Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1Rob KamanRob KamanBorn 5 Jun 1960"Mr Low Kick" won world titles in both Muay Thai and kickboxing in the 1980s and 1990s, at a time when Europeans who travelled to fight Thais usually came home beaten. His low kick, thrown with full hip turn, became the backbone of the Dutch style, and his career shows how that style was built by…0i
  2. 2Ramon DekkersRamon DekkersDekkers fought the best Thais in their own stadiums in the late 1980s and 1990s and earned a following there that no European had before him. His combination punching, finished with a hook to the body and a low kick, translated directly from Muay Thai into Dutch kickboxing, and he took the same…0i
  3. 3Ernesto HoostErnesto HoostBorn 11 Jul 1965"Mr Perfect" won the K-1 World Grand Prix four times (1993, 1997, 1999, 2000) after earlier world titles under Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing rules. He gave away size to almost every heavyweight he fought and won with combinations and defence, so his K-1 tournaments are the clearest lesson in how…0i
  4. 4Peter AertsPeter AertsBorn 25 Oct 1970"The Dutch Lumberjack" won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 1994, 1995 and 1998 and was still reaching the final in 2010. His high kick suited K-1's open scoring, while his earlier world titles came under Muay Thai-influenced rules, and the span of his career shows a heavyweight reshaping his game as…0i
  5. 5Andy HugAndy HugBorn 7 Sept 1964Hug came from full-contact karate, where punches to the head are banned, and won the 1996 K-1 World Grand Prix after learning to defend them. His axe kick and spinning heel kick, karate weapons, became K-1 signatures, and his move into gloves remains the model for any karateka crossing over. He…0i
  6. 6Mirko Cro CopMirko Cro CopBorn 10 Sept 1974Cro Cop won Pride's 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix in MMA and the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix in kickboxing, a decade apart. In MMA he had to build takedown defence around his famous left high kick; returning to K-1 he had to stop worrying about it. Few fighters have reached the top of both with the…0i
  7. 7Semmy SchiltSemmy SchiltBorn 27 Oct 1973Schilt won Ashihara karate titles, fought in Pride and the UFC, then won four K-1 World Grand Prix titles (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009) and Glory's first heavyweight Grand Slam in 2012. At 2.12 m his front kick and jab controlled range under every rule set, and his career is the strongest case that…0i
  8. 8Masato (kickboxer)Masato (kickboxer)Born 10 Mar 1979Japan's biggest kickboxing star won the K-1 World MAX tournament in 2003 and 2008. He began under Japanese kickboxing rules with elbows allowed and adapted to K-1's restricted clinch with sharper boxing, which is why his MAX tournaments, against Thais and Dutchmen alike, are worth rewatching.0
  9. 9Andy SouwerAndy SouwerBorn 9 Nov 1982Souwer won K-1 World MAX in 2005 and 2007 and Shoot Boxing's S-Cup, where throws and standing submissions are legal, and also had MMA bouts. Moving between rules that reward throws and rules that ban them demanded unusual balance in the clinch, which is exactly what makes his fights instructive.0i
  10. 10Giorgio PetrosyanGiorgio PetrosyanBorn 10 Dec 1985"The Doctor" won K-1 World MAX in 2009 and 2010 and ONE's featherweight kickboxing grand prix in 2019, as well as Muay Thai titles. His southpaw counters and footwork let him win without taking damage, and his consistency across promotions over fifteen years is what puts him in the conversation as…0i