The History:

The 2002 GP seems to be the event that has most people perplexed. Back then, in the period of K-1 many of us would like to forget ever happened, Bob Sapp managed to stop Ernesto Hoost by technical-knockout (referee stoppage), breaking his hand in the process. It was a bitter-sweet moment for all real K-1 fans when it was announced that Sapp could not continue. While they were happy the revered title was safe from being lofted high by an ex-footballer, it also robbed them of the chance of watching Ray Sefo teach Sapp just how harsh the K-1 ring can be. (Some two years later Sefo did get his shot at Sapp and had him in tears, then down for the count, in the second round.) Instead, Hoost came back out to fight again, capitalizing on his next two opponents’ existing injuries and earning his coveted fourth GP title. He was stopped by Sapp, so he should not have been there, but there was no one else.

There was a reserve fight that night. It was Martin Holm vs. Michael McDonald. Holm defeated McDonald in an exceptionally tough battle during which he attacked with a complete disregard for his own safety, earning a majority decision. His shins were destroyed, and he moved backstage in a wheelchair. He had actually qualified to face Sefo, and try to earn his revenge (as Sefo qualified that year by beating Holm by majority decision at the Eliminations), but could not even stand to walk to the ring.

Coincidentally, Sefo was also carrying a severe lower-leg injury himself, and he lost the fight with Hoost after using the damaged leg to kick with by accident, and not being able to continue after he connected with it.

The next two GP’s saw many rules come into question, but the reserve fighter never became an issue as they were not utilized. However, in 2004 K-1 did introduce two reserve fights.

The 2005 GP marked the end of more or less all “fighters” that did not have some sort of legitimate fighting background. The introduction of some international judges put to rest the worries of hometown advantages that had come to light in previous years. It was also the first time LeBanner was back in the GP since 2002 when Mark Hunt broke, and then Hoost shattered his forearm. In short, everything was in place for a spectacular night of fights.

The reserve fighter rule at that time stated that they would replace the winner of a fight if the winner could not continue. The loser had no option to continue. A few fighters mentioned that they thought the loser of the fight (assuming he had not been knocked out) should be the man to advance, as after all, he had qualified for the GP while the reserve fight had failed to cement a spot there. It was not a major issue for anyone at the time though, as historically in the GP reserve fighters had never actually been used. Post-event, one fighter in particular had a lot to say about it.

The second block of the tournament that year was made up of Peter Aerts vs. Jerome LeBanner and Musashi vs. Ruslan Karaev. On paper it was obvious that the winner of Aerts vs. LeBanner would likely be fighting in the final, relatively unhurt. After three rounds of action, their fight was a unanimous draw. An extra round was called, and while it too was extremely close, Aerts had his arm raised. To say LeBanner was unhappy with the result would be like saying Akebono could afford to lose a kilogram or two. To rub salt into his still very open wound, Aerts dropped out with rib damage and LeBanner, though uninjured and fueled with anger to fight, was not allowed to continue in his place.

In his place Glaube Feitosa put on quite a show for the crowd. As the entree he served Gary Goodridge a front kick to the face that resulted in a front tooth bouncing on the canvas. The main course was a beautifully stylish flying knee that knocked out Musashi for the first time since LeBanner stopped the Japanese fighter back in the 2002 GP. By stopping Musashi he had become instantly loved the world over, and he would now get his chance at revenge against the man that beat him in the Eliminations to qualify for the GP. After such a performance it was tough to witness his meal cut short when Semmy Schilt mercilessly knocked him out in the first round of the final match to become the champion. History was made though, as a reserve fighter was one step away from being crowned. And it was not the last time it would happen.

Complaints about this rule were made by more than one fighter, and in 2006 FEG changed the rule back to ensure the loser, if not knocked out, would get the first option of advancing when and if the winner of a fight could not continue. Inadvertently, they may well have shot themselves in the foot by doing this.

Peter Aerts, the man that if not known as Mr. K-1 has unrivaled ownership of the moniker Mr. GP, had a scorching start to 2006. He overcame the reigning champion Semmy Schilt (albeit a dubious decision), tore Hiraku Hori apart and then defeated Gary Goodridge, before coming down with a virus and being unable to qualify for the GP. Holding a GP without Aerts would be like a bourbon-coke without the bourbon. Not a complete waste of time, but no where near what it could be. He was given a reserve fight, and faced Musashi.

The Lumberjack took less than a round to dispose of Musashi. Knowing his chances of fighting again that night were about as high as mine are of ever getting my hands on Angelina Jolie, he took his gloves off and kicked back to watch the event unfold. Just two minutes before his own entrance music started playing, an official ran to his dressing room and told him to get ready. After Remy had taken so many low-blows that I was getting dizzy watching, the doctor refused to clear him to progress to his next fight. Leko, the man responsible for said low-blows, was very sick with a virus that had robbed him of both his stamina and a few kilograms. Before Remy had even been forced to drop out I asked Leko if he could go on if Remy could not, but he made it clear he was done, and that he just had no more energy left. Aerts was officially back in the GP.

