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M-1 Sports Media Ltd.
Private
Industry Martial-arts entertainment planning and promotion
Founded 1993
Founders Kazuyoshi Ishii
Headquarters
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
,
Japan
Owner M-1 Sports Media Co., Ltd

K-1 is a famous professional kickboxing company. It was started in 1993 by a karate expert named Kazuyoshi Ishii.

K-1 used to be owned by a group called Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG). Back then, it was known as the biggest kickboxing organization in the world. K-1 was especially famous for its exciting fights between very strong, heavy fighters and its big tournaments.

Sometimes, K-1 also held events that included mixed martial arts (MMA) fights. These events would have both kickboxing and MMA matches.

In the 2010s, FEG faced money problems and eventually went out of business in 2012. A new company, K-1 Global Holdings Limited from Hong Kong, then bought the rights to K-1. In 2023, M-1 Sports Media bought the global rights to the K-1 brand.

The letter "K" in K-1 officially stands for karate, kickboxing, and kung fu. Some people also think it stands for other fighting styles like kempo and taekwondo. The "1" might mean it's about finding the best champion.

K-1 has its own special rules for kickboxing, which are different from other styles. Because it became so popular, K-1 is sometimes even seen as its own unique style of kickboxing.

History of K-1

How K-1 Started

Main article: History of K-1

Before K-1, there was a karate style called Seidokaikan Karate. It was created in 1980 by Kazuyoshi Ishii. He wanted to create a way to find the best stand-up martial artists.

Seidokaikan held many successful events where fighters from different martial arts groups competed. They started with rules similar to Kyokushin karate but slowly changed them to be more like kickboxing rules. In 1993, Mr. Ishii officially started K-1 as a kickboxing organization. It worked closely with Seidokaikan but was its own separate group.

Around 2010, there were rumors that K-1 and its parent company, FEG, were having financial difficulties. Some fighters even said they hadn't been paid for their matches.

In early 2011, FEG announced they were having money problems and needed time to reorganize. Many fighters and their managers were upset because they weren't getting paid.

Most of the K-1 brand and its trademarks were sold to a Japanese real estate company in July 2011. However, some parts like 'K-1 Koshien' and 'K-1 MAX' were not included in this sale.

New Owners and Changes (2012–2023)

On February 1, 2012, a company called EMCOM Entertainment Inc. bought K-1. In March 2012, EMCOM Entertainment created a new company in Hong Kong called K-1 Global Holdings Ltd. This new company became the official owner of the K-1 brand.

There were some issues at first, with rumors about fighters not being paid. But the new chairman of K-1 Global quickly fixed these problems. He paid the fighters what they were owed and even gave them a bonus.

In June 2012, another kickboxing company called It's Showtime was bought by Glory Sports International. It later became part of their new promotion, GLORY.

K-1 also worked with a Romanian kickboxing company called SUPERKOMBAT in 2012. This partnership eventually ended, but both companies still cooperate sometimes.

K-1 World League in Japan

On May 29, 2014, a new "K-1 World League" was launched in Japan. This was a separate group from the K-1 Global Holdings. The "K-1 World League" got the rights to use the K-1 name only in Japan.

This new K-1 focused on different weight classes for fighters. It planned to have professional events, amateur competitions, and K-1 gyms. M-1 Sports Media was in charge of planning these events. The "K-1 World League" later changed its name to "K-1 World GP" in September 2014.

After it started, "K-1 World League" also included the Krush brand. Krush had been around since 2009 and was like a second level of K-1 competition. Many future K-1 stars came from Krush. K-1 also added the KHAOS brand, which is a stepping stone for fighters moving from amateur to professional.

K-1 has many gyms across Japan. This means a fighter can train, compete as an amateur, and then become a professional fighter all within the K-1 system.

Since June 2017, "K-1 World GP" started holding events again at the famous Saitama Super Arena. It was also announced that fighters would sign exclusive contracts with K-1, meaning they would only fight for K-1.

K-1 Today (2023–present)

On February 10, 2023, K-1 and another Japanese kickboxing company called RISE agreed to exchange fighters. This happened after they successfully worked together on a big event called "THE MATCH 2022".

On February 28, 2023, M-1 Sports Media bought the worldwide rights for the K-1 brand. From then on, K-1 International Federation (KIF) managed the brand.

On July 18, 2023, Carlos Kikuta became the new K-1 producer. K-1 also announced a new event with Quintet called "ReBOOT". They also plan to rename their weight classes and hold a heavyweight World Grand Prix.

In January 2024, Kazuyoshi Ishii, the founder of K-1, was appointed as an advisor.

