Giorgio Petrosyan, Buakaw Por. Pramuk, and the Pinnacle of the 70 KG. Division

The absolute top of the 70 kg. division will be on display this weekend as both Giorgio Petrosyan and Buakaw Por. Pramuk take to the ring in separate bouts in France on Saturday.

Giorgio Petrosyan will be facing the young brawler Chahid Oulad el Hadj in a bout under the It's Showtime banner in Lyon, while Buakaw squares off against Djime Coulibaly at the French edition of Thai Fight Extreme 2011 in Cannes. Both will enter their bouts as heavy favorites and, while they face tough competition, there is little expectation of the results from either match shaking up the picture at 70 kg.

Interestingly enough, Saturday will mark the first time that both Petrosyan and Buakaw have been in action in the same weekend since the K-1 World MAX 2009 Final over a year and a half ago. That tournament brought Petrosyan his first K-1 MAX title while Buakaw was defeated by Andy Souwer in the semifinal round.

There is no arguing that Giorgio Petrosyan has affirmed his position as the top 70 kg. kickboxer in the world time and time again since the 2009 K-1 MAX tournament. Starting his 2010 with a stoppage of Mohamed Diaby and a victory over Thai standout Kem Sitsongpeenong, Petrosyan spent the rest of the year working through the field in the K-1 World MAX 2010 tournament. The Armenian-Italian ultimately became the first fighter to successfully defend his K-1 MAX title, defeating Vitaly Gurkov, Albert Kraus, Mike Zambidis, and Yoshihiro Sato along the way. Even as a recurring hand injury looked like it might slow his pace, Petrosyan has managed to open up 2011 with solid victories over Sudsakorn Sor. Klinmee and former It's Showtime 77 kg. champion Cosmo Alexandre.

For his part, Buakaw Por. Pramuk has posted a 7-0 record since that night in October 2009 when he dropped a razor thin extra round decision to Andy Souwer. Browsing the numbers, one would be hard-pressed to make a negative claim against Buakaw. No, the trouble with the two-time K-1 MAX champion's recent record is not a matter of wins and losses; it is one of competition. That's not to say that wins over the likes of Hiroki Nakajima and ISKA champion Jordan Watson aren't impressive, nor to argue that Buakaw's Shootboxing S-Cup 2010 victory is somehow insignificant. It's simply the fact that victories against the likes of Watson and Nakajima would stand as mere footnotes on Giorgio Petrosyan's resume since late 2009.

A look at the problematic comparison between Petrosyan and Buakaw after the jump.

Then again, that fact may very well strike to the heart of the matter. After all, we're engaging in an unfortunate comparison between perhaps the most dominant force in combat sports and a former champion whose competition has eased up in recent years as rumors regarding his delicate handling have been fueled by past issues within the Por. Pramuk camp. But why are we left to do this?

Well, the struggles experienced by all in the upper-echelon of the 70 kg. division is the most obvious reason. Andy Souwer? 3-2 in his past five fights, with upset losses against Abraham Roqueni and MMA fighter Toby Imada. Albert Kraus? Upset by unknown Russian fighter Batu Khasikov in March. Yoshihiro Sato? Lost to Armen Petrosyan recently and was outworked for much of his bout against Shemsi Beqiri in January. Think of any name you wish, you'll find your reason in short order.

Which leaves us, once again, with Petrosyan, Buakaw, and the sole meeting between the two.

It's been almost four years to the day since Petrosyan and Buakaw fought to a draw at the K-1 Scandanavia 2007 event. Going into that May 2007 bout, Giorgio Petrosyan had a single K-1 bout under his belt and his resume was anchored by wins over the likes of Marco Pique and Cedric Muller. Meanwhile, Buakaw Por. Pramuk hadn't lost a bout since the K-1 MAX final in 2005. Different as things are for both fighters today, this is what many fans are still hanging onto when mapping out the 70 kg. division.

Perhaps if things had gone a bit differently for Buakaw at the K-1 World MAX 2009 Final - if he had just managed to pick up the semifinal win over Andy Souwer - fans would have witnessed all that they needed to see in a rematch between Petrosyan and Buakaw. Instead, as the potential for that rematch appears to grow ever less likely, pundits and fans alike feel obligated to take Petrosyan's successes on one hand and Buakaw's on the other.

Certainly there are others rising back into the discussion at 70 kg., Andy Souwer having looked strong in his past two bouts and Artur Kyshenko looking to have a real future at whichever weight limit he settles into. In the meantime, as the two great K-1 MAX champions take to the ring for their respective bouts on Saturday, I would encourage fans to simply enjoy the action. Because, after all, while things may change at any point, this is currently just a one-man race.