The news of Akebono entering K-1 was truly a shock. Even the prestigious Asahi Shimbun ( newspaper ) devoted part of its front page to the headline “Alebono to Fight Sapp on New Years Eve.” Following Azuma-Fuji, Wajima and Futahaguro ( Kitao ), Akebono is the fourth former Yokozuna to make the switch. Azuma-Fuji does not seem to have problems, but Wajima and Futahaguro gave the impression of “running away” into the pro-wrestling world, as they were involved in scandals at the time. This time, however, it was refreshing to note that Akebono had no trouble with the Nippon Sumo Kyokai, and was able to enter the K-1 arena with a completely clean slate. With this coup, event producer Sadaharu Tanigawa can count himself part of the elite group of top class event produces. 

Besides everything else, the Akebono bomb was dropped with perfect timing. Bob Sapp had come on the scene as a savior after the competitive matches with the Inoki-gun had come to an end. But Sapp’s popularity has recently been waning too. To be blunt, the Grand Prix opening matches at the Osaka Dome proved to be extremely unsatisfying and a lot of fans were probably worrying about the future of K-1. However, with the spark that Akebono has ignited, K-1 flame is now burning bright again with K-1 stories back in the pages of sports newspapers every day. The future of K-1 was said to be in danger after “that” incident earlier this year. I even feel a slight trepidation towards K-1`s tenacious vitality. 

However, a truly crucial stage still lies ahead for K-1. The Grand Prix is K-1`s main fighting event and the battle at the Tokyo Dome in December is the true main event. Ironically, talk about Akebono has directed attention away from the important Grand Prix event over the past two months. On the other hand, now it is time for K-1 to show its stubborn spirit and overcome any adverse conditions. 

This year’s theme is the changing of the generations. However, looking at the fighters competing, one comes away thinking that top fighters such as “four-time champ” Ernesto Hoost, Jerome LeBanner and Mark Hunt have mostly hurt themselves. In fact, right after the Osaka Dome tournament, there were questions as to whether Peter Graham was really qualified to enter the finals. The situation is unfortunate because although Graham’s opponent Same Greco was injured, Graham won his way through the tournament without breaking any rules. 

According to producer Tanigawa, during the match-pairing lottery, all the rival fighters appear to fight with Graham although it seemed to be lucky for them to fight with him. This was because everyone was expecting Graham to be replaced by Hoost right before the tournament began, I heard. “Yes, it was very funny,” producer Tanigawa laughs as if it had occurred to someone else. A producer using one of his fighters for news fodder is a somewhat questionable act. Graham himself has probably noticed the abnormal reaction around him and probably won`t feel completely certain until he is actually standing in the ring. Don`t give up Graham. 

But this is the Grand Prix, and even Graham, who everyone seems to doubt, has a chance of quickly winning the tournament. Let’s remember the Grand Prix that took place two years ago. In Fukuoka on October 8th, the winner of the final, Mark Hunt, lost to Ray Sefo in the first match of the final preliminary matches. However, Hunt filled in for an injured Sefo in the semi-finals. He ended up not only clinching the Fukuoka tournament but winning the Tokyo Dome final as well. Hunt was almost completely unknown before the Fukuoka tournament. But considering the fact that he knocked Banner out in the first match of the Grand Prix, his victory at Tokyo should not have been so surprising. The Grand Prix is the stage where unlikely fighters, whom fate has not yet decided to smile upon, can bust onto the scene. The competitors this year have been called unimpressive, but the actual level of fighting cannot be known until the event is actually over. Only Peter Aerts is a previous Champion, and there are no favorites. The lack of a clear favorite will probably have the affect of building up the excitement of the tournament fights. 

While the veterans have been running on the spot, Alexey Ignashov and Stefan Leko have been gaining strength. Ignashov who became talkative all of a sudden after his translator changed this year should especially be watched out for.

Ignashov has had the media in confusion with his incomprehensible statements and behavior. One minute he said “I arrived from Belarus on a plane with no fuel. I thought I was going to die.” The next minute he turns around and comes out with “Life is a momentary incident before birth and death” along with a deep sigh. He is truly the Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde of fighting sports. Criminals and geniuses usually display this sort of unpredictable personality. Ignashov does not appear to have a criminal record, so he probably belongs in the category of genius. If so, this surely explains his amazing feat of winning all three of his matches with knock-outs. 

If he is in healthy form, Ray Sefo, who has been sidelined due to injuries too many times over the last two years, should be within shooting distance of the championship.

Musashi, the bearer of the Japanese dream, also has a good chance. Let’s also look forward to some good fights from Remy Bonjasky and Cyril Abidi, who both grabbed victories from The Beast Bob Sapp. And of course, if he is able to enter the ring, we can`t forget our man Graham. 

Aside from the Grand Prix tournament, a fighter we should watch out for in the future is Francois Botha. Although Botha suffered a stunning disqualification defeat against Abidi, the rush during the match was definitely that of a world-boxing champion. Don’t judge Botha based on that one match. And above all, when Botha walked towards the ring with Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” playing in the background, he had a certain aura about him. Botha has publicly stated that his final goal is to enter the WWE. With the professional wrestling world watching him as well, Botha will surely bounce back. I have to take my hat off to the underlying strength of K-1 that manages to push Botha off center stage.

What surprises will next year hold? I won’t be surprised if producer Tanigawa gets carried away and following the “what’s going to happen next” course, announces his intention to run in the House of Councilors election.