(Go: >> BACK << -|- >> HOME <<)

Home
Feature
The Small Print
Faces & Places
The Goods
Travel
Tech Know
Sports
Cars & Bikes
Arts & Entertainment
Music
Japan Beat
Clubbing
Art
Stage
Books
The Agenda
Listings
TV
Movies
Dining Out
Sake
Wine
Tastemaker
Table Talk
Local Flavors
International Dining
Restaurant Review
Bar Review
Classifieds
Jobfinder
Horoscope
Mailbox
The Last Word
Photo of the Week
Archive
About Us
Subscribe
Search
Distribution Points

 

bar news and views
bar news and views
 GAME PLAN

Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.



Tokyo Metropolis League

705: AIG Japan Open
703: And1 Mixtape Tour 2007
701: Rugby World Cup
699: The Gospel According to Moses
697: Tokyo Metropolis League 4.0
695: The Lotte Revolution
693: Asian Cup Soccer
691: IFAF World Championship
689: K-1 Max
687: Snooker
685: Interleague Baseball
683: FC Tokyo’s UK Day
681: Rugby Dreams
679: 2007 Bridgestone Indy Japan 300
677: Opening Day
675: World Figure Skating Championships
673: J. League 2007
671: Tokyo Marathon
669: Toray Pan Pacific Tennis
667: New Year Sumo Tournament
663: FA Coaching Courses
661: K-1 Grand Prix Final
659: J. League comes down to the wire
657: All-Japan Kendo Championship
655: Volleyball World Championships
653: Japan F1 Grand Prix
651: Seiko Super Track Meet
649: PRIDE: Final Conflict Absolute
647: Top League rugby
645: FIBA World Championship
641: Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Kazuhiro Kiyohara
639: 2006 JOMO All-Star Soccer
637: World Cup alternatives
635: Japan vs. Italy
633: Japan Open Figure Skating
629: Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 Mile
627: 48th YCAC
625: Japan Baseball 2006
623: Auto Racing 2006
621: Xerox Super Cup and J.League
619: World Baseball Classic
617: Toray Pan Pacific Tennis
613: Comeback Kids of 2005
611: FIFA Club World Championship
609: Japan Cup Dirt and Japan Cup
607: Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie
605: Nabisco Cup Final
603: Japanese Golf Gets Friendly
601: AIG Japan Open
599: Harlem Globetrotters Still Trotting
595: A league of gentlemen
593: NFL tokyo 2005
591: Bayern Munich
589: Kawashima vs. Tokuyama—again
587: PRIDE battles on
585: Battle for the Bottom
583: Zico’s Long Hot Summer
581: High hopes for rugby
579: Searching for a Sumo Star
577: Follow the ponies
575: The Final Crush
573: Japan Pro Baseball
571: Big Changes for J. League
569: Xerox Super Cup
567: World Cup Qualifying
565: Toray Pan Pacific
563: Asia League ice hockey
560: Year-end fighting
558: J. League Championship
556: K-1 World Grand Prix Final
554: Dunlop Phoenix Open
552: Nabisco Cup Finals
550: Japanese Grand Prix
548: Asian Hockey League
546: K-1 World Grand Prix 2004
544: Top League rugby
542: J. League
540: Soccer: Europe vs. J League
538: Tokyo Metropolis League
536: Japan vs. Italy
534: Masamori Tokuyama
532: Japan vs. India
530: Miracle training
528: World Cup Cricket
526: Pride Grand Prix 2004
524: Yuriko Ito
522: Hideki Matsui
520: Soccer: 2004 Olympic Qualifiers
518: Japan Ice Hockey League
516: Ahn Jung Hwan
514: Toray Pan Pacific Tennis
512: The Tokyo Metropolis Football League
509/10: Diamonds and Tigers in 2003
508: Masami Ihara
506: K-1: 2003 World Grand Prix Final
504: Japan Cup
502: Pacific League All-Star Game
500: Nabisco Cup: Reds vs. Antlers
498: Tigers roar back
496: Samantha Head and Nikki Campbell
494: Top League rugby
492: Brendan Jones
490: J. League speeds ahead
488: The power of PRIDE
486: American forces
484: Star-spangled baseball
482: One Korean, one mission
480: Pearl bowl
478: The right touch
476: Taking the hard road
474: Tigress on the prowl
472: World Cup replay
470: Giants among men
468: Welcoming the MLB
466: Sumo spreads its wings
464: The battle for East Asia
462: Asian Invasion
460: Making a racket
457/458: 2002's ups and downs
456: On thin ice
454: K-1's Final KO
452: Real Madrid, Olimpia in clash of the champions
450: Golf's Young Turks tackle Taiheiyo Masters
448: Big guns back in Japan Series
446: The Zico era kicks off
444: Ryder Cup golfers do battle at The Belfry
442: Toyota Princess Cup 2002
440: 2002 J.League Stage 2

