K-1 WORLD GP 2022 in Osaka [03-12] Results

[vampiro]

He was 214 pounds I think, and you're right about the physicality. He throws punches terribly, but it works (so far). He has some sharp kicks, and that also played into my pick as Yamashita was troubling Sina with the kicks. I believe Nakamura mentioned the possibility of a rematch between the two.

ABEMA has a YouTube channel, but a lot of their videos aren't showing up because of the location. However, I saw a link which took me a blocked Sattari vs. Latescu highlight video. It's at 1, 009, 312 views as of this comment. Their is a real appetite for foreign cruiserweights (or heavyweights) and Sattari fights. He has the most views on their channel from the 3/12 show. Regardless of the small fries he has beaten so far, and this big upset, he has that extra quality that any promotion would want. I still think he's heading off to MMA once his contract is up though. He has been doing some training with Roberto Satoshi and Kleber Koike in the past few months.

It's actually been nice to read Japanese blue checks, fans, and even fighters saying the fight reminded them of the K-1 they grew up watching. Tetsuya Yamato posted such a comment on his Twitter, and Ren Hiramoto also seemed to have some interest in the heavier fights. I hope K-1 can attract some half decent guys for that division.

[K1power]

The fights have made their way to K-1's YouTube channel, confirming the recent statement by Abema is limited to broadcasting (portions of) the K-1 cards live on YouTube.

[K1power]

I always like when these come out.

K-1 should hire someone to do subs for all their promo content.

[vampiro]

The size of these two is comical. I think the mistake Mahmoud referred to in his post fight interview was the positioning. It was both a forced and unforced error on his part. Latescu had some effective pressure, but Mahmoud put himself in danger a few too many times. The size disparity was clear in the power difference too. He couldn't gain Latescu's respect at all, which makes sense if you have seen Latescu's finish of the much larger Tevette and his knockdown of Frangis Goma, who I reckon would also make Mahmoud look small. K-1 fans are calling for a 80-85 kg division, but I think Mahmoud is actually a 77 kg fighter. I think he fought at that weight early in his career. I actually thought he did enough to win the first round, but their wasn't much in it.

Seconded on the subs for K-1 videos. I actually really like K-1's promo videos, and RISE is the only other company I think rivals them. RISE has them beat in the 4K camera work though. Mikuru Asakura, the brother of Mahmoud's friend Kai, has recently started adding subtitles to his YouTube videos. He started doing it in July, and it makes sense for his business venture (BREAKING DOWN) and in the build up to the Floyd Mayweather exhibition. Is it just stubbornness on K-1's part or laziness? They should consider it, especially as Latescu's win made Romanian television news.

[K1power]

J-Kick and J-MMA promo material > everything else. It's always been that way as far as I'm concerned. Generally speaking, the Japanese have a sense of style and way of editing that I really appreciate.

Aside from Eldar Gross doing some great stuff for Reem, Spong and Glory we haven't consistently seen good promo material for kickboxing in the west. It all tends to feel very LOUD FLASHING WORDS IN YOUR FACE which doesn't really work for me.

As for K-1's seeming reluctance of catering to international audiences, I'm not really sure what that's about. They started uploading fights with English commentary, but their website and all other promo materials are only available in Japanese. I don't think it's a money thing as certainly hiring a couple of English speaking commentators is more expensive than hiring a text-based translator.

Unfortunately, I suspect as long as there are (supposedly) rights issues with international broadcasting, they'll keep half-assing it when it comes to this aspect.