Nicholas Pettas
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Pettas is a Greek
-Danish karate
ka, former heavyweight
kickboxer and actor, who fought out of Team Sprit AE in Tokyo
, Japan
. Pettas mainly competed in the promotion K-1
between 1998 and 2007, and was the winner of the K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2001.
Although an under-sized heavyweight, Pettas is known for his powerful low kicks and holds notable victories over Yusuke Fujimoto
, Nobu Hayashi
, Musashi
, Gökhan Saki
and Peter Varga
.
, Greece
to a Greek
father and Danish
mother. Following the death of his father, he moved to Denmark
with his mother at the age of three.
After being beaten up in a street fight
when he was fourteen, he decided to join a karate
school to learn to defend himself. Not knowing which styles there were, he was introduced to Kyokushin by Michael Mattheson, a friend of his brother Tony. He found himself a new following and needed no more schooling, and so at the age of sixteen decided to leave high school in order to save up money to go to Japan
and study with Masutatsu Oyama
, the founder of Kyokushin. After getting permission to join the uchi-deshi
program, a live-in training of 1000 days, he moved to Japan from Denmark at the age of eighteen. At the age of twenty-one, he completed the vigorous training course to become the only the second non-Japanese
ever to finalize the program. He was last uchi-deshi of Master Oyama, who died soon after Pettas' graduation.
After his graduation of the programme, he competed in several tournaments and achieved many significant titles and honours such as reaching the title in European Karate Championships and placing 5th and 3rd place in the World Championships, respectively in 1995 and 1997.
, Pettas joined K-1
, a Japan-based kickboxing
organization. He made his debut against Stefan Leko
at K-1 Dream '98 on July 18, 1998 in Nagoya, Japan. Leko was able to dominate Pettas with his superior boxing skills, and knocked him out in the second round.
After a decision loss to Ryuta Noji in March 1999, Pettas returned to K-1 to compete in the eight-man tournament at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Nagoya on July 30, 2000. He stopped fellow karateka Ricky Nickolson with a low kick in the quarter-finals before going on to face Jérôme Le Banner
in the semis. The end of the fight was somewhat bizarre. Le Banner knocked Pettas down twice, forcing the referee to stop the match. Upon the second knockdown, Pettas returned to his feet sharply and prepared to punch Le Banner only to stop. Le Banner then replied by striking Pettas with a right hook, knocking him unconsious.
Following this, he lost a unanimous decision
to Michael McDonald
in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka on October 9, 2000. He bounced back, however, by using low kicks to KO Peter Varga
at K-1 Gladiators 2001 on March 17, 2001.
The peak of Pettas' career came on August 19, 2001 when he won the K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final at the Tokyo Dome
. He finished Yusuke Fujimoto
and Nobu Hayashi
with his now-famous low kicks in the quarters and semis, respectively, before advancing to the final to take on Musashi
. After three rounds the bout was called a draw and went into an extra round to decide the winner, after which Pettas prevailed with a unanimous decision victory.
This tournament win qualified him for the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix
, the annual gathering of the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world for a one-night tournament. At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final in Tokyo on December 8, 2001, he was eliminated at the first stage by Alexey Ignashov
. Ignashon, the much larger fighter, dominate Pettas before knocking him out with a knee strike in round two.
He returned to the ring on April 21, 2002 against Peter Aerts
at K-1 Burning 2002 in Hiroshima
, and was knocked out with a knee once again. Then, on June 2, 2002, he fought Sergei Gur
at K-1 Survival 2002 in Toyama
. During the second round, Pettas hit Gur with a right low kick. Gur checked the kick, breaking Pettas' shin bone. This injury kept Pettas out of competition for 3 years and 4 months.
at Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble in Rotterdam
, Netherlands
. He defeated Saki via technical knockout when his corner stopped the fight in the second round.
In late 2006, Pettas knocked out two low-level opponents and earned a return to K-1
. Badr Hari
greeted him in his second debut at the annual New Year's Eve martial arts event, K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!
, on December 31, 2006. Hari won the fight as Pettas was unable to continue after obtaining a broken arm in the second round.
He then rematched Peter Aerts
in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong on August 5, 2007. Aerts got the better once again, knocking Pettas out with a spectacular high kick in round two.
After losing his past five fights in K-1, Pettas finally broke this streak with a sensational KO victory over South Korean giant Kim Young-hyun
at K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!
on December 31, 2007. Pettas wore down Kim, who stood thirteen inches taller than him, with low kicks before dispatching him with punches forty-one seconds into round two.
His last fight came on August 9, 2008 when he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii by Rick Cheek
, who beat him by TKO in round one.
wife. He is also an actor, appearing in Japanese cinema
and television. Perhaps his best known role is alongside Kimura Takuya in the TV drama Change
. From 2008 to 2009, Pettas was a cast member of Samurai Spirit.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
-Danish karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
ka, former heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
kickboxer and actor, who fought out of Team Sprit AE in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Pettas mainly competed in the promotion K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
between 1998 and 2007, and was the winner of the K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2001.
