Sefo Sets His Sights on the 2010 Grand Prix

Despite spending the majority of 2009 focusing on his developing MMA career, K-1 veteran Ray Sefo ends the year with his eyes on the company that made him famous: "Having to train MMA for the last year and a half has given me a new hunger for the game which is why I am here. My goal is definitely, definitely to work my way into the WGP in 2010."

This news comes as a welcome surprise, as Sefo has been talking mostly about MMA in the past year, training extensively at Xtreme Couture, competing at Strikeforce, and being rumored as the opponent for Herschel Walker on January 30.  While not giving up on MMA, Sefo has made it clear that he is not done with kickboxing.

A long-time K-1 favorite, Sefo has not competed in kickboxing action since last December, where he defeated Hong Man Choi via decision at the 2008 GP.  Prior to that fight, Sefo had been on a disastrous six fight losing streak dating back two full years.  While the win over Choi was a boost, it did not answer many questions about what kind of longevity Sefo has in K-1 - and his time away has done nothing to answer those questions either.  With other legends like JLB showing they are effectively done, can Sefo really compete at the GP level in 2010?

Before he can focus there, Sefo needs to defeat Yosuke Nishijima at Dynamite.  Known primarily as a boxer, Nishijima has tried his hand at both MMA and K-1 with very poor results, going 0-5 in MMA, and 0-1 in kickboxing.  Despite his poor K-1 record, Nishijima is an entertaining, gutsy fighter, who put in a very game performance in his K-1 debut earlier this year against Peter Aerts, showing that he is not one to go down easily. 

For Sefo, Nishijima is by no means a gimme win.  If Nishijima is able to use his power (augmented by his decision to wear shoes - or so he claims), he could land on Sefo and do some damage.  But if Sefo uses his superior technique to keep the boxer at range and pick him apart, he could easily outpoint him to a decision victory.

Many fans are not ready to give up on Sefo yet - and it's clear he's not ready to give up on K-1 either.  At Dynamite, we'll get some indication of how his 2010 plans may play out.