February 28, 2025

A press conference for K-1 BEYOND, scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 31, at Yokohama BUNTAI in Yokohama, Japan, took place on the 27th in Tokyo.

K-1 announced that K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight Champion Liu Ce will participate in the event and defend his title. In attendance at the press conference were K-1 producer Mitsuru Miyata, Liu, and Wu Lin Feng (WLF) producer Shi Qing from China. It was also announced that K-1 and WLF have entered into a partnership. Additionally, the previously announced event name, K-1 WORLD MAX 2025, has been changed to K-1 BEYOND.

Since before its establishment in 2009, K-1 has had exchanges with WLF. Through CFP (Chinese Fighting Promotion, led by Hiroyuki Iwakuma), fighter exchanges have been actively conducted. On January 25 this year, K-1’s Hirotaka Asahisa participated in WLF’s 16-man tournament, which had been ongoing since last year, and advanced to the final four tournament. Asahisa fought in the finals but unfortunately lost, finishing as the runner-up. As previously reported, WLF’s March 29 event will feature K-1 Team Captain Yoshihiro Sato, along with K-1 representatives Yodkhunpon Weerasakreck (Thailand/K-1 Super Lightweight Champion), Kacper Muszyński (Poland), and Shota Meguro (Yuya Dojo).

Additionally, at K-1 BEYOND on May 31 at Yokohama BUNTAI, Liu Ce will defend his title, and K-1 WORLD GP Super Welterweight Champion Ouyang Feng will also make his first title defense. Opponents are currently being arranged and will be announced later.

At the press conference, Shi Qing stated, “Today in Tokyo, we are witnessing a historic moment with the signing of the cooperation agreement between WLF and K-1. This agreement is not merely a signing ceremony; I would like to emphasize that it marks the beginning of a new cooperative relationship between WLF and K-1.

In 2006, K-1 held its first event in China as an organization. Since then, WLF and K-1 have maintained a deep friendship and cooperative relationship for 19 years. During this time, we have experienced countless exciting moments together and witnessed the legends of many fighters.

Looking to the future, the matches created by these two top organizations will become even more thrilling. I am certain they will bring unforgettable excitement to the audience. We expect that every fight and every challenge will become a part of the new history of martial arts and combat sports. Going forward, we are considering new initiatives such as holding inter-promotional battles between Wulinfeng and K-1 champions and organizing title matches. We aim to take on new challenges.”

Moving forward, he hops that K-1 and WLF can establish a unified ranking system. He also aims to host joint events in the future, facilitating inter-promotional matches among top fighters worldwide.

At the K-1 AWARDS 2024 held yesterday, Liu Ce, who won the MVP award, commented, “I am extremely happy and honored to have been the first non-Japanese fighter to win the MVP award at the K-1 AWARDS yesterday. My visit to Japan was not only for the K-1 AWARDS but also to announce my participation in the May 31 event, as just mentioned.

It has been six months since I last stepped into the ring, and I believe my fans have been eagerly waiting for my return to K-1. No need to worry—I have fully recovered from my injury. I am now focused on improving my performance for my next fight. I will return home to continue training intensely and elevate my level further.

On May 31, I encourage all fans to come to the venue and support me,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm.

At the end of the press conference, a signing ceremony was held for the cooperation agreement between the two organizations, symbolizing their commitment to mutual growth and future collaborations.

Liu Ce

— Your opponent for the title defense has not been announced yet. Do you have the confidence to knock whoever steps in front of you out?

“Of course. No matter who the opponent is, I intend to secure victory by knocking them out.”

— Is there a specific fighter you would like to face in your title defense?

“Last December, my teammate Feng Rui competed in the K-1 Heavyweight Tournament and faced Ariel Machado in the final. From my perspective, he sustained a knee injury due to strikes that landed after the referee’s stoppage, which ultimately led to his defeat. It was a frustrating outcome. If I am given the opportunity, I would like to take revenge for my teammate and fight Machado myself.”

— Currently, Thian Tarzan, who is undefeated with a 28-fight winning streak in K-1, has been calling you out. What are your thoughts on that?

“I have seen his fights, and he is certainly a strong fighter. I have no problem facing anyone. If he wants to fight me, that’s fine. Whether it’s at 90kg, an openweight fight, or any weight class he prefers, I am ready to take the match.”

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Mitsuru Miyata (K-1 Producer)

— WLF has stated that K-1 fighters will be competing in the March tournament. Are there any concrete plans for further exchanges between K-1 and WLF?

“There are several notable WLF fighters in the Super Featherweight Tournament, and we expect one of the slots to be filled by a WLF fighter.

Both K-1 and WLF are consistently holding events, with WLF running monthly shows and their biggest annual event taking place in late January. As we move toward that, we are also considering team matches like 3 vs. 3 or 5 vs. 5. While title matches are the main focus in K-1, we will continue exchanging ideas to ensure both Chinese and Japanese fans enjoy this collaboration.

We are even exploring new unprecedented ideas. Ideally, we want to hold a K-1 event in China. It would be great if Japanese fans could travel to China to support their fighters, and we are considering organizing a tour for spectators. Likewise, we hope to welcome Chinese fans to the K-1 event in Yokohama in May. If we can integrate fans into this exchange, it will become an even richer experience.”

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Shi Qing (WLF Producer)

— Are there any K-1 fighters you would like to see compete in WLF?

“I believe that K-1 and Krush champions should have the opportunity to compete in China. I would love to see them step into the WLF ring.

If I had to name specific fighters, I would like to see Hiromi Wajima, Stoyan Koprivlenski, Yodkhunpon Weerasakreck, and Akihiro Kaneko.

Of course, I also hope that young, up-and-coming fighters will challenge themselves in WLF. I believe both Chinese and Japanese fighters are at an exceptionally high level, so I would love to see these top-tier athletes compete in WLF as much as possible.”