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@Fights That Gotta Happen!

Tastes change. Interest in a fighter can increase or decrease. At the beginning of 2002, the fight I wanted to see most was then Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt against Lloyd Van Dams. The fight never happened and at the beginning of 2003, there was another fight that I hoped would materialize, Jerome LeBanner vs. Bob Sapp.

At the beginning of 2004, I decided to make a survey and keep the results year after year, so fans of tomorrow would be able to look back and see how tastes have changed. From 2004 to 2006, I have used the Sherdog Forum to collect the data. This was due to the size of their membership at first. The response rate in 2006 was quite low so in 2007 I decided to use another Forum with a large membership: K-1 Fans. I am very pleased to say that this community let produced very good numbers.

Kickboxing fans vary as much as any other set of individuals do. Some can pick one fight and be satisfied with that choice. Others want to see several fights. The survey allowed for fans to vote for several fights with more weight on the first choice than on the second, more on the second than the third, and so on. More specifically, 10 points was given to the first choice, 9 points to the second, 8 points to the third and so on.

10- Red vs. Blue
9- Red vs. Green
8- Red vs. Black
7- Blue vs. Green

In the above example, we can see how one fan gave 10 points to Red vs. Blue, his first choice and how each subsequent matchup received one point less. Also notice that Red is of high interest. From the points given, individual scores can also be calculated.

27- Red
17- Blue
16- Green
8- Black

When I first presented the list of individual scores, I used the word gpopularh. This term drew debate because some felt that popularity was related to liking a fighter, not simply wanting to see him fight in the ring. Some supported that claim stating that their top pick included a fight they dreamt (in color even) of getting a well deserved beating. With that in mind, I encourage the reader to consider the individual list an indirect measure of love, hate and curiosity.

Enjoy the lists and see you ringside!

2007

Matchups

Individuals

1. Jerome LeBanner vs. Ray Sefo II [135]

2. Badr Hari vs. Ruslan Karaev II [106]

3. Alexei Ignashov vs. Sem Schilt II [90]

4. Remy Bonjasky vs. Glaube Feitosa [70]

5. Peter Aerts vs. Badr Hari [63]

6. Peter Aerts vs. Remy Bonjasky [57]

7. Remy Bonjasky vs. Ray Sefo II [49]

8. Badr Hari vs. Jerome LeBanner [42]

9. Ruslan Karaev vs. Melvin Manhoef [38]

10. Peter Aerts vs. Ray Sefo III [37]

11. Ruslan Karaev vs. Magomed Magomedov [32]

12. Badr Hari vs. Sem Schilt [21]

13. Badr Hari vs. Ray Sefo [30]

14. Glaube Feitosa vs. Badr Hari [29]

15. Chalid Arrab vs. Melvin Manhoef [27]

1. Badr Hari [499]

2. Ray Sefo [384]

3. Jerome LeBanner [307]

4. Sem Schilt [303]

5. Ruslan Karaev [296]

6. Remy Bonjasky [288]

7. Peter Aerts [241]

8. Glaube Feitosa [175]

9. Alexei Ignashov [172]

10. Melvin Manhoef [115]

11. Frans Botha [104]

12. Hong Man Choi [97]

13. Stefan Leko [80]

14. Alexander Ustinov [76]

15. Peter Graham [74]

@

2006

Matchups

Individuals

1. *Jerome LeBanner vs. Sem Schilt [62]

2. Jerome LeBanner vs. Ray Sefo II [38]

3. Alexei Ignashov vs. Sem Schilt II [34]

4. *Peter Aerts vs. Ernesto Hoost VI [32]
*Peter Aerts vs. Sem Schilt [32]

6. *Badr Hari vs. Ruslan Karaev [27]

7. Remy Bonjasky vs. Glaube Feitosa [25]

8. Bob Sapp vs. Sylvester Terkay [20]

9. Remy Bonjasky vs. Ruslan Karaev [19]

10. Mirko Filipovic vs. Sem Schilt [15]

11. *Remy Bonjasky vs. Jerome LeBanner
*Gary Goodridge vs. Carter Williams II [14]

