My 2006 Eliminations ramblings

[( o Y o )]

Ruslan vs Hari

Wow. It was too short to really get an idea of things on where they both stand, other than a worrying preview of what Hari's future may hold.
Yes, Hari landed a handful of decent looking lowkicks, but please don`t tell me 35 seconds of an opening round is enough to show which may or may not have won if not for the TKO.

TKO is the point. Ruslans right landed. Hari went down....but did he? Specifically he did not....both his feet were on the ground, and there was no hand, elbow, glove or butt touching the floor. The kick Ruslan threw might not have been the nicest thing to do (if it was not part of a combo), but technically speaking, it is not a foul by the rules. If the bottom of the feet are the only thing touching the floor and the ref has not called DOWN, you can attack.

What`s it matter though? as the kick itself went under the right arm making it impossible to hit the head. IT did not hurt.

Something telling IMO is that Badr didn`t even get pissed until his team mates came in angry at Ruslan, THEN he joins in......his anger IMO was fueled by embarrassment. He either did a very poor job of milking a foul (in which case you would expect his reaction to instantly change when the ref waves the fight off...which is does NOT), or he took one punch, went down, and chose to stay there. You know, in the pre fight interviews Leko said he was most proud of himself not for winning the LVGP, but for winning that GP after the Badr KO which he considered many fighters would never psychologically recover from.....and he didn`t even have his jaw wired shut for several months. I think Badr is talking the talk as that is what he does....I`d be surprised if he can ever walk th walk again without some time off to mentally recover.

Not to mention his post fight antics are not those I want to see from a Best 8 fighter anyway. He did not deserve the spot in the Elims. He does not deserve a spot in the GP. Him breaking 4 or 5 EXIT signs and one K-1 sign on the way back to his dressing room is proof of that.


Remy vs Gary

Remy got his first stoppage win in 2 years, but he didn`t seem happy as he said he should have finished Gary in 1 round. Not sure where that confidence came from considering his recent condition.

Having said that, the fight should have stopped when Gary couldn`t get into the fighting pose after the first knockdown. He did well to come back and put some pressure on Remy (as well as some serious body damage that Remy admitted hurt post fight), but for fighter safety I don`t think the ref should cut some slack to someone just because everyone knows they are tough as hell.

Remy also said he wanted to PICk an opponent for the GP, not be picked. Gary seemed in good spirits post fight and said his damage was nothing serious.


Glaube vs Paul

Glaube could well take this years GP. If that have him the +1600 he was the time he won the LVGP again, I am putting money on him. He out-kicked a kicker, and was using punch combinatings like punching was a strength of his. Paul showed he is nearly at the level he needs to be too, so I hope he learns from this and gets some more training experience and comes back stronger.


Sem vs Bregy

What a huge let down Bregy was here. Everyone was wondering how the hell he got dropped with a jab. It was clear something was up as he kept going down when hit in the same area......post fight he went to hospital for a suspected broken orbital/cheek bone. from a counter jab. Perhaps Sem has been doing some serious power training ;-)


Leko vs Sefo

Leko did brillianty in avoiding getting tagged hard, though had you seen him post fight (swollen and limping on both legs with ice strapped to one) you might not believe it. I think both these guys knew each other too well, and each others fight games too well. Having said that I have absolutely no clue how any judge could have called the third round a draw....the fact that one of the highest officials (as could be seen by anyone sitting near enough to the ring) got up at the end of the third and spoke to each judge (only time during the night this happened) does enough to explain it.


Hoost vs Fujimoto

Hoost was rusty as hell and Fujimoto had nothing to lose. Being in japan and the fact Fuji was landing a heap of body shots, most had him 2-0 going into the final only to go down to what looked like two of the less powerful kicks Hoost threw that night. Hoost gave him props backstage. I saw Fuji walk around a corner and he didn`t seem to be even limping. either way, September 2006 Hoost has no chance of going all the way this year if he was having trouble with what was a gift fight with the weakest opponent. I expect it was a bit of a wake up for Hoost though and he will go home and bust his but in the gym for the next 2 months.


