Andy Souwer (Holland, 148-14-1) vs. Yasuhiro Kido (Japan, 34-14-1)
Luke Irwin: Strange pairing here, as Kido might be the third-best kickboxer in the entire tournament and they’re pairing him with Souwer in the first trying to play into some notion of a rivalry. Could use Kido to space this tourney out a bit. Souwer via Decision.
Lucas Bourdon: Kido shouldn’t pose too many problems for Souwer. My pick: Souwer by KO.
Buakaw Banchamek (Thailand, 209-21-12) vs. David Calvo (Spain, 39-4-2)
Luke Irwin: A shame here because Calvo is a talented fighter, but, ya know…Buakaw. Bamchamek via Decision.
Lucas Bourdon: Buakaw has a tough fight ahead of him as Calvo is one of the most dangerous guys in the tournament. He’s a well rounded kickboxer that likes to use his height to land his beautiful knees. He’ll probably still lose as Buakaw is better than him at what he does well but the Thai might have to work more for this win than most expect. My pick: Buakaw by decision.
Shane Campbell (Canada, 60-8) vs. Wallace Lopes (Brazil, 26-5)
Luke Irwin: Campbell came back to kickboxing and Muay Thai just a year ago after a two-year MMA sabbatical and since then is on an undefeated tear. If Campbell commits to one or the other, he can really be a star. Campbell via Decision.
Lucas Bourdon: Wallace Lopes is a good technician that lacks the offensive firepower to keep opponents honest. Campbell isn’t exactly a power puncher himself but he should be able to get to Lopes. My pick: Campbell by decision.
Francois Alexande (France, 41-12-1) vs. Sung-Hyun Lee (Korea, 45-7-1)
Luke Irwin: Lee’s pedigree is a bit better, and even though he’s coming off of two losses in a row, he mowed down the K-1 Korea qualifiers and has dominated in RISE. Lee via Decision.
Lucas Bourdon: Lee Sung Hyung is a 22 year old pressure fighter with very good hands and great body left hooks who is at his best on the inside trading punches. Charles Francois is a southpaw who prefers to fight mostly with kicks on the outside. It’s a style that Lee struggled a bit with in the past but he’s a promising prospect and I’m picking him to take over late in the fight after slowing down Karlito with body work. Both guys are better suited for lighter weight divisions though and the winner might struggle with the bigger guys in the tournament. My pick: Lee Sung Hyung by decision.
Joey Pagliuso (United States, 15-3-2) vs. Zhi-Peng Zhou (China, 20-3)
Luke Irwin: Pagliuso had a harder road to get here and is riding some serious momentum after his K-1 qualifier. Pagliuso R3 TKO.
Lucas Bourdon: Neither of these guys is particularly impressive from a skills standpoint but they both make up for it with toughness. Pagliuso is a bit more refined and packs more power but Zheng is younger and seems more durable. Don’t expect a technical masterpiece or the winner to go far in the tournament but if it doesn’t get too sloppy this could be a very fun fight. My pick: Pagliuso by decision.
Maximo Suarez (Spain, 38-4) vs. Miodrag Olar (Romania, 25-10)
Luke Irwin: Tight bout; probably going to the judges. I’m going to take Olar, as he’ll probably land the bigger punches, albeit less than Suarez. Razor-thin decision. Olar via Decision.
Lucas Bourdon: These two guys are probably firmly in the middle of the pack in that tournament but their styles will likely produce fireworks. Both rely on pressure and volume striking to overwhelm their opponents and this should be another very fun fight. My pick: Miodrag Olar by decision.
Enriko Kehl (Germany, 44-4-1) vs. Henri Van Opstal (Holland, 24-9)
Luke Irwin: Kehl is my darkhorse to win the whole damned thing. Love what that kid brings in the ring. Absolutely fearless. Van Opstal is in serious trouble here. Kehl via R1 KO.
Lucas Bourdon: Van Opstal is a good fighter but I believe we’ve more or less seen the limits of how good he can be whereas Enriko Kehl is a very promising prospect and that tournament could be his coming out party. My pick: Enriko Kehl by decision.
Elam Ngor (Spain, 21-6-1) vs. Ismat Aghazade (Azerbaijan)
Luke Irwin: This was to be Mike Zambidis’s slot until he and his management had a bit of a, shall we say, falling out with K-1. Ngor was supposed to be Iron Mike chum, but now has the upper hand on Aghazade, whom I’m not entirely sure actually exists. Ngor via R2 TKO.
Lucas Bourdon: The only thing I know about Ismat Aghazade is that he’s from Azerbaijan and is coming in on like a week notice to replace Mike Zambidis. A complete unknown vs a moderately experienced fighter with a high finish ratio? Sounds like a good recipe for a KO. My pick: Elam Ngor by KO.
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