When you hear "K-1", the first word that comes to mind is tournament. One night, eight-man survival grand prix.

The sport of kickboxing reached its golden era during the ‘90s, by way of these unforgettable Tokyo nights.

Eight fighters from all around the world, trying to win the most coveted title of all : the K-1 World GP Championship. The legendary martial arts competition founded by Seidokaikan Karate Master Ishii Kazuyoshi in 1993, with the aim of finding out which striking art is the best in the world. A fantastic idea, of course.

There were so many great ones it's hard to say which one was the best. But when asking longtime fans of the sport, one tournament always gets shout outs : the 1999 GP final.

An incredibly tough field of fierce fighters, almost all of them at the peak of their powers. All of them ended up being called legends of the sport. One of them stood up that night and made a statement.

QUARTER FINALS

Sam Greco (AUS) vs Ray Sefo (NZ)

To kick-off the tournament, a matchup of fighters known for their extreme toughness. Both Sam Greco and Ray Sefo never ended up winning the GP but were quite difficult to beat all the same. They immediately met in the middle and exchanged hard blows, and continued in the same vein for three grueling rounds, with Sam Greco awarded the close decision.