Musashi vs Chalid

Some people just have everything go their way sometimes, and Chalid seems to be that person recently. Great fight for him, even if one judge must have been a leftover from the Sefo/Musashi fight from 2004. There were some groans backstage when that one judges card was read...by japanese reporters.

Musashi was still positive later that night and said if he did get a reserve spot he would do everything he could to win it.

Now Chalid needs to take him for ride in his car....I wonder if Musashi gave him his shoes though? lol


LeBanner vs Choi

One official later told me JLB said words to the effect of "it was like fighting a brick wall". Not only that, but while I see some people giving Choi shit for doing little in the first round, he also proved he could stick to a gameplan as well, if not better than some pro-fighters.

They knew JLB is most dangerous in round 1 and his KO % DRAMATICALLY decreases in round 2. He coasted the first round and fought hard in the second. Having said that, I come to the same question earlier about how they could explain a 30-30 JD when I think even Choi will admit he did almost nothing in R1. 28-29 for JLB I would have understood. 29-29 I could do the same. 30-30??? WTF?

Anyway, they went for a 4th and to be perfectly honest, most press (I`m talking sportsnavi, boutreview and all the other big names in japan that have attended more events live than we have collectively downloaded) seemed to feel the extra round was Choi's judging by the response when the results were read.

LeBanner looked 10 years younger.

[K1power]

Good read, boobs. The story pretty much covers the whole event with some nice inside information. Having seen the fights just yesterday I pretty much agree with your point of view on the fights. This was a very solid event with quality fights. Big props to Leko, Fuji and Choi. Leko, because not many - including myself - gave him a chance against Sefo. Props to Fuji because - even if Hoost looked rusty - he put up a good fight against Mr.Perfect and landed some hard punch combinations. I wanna give props to Choi as he really seems to improve with every fight (despite some people denying his improvements because of his freak-status) and he really put up a good and competitive fight against JLB, even an enjoyable fight to watch btw!

I like the matchups for the finals and hope nobody gets injured while preparing for it. Throw in a couple of good reserve/super fights and we could and should have a great event.

[CentralKickboxing.Org]

I also like the idea of the reserve fights being studs.

Sefo-Aerts III
Choi - Mori
Hari - Slowinski

[Jofeljoh!]

Oke about the Hari vs Karaev thing, let's assume and disregard some things:

Let's assume that:

- The kick of Karaev was indeed a foul (seen the point deduction and the statement of K-1, that can be a legitimate one)
- Hari was already sitting down (this is logical as the assumption above)

Let's disregard that:

- Hari may have faked his state where he was in on the ground to get a cheap foul/point deduction and get recovery time
- You think Hari is an asshole who deserve all the shit in the world


Why is it that Sapp and Botha immediately got disqualified because they made a foul, when their opponents couldn't get up? And why wasn't this the case at this fight? Hari also couldn't get up in time (fake or not), but here K-1 says: well it was a foul and a point deduction, but the KO still stands.

That's the only thing I don't understand. Have the rulings change ever since? Or may the referee haven't seen the foul (if we still assume it was one) and just state after the fight that it was one and was a point deduction but the KO still remains?

[K1power]

It's a difficult situation to comment on, but;

- In the Sapp/Remy fight, Remy couldn't get up because of the foul. If Sapp wouldn't have committed the foul, Remy's fall would have been ruled a slip and he would have gotten up instantly.
- The Botha/Abidi situation was basically the same as the Sapp/Remy one. Abidi slipped and was punched after falling down. If Botha wouldn't have committed the foul, Abidi's fall would have been ruled a slip and he would have gotten up instantly.