Although an under-sized heavyweight, Pettas is known for his powerful low kicks and holds notable victories over Yusuke Fujimoto
Yusuke Fujimoto
Yusuke Fujimoto is a Japanese former heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1 and was the K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong tournament champion. He is called "Bun Bun Maru" because he takes big swings when he throws punches.-Retirement:...
, Nobu Hayashi
Nobu Hayashi
Nobu Hayashi is a professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is a 2 time K-1 Japan tournament runner up and holds notable wins over Ben Edwards, Sander Thonhauser and Faisal Zakaria. Hayashi fights out of Dojo Chakuriki Japan in Tokyo, Japan....
, Musashi
Musashi (kickboxer)
is a retired professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is 4 time K-1 Japan tournament champion, a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist...
, Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki is a Turkish-Dutch heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands...
and Peter Varga
Peter Varga
Péter Varga is a Hungarian former super heavyweight kickboxer.- Titles and accomplishments:* 2003 King Of The Ring Europe Grand Prix champion* 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary Italy runner up* W.P.K.C. Kickboxing World champion...
.
Early life and karate career
Pettas was born in MykonosMykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
father and Danish
Danes
Danish people or Danes are the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.The first mention of Danes within the Danish territory is on the Jelling Rune Stone which mentions how Harald Bluetooth converted the Danes to Christianity in the 10th century...
mother. Following the death of his father, he moved to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with his mother at the age of three.
After being beaten up in a street fight
Street Fight
Street Fight may refer to:*Street Fight , about the 2002 Newark, New Jersey mayoral election*Coonskin , a 1975 animated film, re-released under the title Street Fight*Street Fight , a 2007 song by Hedley...
when he was fourteen, he decided to join a karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
school to learn to defend himself. Not knowing which styles there were, he was introduced to Kyokushin by Michael Mattheson, a friend of his brother Tony. He found himself a new following and needed no more schooling, and so at the age of sixteen decided to leave high school in order to save up money to go to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and study with Masutatsu Oyama
Masutatsu Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. He was born Choi Yeong-eui . A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese citizenship in 1964...
, the founder of Kyokushin. After getting permission to join the uchi-deshi
Uchi-deshi
Uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis...
program, a live-in training of 1000 days, he moved to Japan from Denmark at the age of eighteen. At the age of twenty-one, he completed the vigorous training course to become the only the second non-Japanese
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
ever to finalize the program. He was last uchi-deshi of Master Oyama, who died soon after Pettas' graduation.
After his graduation of the programme, he competed in several tournaments and achieved many significant titles and honours such as reaching the title in European Karate Championships and placing 5th and 3rd place in the World Championships, respectively in 1995 and 1997.
Early career (1998–2002)
Following his successful career in full contact karateFull contact karate
Full contact karate is a wide term used to differentiate between competition formats of karate where competitors spar full-contact and allow knockout as winning criterion, and those competitions that use light contact/semi contact point sparring where a knockout is regarded as a foul.The term is...
, Pettas joined K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
, a Japan-based kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
organization. He made his debut against Stefan Leko
Stefan Leko
Stefan "Blitz" Leko is a German-Croatian heavyweight kickboxer. He is former Muay Thai world heavyweight champion and Kickboxing world super-heavyweight champion, K-1 European Grand Prix 1998 champion, 1999 K-1 Dream champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion...
at K-1 Dream '98 on July 18, 1998 in Nagoya, Japan. Leko was able to dominate Pettas with his superior boxing skills, and knocked him out in the second round.
After a decision loss to Ryuta Noji in March 1999, Pettas returned to K-1 to compete in the eight-man tournament at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Nagoya on July 30, 2000. He stopped fellow karateka Ricky Nickolson with a low kick in the quarter-finals before going on to face Jérôme Le Banner
Jérôme Le Banner
Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....
in the semis. The end of the fight was somewhat bizarre. Le Banner knocked Pettas down twice, forcing the referee to stop the match. Upon the second knockdown, Pettas returned to his feet sharply and prepared to punch Le Banner only to stop. Le Banner then replied by striking Pettas with a right hook, knocking him unconsious.
Following this, he lost a unanimous decision
Unanimous decision
A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....
to Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (kickboxer)
Michael "The Black Sniper" McDonald is a retired Canadian Heavyweight kickboxer. He is the former three time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion.-Early life:Michael McDonald was born in Birmingham, England...
in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka on October 9, 2000. He bounced back, however, by using low kicks to KO Peter Varga
Peter Varga
Péter Varga is a Hungarian former super heavyweight kickboxer.- Titles and accomplishments:* 2003 King Of The Ring Europe Grand Prix champion* 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary Italy runner up* W.P.K.C. Kickboxing World champion...
at K-1 Gladiators 2001 on March 17, 2001.
The peak of Pettas' career came on August 19, 2001 when he won the K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final at the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
. He finished Yusuke Fujimoto
Yusuke Fujimoto
Yusuke Fujimoto is a Japanese former heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1 and was the K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong tournament champion. He is called "Bun Bun Maru" because he takes big swings when he throws punches.-Retirement:...
and Nobu Hayashi
Nobu Hayashi
Nobu Hayashi is a professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is a 2 time K-1 Japan tournament runner up and holds notable wins over Ben Edwards, Sander Thonhauser and Faisal Zakaria. Hayashi fights out of Dojo Chakuriki Japan in Tokyo, Japan....
with his now-famous low kicks in the quarters and semis, respectively, before advancing to the final to take on Musashi
Musashi (kickboxer)
is a retired professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is 4 time K-1 Japan tournament champion, a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist...
