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I just want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to fight for the most coveted and legitimate title in our sport. Your organization is the most credible and respected in the world and I am honored to be able to represent the ISKA as champion.

This is literally a dream come true for me. I can remember watching ISKA kickboxing fights with my father when I was 13 years old and I had said to him I want to be the ISKA World Champion. A decade and 20 victories later, this whimsical goal has become a reality.

I have enclosed some pictures of me with the belt(and a beautiful belt it is!!). Please let me know if there is anything that you need from me. Again, thank you so much. Good luck and God Bless.
Christopher Algieri
 

K-1 GRAND PRIX FINAL

The Event:
Karate, Kickboxing, Tae kwon do and Kung fu are among the martial arts upon which K-1 is founded. The K-1 rules are designed to allow fighters from different disciplines to meet and compete on an even playing field, while the elaborate staging of K-1 events makes these extravaganzas a veritable feast for the senses. Throughout the year, the world's best heavyweight fighters face-off in a tournament format of K-1 qualifying events on five continents for the honor of competing in the K-1 World Grand Prix Final, held on December 8th in Tokyo with prize money close to three quarters of a million dollars.

The Experience:
With the gracious invitation acknowledged and the air travel arranged, I was off to Tokyo to witness the world’s best-attended combat sports gala / most lucrative martial arts tournament.
After a flight that removes all that Japan is on the opposite side of the planet, it was extraordinarily gratifying to see the K-1 greeters provided at the airport holding a sign with my name on it. (I still get a big kick out of that!) I was off to the New Takanawa Prince Hotel in the center of Tokyo; a magnificent hotel complex set among beautiful Japanese gardens, babbling brooks and authentic teahouses. I arrived just in time to prepare for the pre-event celebration that followed the final press conference. Live music and an atmosphere of anticipation permeated the air as K-1 guests conversed with some of combat martial art’s best-known celebrities and snacked from an impressive authentic Japanese buffet. After a shiatsu massage in my room and almost ten hours of sleep I was ready for the K-1 Grand Prix Final.
We were shuttled over to the Tokyo Dome in the mid-afternoon and shown to our hospitality room. We didn’t stay there long – filled with desire to get to ringside in order to fully experience the 70,000-seat stadium (where the average ticket price tonight would be $200.00). By the time that the preliminary fighters took the stage the arena was two-thirds full. Once the fanfare sounded for the beginning of the tournament you would have needed binoculars to clearly see the smattering of still-empty seats way up where even Mark McGuire couldn’t hit a high fastball. (The Tokyo Dome is the venue for Tokyoprofessional baseball team) The word “fanfare” may simply be ’s inadequate to accurately describe the proceedings. Obviously no effort (or “yen” for that matter) was spared in combining massive pyro-techniques, a full symphonic orchestra, jumbo video screens, multiple laser light displays, an angelic female ballet troupe, eight 100 foot graphic digital display towers, and a ¼ inch thick, full color, glossy event program that better resembled mombooks.’s coffee table
The tournament itself provided us with the kind of “edge of your seat” drama that keeps you ever focused on the story slowing unfolding in front of you; a story that you know will be told and retold for years and years. When the smoke cleared and the final bell rang, the phrase “crowning” of a champion was never more appropriate as the ceremony included all of the emotion, pomp and circumstance of a royal coronation.
*
Football has the Super bowl; Baseball, the seventh game of the World Series. To find that magnitude and majesty in our sport, “All roads clearly lead to the Tokyo Dome.”