He faced Glaube in a battle they both looked surprised to be fighting. Glaube too had no idea that Aerts would be his opponent until he was getting ready to walk out. He was the first to settle down though, and he managed to get Aerts in trouble with a Brazilian high kick that had the Dutch fighter rocked. Aerts, the more experienced of the two, pulled himself together between rounds and stopped Glaube in the second.

For the second time in two years, the reserve fighter made it all the way to the finals. And for the second year, Semmy would be facing that reserve fighter. This was an epic fight. I suspect Semmy dearly wanted to erase the memory of their last meeting from the minds of all, but no more than Aerts wanted to even the number of titles held with his old rival Hoost (4). Aerts threw absolutely everything he had at Semmy, but it was not enough. Had he been training for three fights instead of just one, and had he not been recovering from his illness he might have had a little more to offer. In the end, Semmy got one step closer to equaling Aerts’ number of championships (3), and breaking a handful of other records to boot.

2007:

This year, unless there are any last minute changes made during the rule meeting which is to take place after the press conference on December 7th, the rule is this.
In the event the winner of a quarter-final fight cannot continue, the loser of that fight is given priority to continue. If the loser lost via knockout or technical-knockout, or has some other injury stopping him from continuing, the winner of reserve fight #1 shall advance. In the very unlikely event that both the winner of the semi-final and the winner of reserve fight #1 cannot advance, the winner of reserve fight #2 gets his chance.

The Fights:

As has been the case for the last couple of years, there are two reserve fights at the 2007 GP. Both of them offer match ups that will be exciting, and both are likely to produce a stoppage win for one of the athletes. Paying little attention to these fights would be a oversight. The probability of one of them making into the GP is just too high.

Reserve Fight #1: Mighty Mo vs. Chalid “Die Faust” Arrab

I believe Mo has had more professional fights this year than any fighter on the planet. This fight will be his tenth of the year for FEG, fighting both K-1 and HERO’s rules. Chalid on the other hand has just one. That one fight, despite the fact he lost, was as exhilarating as a handful of the latter half of Mo’s fights this year have been.

Mo began the year as the Korean Killer. After knocking out Choi Hong-man (and being the first man to even knock the giant down), he then went on to knock out his next five opponents in quick succession. The first three of which were Koreans, setting things up nicely for a revenge fight against Choi in the Elimination that were conveniently held in South Korea.

Whether he was suffering burnout, or just suffering as the vast majority of fighters do when facing Semmy Schilt, his fight in Holland against the two-time GP and reigning Super-Heavyweight champion was the turning point for Mo’s year. He lost that fight quite clearly, and had no answers for Semmy’s movement and front kicks. He wound up looking inadequate. He then dropped a decision to Leko in front of his family in Las Vegas, in a fight where he single-mindedly looked for the massive knockout while Leko intelligently used the ring and continued scoring points. Finally, his GP dreams came to an end in Korea when he lost a close, and slightly fishy decision to home-town hero Choi.

Chalid is a very unique person. To start with, he is wealthy. Very wealthy. As in, stinking bloody rich. He was questioned about this at length once while I was present and said he was lucky enough to be in a position where he could retire today (this was last year) and still live very comfortably for the rest of his life. He fights purely for the love of it. Not many fighters can go into the ring wanting to do the best they can for the sole purpose of seeing how far they can go, and to what level they can push themselves. Fighting only for themselves. He is also extremely polite, well spoken, has time for any fans and seems to have a decent sense of humor. Well, after asking Musashi if he could have his shoes at last years Eliminations I hope he was joking anyway. (shoes can be seen here.) The only thing I can fault him on is that he does not touch alcohol, though perhaps that is more my issue than his.

Excluding his recent marriage, Chalid has been a little unlucky recently. In the very first round of his fight against Hoost at last years’ GP he broke his hand. It seems to be something of a habit as he also broke it earlier in the year in another fight. He was then set to fight in the Yokohama Arena (same location as this GP) in March this year, but came down with a very high fever and was replaced at the last minute. In August he was set to face Mo in Las Vegas but when he arrived at the airport with just one month left on his passport Uncle Sam said no way, and he was replaced by Leko.

So, with almost a years worth of pent up anger (again, nothing to do with his recent marriage) he made his way to Korea to face Glaube. He was perhaps a little too eager, and had a touch of ring-rust. Glaube had him on his back in the first round with a knee, and later dropped him with a jab. Chalid let out a yell to pump himself up though, and just kept going forward. To his credit he landed more than one clean shot, and in the latter half of the fight he had Glaube covering up and defending more than attacking. The combination of his never-say-die (no pun intended) attitude and Glaube’s technique made it the fight of the night without a doubt. Rumors started that very night that Chalid would be rewarded for his performance by being asked to the GP as a reserve fighter.

