K-1

Biography

K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion, founded and based in Tokyo. It is owned and operated by M-1 Sports Media Co, Ltd. It was established in 1993 by martial artist Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the world. The organization was known for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. K-1 also promoted mixed martial arts events, with some events having both kickboxing and MMA matches on their cards (such as their Dynamite!! series). The promotion has also held several tournaments under K-2 and K-3 banners from 1993 to 1995. The letter K in K-1 is officially designated as a representation of words karate, kickboxing and kung fu. Nevertheless, some reports suggest that it represents the initial K found in competing disciplines such as karate, kickboxing, kung fu, kempo, kakutougi (the generic Japanese term for "combat sports"), and taekwondo. Another theory claims that the K simply comes from kakutougi and the "1" component pertains to the single weight division (in earlier competition) and the champion's unique position. K-1 has its own unique ruleset different from other styles of Kickboxing. Because it has become so popular, K-1 is also seen as its own style of kickboxing and sometimes is erroneously considered as a standalone martial art/combat sport. Kickboxing governing bodies such as the ISKA and WKN have also crowned their own "K-1 rules" champions. FEG would later face financial issues in the 2010s, and eventually went bankrupt in 2012. That same year, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired the rights to K-1. In 2023, global rights to the K-1 brand were acquired by M-1 Sports Media.

Bio from Wikipedia