a furious start to the third, as all manner of attacks were unleashed -- straight punches, spinning back punches, high kicks and knees galore. Kyshenko got a high kick and knee in to drop his opponent, but these were both ruled slips. Tai was aggressive with his fists, and at the end of it all the judges called for a tiebreaker round.

The extra round was again non-stop action, Tai putting in an uppercut and nice high kick; Kyshenko also scoring with a high kick, and rattling his opponent with a mean knee and right cross. If it were possible to raise both fighters' arms, it would have been deserved. As it was, Kyshenko had enough of an edge to get the win.

In a showdown between emerging fighters with consummate provenience, Italian Saro "The Sicilian Don" Presti of Team Peter Aerts met South African Warren Stevelmans, who trains with Remy Bonjasky at the VOS gym that Ernesto Hoost made famous.

The two sparred tentatively through most of the first round before Stevelmans countered a Presti low kick attempt with a left hook to score a late down. It was Stevelmans again in the second round, controlling the fight effectively before charging in with a left knee that connected squarely with his adversary's jaw. The Italian could not beat the count, and Stevelmans had the convincing win.

Armenian dynamo Drago tangoed with Gori, who hails from tiny Rota in the Mariana Islands and fights for the United States. The pair showed similar styles, both testing with jabs and kicks before a Drago left punch distressed Gori, who went stumbling toward the corner but stayed on his feet and escaped the round. In the second, Drago picked up the pace, and a high kick deposited Gori on the canvas, although this was ruled a slip. The third saw more aggression from the Armenian, who confidently fired in high, front, and ax kicks as he chased Gori round the ring. A body blow earned Drago a down late in the round, after which he attacked with sufficient aggression to score two more downs and finish the fight, the decisive blow, a left hook, coming with only four seconds remaining.

The number four told a different story in the following bout when Yasuhiro Kido, who won the World Max '08 Japan in February, took on South Korean kickboxer Chi Bin Lim. The bell sounded and the pair closed to center-ring, whereupon Kido fired up a right knee to the chin, and Lim went limp and collapsed. Time elapsed? Only four seconds. It appeared no one was more surprised than Kido -- who gleefully hopped round the ring to the delight of the crowd.

In a fast and spirited undercard bout, Yuya Yamamoto of Japan went with kicks while Brazilian Marfio "The Warrior Tiger" Canoletti used the fists. There was action from start to finish but in the end Yamamoto was launching the majority of the attacks. Superior stamina proved the difference as the Japanese fighter was awarded a comfortable unanimous decision.

All fights were conducted under K-1 Rules -- 3min. x 3R with one possible tiebreaker round.

There were also a pair of K-1 World Youth special matches. Japanese wunderkind Hiroya, 16, entertained 15 year-old compatriot Tsukasa Fuji in a 60kg/132lbs matchups. Both boys had their chances here, Fuji adept with his front kicks, Hiroya showing his versatility with low kicks and punch combinations. In the third round, Hiroya hurt his opponent with a left punch to the body and follow it up with a couple of rights to finish on the offensive and pick up the win by unanimous decision.

Meanwhile, at 55kg/121lbs, it was Shota Takiya of Japan and Vitalij Lisnyak of the Ukraine displaying quick combinations and great technical promise in a bout that ended with a split decision in favor of the Japanese fighter.

The K-1 World Max '08 Final 16 Tournament attracted 6,700 fans to the Hiroshima Green Arena. It was broadcast live in Japan on the TBS network. For delay broadcast information in other countries contact local providers. For complete coverage of this and all K-1 World Max and World GP events visit the K-1 Official website (www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp).