History of K-1

The history of K-1 can be called the history of Seidokaikan, which is a school of Full contact karate that preceded K-1.

K-1's eight-year history began with the revolutionary vision of Japan's Kazuyoshi Ishii. Following a rapid climb through the ranks as martial arts mentor, promoter, and official, Ishii thought it was time to organize a major martial arts event. Its concept was to decide the strongest martial artist in a night, inspired from Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS. Maeda himself liked Ishii's K-1 concept and helped him to establish it.

Karate was closely resembling the style of kick boxing. Ishii organized the first K-1 Grand Prix at the Yoyogi Dai-Ichi Stadium in Tokyo on April 30, 1993. The event was held in a regulation-size boxing ring under the K-1 rules, which permit punches to accommodate both karate and kick boxing fighters. A crowd of 10,000 were on hand to witness history in the making as a young Ernesto Hoost and Peter Aerts, before they won a combined total of seven WGPs between the two. They faced one another in a preliminary fight of the Grand Prix. The match was an instant classic as they gave it their all but in the end it was Aerts' unfamiliarity with the three round style of K-1 (normal kickboxing fights usually have five rounds) that caused him to start out slow in the first round. He did not have enough time to catch up with the very capable Hoost who was awarded the unanimous decision. Hoost would knock out former UFC champion and former American kickboxing champion Maurice Smith in the semi finals with a headkick assuring; he advanced to the finals. Aerts' teammate Branko Cikatić was the big winner of the WGP that night as he put on a dominant performance knocking out Changpuek Kiatsongrit, Japan's then number one kickboxer Masaaki Satake, and Ernesto Hoost in the finals.

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