K-1

Uncommon card · No. 148165

K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion, founded in 1993 by martial artist Kazuyoshi Ishii. It is currently owned and operated by M-1 Sports Media Co, Ltd and based in Tokyo. Ishii, a karateka and founder of the Seidokaikan school, created K-1 with the aim of bringing practitioners of different striking disciplines together in a unified competition, under a common set of rules. The promotion became known for its Grand Prix tournaments: most notably the K-1 World Grand Prix, its flagship tournament for heavyweight and open-weight fighters, and K-1 World MAX, a tournament originally established for fighters at 70 kg. The letter K in K-1 is officially designated as a representation of words karate, kickboxing, kung fu, kempo, [tae]kwondo, which together form kakutougi (the generic Japanese term for "combat sports"). While the "1" component pertains to the single weight division (in earlier competition) and the champion's unique position. At its peak, K-1 was considered to be the largest...

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