Classic K1 Fights: Andy Hug vs. Ray Sefo K1 Grand Prix Final Round '98

I'd like to introduce a new weekly piece for Head Kick Legend. Every week I will write about a classic Kickboxing or JMMA fight as well as post a video for readers to watch. The goal is to make people aware of the great fighters and fights that make these sports so enjoyable. The first fight discussed is a personal favorite of mine as I am an Andy Hug fan. I hope you enjoy this weekly piece and any feed back on fights you would like to see discussed would be greatly appreciated. Without any further ado, I'd like to present Andy Hug vs. Ray Sefo at the K-1 Grand Prix Final Round at the Tokyo Dome in 1998. 

The 1998 K1 Grand Prix, was in my opinion, one of the best tournaments FEG has ever had. The quarter finals had such names as Mike Bernardo, Sam Grecco, Ernesto Hoost, and Peter Aerts. The most even match up though was Ray Sefo and Andy Hug. Hug was a finalist in the '97 World Grand Prix Finals and a highly decorate Kyokushin karate practitioners in the world. Hug qualified for the quarter finals with a win over Mark Russell. Sefo was 27-2 with one of those loses coming as a fluke leg break when he threw a leg kick at Ernesto Hoost at K-1 Hurcules '96. Sefo was a heavy puncher with a granite chin, coming into the fight with a decision win over Stefan Leko. 

FEG hired Michael Buffer as the ring announcer and there was a big fight atmosphere in the air. There were 63,800 people in attendance that night at the Tokyo Dome. They witnessed perhaps one of the greatest performances of Andy Hug's career. Hug was able to keep Sefo at a distance for much of the fight with his Axe kicks and frustrate Ray with leg kick and punch combinations. The first round ended as a clear 10-9 round for Hug.

The second round saw Sefo try and bully Andy to slow his pace, tossing him to the canvas twice. Andy was able to regain his bearings and was able to land a beautiful leg kick/punch combination. A clearly frustrated Sefo chose to rush Andy and clinch against the ropes, in hopes of disrupting his game plan. What happened next was unexpected. Hug lands a beautiful overhand left to Sefo's jaw. Ray, trying to get in Hug's head, stick his jaw straight in the air, as if to say "that didn't hurt, I'm still here." Hug responded with a jab, cross, right hook combination that staggered Sefo, and put him to the canvass with a straight left. Sefo was able to regain his feet with the standing 8 count but blood was in the water and he was put down again 10 seconds later by a four punch combination. 

Hug would advance to the semi finals and face Sam Grecco, who was able to defeat Ernesto Hoost by a corner stoppage due a cut. Hug would go on to lose via head kick knock out to Peter Aerts in the finals, but his match with Ray Sefo stole the show in the '98 Grand Prix.  

The video is after the jump.