Karaev came back angrier than ever. He led with the left and followed with a right, pushing Pichkunov first to the ropes then into the corner, ducking a straight punch before slamming in a right uppercut and a left hook. In a second, Pichkunov crumpled to the canvas, where he stayed, unable to beat the count.

With his victory Karaev takes the K-1 Asia GP 2008 Championship, and advances to this year's K-1 WGP Final 16, September 27 in Seoul.

"I didn't think I was going to win it," said Karaev afterward "I had a hard time finding my pace. I didn't feel warmed up enough going into the first fight, and wasn't able to throw the combinations that I wanted to. I guess there was also fatigue. But I won, so I'm very happy!"

Also on the card were a couple of fights featuring Taiwanese sanda stylists. A traditional Chinese martial arts form, sanda is the most popular fightsport in Taiwan, with rules not unlike shoot boxing.

Yang Tong Hsiung, the 1st Sanda Tournament and "King of Sanda" 2005 Champion,. battled Aussie kickboxer Matt Campbell in a thrilling contest. Unbridled aggression from Hsiung from the get-go, firing in one punch after another then literally running down his opponent. Campbell however showed a good chin, evasions and blocking, and when he got the chance, landed some fine kicks. But with the partisan crowd behind him, Hsiung was a human tsunami. Several times he landed the right hook. In the second, Hsiung worked the combinations, setting up with low kicks and again finding the opportunity to plant the right punch. Campbell threw the right himself in the third, and put a good knee up to the midsection. But Hsiung was the faster and hungrier fighter, and reaped the unanimous decision.

Another Taiwanese sanda fighter, Wang Chung Yaun, stepped in against 17 year-old kickboxer Mick Mittiga of Australia.

Yuan got his opponent in the corner early, but Mittiga weathered the punches and escaped unscathed. Just seconds later, however, Yuan once again got his opponent into the corner, and this time pounded three good punches in to get the down. Mittiga could not beat the count, and Yuan had the KO win.

Post-event, K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa addressed the media: "It was our first time here in Taiwan, and it was a great success. Without a doubt Remy Bonjasky was the MVP. He went against a guy like Atajev, that you'd never expect to fall down, and knocked him out with his flying knee. We had so much response from the media that it's been overwhelming, and the crowd was fantastic."

All bouts were fought under Official K-1 Rules, three rounds of three minutes each, with one possible tiebreaker round; two in the Superfights and tournament final.

The K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei attracted an estimated 10,000 fans to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. It was broadcast live across Japan on Fuji TV and in South Korea on the CJ Media Network. Time-delay broadcasts will bring the event to some 135 countries -- for scheduling information, contact local providers. Check with the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp) for official results and comprehensive coverage of this and all K-1 events.