Alistair Overeem and Masato Heading to K-1' s Open Tryouts

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 August 2012 14:45 Thursday, 12 July 2012 12:51

Written by Dave Walsh

When looking back at the collapse of FEG, one figure stood out in the United States when it came to publicly speaking about the problems with K-1/FEG, and that was Alistair Overeem. Alistair, the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, had very publicly stated on numerous occasions that he was still owed a large sum of money by K-1. For him, working for the UFC meant job security and not having to worry about those past follies, and he had been heard talking about never wanting to work with companies like K-1 again. So for K-1 to announce that Alistair Overeem, one of the top Heavyweights in the UFC, will be in attendance for the K-1 Open Tryouts in Los Angeles, it is a big deal.

Think of it as a show of faith and letting sleeping dogs rest for K-1, as Alistair Overeem was a very vocal critic but still believes in the brand and the sport, and is willing to make a public showing like this with them. That is a big deal.

ALISTAIR OVEREEM AND MASATOTO ATTEND K-1 OPEN TRYOUTS

K-1 Open Tryouts are July 19 at Muscle Beach - FREE and OPEN to the Public

Los Angeles, CA - With close to 200 men from all over the world pre-registered for the K-1 Open Tryouts, K-1 has reached out to two of its former champions, Alistair Overeem, World Grand Prix Champion and Masato, two-time MAX Champion, to help evaluate and scout all the Hopefuls trying out next week Thursday for a chance to fight in the K-1 organization. Overeem and Masato will head to Muscle Beach on July 19 to alternate as judges during the tryouts, and also will pose for photos with the athletes and fans in attendance. Overeem and Masato join fighting legends Tyrone Spong, Dewey Cooper, Mighty Mo and Rick Roufus who were already scheduled to attend. The K-1 Open Tryouts are FREE and OPEN to the public. With only one week left until the tryouts, Hopefuls should confirm their participation by pre-registering through the K-1 FACEBOOK page at: http://www.facebook.com/K1GlobalTV.ENG. "We are thrilled that Alistair Overeem and Masato are coming to the K-1 Open Tryouts next Thursday at Muscle Beach," said Doug Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer, K-1. "I have asked Alistair and Masato to join Tyrone Spong, Dewey Cooper, Rick Roufus and Mighty Mo to come out to LA and help K-1 find the next great breed of fighters and world champions."

Overeem, 6'5" and 265 lbs, is the last man to hold rank as the K-1 World Grand Prix Heavyweight Champion. He holds belts in two fighting sports, mixed martial arts and kickboxing, across three different organizations including Strikeforce, Dream and K-1. In Overeem's last professional fight, he knocked out former UFC Champion Brock Lesnar in the first round.

Masato, who twice held rank as K-1 MAX Champion (2008 and 2003), and runner up of K-1 MAX (2007 and 2004), is one of the biggest stars in kickboxing. He began fighting professionally in 1997 and throughout his record racked up an impressive 55 wins with 25 coming by knockout. Over the years, Masato has appeared in several feature films and in May 2012 was announced as the executive producer for K-1 Global.

About K-1

K-1 is the largest kickboxing promotion in history. Since 1993, K-1 has presented professional live martial arts events in 38 countries featuring the best and most accomplished athletes in the sport.

World Grand Prix Champions of K-1 include Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt, Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky and Semmy Schilt. K-1 has held broadcast deals with ESPN and HDNet in the United States, Fuji TV in Japan, and numerous other networks across the globe. K-1 returned to the world stage on May 26, 2012 in Madrid, Spain drawing a packed stadium and hundreds of thousands of views on the K-1 Live Stream.

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