By Fred Varcoe

K-1 World Grand Prix Final

Eight ultimate fighters battle for supremacy

Going back to the Budokan seems to have worked well for K-1. In September, K-1 staged the last set of eliminators for the World Grand Prix Final at the famed martial arts hall in Tokyo. The card was one of the most fascinating lineups K-1 has produced and it resulted in some awesome displays of fighting, which bodes well for the Final on December 4 (even if it’s at Tokyo Dome). There have been criticisms that the fighting in K-1 doesn’t live up to its publicity and some of this criticism has been well-founded, but keep in mind that it’s a young sport that is still trying to make its mark and earn its badge of credibility.

September’s show at the Budokan went a long way to laying those criticisms to rest. The pick of the fighters on the night was Ray Sefo (who has been criticized in the past for under-performing). The Kiwi was up against Japanese boxer Hiromi Amada, probably the toughest Japanese in K-1. Sefo put on an awesome display of power that was frightening to watch. Any lesser man than Amada would have been out for the count in the first round because Sefo unleashed some monstrous “punches of mass destruction” and this display makes him the man to beat on Dec 4. Sefo will be up against another Japanese fighter at the Dome, where he will face last year’s surprise runner-up Musashi. The Japanese star has improved his results with some clever spoiling tactics but still lacks the offensive firepower to wipe people out. Expect Sefo to get to him and do just that.

Of course, the man everyone wants to beat but couldn’t for much of this year because he was injured was last year’s K-1 champion Remy Bonjasky. The Dutchman has looked sharp since his return and at the Budokan, he knocked out Akebono with a fantastic trademark kick to the head. Next up is a showdown with four-time champion and fellow Dutchman Ernesto Hoost. At 39, Hoost shows no signs of weakening. His fitness and focus are legendary and Bonjasky will have to look out if he is going to get past the first fence in defending his title.

The third Dutchman out of the eight fighters in the final is three-time champion Peter Aerts, who was a surprise winner over muscular Canadian Michael McDonald at the Budokan. In another intriguing bout, Aerts will take on former IBF heavyweight boxing champion Francois Botha who, like Sefo, came good at the Budokan with a win over the ailing Jerome LeBanner. Botha is looking fitter than before and still packs a powerful punch. However, he’ll be up against one of the wiliest fighters in the game and a man with a vast range of kicks and punches. The South African counters well against K-1 opponents, so Aerts will have to be on his guard.

The final matchup sees American Mighty Mo against Mighty Mouse, so to speak. The mouse in question is Thailand’s Kaoklai Kaennorsing, a former Muay Thai champion who put on an amazing display of jumps and kicks to dispose of Alexey Ignashov at the Budokan, despite the Belarussian’s 25-cm height advantage and 35-kg weight advantage. Mighty Mo has similar advantages on paper, but the Thai will not be impressed by statistics; he goes out to fight. Mo’s punching power may not tell if Kaoklai’s bobbing and weaving is as impressive as it was against Ignashov.

Remember, after the first round, the winners have to come back for the semifinals and the final. The last man standing will have earned his title. Don’t miss this one.

The K-1 World Grand Prix Final takes place at Tokyo Dome on December 4.

Photo credit: Courtesy of K-1

Would you like to comment on this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

Discuss sports with METROPOLIS readers at http://forum.japantoday.com

top