Tournament victories are, without a doubt, impressive achievements. Multiple tournament victories are even more impressive. In the sport of kickboxing, the K-1 Grand Prix is currently regarded as the pinnacle of the sport. So much so that many fans identify the K-1 Grand Prix champion as the only kickboxing champion.

Kickboxing, however, is a one-on-one sport. To determine which fighter is better between Red and Blue, we arrange to have Red and Blue meet in the ring under optimal conditions and sound the opening bell. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous promoters (not only in kickboxing have been known to deliberately tamper to make conditions less optimal for one fighter. One common example is for a fighter to arrive and realize that the fight has been changed to a lower weight class. He must then make weight in an unreasonable amount of time. Besides the ethical issue, it is clear that the result would be less valid than one where both fighters were in optimal condition.

Kickboxing’s highest prize today, the K-1 Grand Prix, is not a one-on-one sport. It is an accidental team sport. The opponent’s opponent is a teammate in the same respect that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. These “teams” or “teammates” are not pre-determined. A fighter can only hope that upon reaching the final that his opponent has been roughed up enough to create at least an even playing field. Even better would be to enter the final against a compromised opponent.

In terms of the K-1 Grand Prix Tournament, the chart below will highlight the “teams” that formed over the course of the Grand Prix Tournaments to produce the champions. The most recent example shows Schilt making use of Goodridge and Mori to defeat Feitosa. On the other hand, Feitosa depended on Sefo and Bonjasky and came up short in the final.

Common thought today views the K-1 Grand Prix Champion as the best fighter of the evening. This is usually due to the GP Champion being the only fighter to walk away undefeated. In 2001, however, both Ernesto Hoost (1-0) and Champion Mark Hunt (3-0) were undefeated. In 2002, Bob Sapp (1-0) was the only undefeated fighter while Ernesto Hoost (2-1) was the Champion. In 2005, both Peter Aerts (1-0) and Champion Sem Schilt (3-0) were undefeated.

In the annual K-1 Grand Prix tournament, it is impossible to determine if the company wrapped the belt around the waist of someone other than the best. That level of uncertainty is the nature of the sport. In Olympic Races, on the other hand, it would be very conspicuous if a sprinter, for instance, set the world record in a quarter-final heat only to go home empty-handed after stumbling on the blocks of the final. Without a stopwatch deciding the winners, kickboxing is much less clear. Not only is each individual unique, each day is unique for each individual. When match makers put 2 unique individuals in the ring unpredictable actions take place. We often refer to this as “luck”, a word cloaked in mystery. Instead of luck, let’s consider reliability. If we could rearranged the line up, would the same man be crowned champion? The answer is no, so a tournament is not the most reliable test of skill.

Although the tournament has limitations as a measurement system, it is very popular for several reasons. Seeing two winners sparks the natural curiosity of the spectators. They will wonder which of the two winners is better, and the tournament will satisfy their immediate curiosity by bringing out the two winners to fight against each other the same night. This kind of wonder and excitement is the driving force in the rapid development of the K-1, a promotional company that will rarely allow matches in two weight categories on the same card.

Another advantage of the tournament system is the guarantee of a championship bout. The primadonna situation in boxing is non-existent in the K-1. Since one can become K-1 champion without defeating the reigning champion; a sick, injured, fearful or moody champion need not participate. The show will go on. Compare this to the number of times events featuring boxer Mike Tyson were rescheduled.

In kickboxing utopia, fighters meet under optimal conditions. They never postpone events or handpick duds to bolster their records. As impossible as this utopia may appear, the parallel nature of the CKO and K-1 comes very close. The CKO only measures based on one-on-one matchups. The K-1 measures greatness differently yet guarantees activity from fighters. If the CKO and the K-1 both independently recognize a fighter as the best, then said fighter has managed to satisfy two very different measures of success.

See you ringside!