With the K1 Finals and IT`S SHOWTIME Athens behind us, we can now look forward to another event hosted by IT`S SHOWTIME. As a series of back-to-back events, this special Christmas edition is being held at a unique location, The Sand Amsterdam. A huge hall which is often used for beach volleyball tournaments or even music events, it`s now being transformed into an arena in which a large number of local and international fighters are going face each other in the ring.

The card is again stacked with awesome fighters who are known for putting on a show. It`s promising to be another thrilling evening in which we hope to a lot of action, suspense and of course hard KO`s. Let`s have a look at part 2 of the card:

Freddy Kemayo vs Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva
Kemayo has been around for a while and is one of those fighters who always shows his face in the toprankings only to disappear from it for a few months. This year he showed he had what it takes to be among the best by winning the European GP in Romania. Sure Ignashov dropped out the Final, but Kemayo disposed of his opponents with a new found aggression. Unfortunately for him he was matched against Gökhan Saki at the Final 16. Saki is on fire this year and showed this to the world by demolishing the poor Frenchman who didn`t stand a chance from the bell. He is now back and waiting for him in the ring is none other than Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva. The Chakuriki fighter originally from Brazil is looking for a win after his two losses against Mourad Bouzidi. Allthough Silva is a good fighter he seems to remain stuck on a certain level. Either that or he has not been given the right opponents. But let`s not forget he KO`d Stefan Leko last year and even Hesdy Gerges is on his win-list. However Silva seems to lack a certain killer instinct, he does his work and scores his points, but the hard KO`s and brutal victories have yet to be seen. Kemayo on the other hand has KO power and perhaps still some momentum in him left. Could this be the match Silva needs to get more into the spotlight and show what he`s worth..or will Kemayo close this year with another victory?

Kenneth van Eesvelde vs Warren Stevelmans
In 2008 the K1 MAX European tournament was held in Holland. Stevelmans surprised everyone here by beating Aalviar Lima, Chris Ngimbi and Marco Pique all in one evening. He then disposed of his Final 16 opponent, only to run into Andy Souwer in the Final 8. Stevelmans survived, but lost to decision. Since then he has been fighting a few fights under full muay thai rules, winning and losing going hand in hand. Stevelmans needs a few solid victories if he wishes to return in K1 MAX. His opponent will not give this to him easily. Kenneth van Eesvelde from Belgium is a fast moving technical fighter which should match Stevelmans since he has the same style. This could end up to be a real war with the level of technique being extremely high and fast-paced…do not blink during this one!

Murthel Groenhart vs Khalid Bourdif
Groenhart has been showing great improvement recently, which is no surprise since he`s a resident of Mike`s Gym, home to a huge number of toplevel fighters. Groenhart`s aggressive style has earned him a lot of fans and he keeps delivering. He even took Nieky Holzken into an extra round at Ultimate Glory 12, where eventually Holzken got the controversial win in the end. Groenhart was one of the favourites to replaces Cosmo Alexandre in the title bout for the IT`S SHOWTIME Worldtitle 77 MAX against Lhoucine Ouzgni. But unfortunately for him that honour went to someone else, which led him to face off against Khalid Bourdif. A fighter who has yet to show great international success, but is known to give anyone who faces him a hard time. This bout is certainly going to be interesting, as we will see what Bourdif can do against the violent storm known as Groenhart..or Mike`s prodigy will give us another hard KO to establish his progress over the last few months. Unless Bourdif can cause an upset, he may be leaving the ring horizontally.

Chris Knowles vs Rico Verhoeven
Verhoeven is one of those guys you want to win. Must be an urge to witness his future potential as he has all the tools to become top 8 material in a few years. Only 21 years of age Verhoeven has numerous wins with a convincing victory over Dzevad Poturak in spring. Although he often has a huge size advantage as he is almost 2 meters high, Verhoeven wins most his fights on points. Perhaps he needs to learn how to use his body in the correct way and obtain a bit more speed is no luxury either. However he is one to watch for the future. Verhoeven was scheduled to face Hesdy Gerges, but the latter had a K1 Superfight last weekend and it was uncertain if he would be able to make it. Unfortunately for Verhoeven his opponents often change last minute and this has kept him from fighting a few bigger names in the past as it does now. Gerges` replacement is hard-hitting Englishman Chris Knowles. A shame Verhoeven will not fight Gerges, but who knows what the future will bring. Besides..this fight will probably be better for Verhoeven, so he can sharpen his skills for future battles. A hard KO will be more than welcome this time.

Artem Levin vs Lhoucine Ouzgni
Ouzgni has been a rising star in his weightclass, but his recent KO win against Nieky Holzken has put him on the map for good. The lengthy Moroccan has speed, power and technique. Add the reach advantage and you get the killing machine known as ‘Aussi’. His opponent was supposed to be the Brazilian Cosmo Alexandre, another great fighter who is considered one of the best out there. However due to some contract issues Cosmo was cut loose by IT`S SHOWTIME and now they had to find another opponent. Keep in mind this fight was a title bout with the IS 77k MAX Worldtrophy as the price, so they had to come up with a seriously skilled replacement. Although many favoured Murthel Groenhart, IT`S SHOWTIME contracted the Russian Artem Levin. Even though he is not a household name on everyone`s list yet, this tall and unpredictable fighter has numerous titles and record to proof he`s among the best in his weightclass. Not only does he deliver hard KO`s, but he does so in a fashionable way. Spinning kicks and backfists are not unfamiliar techniques to this dangerous Russian talent. This bout is one to watch as both fighters have long reach and KO power to back them up. There`s a good chance this one might not go to the judges!

Mosab Amrani vs Mohamed Khamal
The main event of the night goes to these Amsterdam based fighters who are both aiming to be the King of Amsterdam. Almost all the predictions point to a 50/50 chance to either fighter. Who will come out in the end is unknown. But one thing`s for sure…it will a war like no other! Amrani is the more experienced fighter here, but Khamal has had a tremendous year. Although he lost to Drago at the K1 MAX Final 8, he did dominate the fight against the killing machine known as Arthur Kyshencko, whom he beat in Korea earlier this year. Speed and endurance, that`s what this fight is all about. We know they both have power, we know they both have awesome technique. So it all comes down to who is the sharpest and who wants it the most. All the talking is over, it`s time to see these guys in action and find out who is the King of Amsterdam!

Source: fansofk1.com