K-1 Rules

K-1 fights follow specific rules:

  • Fights happen in a ring with four ropes, usually six meters square or larger.
  • Fighters can only use striking moves like punches, sweeps, kicks, and knee strikes.
  • Holding onto an opponent (clinching) is allowed for only 5 seconds.
  • Moves like throws, headbutts, grabbing an opponent, and elbow strikes are not allowed.
  • Other fouls include spitting, biting, hitting the groin, hitting the back of the head, hitting after the round ends or the referee calls a break, hitting a downed opponent, and holding too much.
  • Most matches, including title matches, have three rounds, each lasting three minutes. If there's a tie, an extra round is fought.
  • If a fighter is knocked down, the referee counts to eight. If the fighter can't get up by the count of eight, they lose by knockout. The referee can stop the count if a fighter is too hurt to continue.
  • Judges score matches based on four things:
    • (1) How many times a fighter knocks down their opponent. Three knockdowns in one round means a technical knockout.
    • (2) How much damage a fighter causes to their opponent.
    • (3) The number of clean strikes landed. Strikes that could end the fight score more points.
    • (4) How aggressive a fighter is.

K-1 Events Around the World

Main articles: List of K-1 events, 2015 in K-1, 2016 in K-1, 2017 in K-1, 2018 in K-1, 2019 in K-1, 2020 in K-1, 2021 in K-1, 2022 in K-1, 2023 in K-1, and 2024 in K-1
See also: List of Hero's events

When FEG owned K-1, events focused on the K-1 World Grand Prix. This included qualifying tournaments held all over the world.

Since 2014, under the "K-1 World GP" brand, most K-1 events have taken place in Japan. Their schedule includes regular single fights and one-night tournaments to find champions in different weight classes.

Here is a list of countries where K-1 has held events:

Tournament Formats

K-1 system 2009
K-1 Qualifying System in 2009

K-1 Grand Prix Tournaments

Main article: K-1 World Grand Prix

The first K-1 Grand Prix was a big tournament held in Japan. Fighters were invited to compete. By 1998, K-1 started the K-1 World Grand Prix format. This included smaller tournaments around the world that helped fighters qualify for the main K-1 World Grand Prix Final.

K-1's popularity was different in various regions. This sometimes changed where the qualifying tournaments were held. For example, the K-1 Paris Grand Prix lost its qualifying spot to Amsterdam.

The K-1 World Grand Prix Final Eliminator, also called "Final 16," is an event where 16 fighters compete. Only eight of them get to move on to the "Final 8" at the K-1 World Grand Prix Final. The final event was held at Tokyo Dome for many years. In 2012, it was held outside Japan for the first time, in Zagreb, Croatia.

K-1 World MAX and Other Divisions

In 2002, K-1 started the K-1 World MAX tournament. This was for a lighter weight division, around 70 kg (154 lb). It followed a similar plan to the K-1 World Grand Prix, with regional qualifying events.

In 2007, K-1 added two new championship belts. One was for Super Heavyweight fighters (over 100 kg/220 lbs). The other was for Heavyweight fighters (under 100 kg/220 lbs).

How K-1 Events are Shown

K-1 events used to be shown on TV channels like Tokyo Broadcasting System and Fuji TV when FEG owned the company.

After K-1 was reformed under the "K-1 World League" and "K-1 World GP" names, events started airing on other TV channels in Japan. Now, K-1 events are mostly broadcast in Japan through the streaming service Abema TV.

K-1 also has a YouTube channel where they upload fights, press conferences, and other videos.

In August 2023, it was announced that DAZN, a streaming service, would start showing future K-1 events in 200 countries. This began with the "ReBOOT～K-1 ReBIRTH～" event on September 10.

K-1 Champions

Current K-1 Champions

Main article: List of K-1 champions
Division Champion Since Title defences
Heavyweight (-100 kg) Netherlands Roel Mannaart 2018 1
Cruiserweight (-90 kg) China Liu Ce 2024 0
Middleweight (-75 kg) Japan Shintaro Matsukura 2023 0
Super Welterweight (-70 kg) China Ouyang Feng 2023 0
Welterweight (-67.5 kg) Japan Masaaki Noiri 2021 0
Super Lightweight (-65 kg) Vacant 0
Lightweight (-62.5 kg) Japan Yuki Yoza 2023 0
Super Featherweight (-60 kg) Japan Leona Pettas 2022 0
Featherweight (-57.5 kg) Japan Taito Gunji 2021 1
Super Bantamweight (-55 kg) Japan Akihiro Kaneko 2022 2
Bantamweight (-53 kg) Japan Toma Kuroda 2022 0
Women's Flyweight (-52 kg) Japan SAHO 2024 0
Atomweight (-45 kg) Japan Miyuu Sugawara 2023 0

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: K-1 para niños

  • List of K-1 events
  • List of K-1 champions
  • Krush
  • List of male kickboxers
  • List of Krush champions
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