On December 15th, the day-after press conference for the K-1 WORLD GP 2024 in TOKYO took place. Ariel Machado, the winner of the K-1 WORLD GP 2024 Openweight Tournament attended the press conference.

After winning the South American qualifying tournament in August, he secured his spot in the K-1 World GP final. In the tournament, Machado achieved a series of KO victories—first defeating Rhys Brudenell in the quarterfinal, then stopping Errol Zimmerman in the semifinal, and finally knocking Feng Rui out in the finals—winning the championship with all KOs.

Machado’s interview:

Interviewer: What are your thoughts on yesterday’s fights?

Machado: “I’m very happy that I won the tournament. I prepared all my techniques and strategies to secure the championship belt. I was able to thoroughly prepare for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, and it felt great to execute those plans successfully.”

Interviewer: How do you feel about making history?

Machado: “I’ve been watching K-1 since I was a child, and I’m truly happy that my dream has come true.”

Interviewer: What has changed the most in the past year since last year’s tournament?

Machado: “Last year, I faced an opponent in the first match whose style I didn’t know. The fight then went into an extra round, which drained my stamina. Then I had to fight Liu Ce and I was already dealing with damage and fatigue. That was a major difference compared to this time.”

Interviewer: In the quarterfinal, you scored a KO victory over Brudenell. What was your strategy going into that fight?

Machado: “My opponent was strong in boxing, so my main focus was attacking with kicks. I planned to counter with punches when he moved forward, and that strategy worked out perfectly.”

Interviewer: What are your thoughts on the semifinal against Zimmerman and the final against Feng Rui?

Machado: “In the semifinal, Errol was tall with powerful punches and kicks, so my plan was to attack slowly and look for an opening to finish him. In the final, Feng was already injured, so I aimed to capitalize on that.”

Interviewer: This time, last year’s champion Liu Ce wasn’t part of the tournament. Are you considering a rematch with him?

Machado: “I want to fight him. Both my opponents in last year’s and this year’s tournaments are Chinese fighters, so I felt like I managed to get a revenge.”

Interviewer: In the final, you scored a knockdown with a front kick to Feng’s leg. Was that something you had planned?

Machado: “I kept my distance to avoid taking unnecessary damage, and since his leg was already hurt, I deliberately targeted it.”

Interviewer: What are your goals moving forward?

Machado: “I’ve taken little damage, so I’m ready for the next challenge. Bring it on!”