Now, we have Hari who got kicked after going down, but there's a few things which make that this situation can not be put in the same category as the Sapp and Botha fights;

- Even if Ruslans move was indeed a foul it could easily be mistaken for a part of the combination that unintentionally hit a little too late.
- The kick clearly didn't connect to Badr's head, while Botha and Sapp got in direct, thus damaging hits.
-The most important thing is; Why did Badr fall down in the first place? In Remy's and Abidi's case it was a slip and they weren't hurt before the foul. It didn't look as if Hari slipped though. The punch didn't look too hard or even make good connection to Hari's face, BUT Hari looked already hurt BEFORE being kicked, thus making it a legit down.

[( o Y o )]

Why is it that Sapp and Botha immediately got disqualified because they made a foul, when their opponents couldn't get up? And why wasn't this the case at this fight?


Well, the way you word it makes it impossible to reply to if agreeing with your first 4 points, but to take a stab at it :-

* Abidi and Remy were laying on the ground when hit. Body contact other than the bottom of their feet was made when the punches were thrown. With Hari, ONLY the bottom of his feet were touching the ground.....he was not sitting as you see about two seconds after the kick landed he collapses to a sitting position then rolls/falls to his left side. You may think this is a technicality but believe me, the fighters know very well and do care about what is and is not considered a down.

* The kick Badr calls a foul could not have caused any damage to stop him getting to his feet as it did not hit his head/jaw. The punch prior to it that dropped him to his squat position obviously did or he would not have dropped that far to start with. So, with him hurt by the punch and not by the kick it is more than reasonable to deal with the count and worry about dealing with the foul later.

Some other things,

* I don`t hate Badr or think he deserves what he got. This is pure Badr. This is what happens when he is in the ring...this is why K-1 needs him and anyone that was within ear-shot of me this weekend will tell you how often I said K-1 NEEDS a heel like Badr for people to enjoy cheering against.

I don`t at all feel sorry for him either though.

* The point deduction can and may well be protested against by Ruslan. This is quite clear in the rules and I believe Kakuda pulled a new technicality out of his ass with which to foul Ruslan with just to settle Badr down as they also know they need someone like him. The technicality of it was that while the kick would normally be rules fair, the fact Badr's back was against the corner post made it illegal. Ruslan would have little trouble getting this thrown out I think but for 1. he won so it matters little...prepping for his next fight is far more important at this stage, and 2. he has no official team right now to do it for him (hence Team Sefo cornering him).

[El Presidente]

Sefo vs Hari for Reserve fight anyone?

[K1power]

Sefo vs Hari for Reserve fight anyone?
It would be great to see Sefo blast Hari, but Hari didn't even deserve to be in the Elims, let alone get an undeserved final super/reserve fight once again.

[smacktime]

Sefo vs Hari for Reserve fight anyone?he he, That would be nice!

[Shinbone]

What about: Sefo vs Choi and Aerts vs Musashi?

[Dado]

Sefo vs Choi would be a really boring fight I think.

Id like: Slowinski vs Hari and Aerts vs Musashi.

[alexey]

Sefo vs Choi would be a really boring fight I think.

Id like: Slowinski vs Hari and Aerts vs Musashi.



Aerts vs Musashi
Abidi vs Hari
Ignashov - Choi

[El Presidente]

It would be great to see Sefo blast Hari, but Hari didn't even deserve to be in the Elims, let alone get an undeserved final super/reserve fight once again.

Ah well. Considering how Badr rubs his opponents up the wrong way it would be great to see him get in the ring against a Ray Sefo with seriously bad intentions. Ray can smile and KTFO his mates in K-1 while still being a nice guy to them (Goodridge). Imagine him pissed off.

[Tommy_Arashikage]

Ah well. Considering how Badr rubs his opponents up the wrong way it would be great to see him get in the ring against a Ray Sefo with seriously bad intentions. Ray can smile and KTFO his mates in K-1 while still being a nice guy to them (Goodridge). Imagine him pissed off.

Exactly. I wonder how much shit Hari would talk if he were scheduled to face a Sefo or Jerome Le Banner? Not much I presume.

