K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that was originally held annually from 1993 by the K-1 organization, under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG). Each year, K-1 would hold various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style qualifying tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in the main World GP.
Match-ups
Combatants of the quarter-finals of a 16-man 8-match tournament are paired by drawing, with the exception of the final in the Tokyo Dome.
A lottery draw would take place in the beginning, with fighters pulling a ball from a glass bowl. The balls represent numbers 1 to 8, which determine the fighters' order in choosing a position from a giant tournament tree figure by standing in front a drawn bracket (from A to H) on the poster, which represents the fighter's corner-color and the line-number of the match. The next fighter does the same, but is able to choose between challenging the one on the stage or an "empty" section. This procedure goes on until one fighter remains who has no choice but to fill one slot left next to the one lone fighter.
K-1 World Grand Prix dates and venues
| Event | Date of opening round | Date of final round | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1993 | N/A | April 3, 1993 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1994 | N/A | April 30, 1994 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1995 | March 3, 1995 | May 4, 1995 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 | March 10, 1996 | May 6, 1996 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1997 | September 7, 1997 | November 9, 1997 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1998 | September 27, 1998 | December 13, 1998 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 | October 5, 1999 | December 5, 1999 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 | N/A | December 10, 2000 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 | N/A | December 8, 2001 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 | October 5, 2002 | December 7, 2002 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 | October 11, 2003 | December 6, 2003 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 | September 25, 2004 | December 4, 2004 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 | September 23, 2005 | November 19, 2005 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 | September 30, 2006 | November 25, 2006 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 | September 29, 2007 | December 8, 2007 | Korea, Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 | September 27, 2008 | December 6, 2008 | Korea, Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 | September 26, 2009 | December 5, 2009 | Korea, Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 | October 2, 2010 | December 11, 2010 | Japan |
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 | N/A | December 14, 2024 | Japan |