Albert Kraus vs Mike Zambidis K-1 Max 07.07.2008

Battle of the two most boxing orientated fighters in K-1 Max. This is a K-1 super match, meaning that it's a one off and not part of the tournament series. Both fighters lost their tournament matches and out of the running. However K-1 likes to do super matches to fill up the spots in their events with fighters who they think is exciting, worthwhile to watch, came off a close loss, etc.

Albert Kraus used to be almost exclusively all hands but in recent matches he seemed to be more varied in his attacks. I think he must have realised he is getting a liitle one dimensional hence his recent lack of success.In this match he uses his knees to good effect. Zambidis does his usual stuff, lots of hooks and overhands. I like Zambidis's punching style which I think is awesome but I wish he would learn to fight in the Thai clinch. K-1 doesn't allow full Muay Thai style clinches but there are still guys out there like Sato and Souwer who can exploit the clinch rules very well.

Benny Urquidez vs Naito

You guys might know Benny Urquidez from some old Jackie Chan movies. One that I remember clearly is "Meals on Wheels". I didn't know much about Urquidez at that time but I thought the end fight scene with him vs Jackie Chan was great.

He was a famous late 70s early 80s fighter that originally competed in the American karate and kickboxing scene. Kickboxers under the American rules wore the long pants due to it developing from the karate competitions. He later became famous for taking on primarily Japanese kickboxers in Japan. He's known for his jumping spinning back kick, like the one in this match.

Saro Presti vs Warren Stevelmans K-1 Max 09.04.2008

Warren Stevelmans has become my new fighter to watch in K-1 Max after seeing his performances in the K-1 Max Holland and now recently against Andy Souwer in Japan. He's got great punhcing combos and an active style. In this match he does a great left hook against a low kick and later on does a great left body hook. He's also shorter than most of his opponent (just like me!) so I'll be watching him to learn and improve.

Andy Souwer vs Warren Stevelmans K-1 Max 07.07.2008

Warren Stevelmans was the winner of the K-1 Max Holland two months back. I love his double hook combinations. I thought the match was pretty close and could have gone either way. Souwer as usual starts out slow but always finishing strongly in the end. Both fighter are very typical Dutch Muay Thai style, i.e. strong punch & kicking combinations. Hope to see more of Stevelmans in teh future. He has a good crowd pleasing power technical style. Best match of the night for me.

Masato vs Drago K-1 Max 07.07.2008

Masato was in great form in this match. Great boxing combinations and a low kick to finish off every combination. Check out Drago's lead thigh as the match progresses. Drago is known for his toughness and power but I think he totally got outclassed in this match.

Buakaw vs Sato K-1 Max 07.07.2008

Amazing match! Buakaw seemed to look old and slow or uninterested in the match. Contrast this match with when he first appeared and won K-1 Max back in 2004, it's like looking at two different fighters. I won't spoil the match for you guys but Sato is always improving. One of my fav fighters for his down to earth, honest and hardworking attitude.

Fujiwara Toshio Vs Muay Thai

This is a match that took place in Rajadamnern stadium 1979. Fujiwara Toshio is a famous Japanese fighter known for being a pioneer for Muay Thai in Japan. He was the first and one of the few foreign fighters to have won a stadium belt (Raja stadium belt) and respected by the Thais. Known for his long range punching, low kicks and a very offbeat unorthodox rhythm and footwork designed to fight against the typical Muay Thai fighter from Thailand. He also trained in Greco-roman wrestling to help counter the Thai style clinch as you can see from his clinching style in the video. His coach was Kenji Kurosaki, a well known Kyokushin karate fighter who fought n the first Karate vs Muay Thai challenge back in 1963. This is a vintage and rare video clip well worth a watch.