For K-1, 2008 was almost exactly what they needed.  As 2007 came to a close, a stagnating old guard and a much despised Grand Prix champion had combined to decrease any interest in the once great organization.  But over the course of 2008, K-1 made great strides to turn things around.  Led by Badr Hari, a new crop of young, exciting talent stepped up and began taking the lead for the company.  And heading into the 2008 Grand Prix, beloved veteran Peter Aerts made it his personal mission to knock Semmy Schilt off his pedestal – and succeeded.  The year capped off with a spectacular Grand Prix that even Hari’s unprofessional disqualification could not tarnish.  With interest returning and an easy Hari v. Bonjasky rematch set up, K-1 looked good.

Then, with just a few hours left in 2008, something strange happened.  Badr Hari, Heavyweight champion, Grand Prix runner up and poster child of the new generation, fell, and fell hard.  To Alistair Overeem.  When Hari made a public challenge to MMA fighters, this was obviously not the expected result.  Instead of showing K-1’s superiority, the complete opposite had come true – one of K-1’s best had been easily handled in K-1 rules by an MMA fighter with significantly less kickboxing experience.  It was a strong blow to K-1’s perception as the home of elite fighters.

Which brings us to K-1’s upcoming kick-off event for 2009 on March 28.  The main event of this card is one that is not getting nearly the attention it deserves – reigning K-1 Grand Prix champion and arguably the #1 ranked kickboxer in the world Remy Bonjasky defends the honor of the company against the invading Alistair Overeem.  While it’s true that K-1 is not the organization it once was and that Dream is no Pride, this is still the kind of cross-promotional super fight that has not been seen in some time.  Harking back to the days of Silva v. Cro Cop 1, this one should get you excited to be a fan.

Let’s take a quick look at both men:

Remy Bonjasky – The reigning and three time World Grand Prix champion sadly does not get the respect he deserves.  A supremely technical fighter with probably the best defensive skills in K-1, Bonjasky looked amazing in 2008, scoring impressive victories over a number of tough fighters.  But his GP win came as a result of a disqualification, which some look down on, essentially ignoring the fact that Bonjasky was clearly winning the fight until the DQ.  Bonjasky has had much documented struggles over the past years, yet has still managed to only lose twice in the past 4 years – once to Aerts and once to Schilt.  By all accounts, he should be able to win this, and while the same was true of Hari, Bonjasky is a distinctly different fighter.  He won’t be as aggressive and reckless, and will have clearly learned from Hari not to take Overeem lightly.  I would expect his defense to be a strong factor in the fight as Overeem may have trouble hurting him before Bonjasky unleashes.

Alistair Overeem – The resurgence of Overeem was one of the most overlooked MMA stories of 2008.  After a disappointing string of losses at the end of Pride, Overeem turned things around in late 2007, starting by dismantling the tough and underrated Paul Buentello, and following that up with an easy win over Mark Hunt and a win in all but name over Mirko Cro Cop.  Now an easy top 10 heavyweight, Overeem really proved his spot with the Hari win.  Heading into this fight he finds himself in the interesting position of flag-bearer for MMA.  With boxing and kickboxing communities bringing up the ever popular “MMA fighters can’t strike” argument with some regularity these days, Overeem is fighting for more than himself.  His win over Hari hopefully silenced some of those critics, but a win over the #1 Bonjasky in a K-1 ring would speak volumes about MMA and Overeem as well.  Expect him to train hard and fight with a lot of passion here.

In the end, I would predict Bonjasky’s technical skills to win the day, but you would be a fool to count Overeem out.  Either way, this should be an amazing fight.  Combine that with an undercard featuring (among other things) a rematch of the 2008 K-1 fight of the year in Hari v. Zimmerman and a chance for Ewerton Teixeira to lay claim to a top spot against Jerome Le Banner and you have a superb way to kick off 2009.  I know I’ll be watching.