After losing a closely matched fight against Kacper Muszyski on March 20th, Stoyan Koprivlenski has miraculously "respawned" into the draw as a late replacement. This week, Michael discusses the replacement for Chinese K-1 Super Welterweight Champion Ouyan Feng, who is out of the 7/7 K-1 World MAX Final due to a broken rib. Michael analyzes the Bulgarian fighter's chances, ranks the fighters in the draw, and answers a fan question about judge scoring.

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PPV

★ Live English-language commentator: Michael Schiavello

・TrillerTV ｜USA, Canada, EU, Australia, NZ｜

　https://www.trillertv.com/watch/k-1-world-gp-2024-in-sarajevo/2pf91

・K-1 WORLDWIDE PPV｜WORLDWIDE｜

　https://www.stream-ticket.com/events/detail/1417.html

★ Live Japanese-language commentators: Testuo Nagasaka, Sato Yoshihiro

・K-1 WORLDWIDE PPV｜WORLDWIDE｜

　https://www.stream-ticket.com/events/detail/1418.html

The world prepares for two upcoming K-1 tournaments: K-1 WORLD GP 2024 in Sarajevo, on June 29th, and K-1 World MAX 2024 on July 7th!

In this episode we are joined by special guests, Czech fighter Tomas Hron, who will fight in the upcoming WGP tournament in Sarajevo, as well as Kickboxing Historian Steven Wright.

With so much to talk about, Michael and Jonathan take this one into an extra round!

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Buakaw Banchamek is a fighter who should need no introduction! But if you've only recently crawled out from under a rock, or perhaps were marooned on a desert island for the last quarter century, you have missed out on one of the most meteoric rises in Muay Thai history. No worries, though! We break down this legendary fighter's chances as he faces the Chinese welterweight powerhouse, Ouyan Feng, in the July 7th K-1 World MAX Finals.

In this week's K-1 Battle Cast, we also have TWO exciting interviews! We are joined by well-respected Muay Thai journalist Matt Lucas from Thailand, as well as striking coach and sports commentator, Mike Angove.

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Zhora Akopyan weaves a spell on his foes, dancing in and out of his opponents' range with ease, and scoring his way to victory with smart boxing. Michael breaks down the Armenian fighter's match against Taras Hnatchuk and evaluates his chances of winning in the July 7th World MAX Final Tournament. Michael answers a listener question about which K-1 fighter was the most successful in another well-known MMA organization.

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On March 20th, K-1's newest bad boy, Sina Karimian, was dominated by the towering Liu Ce, the "Chinese Ivan Drago" of K-1. Amid the spectators, one man stepped forward to challenge the victor—Mahmoud Sattari threw down the gauntlet. We interview current K-1 Cruiserweight Champion Mahmoud Sattari to learn more about his journey as a fighter and how he continues to challenge himself in the ring. Additionally, we have an interview with former K-1 fighter Dževad Poturak about the upcoming tournament in Bosnia on June 29, plus your questions and more!

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Viktor Akimov's route to the K-1 World MAX ring was anything but likely: he was given 3 days notice before his fight against Rei Nakajima in the March 20th qualifying round. In today's episode we take a look at The Russian Adventurer's fighting journey, from his humble beginnings as a school boy boxer to the grand adventure of being a K-1 contender. Michael goes into a deep dive analysis about Mirko Cro Cop that might surprise even the most devoted fans.

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In his last two fights in K-1 World MAX, no other 70 kg and under fighter has dominated quite like Ouyan Feng. He became the interim champion by defeating Hiromi Wajima in December 2023, and convincingly shut down Pascal Schroth to claim his spot in the K-1 World MAX 2024 Finals on July 7th. Today, we'll do a deep dive into what makes "The New Emperor of Asia" tick.

We also hear from former K-1 World MAX Japan Champion Yoshihiro Sato, and Michael shares a great story about his first encounter with the Überman of MMA and former K-1 WGP Champion, Alistair Ubereem.

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At 190 cm, Dengue Silva is the tallest fighter in K-1 World MAX history. Not only did the strikes of "The Big Scorching Mosquito" draw blood, but the intense action in his debut K-1 fight also had the crowd roaring for more with feverish excitement!

Today, we'll review his fight against Riku on March 20th and discuss his upcoming match against Darryl Verdonk on July 7th. We'll also share insights about another towering figure in the world of fighting, Hongman Choi.

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