The K-1 World MAX 2025 World Tournament kicked off on Sunday, September 7, at the Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. The opening round did not disappoint, with tournament favorites moving forward, thrilling back-and-forth battles, highlight-reel knockouts, and a handful of surprises.
Ouyang Feng def. Kacper Muszynski
K-1’s reigning 70kg champion Ouyang Feng extended his win streak and gave himself chance at redemption after last year's injury woes, as he defeated Kacper Muszynski to advance to the finals in Tokyo. After a broken rib ruled him out of a star-studded matchup with Buakaw last year, Feng moves one step closer to vanquishing those demons for good after his hard-fought matchup with Muszynski.
A brutal fight from beginning to end, neither fighter had any desire to leave the phonebooth for a second as they punished each other with sickening punches and kicks. Feng is one of the best fighters at 70kg when it comes to mixing his attacks; from body to head and the legs, Muszynski was never certain where the next attack was coming from and used his own superb defence to weather the oncoming storm.
Even as it appeared Feng was slowing down and he began to breathe through his mouth, he maintained his constant pressure towards his Polish opponent and forced him to match his conditioning every step of the way. The final round saw Feng’s increased output allow him to pull away ever so slightly on the judges’ scorecards, with the fight ending 30-29 twice and 30-30 to give him a close majority decision win.
Stoyan Koprivlenski def. Denis Tapu
Stoyan Koprivlenski avenged his brother Martin’s earlier career loss and booked himself a trip to Tokyo in December, as he overcame hard punching Moldovan Denis Tapu. Last year saw Koprivlenski replace an injured Ouyang Feng to find himself in the tournament finals, however he made the most of his opportunity, defeating Buakaw, Dengue Silva and Viktor Akimov to bring the trophy back to Bulgaria.
Distance management was the key to victory for Koprivlenski. Knowing just how powerful Tapu is and having no desire to taste what “The Burger King” had to offer, he utilised his long frame to keep the Moldovan on the ends of his punches and kicks. Powerful jabs and low kicks forced Tapu to negate some of his setups as the fight wore on; noticeably he began looking for a single finishing shot with his looping overhand right rather than disguising his attempts to throw the killer blow.
Entering the third round with the same level of ferocity he showed in the previous rounds, Koprivlenski continued to sting Tapu with single shots, never allowing him to build up a rhythm to mount an effective counter attack. With all three judges in agreement, Koprivlenski moves on to the finals in December; however, hopefully this won’t be the last we see of Denis Tapu, as the Moldovan gave a great account of himself against one of the early tournament favourites.
Zhora Akopyan def. Jonathan Aiulu
Another familiar face passed his test with flying colours as Zhora Akopyan put on an excellent performance to cut down Jonathan Aiulu over three rounds. The Armenian qualified for last year's tournament after defeating Taras Hnatchuk, only to be felled by Kacper Muszynski at the quarter final stage.
One of the most fundamentally sound fighters at 70kg, Akopyan’s high guard was an impenetrable fortress which survived a siege of strikes from his Samoan opponent. Laying the groundwork for his victory early, Akopyan attacked the calf of Aiulu with sickening low kicks, buckling him as the fight went on.
Akopyan was also noticeably sharp with his boxing, with a double left hook first to the body and then to the head, reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson between the K-1 ropes. As his opponent took more damage, Akopyan began to keep his hands lower, offering him more opportunities to whip his deadly left hook to the body and jaw; however, he never lost his discipline and continued to respect the power of Aiulu until the final bell.
Clearly a threat in this year’s tournament, “The Bewitching Nobleman” now has his eyes set on December where intriguing matchups are plentiful. One thing is for certain: nobody will want to draw Akopyan in the opening round this year.
Minoru Kimura def. Mason Strodtman
A baptism of fire awaited Mason Strodtman as he set foot in the K-1 ring for the first time, and the inferno was the former K-1 70kg Champion from Brazil, Minoru Kimura. Entering the tournament as the heavy underdog after winning the K-1 North American qualifier earlier this year, a matchup with Kimura was perhaps a case of too much too soon for the young man from Minnesota.
The opening exchange proved telling for the rest of the fight, as Kimura landed a three-punch combination that pinned Strodtman to the ropes. Once Kimura felt like he had him, he latched on and refused to let go, swarming his American foe with hooks and sending him down in the corner.
After bravely getting up and answering the count, a series of hooks finished off with a crushing left to the jaw sent Strodtman back to the canvas, with no amount of bravery being able to save him from his inevitable fate. An impressive but expected win for Kimura whose return to K-1 could not have gone any better.
For Strodtman it will be a chance to reflect and learn. A first career loss is never going to be nice or easy to take, but he had the skills and heart to get to the tournament and at only 23 years old he has plenty of time to return to Tokyo for redemption.
K-1 World MAX 2025 Results
Ouyang Feng def. Kacper Muszynski – Majority Decision
Stoyan Koprivlenski def. Denis Tapu – Unanimous Decision
Darryl Verdonk def. Nurtilek Zhalynbekov – KO Round 1
Minoru “Phillip” Kimura def. Mason Strodtman – KO Round 1
Zhora Akopyan def. Jonathan Aiulu – Unanimous Decision
Aymeric Lazizi def. Abiral Ghimire – Unanimous Decision
Alfousseynou Kamara def. Albijon Morina – KO Round 1
Jonas Salsicha def. Salimkhan Ibragimov – Unanimous Decision
