The matchup will mark the first time that the pair of champions will face one another in the squared circle.  Bonjasky’s appearance comes hot off the heels of his stunning, 22 second stoppage of former world heavyweight boxing champion “Merciless” Ray Mercer that the former produced with a vicious headkick during the K-1 Grand Prix card in Seoul, Korea on March 19th.      

At 29 years of age, Bonjasky has cemented his status as the man to beat in “The New Fighting Sport.”  The 6 foot 4 inch, 240-pound Dutch fighter’s unprecedented style of combat that blends elements of classic Muay Thai with flying kicks and knee strikes that he is able to launch from all angles has baffled and rendered defenseless even the strongest adversaries in the sport.  His remarkable use of agility combined with his mild mannered disposition outside of the ropes has earned Bonjasky the tag name “The Flying Gentleman.”

On December 4th, Bonjasky set out to defend the first World Grand Prix Finals championship of his career.  The event’s opening tournament round pitted the young star against the man universally recognized as the greatest martial arts fighter of all time:  “Mr. Perfect” Ernesto Hoost.  Bonjasky’s versatility helped him overcome the only four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion in history by way of a judges decision after an overtime round was added to determine a clear-cut winner.  The Dutchman followed up the splendid performance with victories over former world heavyweight boxing champion, Francois Botha, and Japan’s Musashi, respectively, and was left standing in the winner’s circle.   

April 30th will mark Bonjasky’s second career appearance in Las Vegas.  On August 15, 2003, he fascinated a sold out Bellagio crowd with his dynamic skills and defeated three consecutive opponents, including defending champion Michael McDonald, during the premiere installment of “Battle at Bellagio.”    

A former collegiate football standout and professional boxer, Siligia has terrorized the world’s most prestigious martial arts fighting circuit with his furious punching power since he made his K-1 debut in Japan a little over a year ago.  During what was only the second tournament start of his career last August, the stocky 275 pound California resident, who is of Samoan descent, claimed victory over three straight opponents to take hold of the “Battle at Bellagio III” single-elimination championship.  The right hand bomb that he unleashed to chop down 6 foot 4 inch, 250 pound Brecht Wallis in the second round of the single-elimination event’s championship fight sent a strong message to his competition.        

Two additional Superfights, the participants of which have not yet been named, as well as K-1’s customary, eight-man tournament will be staged during the April 30th K-1 card. 

Tickets for Battle at Bellagio IV, the K-1 “World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas” are on sale and are priced at $50, $100, $200 and $300, respectively.  They may be purchased at the Bellagio’s box office or by calling 1-800-963-9634.

The live Pay Per View television broadcast of the event will begin at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN. 

K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing (“K”), and its intent to determine one champion in one ring (“1”). After being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the country’s most popular sport and achieved popular culture status there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.