Lukas Achterberg took home the grand prize after entering the tournament under unusual circumstances. Just a few months ago, winning the K-1 90Kg Grand Prix was probably a distant dream for Lukas, who despite being scheduled to participate in the affair, was booked in the reserve fight against Akira Junior.
Come late January however, and with little fanfare, the German fighter was promoted to a main bracket tournament participant as Mahmoud Sattari's opponent, K-Jee, dropped out of the fight. This was Lukas' opportunity for gold, and he was determined to make the most of it. If on paper he seemed like an underdog due to having been a reserve fighter, the reality inside the ring was very different.
His 200cm (6'7.4") tall frame towered over former Openweight Tournament Champion Sattari, and within a minute the Iranian fighter was unconscious on the floor thanks to a short left hook from Lukas. Now up against Romania's Bogdan Stoica, who coincidentally also earned a spot in the semi-finals by finishing Mattia Faraoni with a left hook of his own, Achterberg did not take his foot off the gas. 10 seconds had not yet passed before Stoica hit the canvas.
The Romanian fighter did his best to regain his footing, but it was not enough as a stabbing front kick to the midsection sent Stoica to the canvas for the second time with over a minute to go in the first round, triggering the TKO stoppage and sending Lukas to the Finals having fought just a bit over 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
On the other side of the bracket, things had not been nearly as smooth sailing for the other would-be finalist, Nikita Kozlov. Kozlov found himself having to win an extra round against Kazakhstan's Aslan Koshiyev to advance to the next round.
There he faced Ibrahim El Bouni - who had himself been a part of a grueling fight Marco Black Diamond that involved the Moroccan being badly hurt by an illegal strike - seemingly intent on surviving the fight more than winning. The Russian scored a knockdown and won most exchanges, but between El Bouni's defensive movement and excessive clinching that earned him a warning, could not finish the fight before the full 9 minutes were up.
As the two finalists took to the ring, Lukas with under 3 minutes of fight time and Nikita with 21 minutes of his own, the tournament seemed all but decided, just waiting for Lukas to put the finishing touch on a grand prix run that was looking to be as quick as it was exciting. Once again within the first round, Achterberg found that finishing touch in the form of a right calf kick that sent Kozlov down, unable to get up. With an official combined time of exactly 5 minutes, in one of the fastest Grand Prix wins in K-1 History comprised of 3 highlight reel KOs, Lukas Achterberg captured gold and glory on the K-1 stage.
K-1 TITLE FIGHTS
Elsewhere on the card, Akihiro Kaneko took on Rui Okubo in what was supposed to be a defense of his Super Bantamweight (-55 kg) title. The challenger, however, missed weight by 1.3 kg and had to not only fight Kaneko, but also deal with heavy stipulations for his blunder on the scale. Okubo started the fight with a two-point deduction and was required to wear 10-ounce gloves instead of the usual 8-ounce pair. In case he won the fight, by decision or knockout, the bout would be ruled a no contest.
Okubo came out blazing, leaving Kaneko in the dust. Their first meeting ended in a low kick stoppage in favor of the reigning champion, but the second meeting was equally dominant on the other side. Okubo beat Kaneko to the punch, evading his attacks while peppering him with one-twos and left hooks, closing his combinations with his signature jab.
After three rounds, Okubo had already made up for the point deduction, taking the fight to an extra round where he continued his dominant performance. The judges all had it for Okubo, officially making the bout a no contest.
Whether the two will meet again, this time for the title, remains to be seen, as Okubo said he will have to consider whether he can stay at the weight given the problems he encountered this time around.
SAHO returned strong after what some would consider a lackluster performance in her last outing against Lara Fernandez. This time, she took on young Greek prospect Sofia Tsolakidou, walking her down with constant pressure. Tsolakidou had trouble keeping up, eating punches on the back foot while trying to fire back. In the end, it was a landslide sweep on the scorecards.
Yuzuki Satomi scored an upset victory over Hirotaka Asahisa to claim the K-1 lightweight championship belt after four rounds of action. Asahisa started strong, landing good punches on the inside, but Satomi took over the fight as it went on. A stiff jab and long lead-hand hook gave Asahisa the most problems, setting up Satomi’s offense as he outbrawled the champion.
Mexico’s first-ever K-1 champion was crowned as Veronica Rodriguez defeated Kira Matsutani to claim the K-1 Women’s Atomweight title. Rodriguez consistently entered the pocket with short two- or three-punch combinations, while Matsutani struggled to get her offense going. The first two rounds were close but favored the challenger, and a knockdown in the final round removed any doubt as to who the winner would be.
It was a major upset, given Matsutani’s strong 2024, in which she became the number one fighter in the division and won the “Beyond Kickboxing Female Fighter of the Year” award.