[Titan]

Exactly. I wonder how much shit Hari would talk if he were scheduled to face a Sefo or Jerome Le Banner? Not much I presume.
It's his recipe, and it's been very rewarding. He's been knocked out and lost, but he gets more fights than a lot of the fighters we've seen over the years. He even got a spot in the final elimination because of it. It works, and I doubt he'll change it. Moreover, it could be his way of getting psyched up about the fight, so with a more dangerous opponent, maybe he'd be even louder.

[( o Y o )]

I think Hari needs to do something in K-1 before fighting one of the long-term top guys.......he needs to earn a fight with Sefo, Hoost, Aerts, leBanner etc IMO.

And am I the only one here shocked that Ruslan showed up at Osaka-jo with no corner? Lucky he is one fighter everyone loves, including the other fghters and their teams. He is pretty tight with all of Team Sefo....which is why I am kinda bummed he will now be facing Glaube in the GP opener....

[seese]

It would have been Kruth instead of Hari. Biased? -Yes.

[heckyl]

i watched that replay several times, and hari just didnt get hit very hard if at all. and the kick was crap regardless of where hari's ass was at the time. ruslan looked right down at him then threw it. not the first time hes done something like that either.

[xavion]

LeBanner vs Choi

Anyway, they went for a 4th and to be perfectly honest, most press (I`m talking sportsnavi, boutreview and all the other big names in japan that have attended more events live than we have collectively downloaded) seemed to feel the extra round was Choi's judging by the response when the results were read.



What was your opinion on the 4th round?

[CentralKickboxing.Org]

And am I the only one here shocked that Ruslan showed up at Osaka-jo with no corner? Lucky he is one fighter everyone loves, including the other fghters and their teams. He is pretty tight with all of Team Sefo....which is why I am kinda bummed he will now be facing Glaube in the GP opener....

What? He had no corner at all? Did they go to Osaka Dome by mistake?

[LethalSassonic]

Cool, Nice observations....
I expected more from the Leko/Sefo match....I thought Sefo was uninspired, he didn't seem like he wanted it badly enough against Leko. Now of course Leko gave no openings, but Sefo never really "went for it" either.

I think Ruslan's kick was dirty, I don't think it was a finishing a combo lowkick, he knew Hari was down and he could have withheld that kick (there was time to hold it back). Ruslan has done this before remember against Azem? Ruslan doesn't fit the bill as a dirty fighter, but those are two examples where he cheated. The fight should be a no contest.

Indeed, Choi won the 4th, Hoost, Schilt, Feitosa, and Arrab were convincing enough. Remy looked like a destroyer again, And Musashi looked confused to me.

[CentralKickboxing.Org]

I think the Ruslan kick was a cheap shot but it wasn't illegal. Hari came to the ring with F*ck Karaev t-shirts. That cost him common decency on the part of his opponent.

[BEEF]

I think the Ruslan kick was a cheap shot but it wasn't illegal. Hari came to the ring with F*ck Karaev t-shirts. That cost him common decency on the part of his opponent.


It didn't look premeditated to me...the combo was too natural and fast. More like he got carried away, and didn't tried to stop it all...

[BEEF]

Cool, Nice observations....
I expected more from the Leko/Sefo match....I thought Sefo was uninspired, he didn't seem like he wanted it badly enough against Leko. Now of course Leko gave no openings, but Sefo never really "went for it" either.

I think Ruslan's kick was dirty, I don't think it was a finishing a combo lowkick, he knew Hari was down and he could have withheld that kick (there was time to hold it back). Ruslan has done this before remember against Azem? Ruslan doesn't fit the bill as a dirty fighter, but those are two examples where he cheated. The fight should be a no contest.

Indeed, Choi won the 4th, Hoost, Schilt, Feitosa, and Arrab were convincing enough. Remy looked like a destroyer again, And Musashi looked confused to me.


