At the core of K-1’s success in 2025 is its commitment to true tournament kickboxing. The decision to put Grand Prix’s back in the spotlight came in 2023 under the leadership of Carlos Kikuta, and it is now paying off on a sporting level, with standouts like Rémi Parra and Jonas Salsicha emerging as defining figures.
These new faces were necessary amid the ongoing exodus of K-1 stars to ONE Championship. In 2025, K-1 super welterweight champion Hiromi Wajima and super lightweight champion Yodkhunpon joined the growing list of departed champions.
Rather than trying to replace star power with individual signings, K-1 doubled down on structure. Worldwide qualifying tournaments and cross-promotions not only helped uncover new prospects but also strengthened K-1's brand globally. The Grand Prix format became more than a nostalgic callback and offered a practical solution to the challenge of retaining established names. In a tournament setting, new contenders could quickly establish legitimacy.
K-1 stood out in 2025 by showing the consistency that is often lacking in the sport. That consistency was anchored in a clearly defined identity, built around tournament fighting rather than short-term matchmaking. Looking back at incredible events like K-1 Beyond, Dontaku and of course the K-1 Max, K-1 Producer Genki Sudo has every right to be proud of what the promotion has achieved in the past year.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
GLORY KICKBOXING
For GLORY, 2025 has been a year of change, both good and bad. The Netherlands-based promotion committed itself to the heavyweight division like never before with the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament. While the focus on heavyweights might have seemed like a step forward, it came at the cost of every other division, sidelining talent and prospects in favor of an overly ambitious tournament. Add to that the convoluted structure, with too many qualifiers, too many wildcards, and ultimately too many injuries, and the result was, despite the ambitions, one of the most poorly constructed tournaments in kickboxing history.
Nonetheless, the quality of fights remained high, ironically mostly because of the light heavyweights, with standout performances from Mory Kromah, Miloš Cvjetićanin, and Bahram Rajabzadeh shaping GLORY’s year in 2025.
Not all the criticism fell on deaf ears, and 2026 promises a more streamlined tournament structure and a better experience for kickboxing fans.
