Daniel Ghita Records Fastest K-1 GP Win Ever
Daniel Ghita's annihilation of three opponents in less than six minutes at the K-1 in Tokyo Final 16 Qualifying Grand Prix was the stuff of legend. In doing so Ghita smashed a K-1 record that many thought would never be beaten, writes MICHAEL SCHIAVELLO.
When Dutch Lumberjack Peter Aerts won the K-1 World Grand Prix tournament for a third time in 1998, he was at the peak of his extraordinary powers. Not only did Aerts win the world's most grueling 8-man tournament for a (then) record third time but also he did so in record fashion, completing the tournament in only 6 minutes and 43 seconds.
Since 1998 many had tried to take Aerts' record but none even came close.
Ernesto Hoost took 19:35 for his 1999 Grand Prix win; Semmy Schilt took 11:56 for his 2005 Grand Prix win; Remy Bonjasky took 13:44 for his 2003 Grand Prix win; and even Mark Hunt and his fabled knocked power took 26:32 to win the 2001 Grand Prix.
In regional tourneys, fighters around the world had long tried to surpass Aerts' 6:43 tournament record in official K-1 GP competition.
Mark Hunt's 2000 and 2001 K-1 Oceania victories were quick and brutal ? he knocked out all three opponents in one round each to claim the 2001 K-1 Oceania GP -- but took longer than Aerts' 1998 WGP total winning time. Semmy Schilt's awesome K-1 World GP in Paris 2005 tournament victory in which he stopped all three opponents still took him a total of 18:43 to complete. And Bjorn Bregy's magnificent K-1 World GP in Amsterdam win in 2006 totaled 14:44.
At the K-1 USA Grand Prix in Honolulu last August, Gokhan Saki looked set to beat Aerts' 1998 tournament record. In his first two fights on his way to the title, Saki stopped Deutsch Puu and Rick Cheek in a combined time of 4:51. However his inability to put a quick finish on Randy Kim in the final ? he stopped Kim after 4:39 ? gave Saki a total finishing time of 9:30.
Once again Aerts' legendary 6:43 appeared unbreakable.
Enter Romania's Daniel Ghita at the K-1 in Tokyo Final 16 Qualifying Grand Prix on August 11, 2009. It was on that night that the heavily fancied Ghita, whose name had been bandied around Europe for a long time among hardcore fans as a fierce competitor deserving of a K-1 contract, finally made his Japanese K-1 debut. He did not fail to deliver.
When Ghita's very first leg kick of his quarter final bout against Welshman John Love cracked against Love's thigh with a sickening thud, everyone in the audience at the Yoyogi Stadium knew they were witnessing a very special athlete.
"Just from the way he delivered that first kick, I knew he was going to win the whole tournament," said FEG staff writer Stuart Tonkin. "Ghita was just on. And when you're on, you're on."
In a truly awe-inspiring and frighteningly brutal display, Ghita went on a tournament tear the likes of which had never been seen. Whereas Aerts set the record in 1998 with his infamous head-kicking arsenal, Ghita didn't just break Aerts' record he shattered it with a murderous leg kicking display.
One by one Ghita's three opponents fell.
John Love lasted just 1:28.
Reserve fighter Yuki (replacing the injured Melvin Maenhoff) in the semi final also lasted just 1:28.
Entering the final, Ghita had a 3:46 margin in which to break Aerts' record. As the history books now show, he needed only a fraction of that time. Against European Muay Thai champion Sergei Lascenko it took Ghita only 2:19 to knock Lascenko down three times and secure a place in the last 16 in the world ? and a place in the record books with a new total GP tournament winning time of 5: 15.
"It was like K-1 of old," said FEG USA director Mike Kogan. "Ghita is scary!"