13. Jerome LeBanner vs. Mo Siliga [13]

14. Mirko Filipovic vs. Ray Sefo [12]
Remy Bonjasky vs. Jurgen Kruth [12]
Kaoklai Kaennorrsing vs. Ruslan Karaev [12]
Jerome LeBanner vs. Carter Williams [12]

1. Sem Schilt [200]

2. Jerome LeBanner [182]

3. Remy Bonjasky [104]

4. Peter Aerts [102]

5. Ray Sefo [99]

6. Bob Sapp [95]

7. Alexei Ignashov [75]

8. Carter Williams [63]
Badr Hari [63]

10.Mo Siliga [54]

11.Ruslan Karaev [49]

12.Mirko Filipovic [44]
Ernesto Hoost [44]

14.Glaube Feitosa [39]

15.Sylvester Terkay [38]

*Fight happened in 2006

2005

Matchups

Individuals

1. *Remy Bonjasky vs. Alexei Ignashov IV [107]

2. Ray Sefo vs. Mo Siliga [105]

3. Remy Bonjasky vs. Jerome LeBanner [78]

4. Peter Aerts vs. Ernesto Hoost VI [73]

5. Alexei Ignashov vs. Ray Sefo [55]

6. Remy Bonjasky vs. Ray Sefo II [53]

7. Alexei Ignashov vs. Jerome LeBanner [41]

8. Remy Bonjasky vs. Kaoklai Kaennorsing [38]

9. Remy Bonjasky vs. Peter Aerts [36]

10.Alexei Ignashov vs. Martin Holm [30]

11.Remy Bonjasky vs. Ernesto Hoost II [24]
Akio Mori vs. Ray Sefo III [24]
Ray Sefo vs. Carter Williams II [24]

14.Akio Mori vs. Carter Williams [22]

15.Francois Botha vs. Ray Sefo [21]

1. Remy Bonjasky [386]

2. Ray Sefo [343]

3. Alexei Ignashov [318]

4. Jerome LeBanner [217]

5. Mo Siliga [180]

6. Peter Aerts [153]

7. Ernesto Hoost [132]

8. Kaoklai Kaennorsing [112]

9. Carter Williams [99]

10. Bob Sapp [85]

11. Francois Botha [75]

12. Akio Mori [62]

13. Martin Holm [56]
Mark Hunt [56]

15.Mirko Filipovic [43]

*Fight happened in 2005

2004

Matchups

Individuals

1. Jerome LeBanner vs. Mirko Filipovic II [109]

2. *Ernesto Hoost vs. Remy Bonjasky [95]

3. Carter Williams vs. Remy Bonjasky [93]

4. Mirko Filipovic vs. Remy Bonjasky II [82]

5. Jerome LeBanner vs. Remy Bonjasky [69]

6. Carter Williams vs. Ray Sefo II [65]

7. Bob Sapp vs. Mike Tyson [48]

8. Alexei Ignashov vs. Mirko Filipovic [45]

9. Carter Williams vs. Mirko Filipovic [42]

10.Mirko Filipovic vs. Mike Tyson [37]

11.Carter Williams vs. Bob Sapp [36]

12.Ernesto Hoost vs. Mirko Filipovic IV [35]

13.Remy Bonjasky vs. Stefan Leko II [29]

14.Bob Sapp vs. Mark Hunt [25]

15.Carter Williams vs. Ernesto Hoost [23]
Ernesto Hoost vs. Jerome LeBanner VI [23]
Ernesto Hoost vs. Mike Tyson [23]

1.Mirko Filipovic [440]

2.Remy Bonjasky [431]

3.Carter Williams [302]

4.Jerome LeBanner [297]

5.Ernesto Hoost [266]

6.Bob Sapp [213]

7.Alexei Ignashov [142]

8.Ray Sefo [126]

9.Mike Tyson [120]

10.Stefan Leko [83]

11.Mark Hunt [82]

12.Martin Holm [68]

13.Peter Aerts [57]

14.Francisco Filho [41]

15.Sem Schilt [39]

*Fight happened in 2004

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