As this weekend approaches, we can step back and analyse the events of the previous one, with the benefit of retrospect. Sifting through the rubble of the aftermath is always enjoyable for fight aficionados, so I thought I’d indulge. Saturday 11th treated the more versatile fight fans among us with the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010, and then UFC 124 – a card that suffered in comparison due to the WGP being impossible to top!
Priorities…we all have them. Mine have K-1 set far and away above the UFC, so that’s what my attention will focus on for this entry of The Fletch Blog, first and foremost. This year’s installment of the prestigious stand-up fighting tournament in the world was blighted by the absence of former 3x champion Remy Bonjasky, and the man who lost in the previous two finals of the tournament, Badr Hari. But regardless, nothing can be taken away from the winner of the Grand Prix, under no circumstances other than forfeits (Hoost losing to Sapp, re-entering and winning the 2002 Final was a black eye, if you ask me). Beyond that, GP victory makes the winner the #1 ranked stand-up fighter in the world.
And that man, as it stands, is The Reem.
The fight of the night was between the two men who opened eyes at the final 16: Daniel Ghita and Gokhan Saki. The 6’5 Ghita brought an array of punishing kicks and the size and speed to threaten a surprise tournament win, but was hampered by a groin injury. Saki brought his own crisp kicking skills, an edge in speed and a distinct superiority in pugilistic prowess. What followed was a war of attrition, and one of the best thai-boxing fights of the year.
By the way, beyond the kicks, Saki tagged Ghita with several punches, displaying his superiority in the art of boxing – just as I called on IFI, in preview. Not to toot my own horn, but uh…honk honk.
It was inevitable – especially given the extra round – that the winner of that fight had essentially destroyed their slim chances of winning the tournament, with Overeem or Spong to face in the semi, and either 3x champ Aerts or 4x champ Schilt in the final. And Reem duly sparked the victor – his teammate Saki – in the semi-final, striking the game but damaged Turk in the ribcage that had been previously tenderised by the kicks of Ghita.
Reem’s own passage to the final wasn’t rosy – his former sparring partner, the comparatively undersized Tyrone Spong, turned up the pressure for a full minute, forcing the big man onto the backfoot with tight guard; throwing teeps and hooks, and even landing a spinning back kick to the head, that was bizarrely ruled a slip – Reem is lucky that Spong followed him to the canvas.
Regardless, Reem soon turned up the pressure, bullied him using the now illegalised clinch, and landed hooks methodically to the head. It was the kind of fight that reflects well on both winner and loser; Spong would be – much like Manhoef, Leko and perhaps even Saki – a light-heavyweight were there proper weight classes in K-1, and there is much pride to be taken in the way he went down to the Reem.
It would not be the performance of the tournament, however. That would have to go to the man who proved once more that if he is not the Greatest Of All Time in K-1, then there certainly aren’t any others beyond Hoost and Schilt that can surpass him. The Dutch Lumberjack, the man with 3 World Grand Prix wins in the 1990′s, and the man with perhaps the best win/loss record and resumé in terms of top ranked wins out of ANYONE to have ever competed in K-1 – MR K-1 himself, Peter Aerts.
He did it. He showed that he is nothing short of a legend, and a warrior.
After blitzing through the powerful but limited Might Mo, he drew one of the only two contenders he has for K-1 GOAT status: Semmy “High Tower” Schilt. Now, if these guys are almost tied on Grand Prix wins, that’s about where the parity ends – Semmy is an inch shy of seven feet tall, and has won four of the last five WGP tournaments. He’s also the reigning K-1 Super Heavyweight divisional champion. Aerts, on the other hand, hadn’t won a Grand Prix since 1998 – twelve years prior.
But after three rounds of backing Schilt up, evading the death-jab and getting within range and through Semmy’s monstrous reach, Aerts finished with a flurry and held his hands aloft in the triumph and glory of victory. Judge one: draw. I spat milk. Judge two: Aertsuhhh. Judge three: ditto, and we’d witnessed the miracle. The old champ had usurped the new.
Reem had a relatively easy semi-final, launching kicks into Saki’s body until he could take no more, and, as such, the final went as expected. During the preceding filler, there were heavy rumours that Aerts may have been pulled from the tournament, but to his credit he went out there like the man he is, and took the pummeling that a formidable Reem was inevitably going to administer to him.
