Reintroducing kickboxing rankings to Head Kick Legend this month, we'll move on to the other major weight class in the sport today: Heavyweight (95 kg.+).

Given the fact that heavyweight continues to be one of the deepest divisions in kickboxing, we'll stick with top 25 rankings here. Other divisions may require rankings which are not as extensive.

Feel free to discuss the rankings. This sort of thing is inherently subjective and, in a sport as wide open as kickboxing, really lends itself to discussion. Enjoy.

The Rankings:

The top spot in the heavyweight rankings is guaranteed to be a bit more contentious than the top pick made at middleweight. While we truly cannot be certain that Alistair Overeem will be entering the kickboxing ring in 2011, his K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final tournament win is enough to keep him in at number one.

Badr Hari's 2011 has so far consisted of an anti-climactic mugging of Gregory Tony. Gokhan Saki has done as expected, and topped the United Glory 2010 - 2011 heavyweight tournament with a decision win over Brice Guidon in May.

Hesdy Gerges and Daniel Ghita engaged in the biggest heavyweight bout of the year thus far, as they went all out for three rounds at It's Showtime Sporthallen Zuid on March 6th.

Inactivity has been an issue with many of the fighters in the top half of our rankings. Semmy Schilt is yet to compete in 2011. Peter Aerts may very well have competed for the last time. Ewerton Teixeira has been competing in Kyokushin tournaments. We've seen nothing of Kyotaro.

Vitali Akhramenko and Freddy Kemayo have both qualified for the Fight Code Rhino Series Final 8, posting some quality results under that promotion's banner. Elsewhere in the world of heavyweight tournaments, Sergei Lascenko and Ismael Londt were the winners in the first two SuperKombat World Grand Prix mini-tournaments.

Igor Jurkovic and Ali Cenik both sneak onto the rankings given their performances at the United Glory World Series Final on May 28th. There, Jurkovic scored a surprising win over Pavel Zhuravlev while Ali Cenik drew with Zabit Samedov. Neither Jurkovic or Cenik are terribly well known fighters, but Jurkovic has shown real promise and Cenik holds some good wins at lighter weight classes (namely, over Murthel Groenhart and Bruno Franchi).

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Reintroducing kickboxing rankings to Head Kick Legend this month, we'll start off with one of the two major weight classes in the sport today: Middleweight (70 - 72.5 kg.).

Given the fact that middleweight continues to have perhaps the most depth of any division in kickboxing, we'll stick with top 25 rankings here. Other divisions may require rankings which are not as extensive.

Feel free to discuss the rankings. This sort of thing is inherently subjective and, in a sport as wide open as kickboxing, really lends itself to discussion. Enjoy.

The Rankings:

It should come as no surprise that two-time K-1 MAX champion Giorgio Petrosyan stands atop the division, just as he has since winning the K-1 World MAX 2009 tournament in October 2009 (one might even argue a bit longer). Petrosyan is currently on the shelf, as he re-injured his left hand in a July 16th victory over Hinata Watanabe.

Andy Souwer is 2-1 on the year, with victories over Yoshihiro Sato and L'houcine Ouzgni balancing out a massive upset against Abraham Roqueni in February (a bout marked by some questionable refereeing). For our purposes, Souwer's recent performances are enough to push him ahead of Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Buakaw having seemed to commit his year to working primarily under the Thai Fight banner.

Artur Kyshenko, despite difficulties in ranking him because of his choice to fight at higher weights, has looked truly impressive of late. Getting settled in at Mike's Gym seems to really have helped his game, and the Ukrainian fighter was dominant against former divisional rankings staple Nieky Holzken (who, himself, is no longer ranked because of inactivity in this respective weight class).

Despite talk of retirement at the end of 2011 (and the fact that he may very well finish out the year with some Muay Thai bouts), John Wayne Parr blasted Mike Zambidis in Australia back in May. Parr put his Greek rival away in convincing fashion, as three knockdowns inside of one round left no doubt in who got the better of the fight trilogy. The Australian legend also just toppled Mostafa Abdollahi in a Muay Thai bout.

After years of toiling throughout the European scene, Abraham Roqueni has confirmed that he belongs among the top fighters in the middleweight division. Whatever misgivings fans may have about his February win over Andy Souwer, there is no denying the way that the Spanish fighter outclassed Gago Drago at It's Showtime Madrid.

A lull in activity has struck some of the fighters in the middle of our rankings, with Pajonsuk being removed from the It's Showtime Fast and Furious tournament, Yuichiro Nagashima focusing on professional wrestling, Murat Direkci having not competed, and so on.

A look at what's next for the middleweight division, as well as some notes on rankings, weight classes, and the like, after the jump.

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A number of top 25 fighters were in action this past month.  Between the MAX Grand Prix, Shootboxing, and It's Showtime, we saw a lot of big fights that shook up the rankings.  The biggest result of the month came in K-1, where Mo Khamal upset former top 5 fighter Artur Kyshenko, but we also saw Khem Sitsongpeenong upset in It's Showtime by Rachid Belaini.  Not upset: reigning #1 Giorgio Petrosyan, who is the heavy favorite to retain his #1 spot at the upcoming MAX GP.

