don hughes1 Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 With the announcement of the UFC, and Pancrase in Japan getting some recognition, Mark Cuban has decided to open a new company to compete with the UFC. King Of Fighters will be opening in 1993 at the same time as the UFC promotion to see just who the most skilled fighter is in the world! Multi-night tournaments will be held to crown KOF champions. It is unknown yet how many fighters will be in the inaugural tournament, or where. What IS known is that like the UFC, there will be no weight classes (though Cuban is looking into introducing weight classes in the future). In an interview with Mark Cuban, he said this: "This is a long term project. We don't expect to be selling out The Staples Center right away. This is something that we want to build to last. The question of which fighting styles are the strongest will continue even after we establish ourselves, but the question of who the best fighters are in the world will not. We want fighters of all sizes, all disciplines, all around the world, all here in KOF." Results and news of the new KOF will be posted here, so stay tuned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don hughes1 Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 KOF 1 took place amongst 3 night (two in August, and the finals in November), and the 16 fighter tournament lived up to ALL expectations! It was a Gracie family affair, with all 3 Gracie family members making it to the final 4 of the tournament. Night 1 saw Rickson Gracie move to the final night, defeating Eugenio Tadeu, Ken Shamrock, and Bas Rutten to advance to the finals. Night 2 saw Royce Gracie advance to the final night, defeating Erik Paulson, Vernon White, and Renzo Gracie. The final was as expected, a ground battle, with Rickson pulling out the win in RD 1 via Technical Submission to claim the win, and the honor of being crowned the first King Of Fighters. Prelim fights were held on Night 1 and Night 2, while other fights were held on Finals night. The standout was Marco Ruas, who defeated Ron Van Clief on Night 1, and Oleg Taktarov on Finals night. Tournament results are listed below: Mark Cuban in interviews said he was very pleased with the first tournament, but with some of his fighters working for other organizations, it is unknown if the next tournament will be a 16 fighter tournament, or if changes will be made. In any event, KOF 2 has been confirmed, and Rickson Gracie is in negotiations to enter the event and try to repeat as KOF Champion! Stay tuned, stay safe, and stay tough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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