Former K-1 USA champion Carter Williams (17-6-1 (12 KO’s) has been selected to fill the eighth and last remaining spot in the Battle at Bellagio IV, K-1 “World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas” single-elimination tournament that will air live on Pay-Per-View television on Saturday, April 30th.

“I’m very confident,” said the 25-year-old knockout artist from Modesto, California, who has slimmed down since taking an aggressive, new approach to training. “I’ve been working with a lot of new people – people who support me and want to see me become the first American champion of K-1.  I believe the training that I’m doing now is gonna pay off.  The power is still gonna be there and the speed is gonna be superb.”   

The nomination of Williams to the tournament comes two weeks after the American fighter ventured to Seoul, Korea where he faced one of the most potent fighters in K-1 history:  three-time World Grand Prix champion, Peter Aerts.  Contested in Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, Williams valiantly battled Aerts to what the judges scored a draw after three rounds of action.  During the overtime, sudden death round, which was added to determine a winner, the more experienced Aerts turned up the heat and brought about a standing eight count for Williams.  Aerts’s efforts in the extra round helped him edge out a victory.  “Peter’s fought like over a 100 guys so, going the distance with him, shows me that I have the ability to stick it out with the toughest fighters in K-1,” said Williams.   

The California fighter’s start on April 30th will mark his third consecutive appearance in the annual, spring affair in Las Vegas.  During his debut in the same event two years ago, Williams became an overnight star when, as an 18 to 1 underdog, he defeated all three opponents placed before him to capture the tournament championship.  After gaining a judges decision over defending champion, Michael McDonald, the young gun scored a second-round knockout of Yusuke Fujimoto and a first-round knockout of six-time world kickboxing champion, Rick “The Jet” Roufus, respectively.

With a newfound sense of confidence behind him, Williams continued his brilliant run after the 2003 K-1 event when he defeated three additional opponents, including 2000 K-1 USA tournament runner-up, Thomasz Kucharzewski, to take hold of an International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) tournament championship in Villa Park, Illinois.  Two months later, martial arts fighting’s newest star returned to Sin City for the annual, summer K-1 event and gained a close judges decision over two-time world kickboxing champion and undefeated boxer, Dewey “The Black Kobra” Cooper.

Last year, Williams’s career took a momentary downturn when he was faced with the obstacle of defending his first K-1 tournament title only 33 days after a grueling loss to superstar Alexey Ignashov in Japan.  An early exit from the Las Vegas event ensued for Williams and was followed by another loss during the August K-1 event.  On November 19th, however, Williams reaffirmed his standing in the sport by scoring a punishing, first round knockout on fellow American Tom “Green Beret” Howard during a K-1 card in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A former troubled teen prone to finding trouble on the streets, Williams used martial arts to turn his life around.  Under trainer Gene Fields, he has earned a black belt in Taekwondo and gained the kicking and punching skills necessary to excel in the competitive world of K-1.

Williams will be joined in the April 30th single-elimination draw by three-time K-1 tournament champion, McDonald; “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge; Cooper; former WWE wrestler, Sean O’ Haire; Karate champion, Glaube Feitosa; and Japan’s Fujimoto and Toshiyuki Nakasako.  A three-round “Superfight” between reigning K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Remy Bonjasky, and “Battle at Bellagio III” tournament victor, “Mighty Mo” Siligia, will take place on the card as well.  Additional Superfights for the event will be announced shortly.    

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.