K-1 Crowns Inaugural 63kg Grand Prix Champion This Weekend

In 1993 Branko Cikatic became the first ever K-1 Grand Prix champion.  Nine years later, in 2002, Albert Kraus added his name to the record books as the first K-1 MAX Grand Prix champion.  And on July 5, a third man will join these ranks as K-1 crowns their inaugural 63kg Grand Prix champion.

K-1 has been slowly moving towards establishing this division for over a year now.  In late 2008 we first saw smaller fighters featured on K-1 cards (though at that time it was a 60kg division), but it wasn’t really until the 2009 MAX Japan tournament that the idea began to gain solid footing.  That show was the K-1 debut of Kazuhisa Watanabe, the first 60kg fighter whose dynamic style truly connected with fans.  K-1 management heard the cheers Watanabe was receiving and they acted, finally pulling the trigger on the newly reclassified 63kg division. 

As it turned out, while fans did indeed love Watanabe, he didn’t have the in ring skills to stand atop the division (nor could he make up a Grand Prix alone).  So K-1 turned to their Koshien ranks, along with their unofficial partner organization Krush and filled the GP with new names looking to make their mark in K-1.  Adding in a few names familiar to K-1 fans, the tournament was set, and would feature many fighters that, while unfamiliar to K-1 fans, stood at the very top of the international 63kg ranks.  The first round was held on May 2 and featured a few shocking upsets, including loses by two tournament favorites – Masahiro Yamamoto and Haruaki Otsuki.

Now, as we look to Monday and the crowning of the inaugural champion, the tournament field looks wide open.  Any of the eight fighters has the ability to step up and take that crown.  Let’s take a look at the quarter-final fights, and see just how this tournament might play out.

Daisuke Uematsu v. Yoshimichi Matsumoto

Uematsu is K-1’s original choice for 63kg poster boy.  When they started promoting this division in 2009, it was Uematsu they talked about as the top fighter.  With his model looks and strong fighting skills, he’s one of the men who easily could fit the notorious "next Masato" tag.  He had a lot of success in those first K-1 fights, but his 2009 was more rocky, featuring some tough loses.  He came back strong in the opening round, scoring a huge KO over Jae Hee Cheon, and reclaiming his luster as a knock out danger.  Matsumoto was one of the least known fighters heading into the first round, and he remains that way now.  After scoring a surprise upset over Otsuki in round 1, Matsumoto is once again the severe underdog against the veteran Uematsu.  While the easy pick here is Uematsu, there is a trouble with that pick.  Uematsu’s weakness has always been his performance in later rounds.  He comes on strong, but if he does not finish his opponent early, he begins to fade as the fight progresses.  In the Otsuki fight, Matsumoto stayed in it and hung on until the 3rd round when he was finally able to score the knockdown and gain the advantage.  His steady, 3 round performance there is exactly the kind of showing that gives Uematsu fits.  While Daisuke remains the favorite, the pieces are there for a second Matsumoto upset.  Even if Uematsu pulls it off, I see him having trouble with the one night tournament format.

Yuta Kubo v. Keiji Ozaki

Soft spoken and unassuming, Yuta Kubo is not exactly the dynamic fighter K-1 likes to feature.  He showed his skills in the opening round with an easy dismantling of DJ.taiki.  Prior to that, he made the finals of the 2009 Krush Lightweight GP, though he did so as an alternate when semi-final winner Naoki Ishikawa could not continue.  Don’t let that take away from Kubo though – he has a very solid all around game, and is the kind of overlooked fighter that can quietly rack up wins.  His opponent is the biggest K-1 veteran of the tournament.  Keiji Ozaki has competed in K-1 since 2007 as a 70kg fighter.  With a low K-1 record of 1-4-1, Ozaki looked to be a forgettable part of MAX.  But with the introduction of this new division and Ozaki’s drop in weight class, he seems revitalized.  After competing outside of K-1 at his new weight, Ozaki defeated Komiyama in the opening round.  It wasn’t a supremely dominating effort (Ozaki won via split decision) but it got the job done.  As an added bonus, Ozaki used his trademark flashy Taekwando style to turn in a very dynamic performance against Komiyama.  Look for him to again bring those spinning kicks and unorthodox strikes against Kubo.  Trouble is, Kubo is simply too grounded and intelligent a fighter to be drawn into that battle (Komiyama, another showy fighter, got sucked in and paid the price).  I expect Kubo to shut down those strikes and earn the decision victory.

Naoki Ishikawa v. Kizaemon Saiga

This fight has most grabbed fans’ attentions, as both men have a lot of hype heading into Monday’s showdown.  On one side you have Naoki Ishikawa – who was on the short list of favorites to win the tournament heading into the opening round.  When Yamamoto and Otzuki fell, Ishikawa’s chances looked stronger than ever.  Known as Naokick, Ishikawa possesses absolutely gorgeous striking with his legs.  His kicks are precise, and he couples them with a slightly unorthodox rhythm that often throws his opponents off.  Once they are off guard, he is able to connect big, scoring some very impressive KOs on his resume.  Saiga is a fighter with very vocal fans and detractors.  After his obnoxious behavior and three round drubbing of Fire Harada in the opening round, fans were divided on the young Koshien fighter.  Was he just a punk kid ready to be knocked out?  Or was he just the kind of exciting, brash fighter K-1 needed?  Fans remain torn, but either way, they are interested in Saiga, and that’s exactly the kind of response any promoter loves to see.  Beyond his personality, Saiga brings good skills in the ring, though as a young ex-Koshien fighter he remains very unseasoned.  Ishikawa will bring in a huge experience advantage, coupled with an advantage in power.  I think Saiga has a great future in K-1, but Ishikawa is a monstrous step up in competition.  It’s sink or swim time for Saiga here, and I look forward to seeing how he responds.

Yuki v. Tetsuya Yamato

If Ishikawa v. Saiga is the most talked about fight on Monday, this is the most competitive.  Both Yuki and Yamato could be looked at as tournament favorites, and their first round clash could easily decide the overall GP champion.  Yuki is a tough fighter with real knock out power – a power he demonstrated in his opening round KO of Yuji Takeuchi (check out that fight, along with my analysis of Yuki’s technique, here).  Yamato is a Muay Thai style fighter, who has fought all the top names in the division.  He’s coming in off a career high victory over big favorite Yamamoto in one of the best fights of K-1’s year to date.  The two men put on a great back and forth battle throughout regulation, but in the extra round, it was Yamato who surged ahead, scoring two knockdowns to take Yamamoto out of action.  This fight is a very tough one to call.  Yuki is the kind of fighter who can capitalize on any mistake and score the knock out.  But Yamato is the kind of technical fighter who doesn’t make those mistakes.  If I had to pick, I would say Yamato’s conditioning and ability to push the pace gets him the hard fought decision here, but this one is razor close.

Looking ahead to how the whole tournament may play out, it's clear that the back half of the draw is far more stacked, with Ishikawa, Yuki, and Yamato.  The winner of that semi-final should be the favorite in the finals, though Kubo or Uematsu could definitely make it to the finals in much better shape and sneak out the victory.  It's the rare tournament where you could see a path to victory for almost any man, and that makes it very exciting. 

Check back Monday for our coverage of the first ever 63kg Grand Prix Champion.