January 2, 2026

K-1 has announced the matchups for the K-1 WORLD GP 2026 -90kg World’s Strongest Tournament, scheduled for Sunday, February 8 at Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

This one-day, eight-man tournament features thrilling bouts from the very first round. In the opening match, Japan’s own K-Jee (SHINE SPORTS CLUB) will take on Mahmoud Sattari (Iran/TEAM Yamato Damashii), the winner of the 2022 K-1 WORLD GP Openweight Tournament.

K-Jee previously faced Sattari in the first round of the same 2022 tournament, suffering a KO loss by a left hook. Will K-Jee’s signature right high kick—which once knocked K-1 legend Jerome Le Banner out—land this time? Or will Sattari’s heavy right hand, which dropped Thian Tarzan, strike again? A knockout is inevitable in this explosive rematch.

In the 2nd bout, Italy’s Mattia Faraoni (RAINI CLAN) squares off against Romania’s Bogdan Stoica (Stoica Brothers Fight Academy). Faraoni recently knocked out AKIRA Jr with a tornado kick last month. Stoica, known for his thunderous right hook, has faced none other than Israel Adesanya in kickboxing. Expect fireworks when Tornado meets Thunder.

The 3rd quarterfinal fight features the long-awaited return of Ibrahim El Bouni (Morocco/Gym Haarlem), making his first K-1 appearance in over 8 years, as he faces Marco “Black Diamond” (Brazil/LOUTUS MMA). El Bouni brawled in his 2017 K-1 debut press conference and proved his skills by defeating Roel Mannaart en route to becoming the runner-up in the inaugural K-1 Heavyweight GP.

Black Diamond, the winner of the 2026 K-1 South American Qualifier, represents the new wave of Brazilian talent currently sweeping K-1, joining the likes of Ariel Machado (K-1 Heavyweight Champion), Jonas Salsicha (K-1 MAX 2025 Champion), and Dengue Silva (Krush Middleweight Champion). He might become the next star.

Finally, RCC Fair Fight Heavyweight Champion Nikita Kozlov (Russia/ARCHANGEL MICHAEL FIGHT CLUB) faces Aslan Koshiyev (Kazakhstan/Fight Club TITAN). Kozlov holds a decision win over Ariel Machado and pushed Thian Tarzan to the brink in a close fight. Koshiyev, just 20 years old, is a rising prodigy who has won multiple national titles in Kazakhstan and won a medal at the IMMAF World Championships.

This high-level matchup is too good for the first round—can Kozlov prove the pundits right, or will Koshiyev pull off a major upset?

Also announced is a reserve bout between Fair FC Light Heavyweight (-91kg) Champion Lukas Achterberg (Germany/Team CSK/Sparta Aachen) and AKIRA Jr. (Philippines/Team Aj).

Additionally, a Super Bantamweight (-55kg) bout will see Koji Ikeda (Japan/ReBORN Kyodo) face Riki Iwao (Japan/POWER OF DREAM). Both fighters are hungry for redemption—Ikeda looking to break his losing streak, and Iwao aiming to bounce back from a tough loss to Munetaka Oshika.

[Confirmed Fight Card]

[K-1 WORLD GP 2026 -90kg Tournament Quarterfinal (1) / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]
Mahmoud Sattari (Iran / TEAM Yamato Damashii)
Born: Feb 22, 1991 / Karaj, Iran / Age: 34 / Height: 186cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 25 wins (13 KO) – 4 losses
Titles:

• K-1 WORLD GP 2022 Openweight Tournament Champion
• 2nd Krush Cruiserweight Champion
• M-1 World Heavyweight Champion
• WAKO Amateur Muay Thai World Middleweight Champion
• 2012 Muay Thai President’s Cup Winner
• 2014 Asian Beach Games Muay Thai Champion
• 2017 Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games Muay Thai Champion
  X: @mahmoud_sattari
  Instagram: @mahmoud__sattari

K-Jee (Japan / SHINE SPORTS CLUB)
Born: Nov 5, 1990 / Kumamoto City, Japan / Age: 35 / Height: 185cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 22 wins (19 KO) – 18 losses
Titles:

• 2nd K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight Champion
• Inaugural Krush Cruiserweight Champion
• 3rd place, inaugural K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight Tournament
  X: @KJEE17
  Instagram: @1105.kjee

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[Quarterfinal (2) / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]
Mattia Faraoni (Italy / RAINI CLAN)
Born: Nov 13, 1991 / Rome, Italy / Age: 34 / Height: 188cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 30 wins (14 KO) – 5 losses
Titles:

