Expect Fireworks at the 2010 K-1 Oceania Grand Prix

Tomorrow, K-1 presents the next step in the 2010 Grand Prix.  The Oceania GP will take place in Canberra, Australia, and will feature eight fighters competing for a shot at the Final 16.  This has actually been a very hectic week for promoters of the event, as there have been three tournament cancellations due to injury and visa problems.  Though not reflected on the K-1 website, the updated tournament brackets are as follows:

Cedric NTG v. Tafi Misipati
Ben Edwards v. Faisal Zakaria
Steve Bonner v. Thor Hoopman
Paul Slowinski v. Sio Vitale

While there may not be a ton of big names here that are familiar to most fans, this actually has the potential to be a very exciting tournament, with a lot of promising fighters getting a shot at K-1.  Here, we will take a look at each one of the 8 fighters. Check the full entry for fight videos from each.

Cedric NTG - Also known as Cedric Kongaika, Cedric is a Muay Thai fighter out of (no surprise) the NTG gym.  He's 0-1 in K-1 action, having lost to Yosuke Fujimoto back in 2002.  He'll be coming in here off a loss to Nathan "Carnage" Corbett, who he faced in the finals of Australia's Last Man Standing tournament in June.  That was a kickboxing tournament we recently wrote about, where elbows became allowed in the finals, giving a strong advantage to Corbett, a master of elbow strikes.  Despite that disadvantage, Cedric showed great determination, fighting through a number of cuts to make his way to a decision.  Cedric has also fought for Australia's Evolution promotion, the top stand-up organization in Australia.  He's a very heavy-handed striker, who uses his hands well to get the knock out.  At 6'0" and 259 lbs he has a more stocky build, which could give him some trouble against fighters with a longer reach.

Tafi Misipati - Nicknamed "Thumper", the 230 lbs Misipati is a fighter out of New Zealand, where he is a regional champion.  Originally slated as a reserve fighter, he got the call up to the main draw when Jay Hepi had to drop out.  His biggest fight to date was an MMA contest this past May, when he had the distinction of being Satoshi Ishii's 2nd ever professional MMA opponent.  Misipati lost that fight via armbar.  Unfortunately, the only fight footage available online is of Misipati in MMA action, where he shows a lack of ground skills, but very little to help assess his stand up game. 

Ben Edwards - "Bangin'" Ben, or "The Guv'nur", depending on who you ask, Ben Edwards is a big, tough knock out specialist.  His online stats list him at 6'3" and 254, though in some fights he looks even heavier.  Edwards is 0-1 in K-1, having lost to Jay Hepi in 2006.  Since then, he's made a real name for himself in Evolution and other promotions.  Last year, he headlined Evolution 18, losing via TKO to Paul Slowinski.  He's also competed as a boxer, going 2-0.  What Edwards brings is very straightforward - he's a fast starting, heavy handed puncher who is looking to score big and put your lights out.  And he has done so, a lot, sporting a huge KO ratio.  This aggressive brawling style brings with it the expected shortcomings - he lets his defense down when he goes for the kill, and his stamina could be questioned.  But make no mistake, if Edwards connects, you are going down.

Faisal Zakaria - Zakaria is one of those fighters I love, a guy who has fought all over the world, in all kinds of weight classes and all kinds of styles.  The 36 year old is a veteran of over 200 pro fights, ranging from kickboxing to Muay Thai to Sanda.  In the past, he's competed as far down as 73kg, but now sits comfortably at about 105kg.  Earlier this year, he scored the biggest win of his career, capturing the WBC Muay Thai title.  He makes his K-1 debut here, and has faced Slowinski in the past, losing via 4th round TKO in 2007.  Nicknamed "The Diamond Flyer", Zakaria is a super dynamic and exciting fighter, who emphasizes putting on a show as much as he does winning.  He loves to use flashy techniques like axe kicks, jumping knees, and spinning backfists, and amazingly, he connects often with them. 

Steve Bonner - Originally from Scotland, Bonner made the move to Australia recently and began focusing his attention more on Muay Thai training.  He's since had 2 Muay Thai fights, both wins, both for titles.  In May, he competed in China, winning the Muay Thai WMA Super Heavyweight title.  At 28 years old, Bonner brings in a bit less experience than some of his competitors here, with less than 20 total fights between kickboxing and Muay Thai. 