Musashi was confused because he had no idea how to counter Challid's non-stop barrage of punches. None of the bigger fighters has a punch volume like Challid does. Challid was on Musashi like flies on shit from the beginning of round one...

[tonypol]

Musashi was confused because he had no idea how to counter Challid's non-stop barrage of punches. None of the bigger fighters has a punch volume like Challid does. Challid was on Musashi like flies on shit from the beginning of round one...

may be Jerome in 2002 has this volume like Chalid .

[Mago]

And am I the only one here shocked that Ruslan showed up at Osaka-jo with no corner? Lucky he is one fighter everyone loves, including the other fghters and their teams. He is pretty tight with all of Team Sefo....which is why I am kinda bummed he will now be facing Glaube in the GP opener....


Well, he was lucky then because it was this one BIG guy from Sefo team who protected him from all the Hari's bullies, by putting himself in the way while all the confusion took place. It is very strange, maybe he's in the process of changing gym and still didn't find one? It would rock if he went to Chinuk gym, but it's in Belarus...

[( o Y o )]

What was your opinion on the 4th round?

I think you really could legitimately argue that round for either fighter. On the night I thought lebanner won in the regulation time, and Choi took round 4.

[( o Y o )]

What? He had no corner at all? Did they go to Osaka Dome by mistake?

I believe he turned up in Osaka completely alone.

[( o Y o )]

I think the Ruslan kick was a cheap shot but it wasn't illegal. Hari came to the ring with F*ck Karaev t-shirts. That cost him common decency on the part of his opponent.

That about covers it. It may have been a cheap shot but it WAS within the rules and a person wearing a F*ck Karaev cannot complain about poor sportsmanship.

Badr threw away his shot at the GP. He will have to live with this.

[( o Y o )]

Well, he was lucky then because it was this one BIG guy from Sefo team who protected him from all the Hari's bullies, by putting himself in the way while all the confusion took place.

That was Faii.....as he said to me later, he was not at all worried as not only would a punch from Badr do nothing to him, but the rest of Team Sefo was standing ringside just incase.

It is very strange, maybe he's in the process of changing gym and still didn't find one?

There may be some news about this in the next week or so.

[( o Y o )]

i watched that replay several times, and hari just didnt get hit very hard if at all.

I'm a bit slow but just noticed this.

You are right, the punch didn't seem to land very hard at all but Hari did go down from it. Argue the kick all you like, but the fact Hari was dropped by the very first punch in the fight is a worry, no? I hope I am wrong, but I really think his injuries were still at the front of his mind when he got hit.

[Big Sleep]

Nice read, i agree with pretty much everything except for the analysis of the Hari-Karaev fight. Watching the replay over and over i can see that only one punch landed but not solidly. In my opinion Hari just lost balance. To me, the right that landed didn't really hurt him.

As i see it, when Hari lost balance he decided to drop down just to escape the bad situation. Problem is, Karaev hit him even when he was down and with no doubt he could have stopped his action. One thing that i don't understand though is how can everybody say that the kick to Hari's body didn't hurt him at all? I mean it clearly landed. Maybe it didn't hurt, or maybe it did...but to me the ref should have yellow carded Karaev anyway and give Hari time to recover. This fight is a NC in my book now.

Btw ( o Y o ), good call on Glaube i agree with you there. If the odds are good, some people could make some good money by betting on him. And about Sem, he indeed has a powerfull jab that can even knock you down ;-)

[BEEF]

may be Jerome in 2002 has this volume like Chalid .

Nah I don't think Jerome gets close to Challid. Of course Jerome is more powerful, but Chalid almost fights like a middle weight.

[BEEF]

That was Faii.....as he said to me later, he was not at all worried as not only would a punch from Badr do nothing to him, but the rest of Team Sefo was standing ringside just incase.



There may be some news about this in the next week or so.

Too funny....

