Round 1:



The fighters entered the ring with the New Zealander and current Las Vegas resident Ray Sefo clearly the hometown fan favorite. The Switzerland born Bjorn Bregy's massive size was evident as the fighters touched gloves with Bregy a full 8 inches over Sefo. The fight began cautiously with the crowd eager for action. Bregy began with his straight jabs easily slipping through with Sefo repeatedly taunting Bregy on with his trademark smirk. Sefo was able to land some solid leg kicks, but overall it was an actionless first round that left the fans with much to be desired.



Round 2:

The second round saw the fight escalate a bit in action, as Bregy continued stroking Sefo in the jaw with his jabs, while Sefo was unable to return any good shots. Sefo became noticeably frustrated as Bregy persistently moved backwards as Sefo tried to close the substantial striking distance, which weighed heavily in favor of Bregy due to his obvious reach advantage. This frustrated Sefo as he appeared to be pleading to Bregy to enagage and go toe-to-tow instead of utilizing his reach advantage. Even when Sefo was able to close the distance, Bregy clinched and beared down hard on Sefo's neck until they were separated by the referee.



Round 3:

The final round ended the fight with much of the same inaction. Ultimately it turned out to be a slow plodding affair, that saw Sefo unable to break through Bregy's reach and Bregy content to cover up and drop jabs through Sefo's guard. The long tedious decision went to the judges and the crowd voiced its displeasure when it was announced that their favorite Ray Sefo had lost a close split-decision. Bjorn Bregy won the split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).





K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas Final



(3 rounds x 3 minutes with possible extra round):


Zabit Samedov (203 lbs) vs. Doug Viney (207 lbs)



For the tournament's final match it was the Belarus native Zabit Samedov who currently makes his home on the Caspian Sea in the country of Azerbaijan against the man from down under in the Auckland, New Zealand native and Ray Sefo protégé Doug Viney, who advanced all the way to this final match as an alternate reserve fighter. Viney's true warrior spirit had unexpectedly propelled him to the main event, while carrying on the emblematic Polynesian winning tradition established by his mentor Sefo as well as fellow Kiwi K-1 champion Mark Hunt.



Round 1:

Going into the fight Doug Viney's cornerman and coach would be not be present, as Ray Sefo had just just finished his Superfight with Bjorn Bregy only moments earlier. The final match began in rapid fashion with Zabit Samedov throwing several flashy high kicks, while Viney favored the use of his boxing skills. Samedov took the worse of the early exchanges, as he was unable to connect cleanly with his kicks while taking powerful uppercuts and stiff jabs to the face from Viney.



Round 2:

The second stanza opened with Viney landing a solid right high kick to Samedov's noodle. Samedov answered by showcasing his superior hand speed with a fast 1-2 combination. The back and forth exhanges continued as they finished out the second round with Samedov characteristically taunting Viney and playing to the crowd by exposing his head, while bobbing and weaving in his best Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope impersonation.



Round 3:

The third and final round of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas began with Samedov trying to close in and connect with Viney. He may have sensed he was behind on the judge's scorecards and appeared to be picking up the pace. Viney continued to pick his shots with precision and methodically picked apart Samedov's defense. He used his jab with authority, which began to show its effect on Samedov's face. As the end of the match began to reach its waning moments, Samedov tried a few desperation high kicks. However, his legs were still suffereing the effects of facing tougher first round opponent's than Viney and they caused little damage. Viney absorbed the kicks with little effect and continued to out box Samedov even staggering Samedov before falling into a clinch.



When the final bell of the night rang, both Samedov and Viney raised their hands as they each believed they had done enough to earn the victory. The charimatic Samedov had won many fans, but just as many fans were pulling for the underdog Viney who entered the night as an alternate. When the scorecards were collected by the judges it was announced that by three consecutive scores of 29-28, that the reserve fighter from New Zealand, Doug Viney, would be crowned the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas champion via unanimous decision. Viney celebrated with his team, including Ray Sefo who had returned to the ring to join the celebration, while a clearly disappointed Zabit Samedov turned to the crowd in appeal as he looked visibly confused and dejected.





Results:





K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas (August 11, 2007)





Match Winner Loser Method Round