Ouyang Feng made his comeback to K-1 after more than a year`s absence, which followed his withdrawal from the 2024 World MAX tournament due to injury. He faced Dutch-Indonesian fighter Darryl Verdonk, who had a strong recent record of 3-1, including wins over notable opponents like Hiromi Wajima, Zhora Akopyan, and Jomthong. Their fight was a true thriller, standing out as one of the best bouts of the year so far. The first round was particularly dramatic, with Ouyang scoring two knockdowns, only to be dropped himself once within the same round. A challenging war of attrition followed as Verdonk attempted to narrow Ouyang`s significant early lead. However, the initial knockdowns proved too difficult to overcome; Verdonk could only secure victory in one of the subsequent two rounds. Consequently, the Chinese star earned his fourteenth consecutive win and successfully defended his K-1 70kg title for the first time since winning it over eighteen months prior.
Following the match, Ouyang Feng expressed his openness to facing Kacper Muszynski and indicated his interest in participating in the K-1 World MAX tournament later in the year.
Rémi Parra Dominates Tournament
In late 2023, French fighter Rémi Parra surprised many K-1 observers by defeating the highly-ranked 61 kg kickboxer Leona Pettas, establishing his reputation in Japan. When K-1 announced a tournament for the vacant 60kg championship – a title previously held by Pettas before he vacated it – Parra was widely regarded as a top favorite to win.
The tournament unfolded with intense competition. Krush champion Tomoya Yokoyama exchanged knockdowns with ONE fighter Egor Bikrev, ultimately securing a knockout win with a body shot in an extra round. China`s Huang Shuailu comfortably defeated Enfusion`s Matthew Daalman over four rounds but suffered a jaw injury. Coincidentally, reserve fighter Leona Pettas also injured his hand. This situation led to Daalman facing Yokoyama in the semi-final despite carrying an injury. Yokoyama quickly dispatched the Dutchman, earning a first-round body shot knockout to advance to the final. On the other side of the bracket, Parra displayed impressive power, knocking out Yuta Matsuyama with a massive right hand in the first round, followed by a second-round knockout of Kyokushin stylist Chihiro Nakajima. This set up his showdown with Yokoyama in the final. In the championship bout, Yokoyama repeatedly found himself cornered, struggling to create distance or circle effectively, unlike Hirotaka Asahisa who had defeated Parra in 2024. Parra capitalized on this, delivering a scorching knockout blow to claim the K-1 Super Featherweight title. His victory was particularly impressive, featuring three knockout wins against Japanese opponents in a single night.
Parra`s win positions him near the top of the young 61kg division, which is currently in a transitional phase following Taiga Kawabe`s departure from kickboxing, Hirotaka Asahisa`s move to a higher weight class, and the end of Takeru Segawa`s prime. The absence of former K-1 Champion Yuki Egawa from the tournament for unknown reasons suggests he could be an intriguing future opponent for Parra.
Thian De Vries Secures Massive Comeback
Just one week before his scheduled bout against Thian De Vries, Liu Ce was forced to withdraw due to a broken nose. This resulted in him being stripped of his Cruiserweight title, and K-1 quickly arranged for former Champion Mahmoud Sattari to step in as a replacement opponent for De Vries.
The fight itself was short but explosive. The Iranian fighter, Sattari, surprisingly dropped Thian De Vries with an overhand punch just 30 seconds into the opening round. However, the Dutchman responded almost immediately, landing his own left cross seconds later to abruptly end the fight with a knockout. This victory extended De Vries`s undefeated record to 30-0, including 27 knockouts. His next step is uncertain; if he does not sign with GLORY Kickboxing in the near future, his first title defense is likely to be against Liu Ce.
Koji Ikeda Upsets Akihiro Kaneko
Since his third fight against Masashi Kumura in 2023, Akihiro Kaneko has shown signs of a perceived decline, exhibiting a more passive fighting style. Despite this, he was still considered a pound-for-pound ranked fighter and one of the most technically sound kickboxers in the world, having defeated every opponent he faced without fail for the previous three years. Therefore, when Krush title challenger Koji Ikeda knocked him down just 15 seconds into their fight, it caused a significant shock within the division. Kaneko struggled to initiate his offense effectively until the third round, by which point it was too late to recover.
Koji Ikeda entered this fight with a recent record of three losses in his last five bouts, including defeats to Krush Champion Riamu, RISE top contender Ryu Hanaoka, and a notable TKO loss to Lyra Nagasaka. As this bout was not for Kaneko`s K-1 55kg title, the possibility of a rematch remains open, offering Kaneko a chance at redemption.
Ellis Thorne