When I saw the winners of this year's K-1 GP opening round, instead of thinking, "changing of the guard" like everyone else did, I immediately thought, Tokyo Dome in December is going to be a tough task for Master Ishii.
With these eight finalists, I felt, no one, or any of the match-ups would bring the hype and excitement among fans necessary for the GP finals.

"A major attraction" was in order for the year's biggest K-1 event at the silver elbow-pat looking indoor baseball park next to Korakuen amusement park.
Sure, there are stars like Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, Stephan Leko, and up and coming hopes like Remy Bonjasky and Peter Graham but fight fans, especially in Japan, are very spoiled because so-called "dream match-ups" are ordinary happenings in today's fast moving world of Martial Arts.
So I thought maneuvering something was an absolute mission for Master Ishii.

Before I go any further, I suppose I should explain the reason why I keep bringing up Master Ishii even though he is nowhere to be found in the top management of FEG, the company which organizes the K-1 Grand Prix.
Master Ishii is the founder of the fastest growing sport in the world called K-1.
He is just staying out of the spotlight till his trial is over, that's all.
Everyone is aware of that including the most gullible fan on the planet.
And considering the fact that the FEG office is at the exact same place as where Master Ishii's Kei One, the company which organized K-1 until he was prosecuted, used to be, I believe it is fair to assume that the founder of K-1, definitely, still has the power.
He just has to step out for a while because of these tax evasion charges. He screwed up, just as Ian Schrager of Studio 54 did back in the 70's. Master Ishii however is still the most powerful man in K-1 and it is obvious that he is the one who is calling the shots and that is my reason for mentioning Master Ishii when it comes to what is happening in K-1.

Now Leko is out because of "a problem regarding the contract" and Francois Botha conveniently steps in to face Cyril Abidi in the first round. Yes, it is the rematch of that nineteen seconds farce in Osaka Dome. The revenge fight, Master Ishii's favorite. A little spice was added to the tournament but I feel there is still something missing in this year’s K-1 GP.
I mean, let's face it. Botha passed his peak more than seven or eight years ago. When he was fed to Tyson back in May of 1999, he already looked so out of shape that his body resembled half-melted squid. He sure did capture the IBF heavyweight crown by defeating Axel Schultz in December of 1995 but tested positive in a doping test the following year, which resulted in, of course, loosing a championship belt. Botha then came back and once again tried for the IBF title this time against Michael Moorer but he was beaten to the punch and that was it for Botha's journey in the world championship bouts.
Don't get me wrong. Without a doubt, Botha was a top-ranked professional boxer back in the mid 90's but he is already a forgotten figure in today's professional boxing world. So I definitely can't picture Botha capturing a K-1 GP title but I think he will pass the first round though.

Abidi is a good boxer but not good enough to out strike Botha toe-to-toe but besides his striking skill, I believe the problem for Abidi is that he is still in the midst of mentally recovering from two losses against an MMA fighter named Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. It is all in Abidi's head but I believe he is still in disbelief.
How can I loose to a wrestler in K-1 rules? Twice in a row!
Unless Abidi can completely get rid of this distracting thought, I think Botha will walk all over him.

Then Botha will probably face an ex-banker, Remy Bonjasky in the semi-final.
Peter Graham, Remy's opponent in the quarter final, is a good fighter with a tremendous fighting spirit. This guy spent most of his youth protecting himself and his sister in a foster home. His father passed away when he was an infant and Graham has been fighting everyday since the day his mother abandoned him and his little sister. My heart is with this guy but I believe he still needs a few more years of experience in order for him to shut down the flying knees of the Dutchman.

In the other bracket, there are three K-1 veterans but I believe it is going to be a "Scorpion Fest" full of Muay Thai clinches, low-kicks, and lethal knee strikes. I am talking about Alexey Ignashov.
I think this is going to be his year.
Ignashov is an art major in school thinking of pursuing a career in filmmaking after he finishes his professional fight career at age 30. Yes, he is only 25 and I think he just began peaking. However, he will have one obstacle and that is Peter Aerts.
Needless to say considering some people label Ignashov as "the next Peter Aerts," they are almost identical in their fight style, and Aerts has an advantage in terms of experience. But unless Aerts can revive his old form, Ignashov is going to be a little too big and too quick for him.

Since I can't picture Musashi defeating Ray Sefo unless he changes his hit-and-away dance around the ring tactic, I can almost assure that the semi final match-ups of this year's K-1 GP are going to be Ignashov – Sefo and Botha – Bonjasky.
Well, I think Master Ishii at this point will hope "Bonjasky defeats Botha to show K-1's superiority over boxing then facing Ignashov who conquers Sefo's powerful punches" and I think that is exactly what is going to happen, except the "showing K-1's superiority over boxing" part.

Like I mentioned earlier, Botha is already a boxer from the past so Bonjasky winning really doesn't mean anything to the people in the boxing world but I think the final is going to be very exciting. The battle of kick boxers, the battle of flying knees, and this might capture the heart of fight fans all over the world. (By the way, Bonjasky is thinking about an acting career after K-1 so this fight also can be a battle of filmmaker vs. actor)
K-1 is more than just punching, and a kick boxer will once again prove that this year. Then Master Ishii will be satisfied when he sees a good looking young man who just transferred to night school in order to concentrate on K-1 for the next five years, taking his first K-1 title.
Alexey Ignashov can then get rid of his "next Peter Aerts" status and become simply "Scorpion" and this will be the beginning of a new era in K-1.