Regardless of absentees, and the injuries of semi-finalists and runners-up, Reem’s victory and dominance is no less legitimate. The man has already beaten Badr Hari, and was arguably robbed of a win over Remy Bonjasky – the two major candidates that detractors will use to discredit his win. So…throw that theory out of the window. The other train of negative thought will consist of the transparent, vapid fact that Reem did beat the reigning champ to claim his spot, his teammate Semmy Schilt. Well, the fact is that Semmy was in the same tournament, on the same night, and he failed to make it to the final!
Outside of the tournament, Golden Glory did not do so well. In fact, they must be IMMENSELY relieved that Reem won the final – if not, it would have been the most disastrous night for one single fight camp in the history of the sport. Saki and – perhaps more noteworthy – Schilt, failed to reach the final, let alone win the title, and GG members Errol Zimmerman and Sergei Kharitonov both lost non-tournament bouts on the same night. With the white and golden K-1 World Grand Prix title heading back with them to Holland, however, history will look kindly upon the camp and cite this night as yet another on which they strove for glory, and attained it.
Summary of the aftermath – what next:
The Reem
The sky is the limit. In MMA, he is officially top 10 ranked, and is likely to get a shot at the vacant Dream Heavyweight title. He will next defend his Strikeforce title sometime in early 2011, and it will probably be against fellow top 10 competition.
In K-1? A rubber match to settle the score with Badr Hari is a must. If K-1 royalty Remy Bonjasky has not retired due to his eye problems, that would certainly be an intriguing rematch. And while it is unlikely Reem could get down to 100kg (roughly 220lbs) these days, in order to challenge K-1 heavyweight division champion Kyotaro, the anticipated fight with Schilt could go down, with High Tower’s Super Heavyweight title on the line.
Peter Aerts
Sadly, this could be it…but if this is the Lumberjack’s last stand, then what a damn fine last stand this was. Spartan!
Last year’s tournament was the first in K-1 history that Aerts had no qualified for the GP, and it looked like the end. He defied the odds this year. Don’t bet against him qualifying for the Final 8 next year.
Gokhan Saki
Like Sakuraba in the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix 2000, Saki won the hearts of the fans without actually winning. His quarter-final win over Ghita was a war, and then he put up a brave show against Reem despite injuries. As Ali G would say, restecp. Yes…restecp.
Semmy Schilt
He is human. Four World Grand Prix wins out of five, and the only time he didn’t win was due to a questionable decision in the Final 16 against – ironically enough – Peter Aerts. He rebounded the following year by winning the tourney. But now, an obvious challenger not named Remy or Badr has emerged, and he has bad intentions. And it’s his teammate.
Semmy vs Reem needs to happen – Aerts’ third victory over Schilt (who has only lost to three other men) may have provided us with a fairytale, but it deprived us of the dream final. Sem is still the K-1 Super Heavyweight champ – and that provides a nice backdrop to this surefire main event.
Mighty Mo
Who knows? Probably the odd super-fight in K-1, and the odd MMA rules fight in Dream. With his disgusting punching power and underrated takedown defence, it’s a shame he didn’t get into MMA sooner.
Daniel Ghita
He will be back. We don’t know how much of a factor the reported groin injury was in his first round fight with Saki, but Ghita was an outsiders tip to win the tourney. Only Schilto and The Reem were favoured over him.
He is one for the future, without a doubt. Once his boxing improves to the level that his kicks are at, he’ll be damn near unstoppable.
Tyrone Spong
Spong almost shocked the world, roughing Reem up and nearly halting him at the first hurdle. Of course, he is still the It’s Showtime 95 MAX World champion (95kg or – one division under heavyweight, thus “cruiserweight” in boxing terms”) and as such he will likely continue to make title defences in the world’s “other” stand up fighting super-org, and establish himself as the premier fighter at his weight.
Kyotaro
Still the K-1 Heavyweight champion. As daft as it sounds, there is only 10lbs difference between the K-1 Heavyweight and It’s Showtime 95MAX or ‘Cruiserweight’ world titles. It would be interesting to see Kyotaro face Spong, as the two champions at that similar weight for the two most prominent Thai kickboxing organisations in the world. At a catchweight of 215lbs, directly between the two – why not?
What an event it was, as ever.
It was emotional
Fletch
