Jerome LeBanner vs. Hong Man Choi

Semmy Schilt vs. Glaube Feitosa

Remy Bonjasky vs. Badr Hari

Peter Aerts vs. Junuchi Sawayashiki

Jerome LeBanner vs. Hong Man Choi

The most improved fighter in this years class is Choi. He once was seen in the class of Akebono and Bob Sapp. He was a big, skill-less giant who no one wanted to see. Yet he has shown improvement with every fight, and has even gotten something like an edged to him in the process. After getting KO'd in highlight reel fashion by Mighty Mo, he asked for a rematch and found a kind of success in the second meeting with Mo (a controversial decision after a poor call from the ref.) He was good at holding his distance in the first meeting with Lebanner, and even took it to an extra round that some people felt he may have won. In no way should anyone think that Choi isn't game.

Lebanner has one thing going for him in every WGP; Hunger! He wants this title more than anything. In 2002 he was undefeated, and he stopped every opponent but one. After winning 2 rounds against the then 3-time Champion, Hoost he got seriously injured 77 seconds away from his moment in the spotlight, and his year. Since then he has continued to have bad luck, fighting hurt and getting weird decisions against him. He has the eraser in both hands though, and was able to turn it up and win the first meeting between these two, and qualify for this second fight with a KO reminiscent of his old days..

Prediction: LeBanner by decision

Semmy Schilt vs. Glaube Feitosa

Semmy is the unchallenged king of K-1. He has won 2 titles in a row, and he has run through the who's who of K-1 in the process. LeBanner, Hoost, Remy, Aerts, and Sefo. He beat three title holders. He is truly amazing with his range and his power. Unfortunately he is boring. He is not a very exciting fighter, nor is he very charismatic. This only effects the legend, but not the result. He wins despite the lack of love from the crowd, and this year he looks to do it again with an unprecedented 3 straight titles.

Glaube has all the tools he needs. His boxing was a weakness once upon a time, and then he built it up to be one of his strengths. He uses his knees very effectively, and he has a kick that only one guy managed to not get hit by(Bonjasky). The only problem is that he has yet to beat an elite fighter. Brazilian kick or not, he has come up short against Remy, Schilt twice, Aerts, and Hoost. His next step is simply to get over the hump and turn that talent into wins. The thing that makes it tough is he has to do it against the best fighter in the world right now, and a man that has beaten him twice.

Prediction: Schilt by stoppage in round 2

Remy Bonjasky vs. Badr Hari

This is the most exciting fight of the opening round by far. Hari is the truth. He has so much talent and natural fighting ability. He looks to finish every fight and is young and cocky enough to think that he actually can finish every guy. He is the reigning -100kg title holder, and he finished both guys on the way to that title. The only question mark is the fact the 22-year-old has yet to fight, let alone win against, an elite fighter. Leko is a good fighter, but he really hasn't had an elite run in his K-1 career. Hari has the potential to face three if he can get by the 2-time Champion.

Bonjasky is back. He has a home gym finally, and the distractions are behind him. Getting with Hippolyte has improved his defense, and returned him to his active work rate days when he was a dominate K-1 fighter. He looked like a man on a mission in the Leko fight, and he wasn't even close to being in danger against Glaube when he out pointed him in Hawaii. The biggest advantage that Remy brings into this fight is that he is undefeated in extra rounds, and he has an amazing ability to win the third round. He turns it up just enough, and he keeps himself from taking big shots. I think that is the difference this time.

Prediction: Bonjasky by decision in extra round

Peter Aerts vs. Junuchi Sawayashiki

There is no greater story in K-1 this year than Junuchi. He burst on the seen with a huge win over Jerome LeBanner. A fight in which he dropped him twice. Then FEG doesthe correct thing, and gets him a few more wins to keep his confidence up and add to his marketability. The only mistake I think they made is they put him in this WGP. I would have liked to have seen him develop a little more before taking such a big step. Never the less, he brings in a great counter punching game. He can catch and drop guys if he gets your timing down. Fujimoto was in no way a solid look at what he is going to see on the world’s biggest stage. Junuchi is going to have to work that counter punching ability and look to catch Aerts.

Peter is arguably the best kickboxer of all time. He is experienced and he has an amazing work ethic. He comes to every fight with the same game plan and no one can stop it. He still has KO power in every limb and is still exciting at this stage in his career. He chose to fight Junuchi because he was the least experienced of the group, and he was right too. There is little doubt that he will manage to stop the up-and-comer.

Prediction: Aerts by stoppage in round 2

The Reserve fights:

Reserve Fight 1: Mighty Mo vs. Chalid Die Faust

The best fight of the eliminations was partly due to the heart that was shown by Chalid in his loss to Glaube. He brought it for nine minutes and though he wasn't landing a lot of flush shots, he was throwing punches throughout the fight. And he got up right away from both downs. He is a tough fighter, but it is tough to tell how good he is yet.

When you say Mo, you know what you are getting. He opened the year with a big win over Choi. He KO'd the giant in highlight-reel fashion earlier in the year. He then followed that up with three straight losses, one of those being to the aforementioned Choi. He was beaten in every round against Schilt, and looked as though he would never be one of the elite. He is still a very active fighter that FEG likes a lot. In this match up he has got a fighter that is custom made for him. If Chalid was dropped exchanging with Goodridge, then he will be in worse shape exchanging with Mo.

Prediction: Mighty Mo by stoppage in round 1

Reserve Fight 2: Ray Sefo vs. Poul Slowinski

Slowinski is a fighter that seems to be in the same position as the likes of Glaube Feitosa. He is still looking for the big time win. Sefo would be that guy if he can pull it off. Sefo has always been durable as a fighter, so stopping him is something that is tough for any fighter. However Slowinski has the style to out point the smaller man.

Sefo is going to be a hurricane in this fight. He will be more ready for this fight than any other fight this year. He has never had a win-less fight year in his career, and this will be no different. He will be ready and he will be letting his hands go.

Prediction: Sefo by stoppage in round 2

Don't forget, anyone interested can try their hand at making predictions, and win some gear from Jerome LeBanner in the process here.