K-1

[BadgerFu57]

Do any kickboxers in K-1 have background in Karate, TKD, or Kung Fu? It seems that MT is the form of kicking that gets the most praise, but I was just wondering what the stats say.

[gregimotis]

I am wondering the same thing. Those guys look like Thai boxers minus the elbows to me.

Anyone?

[JP Prideaux]

here's the heavyweights. Couldnt be bothered about the middleweights at this point.

Kyokushin Karate - Andy Hug (RIP), Sam Greco (retired), Francisco Filho, Ryuita Noji, Jean Riviere (retired), John Kliejn (retired), Nicolas Pettas (retired), Peter Graham, Andrew Peck, Semmy Schilt, Glaube Feitosa.

Seido Karate - Musashi, Masaaki Satake (retired), Nobuaki Kakuda (retired), Petar Majestaroric, Xhavit Bajrami, Tsuyoshi Nakasako, Shingo Koyasu.

Taekwondo - Peirre Guinette. Most other genuine Korean Taekwondo fighters had only one appearance in K-1 and got KOed and never returned. Interestingly enough Peter Aerts and Michael MacDonald both had TKD training when they were younger.

Kungfu - An Hu (retired i think)

[seeker]

Didn't Andy Hug do Shotokan karate also???

[Silent Giant]

I didn't know that Sam Greco retired.

[JP Prideaux]

Andy fought a Shotokan match against Matsui. Thats all i know about him and Shotokan. Maybe he started on it when he was younger. He got into Kyokushin and then later 'defected' to Seido (Greco did the same) where he remained.

Greco had to retire cos he had accumulated too many injuries during his career. Pity - he was the most agressive fighter ever in K-1.

Oh and add Michael Thompson to the list of Kyokushin fighters. A friend of mine (also a Kyokushin champ) fought a few times in the K-1 Africa on the undercard.

[BadgerFu57]

Thanks. I was curious because I have done some TKD, but quit because I thought it was bunk (not just style but the method of teaching) and was trying to decide whether to pick up TKD or just wait until wrestling is over and kickbox. I don't have a MT gym round here but there is a kickboxing gym and the owner is supposed to be really good. Scott "Conan" Mincey is his name....

How come the TKD guys, who are supposed to be masters at kicking, can't even win kickboxing? I took it to improve my striking (I do BJJ and wrestling) and I don't feel like I learned much. They have lots of techniques eg. chops, backfists, ridgehands.... but a boxer with 4-5 techniques who has mastered them is much more deadly than a fighter with 15 techniques who can't use a single one. The green belts couldn't even throw a decent cross at the TKD school I went to. And they still haven't learnt a hook or uppercut.