K-1 World Grand Prix

K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in the K-1 World GP. This tournament has had nine different winners with Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt each winning four times.

Match-Ups

K-1 Qualification System until 2005

Usually combatants of the quarter-finals of a 16-man 8-match tournament are paired by drawing. In the case of the Final in the Tokyo Dome it is widely different. The whole event is combined with a ceremony and a press conference. The process looks like a lottery show in the beginning with all the fighters pulling a ball from a glass bowl. The balls represent numbers 1 to 8, which determines the fighters' order in choosing a position from a giant tournament tree figure by standing in front a drawn bracket (from A to H) on the poster, which represents the fighter's corner-color and the line-number of the match. The next fighter does the same, but he can now choose between challenging the one on the stage or an "empty" section. This procedure goes on until one fighter remains who has no choice just to fill to one slot left next to the one lone fighter. This system gives a freedom of choice and tactics to the fighters with the help of a little luck.

K-1 World Grand Prix dates and venues

Event Date of Opening Round Date of Final Round Country
K-1 World Grand Prix 1993 N/A April 3, 1993 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1994 N/A April 30, 1994 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1995 March 3, 1995 May 4, 1995 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 March 10, 1996 May 6, 1996 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1997 September 7, 1997 November 9, 1997 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1998 September 27, 1998 December 13, 1998 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 October 5, 1999 December 5, 1999 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 N/A December 10, 2000 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 N/A December 8, 2001 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 October 5, 2002 December 7, 2002 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 October 11, 2003 December 6, 2003 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 September 25, 2004 December 4, 2004 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 September 23, 2005 November 19, 2005 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 September 30, 2006 November 25, 2006 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 September 29, 2007 December 8, 2007 Korea, Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 September 27, 2008 December 6, 2008 Korea, Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 September 26, 2009 December 5, 2009 Korea, Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 October 2, 2010 December 11, 2010 Japan
K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 September 8, 2012 March 15, 2013 Croatia

K-1 World Grand Prix champions to date

K-1 WGP Winner Nationality Runner-Up Nationality
1993 Branko Cikatić Croatia Ernesto Hoost Netherlands
1994 Peter Aerts Netherlands Masaaki Satake Japan
1995 Peter Aerts Netherlands Jerome Le Banner France
1996 Andy Hug Switzerland Mike Bernardo South Africa
1997 Ernesto Hoost Netherlands Andy Hug Switzerland
1998 Peter Aerts Netherlands Andy Hug Switzerland
1999 Ernesto Hoost Netherlands Mirko Filipović Croatia
2000 Ernesto Hoost Netherlands Ray Sefo New Zealand
2001 Mark Hunt New Zealand Francisco Filho Brazil
2002 Ernesto Hoost Netherlands Jerome Le Banner France
2003 Remy Bonjasky Netherlands Musashi Japan
2004 Remy Bonjasky Netherlands Musashi Japan
2005 Semmy Schilt Netherlands Glaube Feitosa Brazil
2006 Semmy Schilt Netherlands Peter Aerts Netherlands
2007 Semmy Schilt Netherlands Peter Aerts Netherlands
2008 Remy Bonjasky Netherlands Badr Hari Morocco
2009 Semmy Schilt Netherlands Badr Hari Morocco
2010 Alistair Overeem Netherlands Peter Aerts Netherlands
2012 Mirko Filipović Croatia Ismael Londt Suriname

See also

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