2010 Fight of the Year: Part 4

Thursday, 23 December 2010 18:03

Written by Fraser Coffeen

The next entry in our 2010 Fight of the Year series takes us back to K-1, as they crown a new king...

Tetsuya Yamato v. Yuta Kubo (K-1 63kg Grand Prix Finals, July 5)

For the first half of 2010, K-1 was all about their new 63kg division, and boy did that division deliver.  Their inaugural 63kg Grand Prix was an all around superb tournament, capped off by the best GP final K-1 has seen in recent years as Tetsuya Yamato (in blue) faced Yuta Kubo (red).  Both men had a tough path to the finals, as Yamato defeated early tournament favorite Masahiro Yamamoto, Yuki, and Kizaemon Saiga, while Kubo took out DJ.taiki, Keiji Ozaki, and Yoshimichi Matsumoto (in one of the year's best KOs).  Their final battle was a superb contest, combining fast paced skill with drama and excitement.

Sadly, K-1 has yet to follow up on this fight, as the division has been largely dormant, with Krush instead taking the 63kg lead.  Yamato will be back in action at Dynamite!!

Previously featured:

Tyrone Spong v. Jerome Le Banner

Bovy Sor. Udomson v. Takaaki Umeno

Yuya Yamamoto v. Scott Shaffer

A note on this series - we'll be posting 1 or 2 of the top fights of the year on a daily basis over the coming week.  Fights will be featured in chronological order moving through the year.  Voting will be open next week to determine the winner.

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