K-1 GRAND PRIX FINAL

The Results:
It may be true, as K-1 marketing indicates that, “All roads lead to the Tokyo Dome,” however the road for some takes considerably more bumps and turns than for others. For newly crowned 2001 K-1 Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt, his path to the Tokyo Dome was all that, and up hill as well! Just a few short years ago Hunt was just another tough guy on the streets in a land filled with tough guys. The 270 lb. New Zealand native with Samoan heritage, on December 8th claimed combat martial arts most jeweled crown, and a check for $400,000.00.
Hunt seemed unlikely to even make it to Tokyo’s Grand Prix Final. While competing in the Oceania Regional Qualifier he was matched early with fellow New Zealander and K-1 Superstar Ray Sefu. Their match was a slugfest for the ages that ended in a points victory for Sefu. But due to Sefu’s swollen, all but closed right eye and K-1’s “damaged to safely continue to the next round “the survivor rule” (when the winner of a preliminary match is too survivorproceeded to the semifinals and then to the finals, ” of the match is given the opportunity), Mark Hunt winning the qualifying event and earning his spot in this yearGrand Prix Final. So, on Saturday night (Dec. 8th) ’s Hunt took the stage with legendary names like Hoost and Aerts – armed with 270 lbs. of desire, but given little more than a “puncher’s outside chance.”
After two-time Grand Prix Champion Ernest Hoost took a unanimous decision from Germany’s Stefan Leko, Hunt entered the ring to square off against crowd favorite and ISKA World Muay Thai Champion Jerome “Geronimo” Lebanner. Both fighters made it past the traditional round-one feeling out process. In round two, just as it seemed that LeBanner was starting to press his physical advantage, working his left leg to the body and shooting left crosses from the southpaw stance, Hunt caught the Frenchman with an overhand right that buckled Geronimo’s knees. What followed was a barrage of punches that put LeBanner down and out for the count. The New Zealander had taken out one of the tournament favorites and would proceed to the semifinals.
After Belarusian Alexey Ignashov dispatched Denmark’s Nicholas Pettas in the second round with a crushing knee to the nose, Brazil’s Kyokushin hero Francisco Filho got past the legendary “Dutch Lumberjack” Peter Aerts who, while leading after two rounds, couldn’t continue due to a broken foot.
The first bout in the semi-finals was scheduled to match “Mr. Perfect,” Ernesto Hoost with Mark Hunt. After a slight delay, the Tokyo Dome’s mammoth video screens flashed to Hoost in the dressing room taking off his hand wraps. The event physician entered the ring and explained to the silent crowd that Hoost could not continue due to what appeared to be a bone fracture in his lower leg. Hence, Stefan Leko would advance to the semi-final via the “survivor rule”.

Leko, who reportedly had already showered and changed, returned to the ring “physically” but didn’t seem able to refocus himself to the task at hand, namely Big Mark Hunt. Hunt was able to tag Leko as he “pulled out” or leaned away from in-fighting, dropping him twice on the way to a unanimous decision.

In the other semi-final match the very popular Francisco Filho and young Alexey Ignashov used the first round to simply measure each other. In the second, it was clear that the Belarusian was trying to take advantage of his reach by using a crisp jab to set up the lead leg knee strike to the head that had been successful versus Pettas. Filho would have none of it, as he used good timing to get inside and work both hands effectively forcing Ignashov to clinch. In the final round the two traded low kicks in the middle of the ring with Francisco Filho surprisingly coming out on top. By half way through the last round it was clear that Ignashov’s front leg was damaged and that Filho would go on to take the decision.

The 2001 K-1 Grand Prix Final match was set! Defying the odds, as a result of a combination of skills, chance, injury and desire, Brazil’s Francisco Filho would face Mark Hunt of New Zealand.
At the end of the prerequisite feeling out process of round one Hunt seemed to have a slight edge as the consistent aggressor. Round two saw Filho use excellent footwork and well timed punches & low kicks to score effectively, keeping the bigger and consistently pursuing Hunt at bay. The third round was close with Filho appearing to tire near the end. The bout seemed to end “even” by almost anyone’s standards, and much to the great pleasure of all 70,000 spectators it was called a draw. The K-1 Grand Prix Final match would be extended to a “sudden victory” round four.

It became clear relatively early in round four that Filho had burned most of his reserve tank finishing round three. Hunt stalked the Brazilian mercilessly from corner to corner often firing with both hands. Filho didn’t have the steam to fire back, but still had the presence of mind and defensive skills avoid damaging punches to the head. Hunt alternatively took what was offered him and hammered Filho to the body with big left and right hooks. By the time the bell rang it was clear to everyone that New Zealand’s underdog Mark Hunt had defied the odds and claimed victory at the 2001 K-1 Grand Prix Final.

In Other Action:
The 2001 K-1 Grand Prix Final Super Bout featured Tokyo’s own ISKA World Middleweight Champion, Masato, in a non-title three rounder versus one of Africa’s best middleweights, Noel Soares from the Republic of Cape Verde.

Until the last 15 seconds of round one Soares showed good timing and clean striking, clearly on the way to winning the round when Masato fired back with a left hook – straight right combination that put the African on the seat of his pants. Soares got up easily and tried to rally back before the bell. The second round saw Masato loosen up, and make it obvious that he was just measuring Soares in the early goings of round one. The middleweight champ was willing to trade with Soares, mostly giving better that he took but still Soares stayed in the fight, though obviously falling behind in points. Round three treated the appreciative K-1 fans to almost a full minute of both fighters trading shots in the middle of the ring before Masato landed a straight right hand that badly broke Soares nose. The referee stepped in to administer the standing eight count and it became clear that Soared could no longer continue. Masato was announced the victor by third round TKO.
In a preliminary bout, South African Super heavyweight Michael Bernardo came from behind with a third round knockdown to defeat Australia’s Adam Watt by unanimous decision.

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