is k-1 worked?

**S.Anucha** · Posted On: 12/05/2003 4:08pm

Originally posted by IronBuddha
S. Anucha.

Thanks for the links! I thought the videos were very rare to come by.

As to how much better these people are though. I would have to disagree. The more brutal a competitive fight is, the shorter a fighter's career is. This limits the amount of experience and fine-tuning that we see in veterans of more "humane" sports. A lot of the K-1 champs are veterans, way beyond their prime fighting years yet beat the young guys down (Hoost, MacDonald, etc). In the more brutal sports, by 39, you're lucky to be able to train at all (or even be alive according to the information you presented). How good can someone get if he's blinded from eye-gouging after his first fight? Or crippled? His career is over just as it started.

As an athlete gets older, he doesn't get stronger, he learns to kick/punch/knee better. We see these more brutal sports in poor countries since this is one of the few ways to make good money and life is cheap. They don't get the scientific training regimens and modern medicine a K-1 athlete would get. I would argue that K-1 is the best of the best of striking. If anyone was better, they would come and collect the "easy" $400K USD award - biggest purse in the world. That would go a long way in a village. As for the weight class argument, K-1 MAX pays pretty nicely too for middleweights. The K-1 is the best and what they do.

yeah i would fully agree with you to some extent, have you watched any fights from Lumpinee recently? try to get hold of some, I would personally love to see the Thais take into K-1 but i cant see that happening in large scale.

As for the Burmese there are more professionally controlled bouts under government sponsorship, rules state that headbutts and groin hits are illegal but these rulkes are rarely enforced, the fighters also look a lot cleaner, I mean tighter and controlled. not being biased but i do believe the Thais fight way more naturally than the Burmese.... sur ewe can all have our idols.

In the middleweights, K-1 max i met an irish lad who fought in it, he is a Thai boxer and said that its very different, more like kickboxing with low kicks and knees than Thaiboxing.

definately grab or try to grab a few fights from Bangkok. Amazing and makes K-1 look amatuer (well not really but you know what i mean) in my opinion. So much control and skill, I simply love watching Thais fighting.... its as if they were made for it.

I just find watching the heavyweights not as exciting as the lighter guys.

**IronBuddha** · Posted On: 12/06/2003 3:28pm

Hey Anucha,

I've seen fights from Limpinee. Although I'm never sure as to what exactly I'm watching (is this a championship fight? or is it just any fight?). If you got some full video of some matches, I would love to get my paws on it. =)

I also saw some kids going at it. Like 16 or something. Damn...these kids were psycho.

I agree. K-1 is not Thai boxing. It is kickboxing with knees. Clinching is not really allowed. I think they aren't allowed to crank on the neck in the clinch either. But for what they do, ie: kickboxing with knees, I honestly believe they are the best. From what I see though is that Thai boxing is more paced with more rounds, henced the controlled cleaner look while K-1 guys are given a very limited amount of time to knock the guy out, so they are in a rush, techniques aren't always clean (which doesn't mean they aren't capable of it). But you have to give them credit that they do knock people out pretty fast...are very aggressive and have some awesome striking power.

Thai's (and I mean Thai boxers from Thailand) were there in the past and in the MAX's. One of them spanked a San Shou guy fom China. Once again, I don't know how that fighter stands in Thailand (is he a champ?). I also remember a really old match between Jerome LeBanner and a small Thai dude. Jerome beat on that guy for the whole time and this guy looked fine and was all smiley. As I said, the money is in Japan. I'm sure the Thai's have their eyes on it. It's just a matter of whether or not they want to adapt to the rules....and when they do, I don't see them having an advantage over the likes of Hoost, CroCop, etc.

With all these boxers coming into the mix now, their claim to having the best strikers in the world is pretty solid. I mean.....Tyson, Briggs, Botha...they ain't in their prime but they are top contenders. Of course this is only for their heavyweights. I would have to agree that they don't have the best middleweights. The MAX isn't all that big yet. I think the San Shou and Thai Boxing athletes should all jump in since them smaller asian dudes aren't outweighed and it would bring more diversity to the K-1. K-1 is just a fight circuit, it's not a style....fighters from everywhere are welcome as long as they follow the rules.

**S.Anucha** · Posted On: 12/06/2003 3:53pm

for sure mate, Hoost is amazing for the bloody age of the guy! haha, he has the heart of a lion.

Dont get me wrong i do love to watch K-1 for the pure spectacle of it all but my heart is with Thaboxing as I understand it and appreciate the clinch, I love watching two good experienced fighters clinching as you just never know what will happen.

But yeah K-1 max I think will go down a treat, definately, lighter weights in my opinion are better to watch, I dont know man I think the heavy weights look clumsy, I shouldnt actually say that because Bonjesky (is that his name) the tall black fella fighting from Mejiero gym Amsterdam is friggen **** hot! and Aerts the Dutch lumberjack.... well come to think of it there are actually a few great fighters in K-1 but where the hell are all these clumsy looking gits coming from ;) haha, know what I mean?

But I have a some Lumpinee fights here, about 9 or so, I have a very funny farang vs Thai fight, I think somewhere in the south of Thailand, very funny to watch as I reckon the Thai is mismatched by 10 kilos at least, the Foreigner is tall but definately weights more.... yeah, the foreigner gets thrown to the canvas with a half hip throw twice and second time gets dazed and doesnt come back from the standing count. good fight to watch.

One of the fights is between to "better" Thai fighters, this **** is hot! one guy is like a train refusing to stop, 5th (final) round both eyes closed and swollen and covered with blood, he is continuously elbowed to the same area, he clearly is finding it hard to visually see his opponent but yet still moves forward and fights on until the referee finally gives it over to the other corner, this fight shows the boldness of the Thai fighters. It is a very bloody fight.