in my first fight, so my legs were really heavy and I couldn't use them," said Yamamoto. "I had to go with my punches, and I thought I was lucky to face Kohiruimaki, who doesn't like getting punched. However, I barely remember the match, I fought with nothing but pure willpower!"

By winning the Japan Tournament, Kohiruimaki earns the right to represent the Land of the Rising Sun at the World Max 2009 Final-8 elimination in July.


There were three Superfights on the card.

Yoshihiro Sato of Japan took on Russian boxer Sergey Golyaev. Standing 185cm/6'1", World Max '06 Japan Champ Sato has fought many shorter opponents over the years, but in Golyaev meet a man his own height.

Sato was not intimidated, and outperformed Golyaev through the first, connecting with low kicks while the Russian misfired his overhand punches. In the second, Golyaev's big punches again failed as he got caught on counters, Sato scoring successive downs with low kicks. Now the wobbly Russian's legs were gone, and Sato delivered the coup de grace with a right low kick.

The inaugural (2002) World Max Champion, hard-punching Albert "Hurricane" Kraus of Holland, stepped in against Korean kickboxer Su Hwan Lee.

Lee used his 5cm/2" height advantage to set the distance, firing low kicks and reaching in with straight punches; but a speedy Kraus closed effectively with body blows and punch combinations, and in the second round added low kicks and knees to his attacks. Kraus brought a slight points advantage into the third, and again pummeled the right to the body before clocking Lee in the chops a coupla times at the clapper. A unanimous decision for the Dutchman.

"I think it was a good fight for the crowd," said Kraus afterward. "I knew from the beginning that he was a good fighter, and he really was a good fighter -- so I had to do my very best to win!"

In another Superfight, Japanese kickboxer Daisuke Uematsu, the ISKA World Lightweight Champion, took on compatriot Kazuhisa Watanabe, a freewheeling boxer making his K-1 debut.

Speedy hands and amusing antics from Watanabe throughout, the showman surprising with a number of unusual kicking attacks. Uematsu's evasions remained sound, especially in the face of a frenetic Watanabe punching assault at the onset of the third. Lots of fun here -- although Uematsu did not appear amused, only allowing a faint smile when his victory by unanimous decision was announced.

Theirs was an undercard bout, but that didn't stop Shingo Garyu and Hiroyuki Owatari from turning it into a thoroughly entertaining dance -- Garyu taking the win by majority decision.

In a K-1 World Youth Rules 62kg bout, K-1 Koshien 2008 Champion Hiroya eked out a majority decision over karateka Kizaemon Saiga.

In the Japan Tournament Reserve bout, Yasuhito Shirasu beat Keiji Ozaki by unanimous decision.


This was the opening event of the eighth K-1 World Max season. All fights were conducted under K-1 Official Rules, 3Min. x 3R, with a possible tiebreaker round, and two possible tiebreakers in the tournament final.

The K-1 World Max Japan Tournament attracted a sellout crowd of 10,421 to the Yoyogi Olympic Complex in central Tokyo. It was broadcast live across Japan on the TBS network, and will be delay-broadcast internationally on Eurosport, HD Net, CJ Media, GloboSat, ViaSat, Al Jazeera Sport and Saran Media. Contact local providers for broadcast times.

For official results and comprehensive coverage of this and all other FEG productions, see the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp).