# List of K-1 champions
K-1 champions are the fighters who have won the flagship titles of K-1, the Japanese stand-up combat sports promotion founded in 1993 by Kazuyoshi Ishii (石井和義) to bring karate, kickboxing, [Muay Thai](https://www.edgepedia.org/muay-thai), kung fu, and other striking disciplines together under a single ruleset[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html). The name encodes the concept: the "K" stands for the striking arts and the "1" for determining the single best fighter[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html). Champion lineages exist for the annual open-weight K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX (1993 onward), the K-1 World MAX tournament for fighters around 70 kg (introduced in 2002), and the weight-classed K-1 WORLD GP belts of the modern Japan-based promotion[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) • [2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) • [3](https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First K-1 champion | Branko Cikatić of Croatia won the inaugural K-1 GRAND PRIX '93 on 30 April 1993[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) |
| Most World GP titles | Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt, both of the Netherlands, share the record with four K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX titles each[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) |
| Hoost's title years | 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) |
| Schilt's title years | 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) |
| First non-European GP champion | Mark Hunt of New Zealand, who won the K-1 WORLD GP 2001 Final on 8 December 2001[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) • [4](https://www.k-1sport.de/en/history/history.php) |
| Tournament format | The original Grand Prix was a one-night, eight-man event in which a champion won three fights in a single evening[5](https://www.kickboxingbible.com/history/k1-founded-1993) |
| Current heavyweight (open-weight) champion | Ariel Machado, who won the 14 December 2024 open-weight tournament by first-round KO[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) • [3](https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter) |
## K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX champions, 1993–2010
First staged in 1993, the K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX serves as the promotion's flagship competition, a yearly world tournament with no weight limit that determines the year's strongest stand-up fighter.[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) The champion lineage for the original era runs as follows[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html):
| # | Champion | Country | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Branko Cikatić | Croatia | 1993-04-30 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '93 |
| 2 | Peter Aerts | Netherlands | 1994-04-30 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '94 |
| 3 | Peter Aerts | Netherlands | 1995-05-04 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '95 Final |
| 4 | Andy Hug | Switzerland | 1996-05-06 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '96 Final |
| 5 | Ernesto Hoost | Netherlands | 1997-11-09 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '97 Final |
| 6 | Peter Aerts | Netherlands | 1998-12-13 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '98 Final |
| 7 | Ernesto Hoost | Netherlands | 1999-12-05 | K-1 GRAND PRIX '99 Final |
| 8 | Ernesto Hoost | Netherlands | 2000-12-10 | K-1 WORLD GP 2000 Final |
| 9 | Mark Hunt | New Zealand | 2001-12-08 | K-1 WORLD GP 2001 Final |
| 10 | Ernesto Hoost | Netherlands | 2002-12-07 | K-1 WORLD GP 2002 Final |
| 11 | Remy Bonjasky | Netherlands | 2003-12-06 | K-1 WORLD GP 2003 Final |
| 12 | Remy Bonjasky | Netherlands | 2004-12-04 | K-1 WORLD GP 2004 Final |
| 13 | Semmy Schilt | Netherlands | 2005-11-19 | K-1 WORLD GP 2005 IN TOKYO Final |
| 14 | Semmy Schilt | Netherlands | 2006-12-02 | K-1 WORLD GP 2006 IN TOKYO Final |
| 15 | Semmy Schilt | Netherlands | 2007-12-08 | K-1 WORLD GP 2007 FINAL |
| 16 | Remy Bonjasky | Netherlands | 2008-12-06 | K-1 WORLD GP 2008 FINAL |
| 17 | Semmy Schilt | Netherlands | 2009-12-05 | K-1 WORLD GP 2009 FINAL |
| 18 | Alistair Overeem | Netherlands | 2010-12-11 | K-1 WORLD GP 2010 FINAL |
**Dutch dominance.** Eighteen of the lineage's champions came from a small set of countries, and the Netherlands supplied the largest share: Aerts (three titles), Hoost (four), Bonjasky (three), Schilt (four), and Overeem (one) account for fifteen of the eighteen tournaments[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html). Hunt's 2001 win broke the European run; entering the Tokyo Dome Final as an underdog, he defeated [Jérôme Le Banner](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerome-le-banner), Stefan Leko, and Francisco Filho in one night to become the sport's first non-European World Grand Prix champion[4](https://www.k-1sport.de/en/history/history.php). Andy Hug of Switzerland, a [Kyokushin](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyokushin) karate practitioner famous for his axe kick, won the 1996 title and remains one of the era's most iconic figures; his life was cut short in 2000[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html) • [6](https://combatcultureusa.com/history-of-k1/).
