Twenty-two year old Russian, Ruslan Karaev went from virtual unknown to the focus of international attention by defeating three straight opponents, including championship round adversary, Scott Lighty, to take hold of the “Mayhem At The Mirage” tournament crown at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Mirage Hotel and Casino on Saturday, August 13th. Three-time tournament champion, Michael McDonald, meanwhile, was dismissed from the event by rival Azem Maksutaj during the event’s opening round.
Named a 17 to 1 underdog by Las Vegas odds makers, Karaev came to the Mirage with only one previous K-1 result on his record – a first round knockout that he suffered at the hands of superstar Ray Sefo on June 17th of this year. According to statistics compiled by K-1’s front office in Japan, however, the youngster boasted 159 victories, 125 of them having come by way of knockout, outside of the circuit.
As soon as the opening bell sounded for his quarterfinal round bout with French kickboxer, Freddy Kemayo, Karaev dashed out of his corner and unleashed a leaping straight right hand that put Kemayo on the defensive. With Kemayo backed against the ropes, Karaev unloaded a furious storm of punches and a straight knee to his opponent’s body. Shortly thereafter, Karaev stunned both Kemayo and those looking on with an explosive spinning back kick to the Frenchman’s liver. The blow put Kemayo on the mat for the 10 count at the 1:39 mark of the opening round, giving Kemayo a victory by way of knockout.
For his part, McDonald faced a far greater challenge in Maksutaj, a five-time world Muay Thai champion from Switzerland. The two had fought to a three-round draw on May 21st, McDonald claiming a victory after an overtime round.
This time around, Maksutaj had an answer for everything offered by North America’s top fighter. In the opening round, he connected with a knee to the head that caused McDonald to erroneously turn his back on his opponent, allowing the Swiss fighter to swing away until McDonald reached the ropes and the referee separated the two. Maksutaj continued to pursue McDonald and caught him with a hard straight right hand that stunned the Canadian star.
With his feet underneath him after the one minute break between rounds, McDonald went on the offensive and clipped Maksutaj with a right hook to the head. Maksutaj responded, however, with a high left roundhouse kick and, seconds later, a knee strike to the face that he coupled with a punch combination.
Feeling a sense of urgency when the third and final scheduled round commenced, McDonald pursued Maksutaj and fired away with a pair of hooks to the body inside. With Maksutaj bleeding from the forehead, the two continued their exchanges until the final bell rang. All three judges scoring the bout declared Maksutaj the victor.
Maksutaj’s gritty performance pitted him against Karaev in the event’s semifinal round. During what was undoubtedly the most thrilling contest of the evening and one of the most explosive in Las Vegas K-1 history, the two European contenders traded shots endlessly for three rounds.
Karaev dominated the first round of action after he, once again, charged out of the gates at the sound of the opening bell. As he did during his previous meeting, the Russian deployed a jumping straight right hand that backed Maksutaj on the ropes. An accidental low blow by Karaev caused referee Cecil Peoples to stop the action and give Maksutaj an opportunity to recover. When the action restarted, Karaev resumed his ferocious pace and hurt Maksutaj with a pair of flurries. Maksutaj escaped the round, but returned to his corner with the left side of his face swollen.
Karaev ran out of his corner after the opening bell for the second round rang and delivered his patented spinning back kick that caught Maksutaj in the same place it had Kemayo. Maksutaj hit the canvas, but beat the referee’s count. After the action resumed, Karaev partially connected with another spinning back kick and followed the shot up with a slew of punches and knee strikes. Maksutaj escaped the onslaught and suddenly sent Karaev reeling back with a right hand. After the Russian slipped and fell to the mat, Maksutaj threw a knee at his downed opponent and received a one point deduction for the illegal blow. Towards the close of the round, Maksutaj began to rally and turn the tides with a series of punches.
During the third, Karaev put his opponent down with a straight knee blast. In another display of resilience, though, Maksutaj beat the referee’s count and fought back with his left hand. A late flurry by Maksutaj highlighted the end of the round and drew the crowd to its feet. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Karaev.
The hard-fought win placed Karaev in the championship round opposite American Scott Lighty, a two-time K-1 tournament reserve fight winner whose “Mayhem At The Mirage” appearance marked his first start in the main draw of a K-1 tournament. Lighty had delivered his own brand of excitement during his first challenge of the evening by toppling Japan’s Tatsufumi Tomihira with a head kick at the 1:23 mark of the first round. Opposite Germany’s Chalid Arrab in the event’s semifinal round, Lighty remained the more active fighter throughout the duration of three rounds and, in doing so, earned a unanimous judges’ decision.
In weathering Karaev’s early storm, Lighty accomplished what the Russian fighter’s previous opponents had more difficulty doing. Lighty’s defense looked sharp in the first round as he avoided Karaev’s spinning back kick. A hard straight right hand by Lighty highlighted the first three minutes of the final tournament matchup.
Karaev found his mark in the second round when he tagged Lighty with a left hook and followed up the blow with a barrage of punches that momentarily put Lighty in trouble. After Lighty regained his poise and connected with a leg kick, Karaev partially scored with back-to-back spinning back kicks. A flying knee by Karaev better connected with its target and put Lighty on the run. Lighty’s movement once again helped him escape trouble and allowed him to set up for a right low kick that buckled the leg of the Russian. Lighty continued to throw out leg kicks until the round came to an end.
The final three minutes saw Karaev deliver substantial punishment in the form of left hooks to the head and a straight knee that landed on the side of Lighty’s head. With blood trickling from his nose, Lighty displayed a strong sense of will as he remained on his feet and engaged Karaev until the final bell sounded. All three judges scored the contest in favor of Karaev, giving him his first K-1 tournament crown.
Other Tournament Results:
Quarterfinal Round:
In a meeting between the event’s tallest and shortest competitors, six foot six inch Hiraku Hori of Japan wisely attempted to keep five foot 10 inch Chalid Arrab of Germany at bay with long roundhouse kicks to the body. Arrab was aggressive, however, and repeatedly rushed inside to close the distance between the two.
In the second round of their matchup, Arrab’s tenacity paid dividends when he stunned Hori with a big right hand and brought about a standing eight count from the referee. After the action resumed, Arrab began opening up with crisp boxing combinations.
Arrab built on his momentum in the third round, scoring with left hooks that put Hori out on his feet and opened a slight cut over the Japanese fighter’s left eye. A quick left hook-right hook combination by Arrab put Hori down. Hori beat the referee’s count and was rescued by the final bell. Arrab was declared the winner by way of unanimous decision.
Tournament Reserve Bout:
A combined 600 plus pounds made the matchup between 6 foot 11 inch South African Jan Nortje and 6 foot 5 inch American Imani Lee one of the most anticipated fights of the card despite its role as a tournament reserve contest.
Lee, a former professional boxer making his K-1 debut, displayed considerable potential as he effectively utilized his western boxing skills and showed off his durable chin that withstood Nortje’s punching power.
As expected, Nortje exploited his opponent’s greatest vulnerability, leg kick defense, as he chopped away at Lee’s rear thigh until Lee began hobbling near the end of the second round. The American claimed the final seconds of the round, though, when he swung away with punches upstairs.
Lee raised his game a notch in the third round and cornered Nortje twice. With Nortje trapped, Lee slugged away with power punches and even offered a roundhouse kick to the body. After the round came to a close, Lee was awarded a victory by way of unanimous decision.
Preliminary Results:
LaTasha Marzolla defeated Jane Estioko – Three-Round Unanimous Decision