. After three rounds the bout was called a draw and went into an extra round to decide the winner, after which Pettas prevailed with a unanimous decision victory.
This tournament win qualified him for the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in...
, the annual gathering of the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world for a one-night tournament. At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final in Tokyo on December 8, 2001, he was eliminated at the first stage by Alexey Ignashov
Alexey Ignashov
Alexey "The Red Scorpion" Ignashov is a Belarusian Super Heavyweight kickboxer. He is a four-time Muay Thai World champion, K-1 World GP 2003 in Paris and K-1 World GP 2001 in Nagoya tournament champion...
. Ignashon, the much larger fighter, dominate Pettas before knocking him out with a knee strike in round two.
He returned to the ring on April 21, 2002 against Peter Aerts
Peter Aerts
Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.- Biography :...
at K-1 Burning 2002 in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, and was knocked out with a knee once again. Then, on June 2, 2002, he fought Sergei Gur
Sergei Gur
Sergei Gur is a Belarusian former kickboxer from Minsk. He is a former 2004 WMF World Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two time K-1 Italy tournament champion.- Biography :...
at K-1 Survival 2002 in Toyama
Toyama
Toyama may refer to:* Toyama Prefecture, Japan* Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of the prefecture* Toyama, Shinjuku, the town of Tokyo Metropolis*Kataller Toyama, the capital city's professional football club* Tōyama, a Japanese surname...
. During the second round, Pettas hit Gur with a right low kick. Gur checked the kick, breaking Pettas' shin bone. This injury kept Pettas out of competition for 3 years and 4 months.
Return from injury and latter career (2005–2008)
He finally returned to the ring on October 8, 2005 against a young Gökhan SakiGökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki is a Turkish-Dutch heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands...
at Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He defeated Saki via technical knockout when his corner stopped the fight in the second round.
In late 2006, Pettas knocked out two low-level opponents and earned a return to K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
. Badr Hari
Badr Hari
Badr "The Golden Boy" Hari is a Moroccan-Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam. He is a former K-1 Heavyweight champion and K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 finalist. As of May 2011, Hari is ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world by LiverKick.com...
greeted him in his second debut at the annual New Year's Eve martial arts event, K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2006 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan...
, on December 31, 2006. Hari won the fight as Pettas was unable to continue after obtaining a broken arm in the second round.
He then rematched Peter Aerts
Peter Aerts
Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.- Biography :...
in a superfight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong on August 5, 2007. Aerts got the better once again, knocking Pettas out with a spectacular high kick in round two.
After losing his past five fights in K-1, Pettas finally broke this streak with a sensational KO victory over South Korean giant Kim Young-hyun
Kim Young-hyun
Kim Young-Hyun , often anglicised to Young-Hyun Kim, is a South Korean ssireum wrestler, and later mixed martial artist and kickboxer.-Biography and career:...
at K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!! was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Monday December 31, 2007 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan...
on December 31, 2007. Pettas wore down Kim, who stood thirteen inches taller than him, with low kicks before dispatching him with punches forty-one seconds into round two.
His last fight came on August 9, 2008 when he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii by Rick Cheek
Rick Cheek
"Savage" Rick Cheek is an American Super Heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist, from Santa Rosa, California. He's former IKF and WKA North American Super Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and former United States Air Force boxing champion.- Biography & career:Cheek started training...
, who beat him by TKO in round one.
Personal life
Pettas lives as an expatriate person in Japan, and is married to a JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
wife. He is also an actor, appearing in Japanese cinema
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
and television. Perhaps his best known role is alongside Kimura Takuya in the TV drama Change
Change (TV series)
CHANGE is a Japanese television drama which aired on Fuji TV starting May 12, 2008.-Plot:Keita Asakura, an elementary school teacher who has no interest in politics, suddenly gets taken to the position of the prime minister...
. From 2008 to 2009, Pettas was a cast member of Samurai Spirit.
Karate
- European Heavyweight Champion (1995)
- 6th World Open Karate Tournament 5th Place (1995)
- 1st World Weight Category Championships 3rd Place (1997)
- 7th World Open Karate Tournament 5th Place (1999)
- 10th Shin Karate World Championships Champion (2000)
Kickboxing
- K-1K-1K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
- 2001 K-1 Japan Grand Prix Champion
Filmography
- House of Smack Down (2003)
- Road 88 (2003)
- Sibirian Express 5 (2004)
- Wrestling Inferno (2005)
- The Winds of God, Kamikaze (2005)
- LoveDeath (2006)
- Puzzle (2008)
- Change (2008)
- Fumō Chitai (2009)
Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing record | |
|---|---|
Legend: |
|
See also
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations
- List of K-1 Events
External links
- Nicholas Pettas official website and blog
- Profile at K-1K-1K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...