Earlier today, K-1 announced that Yuki Yoza, the K-1 Lightweight Champion, will face Kongnapa, the former K-1 Champion, in a non-title match on July 7.
Yoza last crossed over to RISE and scored a win over Kan Nakamura, the RISE Champion, in a cross-promotional bout. The win was originally ruled a controversial knockout victory but was overturned to a majority win after a review found that the stoppage was caused by a low blow. The champion last competed in K-1 in July 2023 and defended his title earlier that year in March.
Meanwhile, Kongnapa scored a highlight-reel knockout over Taiju Shiratori at THE MATCH 2022 in June 2022 and followed it with a TKO win in a K-1 bout in August 2022. He then took an extended leave from the sport to stay with his family in Thailand throughout 2023. After over a year of inactivity, he returned to K-1’s sister organization, Krush, in April. While he knocked Takuma Tsukamoto down in the first round, his ring rust showed and Kongnapa took significant damage in the final round, before the decision win.
This matchup between the current and the former lightweight champ is considered a dream match for many kickboxing fans and could set up the winner to compete for the vacant K-1 Super Lightweight title later this year.
OTHER ANNOUNCED BOUTS
Kira Matsutani vs. Jung YuJung
Shoki Kaneda vs. Takumi Terada
Naoki Yamamoto vs. Yuta Matsuyama
Kosei Kawakita vs. Kuto Ueno
Issei Uegaito vs. Kanata Ueno
Ryuto Uchida vs. Haruto