## K-1 World MAX
K-1 introduced the K-1 World MAX tournament in 2002 for fighters competing around 70 kilograms (154 pounds), creating a premier stage for lighter-weight kickboxers comparable in prestige to the heavyweight Grand Prix[6](https://combatcultureusa.com/history-of-k1/). Three fighters defined the early MAX era: Masato of Japan, who in 2003 became the first Japanese fighter to win the K-1 World MAX championship and took the title twice; Buakaw Banchamek of Thailand, who defeated Masato in the 2004 final and later became the first two-time K-1 World MAX champion; and Andy Souwer of the Netherlands, who also captured two MAX championships[6](https://combatcultureusa.com/history-of-k1/). Albert Kraus and [Giorgio Petrosyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/giorgio-petrosyan) were among the other champions of the period[6](https://combatcultureusa.com/history-of-k1/).
## Modern K-1 WORLD GP tournament champions
The current Japan-based promotion decides most of its weight-class titles through one-night tournaments, listed on its official tournament champions page[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion). Recent winners include:
| Date | Tournament | Winner | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 February 2026 | K-1 WORLD GP 2026 -90kg world tournament | Lucas Ahatelberg (ルーカス・アハテルバーグ) | 1R 2:19 KO vs. Nikita Kozlov[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
| 15 November 2025 | K-1 WORLD MAX 2025 -70kg tournament | Jonas Salsicha (ジョナス・サルシチャ) | 1R 2:30 KO vs. Daryl Verdonck[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
| 31 May 2025 | 6th super featherweight title tournament | Remy Para (レミー・パラ) | 2R 1:10 KO vs. Yokoyama Tomoya[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
| 9 February 2025 | 3rd women's atomweight title tournament | Matsutani Aki (松谷 綺) | Decision 2-0[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
| 14 December 2024 | K-1 WORLD GP 2024 open-weight tournament | Ariel Machado (アリエル・マチャド) | 1R 2:55 KO vs. Feng Rui[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
| 10 September 2023 | K-1 30th anniversary open-weight tournament | Liu Zhao (リュウ・ツァー) | 1R 0:42 KO vs. Claudio Istrate[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion) |
## Current K-1 WGP champions
The official fighter page lists the reigning K-1 WGP champions by weight class[3](https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter):
| Weight class | Champion |
|---|---|
| Bantamweight (-53 kg) | Katono Neigo (上遠野 寧吾) |
| Super bantamweight (-55 kg) | Riamu (璃明武) |
| Featherweight (-57.5 kg) | Okubo Rui (大久保 琉唯) |
| Super featherweight (-60 kg) | Yokoyama Tomoya (横山 朋哉) |
| Lightweight (-62.5 kg) | Nagasawa Samuel Kiyomitsu (永澤サムエル聖光) |
| Super lightweight (-65 kg) | Asahisa Taio (朝久 泰央) |
| Welterweight (-67.5 kg) | Vacant (空位) |
| Super welterweight (-70 kg) | Jonas Salsicha (ジョナス・サルシチャ) |
| Middleweight (-75 kg) | Dengue Silva (デング・シルバ) |
| Cruiserweight (-90 kg) | Thian Tarzan (ティアン・ターザン) |
| Heavyweight (open weight) | Ariel Machado (アリエル・マチャド) |
| Women's atomweight (-45 kg) | Suematsu Aki (末松 晄) |
**Title changes and vacancies.** The super featherweight lineage illustrates how the modern belts move. Remy Para won the 6th title tournament on 31 May 2025 by knocking out Yokoyama Tomoya in the final[2](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion). After Para vacated the belt, Yokoyama, who had won an interim title match against Matsuyama Yuta on 31 May, was recognized as the 7th K-1 WORLD GP super featherweight champion on 16 July; holding both the K-1 and Krush belts, he then vacated the Krush super featherweight title on 3 August[7](https://www.k-1.co.jp/news/41587). The welterweight belt is currently listed as vacant[3](https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter).
## Related lineages
K-1's champion lists extend beyond the two headline tournaments. The promotion's archive records the K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX lineage from 1993 through 2010 and maintains 388 English-language fighter profiles covering the golden era of 1993 to 2008[1](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html). The sister brand Krush, operated within the K-1 Japan Group, maintains its own title lineages; fighters moving between the two promotions sometimes hold or vacate belts in both, as Yokoyama's 2025 title consolidation shows[7](https://www.k-1.co.jp/news/41587).
## References
1. [K-1 CLASSICS in English: K-1 WORLD GP champions, fighters and history](https://www.k-1.info/en/index.html)
2. [K-1 WORLD GPトーナメント優勝者, K-1 WGP公式サイト](https://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1wgp/champion)
3. [選手（現在のチャンピオン）, K-1 OFFICIAL SITE](https://www.k-1.co.jp/fighter)
4. [The history of K-1, K-1sport.de](https://www.k-1sport.de/en/history/history.php)
5. [Kazuyoshi Ishii founds K-1, Kickboxing Bible](https://www.kickboxingbible.com/history/k1-founded-1993)
6. [The History of K-1: How Kickboxing Became a Global Sport, Combat Culture](https://combatcultureusa.com/history-of-k1/)
7. [Krushスーパー・フェザー級王座に関するお知らせ, K-1 OFFICIAL SITE](https://www.k-1.co.jp/news/41587)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Muay Thai and kickboxing*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license