That event will take place on November 8; the biggest fight of the quarter final round has #1 Giorgio Petrosyan v. #4 Albert Kraus in a rematch from last year.  Also in the quarter finals: #6 Yoshihiro Sato v. #21 Michal Glogowski, #9 Gago Drago v. #15 Muhammed Khamal, and #11 Yuichiro Nagashima v. #13 Mike Zambidis.  Like the HW Grand Prix, there are some big names missing here - namely #2 Andy Souwer and #3 Buakaw Por. Pramuk.  The absence of those two is definitely a shame.  No word yet on who will be in reserve fights, though I would not be surprised to see both #10 Pajonsuk Super Pro Samui and #22 Chahid Oulad El Hadj invited.

The other huge Middleweight fight coming up takes place in It's Showtime on December 11 as Petrosyan again defends his #1 status against #10 Pajonsuk.  Excellent fight there, and one that I am looking forward to more than any possible GP fight for Giorgio.  

Also on December 11, #5 Murat Direkci defends his IS title against Chris Ngimbi, #9 Drago v. Yavuz Kayabasi, and #22 Chahid v. Rafal Dudek.  It's Showtime also closes the year with a December 18 show featuring #15 Khamal v. Mosab Amrani.

The last big show for Middleweight action is November's Shootboxing S-Cup.  No official list of participants yet, though bank on #2 Souwer being involved. 

Two final fights to note: on October 16 for United Glory #7 Nieky Holzken faces Murtel Groenhart (a replacement for Holzken's originally scheduled opponent of Sahin Yakut), and on October 17 #23 John Wayne Parr challenges Yodsaenklai Fairtex.

No idea when we'll next see Buakaw in action.  He's been discussed as maybe dropping down to 63kg in K-1, but has yet to comment on that.

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Lots of changes this month thanks to the Grand Prix.  Strong showings from Saki, Ghita, Kyotaro, and Aerts move them up, while Zimmerman, Teixeira, Le Banner, and Kemayo all drop down, and Edwards and Sefo drop off the list completely.  Also shifting down a notch: Remy Bonjasky, who falls to #3 due to inactivity. 

Obviously, the big event to watch for at this point is the K-1 Grand Prix on December 11.  There are two top 10 v. top 10 fights we'll see at that show: #1 Semmy Schilt v. #5 Kyotaro, and #6 Gokhan Saki v. #8 Daniel Ghita.  Other top 10 fighters in the GP include #2 Alistair Overeem, who faces #13 Tyrone Spong, and #7 Peter Aerts, who faces #22 Mighty Mo.

The GP will also feature reserve fights and super fights, though the participants for these fights are yet to be announced.  Possible names to take part here are #10 Ewerton Teixeira, #11 Hesdy Gerges, #15 Jerome Le Banner, and there has even been talk about #4 Badr Hari being involved, though I would not count on that.

Before the GP, we also have the opening round of the United Glory World Series scheduled for October 16.  Based on GP results, these fights could change, but right now that event features three top 25 fighters: #6 Saki v. #18 Brice Guidon, and #9 Errol Zimmerman v. Adnan Redzovic.

Finally, It's Showtime has two shows scheduled for December, each featuring top 25 action.  On December 11 #20 Alexey Ignashov faces Tomas Hron, and on December 18 #11 Hesdy Gerges meets Rico Verhoeven.

The two big names unaccounted for right now are #3 Remy Bonjasky and #4 Badr Hari.  Bonjasky continues to recover from eye surgery, while Hari remains on his sort of self-imposed exile as he gets his career focused.  As mentioned, there's some talk of Hari being in a reserve fight at the GP, though I would imagine we won't see either man until 2011.

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After yesterday's craziness, I'm almost fearful of posting these, but here we go...

Like the Heavyweight division, it's been a quiet summer in the MW rankings, although there was a bit of movement in the top 10 as a pair of upset loses drop Artur Kyshenko down to #6, while Hinata makes his way up to #9. 

Many of the top names will be taking part in the 2nd portion of the MAX Final 16 on October 3.  That card will include #1 Giorgio Petrosyan, #6 Kyshenko, #12 Gago Drago, #20 Mike Zambidis, #22 Chahid Oulad El Hadj, #24 Su Hwan Lee, and #25 Mootje Khamal.  Winners on October 3 will move on to the MAX Finals on November 8, where they will be joined by #4 Albert Kraus, #8 Yoshihiro Sato, and #10 Yuichiro Nagashima, who have already qualified.  That's a decent line-up for sure, but it's not the clear top fighters that we're seeing in the Heavyweight Grand Prix, as 5 of the top 10 are not in the MAX GP this year.  Among those left out: #3 Buakaw Por. Pramuk, who is currently M.I.A. and has had a pretty inactive year.  As a whole, it's hard to not feel some disappointment in this year's MAX GP.

Two of those top 10 fighters left out of the GP will meet each other on September 18 as #2 Andy Souwer faces #9 Hinata for Shootboxing.  That's a great fight, but the fact that it has cost both men a spot in the GP leaves something of a bitter taste.

