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This
article is a rewrite. The original version was written in early 2004 under
the title "It is time
for the K-1 to bring back the quality!"
At
the time, the rant was justified. There
had been a fair amount of
discussion on the quality of the K-1 promotions on internet forums. The
freak show displeased many who remembered the glory days of Andy Hug. Others
saw the changing of the guard from Hug to Sapp as a way of reaching a
wider fan base.
One thing the K-1 must
have acknowledged was that bringing Sapp into the fold alone didn’t decrease the quality of
K-1 shows. Reducing the number of elite matchups throughout the year in
addition to cramming muscle bound amateurs down our throats brought the
quality to new low. Years 2002 and 2003 are regarded as the dark ages of
the sport of kickboxing and the K-1 company. Ironically, these years are
also called the Kakutougi Boom. The K-1 filled their coffers by decreasing
the quality in the ring. BOOM!
Each Grand Prix has 8
participants. Throughout the year leading up to the next Grand Prix, any fight between any of these 8
fighters (9 if a reserve fighter advances into the tournament) is a match that could have taken place at the previous Grand
Prix. These are the Elite Matchups.
Here is a list of the number of
elite matchups following each Grand Prix
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1993
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3
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1994
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3
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1995
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2
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1996
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9
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1997
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4
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1998
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4
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1999
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6
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2000
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3
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2001
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5
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2002
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1
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2003
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1
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2004
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5
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2005
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6
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There is no reason for the K-1 to
feel they need to decide between the core fans and those who enjoy Sapp
and Choi. If they arrange 5 or 6 Elite Matchups per year, they may
actually be able to enjoy the best of both worlds. Fans will show up to
see the 218cm blue haired disco giant and leave impressed with the Elite
Matchup that one would usually expect from a Grand Prix event.
Looking
at the numbers above, we can see a change in the trend. In 2006, the 6
elite match ups featuring fighters from the 2005 GP tied for second place.
The first place 1996 crew fought more times leading up to the 1997 GP, but
it should be noted that this was the only time 2 Grand Prix events were
separated by 18 months. Mathematically speaking, 6 fights over 12 months
is the same ratio as 9 fights over 18 months. The K-1 matchmakers are
delivering today. Bravo!
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1993/4/30
Branko, Hoost, C. Kiatsongrit, M. Smith, Atokawa, Aerts, Hays and
Satake
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3= Hoost vs. C.
Kiatsongrit, Hoost vs. Satake, C. Kiatsongrit vs. Atokawa
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1994/4/30
Aerts, Satake, P. Smith, Cikatic, Van Esdonk, M. Thompson, Hug,
Manaart
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3= Hug vs.
Esdonk, Branko vs. Hoost, Hug vs. P. Smith,
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1995/5/4 Aerts,
LeBanner, Hoost, Bernardo, Atokawa, Satake, Kleijn, Longinidis
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2= LeBanner vs.
Kleijn, Aerts vs. Bernardo
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1996/5/6 Hug,
Bernardo, Hoost, Mori, Van Der Marve, Aerts, Filipovic, Greco
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9= Bernardo vs.
Aerts x2, Mori vs. Greco, Hug vs. Mori, Aerts vs. Hug, Hoost vs. Van
der Marve, Hug vs. Greco, Hoost vs. Bernardo, Hug vs. Bernardo
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1997/11/9
Hoost, Hug, Filho, Aerts, LeBanner, Satake, Greco, Bernardo
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4= Aerts vs.
Hoost, Hug vs. Aerts, LeBanner vs. Greco, Filho vs. Aerts
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1998/12/13
Aerts, Hug, Bernardo, Greco, Satake, Sefo, Filho, Hoost
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4= Filho vs.
Hoost, Bernardo vs. Satake, Hug vs. Sefo, Greco vs. Bernardo
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1999/12/5
Hoost, Filipovic, LeBanner, Greco, Hug, Mori, Aerts, Sefo
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6= Hug vs.
Mori, Aerts vs. Sefo, Hoost vs. Greco, Hug vs. Filipovic, Aerts vs.
Mori, Hoost vs. LeBanner
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2000/12/10
Hoost, Sefo, Filho, Aerts, Filipovic, Mori, Leko, Abidi
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3= Hoost vs.
Mori, Filipovic vs. Aerts, Leko vs. Aerts,
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2001/12/8 Hunt,
Filho, Hoost, Ignashov, LeBanner, Aerts, Leko, Pettas
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5= LeBanner vs.
Hunt, Hoost vs. Leko, Leko vs. Ignashov, Aerts vs. Pettas, Ignashov
vs. Aerts
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2002/12/7
Hoost, LeBanner, Sefo, Hunt, Sapp, Mori, Aerts, Leko
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1= Leko vs.
Aerts
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2003/12/6
Bonjasky, Mori, Abidi, Aerts, Graham, Sefo, Botha, Ignashov
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1= Mori vs.
Abidi
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2004/12/4
Bonjasky, Mori, Botha, Kaennorsing, Hoost, Sefo, Aerts, Siliga
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5= Siliga vs.
Bonjasky, Siliga vs.
Botha, Sefo vs. Kaennorsing, Mori vs. Botha, Aerts vs. Siliga
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2005/11/19
Schilt, Feitosa, Bonjasky, Mori, Sefo, Choi, Karaev, Aerts, LeBanner
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6=
Schilt vs. Aerts, Schilt vs. Mori, Schilt vs. Choi, Sefo vs. Karaev,
Bonjasky vs. LeBanner, Feitosa vs. Mori
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