K-1 new buisness partners.. and things are looking good!

TUESDAY, 28 JUNE 2011 17:21 WRITTEN BY DAVE WALSH 0 COMMENTS


Watch the above video and note some of the key words that Tanikawa uses and that he does seem dead set that not only will K-1 continue on, but that K-1 will be fine. While in the past I've felt that those were empty words, I can confirm now that things are indeed looking up. The PUJI deal has actually yielded some capital for K-1 and there are some investors (or possibly even buyers) who are serious about K-1 continuing and becoming a worldwide force. The show in China that Tanikawa mentions is currently airmarked for October and does indeed seem like a reality as opposed to "Japanese Grandstanding" that we hear about.

LiverKick.com has been made aware of who some of the investors are, and confirmed through a number of sources the accuracy of the information, but will continue to keep it under wraps until the deals are finalized on all sides and the exchange of money and power have been made. What we can say is that the companies investing in K-1 are very serious about kickboxing and K-1 and have the money to make sure there are not as many hurdles. It also means that K-1's typical Japan-centric approach will be compromised as it is not a viable business model, nor is it one these new investors would support. K-1 putting on one show is a big deal, as will be paying fighters who are owed money. For all the talk of Japanese television deals, while those will be important for K-1, they will no longer be the driving force of revenue and motivation like they once were if these deals go according to plan.

K-1 is lucky that they made themselves the undeniable brand in kickboxing, mainly by establishing a set of rules that were universally adopted and by running worldwide tournaments on a yearly basis to determine who the best are. Many promotions are able to book some of the top talent from K-1, but it seems like no one can pull in all of the exact names (granted, some like It's Showtime have their own pool of talent and exclude some headscratchers of names like Teixeira and Jaideep) and pit them against each other successfully.

A K-1 looking to take a global scale seriously is a K-1 that will have multiple revenue streams and actually build up its name internationally, with a focus on Japan as a homebase but not its only base there is a greater chance for the company to succeed and prosper. Expect big things to come from K-1 if things go according to plan.

juggalo wrote:Well I hope this buisness deal works out K-1 needs it badly....also i noticed they changed there name to mages....wonder what it stands for

bfnick wrote:I wish that K-1 returns to its former glory

bfnick wrote:I wish that K-1 returns to its former glory

Nycto Da 6'0 wrote:K-1 will never be looking good as long as they have that announcer that makes Mike Goldberg look like the Voice

Nycto Da 6'0 wrote:K-1 will never be looking good as long as they have that announcer that makes Mike Goldberg look like the Voice

TJC123 wrote:

Nycto Da 6'0 wrote:K-1 will never be looking good as long as they have that announcer that makes Mike Goldberg look like the Voice

do you mean commentator? and who are you talking about?

blueyedsamurai wrote:

TJC123 wrote:

Nycto Da 6'0 wrote:K-1 will never be looking good as long as they have that announcer that makes Mike Goldberg look like the Voice

do you mean commentator? and who are you talking about?

the guy who was commentating at the 63kg japan tourny stream