Also from the top 10, #5 Nieky Holzken will face L'houcine Aussi Ouzgni for It's Showtime on September 12.  Aussi typically fights at 77kg, and Holzken is very big for the 72kg weight class, so I imagine this will be above the 72kg limit.  This could be a really fantastic fight that is getting a bit lost in the shuffle, but is one of this fall's fights I am most looking forward to.  Holzken will also be in action for United Glory on October 16 against Sahin Yakut.

That Sept 12 card will also include #14 Khem Sitsongpeenong v. Rachid Belaini, #12 Gago Drago v. Mohammed Medhar, and #17 Leroy Kaestner v. Youness el Mhassani.  It's Showtime also has a card on December 18 including #25 Mootje Khamal v. Mosab Amrani.

Finally, in a much anticipated rematch, on October 17 #19 John Wayne Parr will face Yodsaenklai Fairtex.  Yod is on a bit of a downward slide this year - this will be a great test of where he stands.

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After an interminably slow summer in the world of kickboxing, things have finally started heating up for the fall.  Almost none of the top 25 has been in action in the past few months, but between now and the end of the year, we could see a lot of changes.

Of course, the biggest date coming up is October 2 when we get the K-1 Final 16.  Tons of top fighters announced there including #1 Semmy Schilt, #3 Alistair Overeem, #4 Errol Zimmerman, #5 Badr Hari, #6 Ewerton Teixeira, #7 Kyotaro, #11 Jerome Le Banner, #12 Ruslan Karaev, #18 Freddy Kemayo, and #25 Ben Edwards.  According to the latest rumors, we may also see #8 Peter Aerts, #9 Gokhan Saki, and #10 Hesdy Gerges.  That's every fighter in the top 12, with the exception of #2 Remy Bonjasky, who is currently on the sidelines recovering from eye surgery. I also would expect #16 Daniel Ghita, and perhaps #14 Tyrone Spong to be on this card as well, either in the Final 16 or in a reserve fight.

Amazingly, this is not the only card in the next month to feature a wealth of top 25 action.  On October 16, United Glory hosts the first round of their world series event.  Current names announced include Zimmerman, Saki, and #19 Brice Guidon.  Since this is only two weeks after the Final 16, it's entirely possible Saki and/or Zimmerman could be forced to drop out.

It's Showtime also has a busy few months.  On September 12 they will host #10 Gerges v. Rustemi Kreshnik, and on December 18 it will be Gerges up again facing Rico Verhoeven, along with #15 Ashwin Balrak v. Anderson "Braddock" Silva.

One final exciting fight to note.  On September 19 in Muay Thai action, in will be #13 Nathan "Carnage" Corbett v. #23 Pavel Zhuravlev.  A lot of people are critical of Corbett, claiming he seldom faces top competition, so it will be good to see him in there against a top 25 opponent.

Overall, that only leaves five top 25 fighters currently unaccounted for - Samedov, Manhoef, Ignashov, Catinas, and Sefo.  Should be a fantastic fall.

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A little late getting these up this month, but I wanted to wait for the K-1 Oceania GP to take place.  That event saw #6 Ewerton Teixeira score a KO win, along with Ben Edwards earning himself a Final 16 slot with a record setting performance.  Edwards slides into the rankings at #25 with his big win.

Still to come in July are two top 25 fighters in action.  On July 25th, #11 Jerome Le Banner and #20 Brice Guidon both compete in Muay Thai action on the same card.

Speaking of Muay Thai, the only fight currently scheduled between top 25 opponents is a Muay Thai showdown on Sept. 19, pitting #13 Nathan Corbett against #23 Pavel Zhuravlev.  Corbett has many detractors that claim his ranking is more due to the low level of his competition than Corbett's own skills; a win over Zhuravlev should help give a bit more merit to Corbett's spot.

The other upcoming fight to watch for is #15 Ashwin Balrak v. Rico Verhoeven on Sept. 12.  Balrak is at a career high point at the moment, coming off his win over #16 Daniel Ghita.  Verhoeven is just outside the top 25, and a solid competitor who always seems to be on the verge of breaking into the upper ranks. 

Outside of those fights, it's back to the waiting game - waiting for K-1's Final 16 GP, currently scheduled for September.  Expect more names to fight for K-1 before then, but that may be the next time we see competitive fights from anyone in the top 10.

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With K-1 crowning a new king in this division, it seemed like now was the time to add some rankings.  The tricky thing is, this division is definitely a work in progress.  Prior to this Grand Prix, most organizations had weight classes of either 60 or 62, with the next highest class coming at 65.  K-1, for reasons not entirely clear, opted to buck the standard and go with a 63kg division.  I'm following their lead and using that as the benchmark.

The downside of this is that some very talented fighters are left out in the cold.  Best example - Orono Wor Petchpun, a tough Thai fighter that deserves to be ranked, but these days fights regularly up at 65kg. 

As a result, for now, we're limiting this division to a top 10.  Hopefully in the coming months, as K-1 continues to establish this division, we'll see more fighters settling at this 63kg weight, and have a better sense who should be ranked here.

Finally, as this division is still developing, we won't be updating these rankings every month, and instead will put up new LW rankings every other month.

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