• ISKA World Super Heavyweight Champion
• ISKA World Super Cruiserweight (-95kg) Champion
  Instagram: @mattiafaraoni

Bogdan Stoica (Romania / Stoica Brothers Fight Academy)
Born: Jan 28, 1990 / Bucharest, Romania / Age: 36 / Height: 193cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 59 wins (41 KO) – 17 losses
Titles:

• Former Enfusion Light Heavyweight (-95kg) Champion
• WKU Cruiserweight (-90kg) Champion
• SUPERKOMBAT Cruiserweight (-92kg) Champion
• WAKO-PRO Intercontinental Cruiserweight (-88.6kg) Champion
  X: @bStoica190
  Instagram: @b.stoica

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[Quarterfinal (3) / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]
Ibrahim El Bouni (Morocco / Gym Haarlem)
Born: Dec 9, 1992 / Amsterdam, Netherlands / Age: 33 / Height: 194cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 42 wins (22 KO) – 11 losses – 1 draw
Titles:

• Runner-up, inaugural K-1 WORLD GP Heavyweight Tournament
• A1 WCC -86kg Tournament Champion
  Instagram: @ibrahimelbouni

Marco “Black Diamond” (Brazil / LOUTUS MMA)
Born: July 31, 1997 / São Paulo, Brazil / Age: 28 / Height: 181cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 34 wins (12 KO) – 7 losses
Titles:

• K-1 WORLD GP 2026 South American Qualifier Tournament Champion
• SFT COMBAT Middleweight (-84kg) Champion
  Instagram: @marcoblackdiamond

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[Quarterfinal (4) / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]
Nikita Kozlov (Russia / ARCHANGEL MICHAEL FIGHT CLUB)
Born: Nov 29, 1992 / Yekaterinburg, Russia / Age: 33 / Height: 196cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 20 wins (7 KO) – 3 losses
Titles:

• RCC Fair Fight Heavyweight Champion
  Instagram: @kozlovnikita870

Aslan Koshiyev (Kazakhstan / Fight Club TITAN)
Born: Sept 17, 2005 / Almaty, Kazakhstan / Age: 20 / Height: 191cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 7 wins (4 KO) – 1 loss
Titles:

• 2025 IFMA Asian Championships -91kg Champion
• 2025 IFMA Kazakhstan Championships -91kg Champion
• 2025 WAKO Kazakhstan Championships +91kg Champion
• 3rd Place, 2025 IMMAF World Championships -93kg
• 2025 IMMAF Kazakhstan Championships -93kg Champion
  Instagram: @_koshiyev_001

[Quarterfinal – Reserve Fight / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]

Lukas Achterberg (Germany / Team CSK / Sparta Aachen)
Born: May 27, 1996 / Aachen, Germany / Age: 29 / Height: 200cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 15 wins (6 KO) – 1 loss (16 fights total)
Major Titles:

• Fair FC Light Heavyweight (-91kg) Champion
• Gladiator Fight Night Light Heavyweight (-93kg) Tournament Winner
• 2017 IFMA European Championships -91kg Gold Medalist
  Instagram: @lukas.achterberg

Akira Jr. (Philippines / Team Aj)
Born: October 24, 1990 / Manila, Philippines / Age: 35 / Height: 186cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 16 wins (6 KO) – 12 losses – 1 draw (29 fights total)
Major Titles:

• IKC Heavyweight Champion
• RKS Cruiserweight Champion
• Shuken Muay Thai Super Middleweight Champion
  X: @AKIRAjr1990
  Instagram: @akirajr_k1

[K-1 Super Bantamweight / 3 rounds x 3 min, 1 extension round]

Koji Ikeda (Japan / ReBORN Kyodo)
Born: June 30, 1997 / Takasaki, Gunma, Japan / Age: 28 / Height: 170cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 16 wins (8 KO) – 9 losses (25 fights total)
Major Titles:

• 8th Krush Bantamweight Champion
• 3rd Place, Inaugural K-1 WORLD GP Bantamweight Championship Tournament
• 2019 K-1 College -55kg Champion
  X: @kojikeda0630
  Instagram: @kg.co.ji

Chikara Iwao (Japan / POWER OF DREAM)
Born: December 24, 1997 / Adachi, Tokyo, Japan / Age: 28 / Height: 168cm / Stance: Orthodox
Record: 17 wins (9 KO) – 5 losses – 1 draw (23 fights total)
Major Titles:

• WINDY Muay Thai Bantamweight Champion
  X: @chikaraiwao1224
  Instagram: @chikara__1224