could not overcome Ariel Machado who defended his Heavyweight title for the first time.
Michael Schiavello on commentary told the viewers it was a case of if rather than when Claudio would break the rules, and he got his answer after Istrate threw a right hook after the referee told him to stop halfway through the opening round.
Despite being knocked down Machado gathered his senses and rallied back to punish Istrate in the corner to end the first round. Feeling rejuvenated at the start of the second round, Machado punished the Italian with leg kicks that proved pivotal, as the big man could no longer stand after a series of sustained attacks.
A sea of applause greeted Machado’s victory, who returns to Brazil with more Heavyweight gold for his mantlepiece.
Lukas Achterberg vs. Fabian Lorito
Lukas Achterberg repeated the heroics of his K-1 Cruiserweight Tournament win back in February, as the German giant stopped Fabian Lorito inside the opening round.
Looking calm and composed from the opening bell, Achterberg channelled his inner Semmy Schilt by using his front kicks to control the distance against his Swiss opponent. After tasting a solid right hand from Lorito, the German decided enough was enough and landed a stunning uppercut and left hook to the jaw that ended the night in stunning style.
A move up to the heavyweight division for Achterberg seems inevitable at this point, with the powerful German looking like a real threat to anyone who stands in his way to further K-1 glory.
Mona Kimura vs. Eun Ji Choi
The K-1 debut of Mona Kimura went off without a hitch as she was too strong for Eun Ji Choi in their Women’s Flyweight contest.
Staying primarily in her karate stance, Kimura’s balance and mastery of her side kick was too much for Choi to figure out, as she failed to mount any sort of significant attack across three rounds. “The Real-Life Chun Li”, also showed off the power that landed her two knockouts in her previous three bouts, as she bloodied the nose of Choi with a brutal left late into the third round.
Kimura’s popularity on social media and intriguing fighting style means there will be plenty of eyes on K-1 when “The Real-Life Chun Li” steps into the ring again.
Takahito Niimi vs. Rui Okubo
Rui Okubo put his drama on the scales to one side as delivered a superb performance to defeat Takahito Niimi over three rounds.
Having youth and size to his advantage, Okubo flowed expertly between attacks to the body and head that forced Niimi to feed on scraps throughout the fight. Niimi’s attacks to the calf were not enough to slow down Okubo, whose vicious knees to the body sapped his opponent’s energy as the fight progressed.
The only thing questionable about the fight was one of the judges thinking such a one-sided performance warranted a draw, but that wont matter to Okubo who will look to reinsert himself into the title picture after that win.
