Taio Asahisa, former K-1 World GP Lightweight Champion, is set to return to the ring on October 25 at Krush.166 after a one and a half year break.
Asahisa, who has been on hiatus due to a wrist injury, voiced his frustration with current K-1 fighters, accusing them of neglecting their responsibilities and lacking commitment to the promotion. "I was annoyed by those idiots," he said, referring to fighters who have been pushing for more cross-promotional matches with RISE, saying that "K-1 is the world."
However, Asahisa emphasized his respect for his upcoming opponent, Ryuka, a two-time K-1 Koshien champion, and vowed to prove his strength in the ring.
After his rant about current K-1 athletes, former fighters were his next point of contention.
When asked why he chose to make his return at Krush, K-1's smaller sibling, he went in-depth on his responsibilities as a K-1 fighter. While he didn't name anyone directly, it was a clear shot at Takeru and Masaaki Noiri, who left the promotion not long after losses to Tenshin Nasukawa and Kaito Ono respectively.
"The first reason is that I simply love Krush. The second reason is, and this may sound harsh, but Ryuka happened to be with me the day after the match [with RISE], and he said he was sorry for the result on behalf of K-1. I have love for that kind of dedication and I appreciate it.
During THE MATCH, I was watching from ringside, and to be honest, I saw some disgraceful performances. There were guys shouting, 'I'm carrying K-1 on my back,' or 'K-1 is the best,' 'K-1 is the greatest,' but I wonder, what are those guys who claimed to carry K-1 doing now?
They showed such shameful performances representing K-1. Of course, in a match, there will always be winners and losers, and I believe the winning fighters truly gave it their all. However, some of the fighters who lost, despite supposedly fighting on behalf of K-1, transferred to ONE and then started saying ridiculous things like, 'On the world’s greatest stage of ONE.' Those losers just left for another organization.
I believe that this K-1 group is the best in the world, and above all, I believe that Taio Asahisa is the best. I chose this Krush event because I wanted to once again prove that I am the strongest on my favorite stage.
And the last, third reason is the most important, because I love Miyata-san."
