Schilt Knocks Out Hunt at K-1

In front of a packed crowd of over 10,000 people at the Yokohama Arena, Japan, Dutch fighter Semmy Schilt knocked out iron chinned Mark Hunt with a spinning back kick.

With his height, and in this instance towering over 13 inches over the brawler from New Zealand, Schilt will cause problems for anyone on the K-1 circuit and now it seems he has conquered it.

“We practiced the spinning back kick in training,” Schilt said in a post-fight interview. “But I didn’t know it would work out so well. I’m glad I won because he was also a GP Champion, so now I have beaten all the active K-1 Champs.”

Hunt has not fought under K-1 rules for five years as he has been fighting in MMA with some success, beating top strikers like Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Filipovic. In this case however Hunt could not impose his aggressive inside style, though valiant attempts were made to throw over hand rights and bridge the gap with low kicks. Schilt threw more kicks and they were a lot harder, eventually Hunts left leg could not be expected to carry the weight it must and Schilt turned on the pressure. Not long after a knee to the chin, Schilt delivered the kick and Hunts face said it all.

"I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse," Hunt described. "I think anybody who got caught with that kick, even Ernesto Hoost, would have been out. I only started getting my air back when I heard the ring announcer call the number 'eight'.

Schilts’ response when asked about the strategy his future opponents should adopt? A smile and the phrase "I'd tell them not to take the fight!"

K-1 veteran Ray Sefo took on rising star from Morocco Badr Hari. Apparently both fighters had been doing some trash talking before this fight but were smiling as the referee explained the rules.

That was all change from the word go as both came out aggressively throwing shots with bad intentions. Sefo managed to land a left to put Hari off balance but he returned with hard knees and a thunderous left which put Sefo on the canvas. Hari chased Sefo after the count and forced him to the ropes continuing with a knee and right hand to yet again down the tough-chinned Kiwi. Hari capitalised on his opportunity and battered Sefo with more punches and knees which forced the referee to step in and stop the contest in round one.

"Before the fight, I said I'd get a KO, and I delivered!" said an ecstatic Hari. "In the ring, you can't miss anything, but Ray blinked and I landed the blow, and that was that."

Sefo was class with his response and admitted he was beaten by the better man on the day. "I was feeling okay," said Sefo, "and then I got caught by the knee and it all went down from there. Badr was the better fighter, that's all."