[( o Y o )]

One thing that i don't understand though is how can everybody say that the kick to Hari's body didn't hurt him at all? I mean it clearly landed.


I think when most say hurt, they mean as in a balance/recovery type of hurt. I am sure there was some pain involved, but not so much that he could not get up complaining if he felt wrongly done by.


but to me the ref should have yellow carded Karaev anyway and give Hari time to recover. This fight is a NC in my book now.

How can you NC a fight that was stopped by a legal blow though? I can understand where the frustration is coming from, and the ref could have tried handling it in a different way, but at the end of the day the kick was not illegal so a NC is impossible and in fact had the ref given Hari time to recover from it, Ruslan would have had grounds to have any result that may have later gone against him be overturned. That would have been even messier.

[Cracked_Knuckle]

Trashing the Dome will probly lead Hari to an instant invite to Tokyo I think. :lol: I wonda how someone with as little respect for people as him can then have a fit when someone does something disrespecful back. He needs to grow himself some gonads already.

I wanna see him fight Mo next.

[Big Sleep]

I think when most say hurt, they mean as in a balance/recovery type of hurt. I am sure there was some pain involved, but not so much that he could not get up complaining if he felt wrongly done by.
I hear you. Still we don't really know how much painfull was it for him. The only one thing that really landed and hurt him was that kick, that's when his face changed expression.

How can you NC a fight that was stopped by a legal blow though? I can understand where the frustration is coming from, and the ref could have tried handling it in a different way, but at the end of the day the kick was not illegal so a NC is impossible and in fact had the ref given Hari time to recover from it, Ruslan would have had grounds to have any result that may have later gone against him be overturned. That would have been even messier.
Was it a legal blow? From what i remember Hari was butt down when he got hit by the kick (i may be wrong though). But if not, it was a matter of 2-3 cm. Can't tell 100% even from the replay, but he looks down to me.

[( o Y o )]

Was it a legal blow? From what i remember Hari was butt down when he got hit by the kick (i may be wrong though). But if not, it was a matter of 2-3 cm. Can't tell 100% even from the replay, but he looks down to me.

His butt was off the floor. Thats why Kakuda had to pull a new rule out of his ass with which to caution Ruslan and calm Hari down a bit. One of the replays they showed at the event showed he was off the floor and then fell onto it after the kick landed.

So while I think it was technically legal, had the ref given him a chance to recover and yellowed Ruslan, probably everyone but Ruslan and his team would have thought it was the right thing to do. I guess thats how close it was.

At the end of the day though I think the ref saw him drop from the punch and counted him for that. If Hari was only milking it or after a foul, I still cannot understand why his expression did not change at all after the ref waved it off at 9. He just looked the same...til Melvin etc came in hurling abuse.

[Big Sleep]

Well, if Hari's butt wasn't down...then there's nothing he can complain about unfortunately. I say unfortunately because while his but wasn't down, he was down (if you know what i mean). He certeanly could not fight back or anything from that position. But yeah, another thing i noticed is what you just said...when he stood back at 9...and the ref called the fight he didn't react immediately like he should have in my opinion.

[( o Y o )]

But yeah, another thing i noticed is what you just said...when he stood back at 9...and the ref called the fight he didn't react immediately like he should have in my opinion.

It really is strange right? His reaction doesn't change in the slightest way when the ref calls it off....it doesn't even change when Faii and Dixon get in the ring to congratulate Ruslan...he just watches them. Then Melvin and the other bloke jump in screaming and suddenly Hari is pissed off with everyone.

Thats why I think the rage was fueled my by his own embarrassment than outrage at being poorly treated.

[Dado]

At the end of the day though I think the ref saw him drop from the punch and counted him for that. If Hari was only milking it or after a foul, I still cannot understand why his expression did not change at all after the ref waved it off at 9. He just looked the same...til Melvin etc came in hurling abuse.

Dare I say but I think something is still wrong with his jaw. His jaw was broken badly and I think his head absorbed a lot of the impact from that punch, especially when someone who is close to 100kg's is hitting it.

