10. Branco Cikatic vs. Ernesto Hoost: 12/10/94

Both fighters were able to neutralize the other's attacks in the first round and at the beginning of the second, but Branco is the type of fighter that maximizes his striking ability; everything he throws has power behind it, with the intention of knocking his opponent out. Hoost found this out first hand in the second round as he fell victim to an overhand right from Branco. This match was Branco's last in K-1 until 3/97, and it was also the rematch from the '93 finals, where, coincidentally, the outcome was the same: with a right hand from Branco ending it.

9. Sam Greco vs. Masaaki Satake: 12/10/94

Greco came out swinging from the sound of the bell and never gave Satake a chance to get into his groove. Fast paced, exciting fight that saw Satake dropped twice in the first before finally going down for good in the second. Satake has always had a track record of doing poorly against overly aggressive opponents and has shown mediocre recovering ability after being knocked down in fights, both of which he displayed here. Nevertheless, he showed great heart and in some cases, that's all that matters.

8. Ernesto Hoost vs. Masaaki Satake: 3/4/94

Satake did well enough in the first round, not letting Hoost unleash with combos like he usually does against opponents with less skill than Satake. Usually one of two things happen with Satake against high caliber opponents: He gets overwhelmed in the early rounds and never recovers or he hangs tough for two or three rounds before succumbing to a KO punch or a kick, the latter being the case in this fight as Hoost threw a left high midway through the second to put him down for the count.

7. Branco Cikatic vs. Masaaki Satake: 4/30/93

What is this, three Satake matches in a row? All joking aside, Satake avoided Branco's strikes for two and a half rounds, but got caught with a single punch in the third, and with Branco that's usually all it takes. Satake would essentially use the same game plan a year later in the rematch with more offense, resulting in (IMO) the biggest win of his career.

6. Peter Aerts vs. Rob Van Esdonk: 4/30/94

Fast paced first round as Van Esdonk surprisingly downed Aerts with punches in the first before Aerts began to come around towards the end of the round. Second and third round was essentially Aerts throwing an assortment of punches, kicks, and knees at a gassed Van Esdonk, who hovered near the ropes for the duration of the fight. This was fun because Aerts threw a lot of stuff that you would never see him throw in later years; back fists, spin-kicks, etc. The match ended in a highlight reel KO by Aerts, who threw a right high kick that connected squarely on Van Esdonk's jaw, resulting in one of the more spectacular KO's in K-1 history.

5. Ernesto Hoost vs. Maurice Smith: 4/30/93

This match may not appeal to the casual fan, but students of the game can learn a lot from watching two fighters such as Hoost and Mo go at it. Their defense is superb and their offense is crisp and accurate with no wasted shots. Usually in matches like these, the winner is decided by one big shot or flurry and that was the case here, as Ernesto caught Mo with a left high kick out of nowhere in the third, earning Hoost a trip to the finals against Branco.

4. Ernesto Hoost vs. Peter Aerts: 4/30/93

It's always a treat to watch these two fight because the skill level is on a whole other plain and their matches are always very close. A step up from the Hoost and Maurice Smith match because the defense and offense is just as good, but the tempo is set a level higher. You really can't expect less from the two best in the sport. In this particular fight, Hoost out pointed Aerts on his way to a victory, but as usual in their fights, it could have gone either way. I found this the closest of their three fights and actually felt Aerts deserved the win, but Hoost has this way of scoring "judge's" points that the viewer may not catch but the judges will. Excellent fight.

3. Mike Bernardo vs. Andy Hug: 3/3/95

The first in a series of matches between these rivals, and Bernardo's debut in K-1. Andy actually gained the upper hand at the beginning of the fight, downing Mike with a punch in the first and stirring the crowd up. Mike came out for the second round motivated and with renewed confidence as he started to muscle Andy around and connect with some solid punches. The third really saw Mike open up, as he downed Andy with a right body kick followed by a massive left hook. Andy got up but Mike responded by backing him into the corner and unleashing some powerful punches to an already groggy Andy, resulting in a standing eight count. The fight should probably have been stopped, but Kakuda lets it continue and at this point Mike really unloads with a flurry of thirty or so punches, and Kakuda mercifully ends it, as Mike celebrates his trip to the Grand Prix in front of a shocked audience.

2. Andy Hug vs. Branco Cikatic: 3/4/94

Branco was able to exploit Andy's comparatively poor boxing skills at the start of the fight, even giving Andy a standing eight count in the first. However as the match progressed Andy started to utilize his array of flashy spins and kicks, not necessarily hurting Branco, but allowing him to close the distance without eating one of those feared right hands. This marked the turning point in the fight as Andy surprisingly handed Branco a standing eight count in the third round. You could tell Branco was frustrated and starting to gas as Andy kept utilizing his kicks to close the distance and connect with strikes well into the fifth round, as both men were nearing exhaustion. Andy wins the unanimous decision in a tremendous bout.

1. Peter Aerts vs. Ernesto Hoost: 5/4/95

This match was very close, needing an extra round to finally award Aerts the decision and the satisfaction of avenging his two previous losses to Hoost. Highlight was the trading of high kicks in the first, as both connected with kicks to the other's jaw really whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The key for Aerts here was to utilize the lessons learned in their last fight and score, while not necessarily looking for the big KO. It worked, as he probably did enough to win in regulation, if not for Hoost's uncanny ability to make matches seem closer than they appear to be, and Aerts did more than enough to win in the extra round, keeping Hoost on his back foot and scoring almost at will. Excellent fight.

Thanks for reading, as K-1’s talent pool increased so did the match quality, so look out for part two; 6/95 to 12/96.

Sayonara.