This fight really is intriguing as Mo only needs to land one big overhand right to end it, while Chalid has all the skills needed to use the ring, low kick and out-box the much bigger and less nimble fighter. Mo can be hurt, as Aleksandr Pitchkounov showed in Hawaii this year with a dazzling kick that almost took Mo’s head clean off. I suspect that head is extraordinarily hard though, as he got to his feet and continued the fight. As mentioned, Chalid doesn’t seem to have the strongest hands.

Everybody knows what Mo is coming to do, so the key here lies in Chalid’s mindset. As a man that likes to test himself, Chalid rarely takes a step back or fights defensively. He seems to thrive on standing toe-to-toe with opponents, throwing down. That is a luxury he simply cannot afford to do with a man with the power that Mo wields in his hands. But it is a temptation I don’t think Chalid will be able to resist. Ultimately, I believe it will be his undoing in this fight. Mo via knockout.

Reserve Fight #2: Ray Sefo vs. Paul Slowinski

Here we have the New Zealander fighting out of Japan and America facing the Polish-Australian fighting out of Holland. Forget the World Grand Prix, as between the two of them, these guys have all corners of the globe covered. So, which one of these fighters will be taking the trophy home? And, erm…where exactly will they be taking it?

At last years GP Sefo was set to face the biggest giant on the circit, Choi Hong-man. The Korean dropped out, reportedly with an injury requiring surgery (though he then fought just four weeks later) and was replaced by the feisty Melvin Manhoef. Sefo took just forty seconds to ruin Melvin’s post-fight party plans. He then finally got the match he had been asking for. A chance to get his revenge over Semmy Schilt.

He was stronger, fitter and more “in the zone” for this fight than I have ever seen him before. In the first round he executed the perfect game plan and was rewarded with a knock down on the bell. The first time Semmy had experienced such a thing in K-1. The giant Dutchman showed why he is the champion in round two though. Sefo made one mistake, and that’s all it takes when facing Semmy.

His next fight was against Bregy. On paper this was a no-brainer, but to Bregy’s credit he went in there with a plan to win, and he didn’t seem to care who fell asleep in the process. In the end, it was a very close fight that I suspect would have gone Sefo’s way had it have been fought in Japan where the judge’s award aggression, but the Nevada judges gave it to Bregy.

At the Eliminations he was struck down by a virus and needed to be woken up by team mates just to catch the bus to the arena. He fought against Peter Aerts, and was clearly very far from his usual self. After the first round Sefo doubled over and began vomiting in his corner. The towel was thrown in. What was not shown on the television broadcast was Sefo apologizing to the crowd, and promising them a great fight next time.

Early in the year Paul made the move to Holland where he trains with Patrick Barry, Jerrel Venetiaan etc. as part of Team Mr. Perfect, headed by Mr. Perfect himself, Ernesto Hoost.

With Hoost in his corner, Paul managed to slice through his opposition in Holland, pasting three fighters in just a touch over 10 minutes. He stopped Hiromi Amada and Zabit Samedov with his trademark low kicks, and then knocked Bregy senseless with his hands.

Then he met Semmy. By request. At the Eliminations. I am not sure how smart a move that was, but Hoost was very confident that Paul would come out on top, and indeed he seemed to have a good plan in mind. He was landing some strikes but Semmy cut his night short in a very dramatic way. Paul ducked right into a knee from Semmy and went down. He somehow managed to get to his feet, but thankfully the referee called the fight off as it really was a case of the lights being on with no one at home.

So we have one man famous for knocking out a large percentage of his opponents by punches, that is quick on his feet and has mountains of power. And another man known for stopping a lot of his opponents by low kicks, that is out to prove he deserves to be there, and kicks like a mule. The big difference here is experience.

As mentioned all over the net, Sefo has never gone an entire year without a win. He now has three loses in a row which is a first in his career, and something I suspect he is not very happy about. This will be his 50th fight in K-1. A lot of people have tried stopping him with low kicks over the years and very few have come even close to being successful. None in recent years, and he has faced all the greats. He will be hungry, motivated and ready.

Paul has been looking good lately, but he has lost all the fights he has had to anyone near the top ten in K-1. His hands have been improving, but he is still getting tagged by lesser boxers than Sefo. He could well try to stick-and-move (low kick-and-move) his way to victory, but it takes a significantly higher number of low kicks to stop someone than it does solid punches, and while getting in and out of range his head will be in Sefo’s danger-zone. He doesn’t have the luxury of his being twenty or thirty centimeters taller than Sefo can comfortably reach either, so the stick-and-move game is far more hazardous than it was when Bregy played it.

Unless some freak injury plays a part, I see no way that Paul can stop Sefo with low kicks inside of three rounds. None at all. What I can see is him focusing on those low kicks so much that he gets clipped by a punch he doesn’t see coming. A punch that will be followed up by a flurry. A flurry powered by a years worth of frustration. Ray Sefo by stoppage.

Don't forget, if you want to try your hand at predicting the winner and possibly win some gear from Jerome LeBanner/K-1 in the process then click here.

Also, if you live in Australia you can watch this event live. See here for details: www.mainevent.com.au

Canadians too can tune in live: www.thefightnetwork.com