While 2025 was dominated by heavyweight action in GLORY, it was the lighter weight classes that stood out the most across the globe this year. ONE 172 saw Rodtang and Takeru finally matched up against each other, and K-1 Beyond gave us an incredible tournament run from Remi Parra. However, the K-1 World MAX Final stands alone as the definitive kickboxing event of the year.
The evening opened with last-minute drama when Alassane Kamara replaced his twin brother in the tournament due to an injury he suffered during his warm-up, and Zhora Akopyan secured a crushing knockout but was unable to continue due to injury problems of his own.
Bulgaria’s Stoyan Koprivlenski opened the night by defeating Thai standout Hercules in the first round as he looked to defend his title. His run ended in abrupt fashion, however, when Darryl Verdonk dropped him with a sledgehammer right hand to punch his ticket to the final.
On a night defined by upsets and underdogs, Brazil’s Jonas Salsicha emerged as the last man standing. He overcame reigning K-1 70kg champion Ouyang Feng, reserve bout winner Jonathan Aiulu, and former title challenger Verdonk to be crowned a deserving champion.
Beyond the tournament, fans were treated to three high-stakes title fights. Issei Ishii finally vanquished his demons to claim the bantamweight title; Ariel Machado bulldozed Roel Mannaart to capture heavyweight gold; and Taio Asahisa delivered a blood-and-guts performance to edge out Shu Inagaki for the super lightweight crown.
A night packed full of excitement, violence and drama sees the K-1 World MAX Final awarded the Beyond Kickboxing Event of the Year for 2025.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Narrowly missing the top spot was ONE 172. The promotion pulled out all the stops for its debut at the Saitama Super Arena, headlined by the long-awaited matchup between former dominant Muay Thai champion Rodtang and kickboxing superstar Takeru. Also featured were title fights at featherweight, strawweight and women’s atomweight; most notably hometown hero Masaaki Noiri secured a stunning third-round upset win over current featherweight Muay Thai champion Tawanchai.