Thor Hoopman - A late replacement for the injured Doug Viney, Hoopman is a fantastic name to bring in.  Training out of John Wayne Parr's Boonchu Gym, Hoopman is one of the most exciting young heavyweights on the Australian scene.  This lanky, hard striking fighter is a Muay Thai specialist (seeing a trend here?  Australia is a hot bed of Muay Thai action these days), but unlike many other fighters, Hoopman really emphasizes to his Muay Thai base.  You can see it in everything from his stance to his strikes, which are all very much from a Muay Thai background.  His gym lists his record at 18-4, and he's making his K-1 debut here, but in those 22 fights Hoopman has faced a number of major names.  He's been defeated by Ben Edwards and Carnage Corbett, and has won two 8 man tournaments for Hong Kong's Planet Battle - so he knows how to win in this format.  But his biggest win undoubtedly came last November, when he defeated Paul Slowinski via decision.  He's coming in off a loss (to Corbett at Last Man Standing), but should still be riding some momentum from the Slowinski win.  If he can fight to the top of his ability, he has all the tools to win this event.

Sio Vitale - A 32 year old veteran of the New Zealand fighting scene, Vitale was once considered one of the top prospects in NZ.  However, that time seems to have passed a bit, as Vitale has not had much in the way of high profile fights in recent years.  In the early 00s, Vitale established himself, earning some solid wins on the regional level.  He made his way to K-1 in 2004, where he was defeated by Slowinski.  This will actually mark the 3rd meeting between the two men, as Slowinski also defeated Vitale in Australia in 2004.  He's trained by Jason Suttie, the finalist at the 2006 Oceania GP (and another Slowinski victim).  There's no doubt he would love to gain revenge here, and it would be a big upset if he could do it.

Paul Slowinski - The big name of the tournament, Slowinski has been synonymous with Australian kickboxing for years.  With a K-1 record of 18-7, Slowinski brings in an entirely different level of K-1 experience to this tournament.  His K-1 career includes two qualifying tournament victories, first in 2006 in Auckland, then in 2007 in Amsterdam.  He's defeated a massive list of notable opponents including Corbett, Samedov, Mighty Mo, Peter Graham, and 3 of his competitors in this tournament (Vitale, Edwards, Zakaria).  But the past few years have been a bit rough for the Sting.  At the end of 2008, Slowinski was horrifically knocked out by Melvin Manhoef at the GP Finals.  There was talk at the time of Slowinski perhaps never returning to the ring.  Obviously, that didn't happen, but he did take 6 months off to recover, and since then has gone 4-3, with loses to Hoopman, Hesdy Gerges, and Steve McKinnon.  Whether it was the Manhoef KO or something else, it's clear that Slowinski is no longer at the very top of his game.  Still, even a less than 100% Slowinski has to be viewed as the tournament favorite, though the door is open for a new gun to topple K-1's Australian king.

Looking at how the match-ups shake out, I'd have to pick Hoopman, Slowinski, and Cedric in the quarter finals.  Edwards should get the win aganst Zakaria, but if the veteran fights a smart fight, he can take it.  If we get a semi-final rematch of Hoopman v. Slowinski, expect that fight to be a classic.  I'll take the winner of that semi-final as your 2010 Oceania champion. 

Check back with us tomorrow for updates as soon as we have them.

US fans - this show will be broadcast on HDNet, but not until July 30.

Click the full entry for fight videos from all 8 competitors.

CEDRIC NTG v. Steve Tipping from Evolution 19 in 2009

TAFA MISIPATI v. Satoshi Ishii in an MMA match

BEN EDWARDS v. THOR HOOPMAN

BEN EDWARDS v. John Hopoate.  This is actually a boxing match, but I include it here for the amazing crowd.

FAISAL ZAKARIA highlight package.  These highlights are from Zakaria's days at a lower weight class.  For his latest fight, the WBC title win, click here.

STEVE BONNER in Muay Thai action in Australia.  Footage quality is terrible here, but it's the best I could find.  Bonner is the taller, bald fighter in red.

THOR HOOPMAN v. Deniz Fidan

SIO VITALE v. PAUL SLOWINSKI

PAUL SLOWINSKI v. Patrice Quarteron