The unofficial home of K-1 MAX since the brands return in 2024, this year’s final saw combatants from eight countries wage war for the Super Welterweight tournament title alongside title fights at Heavyweight, Super Lightweight and Bantamweight.
OPENING ROUND MATCHES: UPSETS AND HEARTBREAK
The first contest of the opening round saw Stoyan Koprivlenski take on Hercules, as the defending tournament champion looked to give an unpleasant K-1 welcome to the former Rajadamnern champion.
Power and pressure were the name of the game for Koprivlenski, pressing his Thai opponent against the ropes and ripping him to the body and head with vicious combinations. A three round decision saw the Bulgarian advance as he looked to defend his title.
After the shock withdrawal of his twin brother just hours before entering the ring, Alassane Kamara answered the call of destiny to take on dangerous Dutchman Darryl Verdonk. An all-action fight where both fighters could not be separated after three rounds, it was the Dutchman who came out on top after all was said and done, scoring a unanimous decision victory.
A huge upset as Brazil’s Jonas Salsicha used every inch of his physicality to out-muscle China’s Ouyang Feng to advance to the semi-finals. The early tournament favourite was wobbled by the long punches of Salsicha early, and there was no let up from the Brazilian who utilised his reach expertly to keep Feng at bay and secure a famous upset victory.
Stamping his authority in the tournament from the opening round, Armenia’s Zhora Akopyan emphatically dealt with France’s Aymeric Lazizi, securing a knockout victory with thirty seconds of the first round to go. Measured and disciplined throughout the contest, it was a perfectly timed left hook from Akopyan that sent the giant Frenchman to the canvas, but it would all end in heartbreak as an injury would force him to withdraw and be replaced by reserve fighter Jonathan Aiulu.
Aiulu won his reserve match against Abiral Ghimire earlier in the night, getting the chance to replace the man who beat him in the tournament back in September.
SEMI FINALS: SECURING YOUR SPOT IN STYLE
After two grueling matches in the opening round Stoyan Koprivlenski and Darryl Verdonk could be forgiven for feeling tired and trying to fight more tactically in their semi-final match up, instead, both men fought like the true warriors they are and held nothing back as they battled for their place in the final.
Sniping from the outside, Koprivlenski punished the body of Verdonk with kicks in order to set up his punches upstairs as he looked to use his reach advantage to keep the Dutchman at bay. Meanwhile Verdonk stayed true to his style, always looking to force action by crashing in with massive hooks and surprising his opponent with spinning attacks.
After two rounds of action it looked as if Koprivlenski was the fresher fighter entering the third frame, but you can never count Verdonk out as he dropped the Bulgarian with a massive right hand early in the round. Throwing everything he had, Verdonk landed the same picture perfect right hand to send Stoyan back to the canvas and crashing out of the tournament at the semi-final stage.
There was to be no fairy tale in the other semi-final as late replacement Jonathan Aiulu was soundly beaten by Jonas Salsicha. Swarming the Samoan straight from the opening bell, Salsicha was relentless as he battered Aiulu in the corner with punches and knees, and in doing so he punched his ticket to the final.
K-1 BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE: ISHII VS. KUROKAWA
A Bantamweight title brawl saw Issei Ishii and Eito Kurokawa square off for the right to be called King of the division.
A close opening round was followed by an explosion of action in the second. First Kurokawa dropped Ishii with a flurry of punches, looking to become only the second man to finish “The Prince of Muay Thai” in his seventy fight career. Rising from the canvas and returning to action, Ishii proved you are never safe inside the K-1 ring as he dropped Kurokawa with a left hook from hell to level up the scores leading into the third and final round.
The final round saw both men exchange heavy leather again, as the seconds ticked down the fight was still there for the taking. Capitalising on a missed knee, Ishii nailed Kurokawa with a right hand and sent him to the canvas, despite coming back with everything he had, Kurokawa could not find an equalising blow.
The knockdown proving crucial, Issei Ishii claimed his crown and takes his place atop the K-1 Bantamweight division.
K-1 HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: MANNAART VS. MACHADO
Harking back to the K-1 of old, champion Roel Mannaart looked to defend his title against Brazilian challenger Ariel Machado with K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii as referee for the contest it promised to be a spectacle for those watching around the world.
From the opening bell Machado looked to utilise the heavy power in his hands, pawing with his jab to find determine range before exploding with strong punches to try and find Mannaart’s jaw.
With thirty seconds of the first round remaining, one of the big flurries connected and sent the champion to the canvas, despite surviving the initial onslaught, Mannaart was once again attacked with a flurry of punches and sent back down to the canvas where he could not answer the referees count.
Ecstasy for Machado and devastation for Mannaart, whose injury plagued title reign comes to an end inside the first round.
K-1 Super Lightweight Title: Asahisa vs. Inagaki
The fight for supremacy at Super Lightweight saw Taio Asahisa look to collect another K-1 Title, as the former Lightweight champion moved up a weight class to take on Shu Inagaki for the vacant title.
Asahisa and Inagaki fought relentlessly for three rounds, battering each other in a fight that could have taken place in a phone booth rather than the K-1 ring. Both men looked to utilise their physicality, engagement within the clinch was frequent but full of action, preventing any significant involvement from the referee.
The brutal trench war of a contest was scored by two judges in favour of Asahisa with the remaining judge scoring the bout a draw, after such a close encounter between such high level warriors, don’t be surprised if we see a rematch at some point down the line.
K-1 WORLD MAX FINAL: A CHAMPION IS CROWNED
Coming through the fire and brimstone to emerge victorious it was Brazil's Jonas Salsicha who stands atop the mountain in K-1 after defeating Darryl Verdonk in the first round of the K-1 World MAX Final.
Salsicha stuck to his game plan perfectly, stabbing the body of Verdonk with kicks and keeping him at range with long punches. Fighting the only way he knows how, Verdonk threw everything 100% as he looked to send his opponents head into the stands, but a grueling night of combat finally took its toll as he was felled by a body shot with less than a minute of the first round to go.
Despite showing the heart of a lion by rising from the canvas and answering the referees call, Verdonk was just too battered and bruised to withstand much more punishment and with a final stab to the body, Jonas Salsicha sealed his place in K-1 history by securing the 2025 Super Welterweight tournament.
