China’s leading kickboxing promotion is once again holding its’ yearly "Kung Fu Festival" and this time around they’ve organized a pair of four-man tournaments, featuring notable talent.
The 63 kg tournament will see Hirotaka Asahisa face Ji Zhize, while Giorgi Malania will face Zhao Chongyang. The reigning Wu Lin Feng champion a weight class down, Hirotaka Asahisa, will enter the tournament as the favorite, while two-time Wu Ling Feng tournament runner-up Zhao Chongyang will be the next most likely candidate. Both are on a good run of form, brimming with confidence.
Giorgi Malania most recently achieved a pair of underdog victories over Zhang Lanpei and Wei Weiyang, which earned him a place in our rankings and a place on the "Breakthrough Fighter of the Year" shortlist. Ji Zhize found himself in a similar place after overcoming former ONE champion Petchdam Petchyindee Academy, before coming up short against Shun Li, who he subsequently replaced due to the latter's injury. All in all, all four participants have a good chance to capture the title, with none being a major favorite.
The lightweight tournament will pit the reigning Wu Lin Feng and K-1 70 kg champion Ouyang Feng against fellow promotional standout Luo Chao. Feng is enjoying a career best run of form, with his 11-fight win streak including names such as Hiromi Wajima, Davit Kiria and the aforementioned Luo Chao. Chao on the other hand has amassed a nine-fight win streak since his loss to Feng, which snapped a prior six-fight win streak. The winner of this clash is likely to win the title as well.
Han Wenbao will meet Marian Lăpușneanu in the other tournament bracket. Wenbao was at his best at 67 kg, but was forced to move up due to weight issues. His triumphs over Dzianis Zuev and Jomthong Chuwattana, which earned him a place in the final tournament, would've carried more weight half a decade ago and it remains to be seen how he’ll continue to fare as a lightweight. Lăpușneanu will surely be more confident entering the ring, with six wins in seven outings last year, most notably against Vasiliy Semenov. Both fighters could be dark horses should they advance.