I think you may be right when you said that that punch actually caused the down. It looks like it stunned him real hard but not enough to make him unconscious, which would explain the pained face and him falling over onto his back.

I hope im wrong and he recovers, because despite his attitude hes still a fantastic fighter. And a real addition to the top guys.

Also on another note, that kick that Ruslan threw, we all saw his foot hit Badr's chest, but maybe his lower shin might have grazed Badr's chin, which I can see would easily cause him to be disorientated. Its hard to tell from the pictures or replay, as Badr's arm is always in the way.

[CentralKickboxing.Org]

Abidi had dental surgery and became chinny afterward. If the same happened to Badr at age 20, it would be a shame and a waste of talent.

[Kayo]

Dare I say but I think something is still wrong with his jaw. His jaw was broken badly and I think his head absorbed a lot of the impact from that punch, especially when someone who is close to 100kg's is hitting it.

I think you may be right when you said that that punch actually caused the down. It looks like it stunned him real hard but not enough to make him unconscious, which would explain the pained face and him falling over onto his back.

I hope im wrong and he recovers, because despite his attitude hes still a fantastic fighter. And a real addition to the top guys.

Also on another note, that kick that Ruslan threw, we all saw his foot hit Badr's chest, but maybe his lower shin might have grazed Badr's chin, which I can see would easily cause him to be disorientated. Its hard to tell from the pictures or replay, as Badr's arm is always in the way.I didn't think about that, his previously broken jaw playing a factor in this. It was particularly devastating so it wouldn't surprise me. When I saw the prefight HL I had seen that clip fo Hari w/ his jaw wired shut... shocking to say the least. I didn't know the extent of that KO.

http://file.burntshare.com/nokaut/hari_KTFO1.gif

[( o Y o )]

even if not effecting him physically, a KO like that and a wired jaw cannot have no effect on you mentally.

[Anjew]

I think the Ruslan kick was a cheap shot but it wasn't illegal. Hari came to the ring with F*ck Karaev t-shirts. That cost him common decency on the part of his opponent.

No more to say. Dirty kick? Maybe. Deserved? Surely.

I'm very glad with the result :)

[Big Sleep]

It really is strange right? His reaction doesn't change in the slightest way when the ref calls it off....it doesn't even change when Faii and Dixon get in the ring to congratulate Ruslan...he just watches them. Then Melvin and the other bloke jump in screaming and suddenly Hari is pissed off with everyone.

Thats why I think the rage was fueled my by his own embarrassment than outrage at being poorly treated.
I don't know why but when Faii and Dixon get in the ring to congratulate Ruslan i couldn't help but laugh at Hari's reaction. I'm also changing my mind on this fight. NC is out of question now ;-) Certeanly Ruslan wasn't classy, but then again...it was Hari so more people are gonna be happy than upset about the episode.

[( o Y o )]

I don't know why but when Faii and Dixon get in the ring to congratulate Ruslan i couldn't help but laugh at Hari's reaction.

LOL...it is true. There is no doubt his immediate reaction doesn't fit with his tantrum a few seconds later.....unless that punch REALLY did knock him around.


I'm also changing my mind on this fight. NC is out of question now ;-)

Yep, I think they finally handled it pretty well all things considered. I mean, Ruslans kick wasn't the most sportsman-like move, so a penalty to him is not such a bad thing to discourage things like that in the future.....but due to the fact he broke no rules a NC would be a crime.

[Big Sleep]

I was all like NC because i thought that Hari's butt was on the ground when he got hit by that kick. But since it's not the case, yeah a NC would have been to much of a penality towards Karaev.

It's just a shame that such a great match up turned out the way it did. This was the fight i was looking for the most in the elimination round too :-( next time.

[( o Y o )]

Yeah, I[m sure K-1 will try and set up a rematch. If neither is injured perhaps Dynamite could be the place.