On May 25, the LEGEND Fighting Show - the major event of the year in the world of combat sports, will be held at the Small Sports Arena “Luzhniki”.
LEGEND is a new format fighting show featuring recognized and future K-1 and MMA legends. The fighting contest will be presented as an integrated entertainment show with advanced visual technologies, and top level fighters as lead characters.
9 hard-line K-1 and MMA bouts will be held in the course of the Contest. For the first time ever Russian combat sports fans will be able to watch a challenging battle among the four world K-1 lightweight (71 kg) stars. The fighters will contend for the main cash prize of the night and the title of the First LEGEND Contest Champion.
The first semifinal will bring together Enriko Gogokhia, representing Ukraine and well known to the Muay Thai and K-1 fans, and the charismatic champion of Russia Dzhabar Askerov. Artur Kyshenko (Ukraine), the only K-1 Top-5 list fighter from the former Soviet Union republics, finalist of the K-1 most prestigious World Max tournaments, will meet a flamboyant fighter from Belarus Yuri Bessmertny, Fight Code winner. The winners of the two bouts will meet in the final on the same night.
The big hit of the night will be the comeback of MMA fighter Alexander Emelianenko, who intends to delight the fans with his dazzling performance.
Alexander's opponent will be Bob “The Beast” Sapp, a U.S. fighter whose career included American football, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and who at the outset of his career earned fame through his kickboxing duels with the repeat winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix Championships Ernesto “Mr Perfect” Hoost and his MMA bout with Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, defending PRIDE heavyweight champion.
The audience will also see the super fight of the night between the legendary Badr Hari and Zabit Samedov. This coming bout will become Zabit's rematch after his loss at K-1 Grand Prix last March in Croatia. Badr “The Golden Boy” Hari, a Maroccan-Dutch fighting out of the well-known “Mike's Gym”, has to his credit victories over such big-name fighters as Alistair Overeem, Semmt Schilt, Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, and the Korean giant Hong-man Choi who is known in Russia for his fight with Fedor Emelianenko. Hari is the WPKL Dutch Muay Thai champion, a two-time finalist of the K-1 World GP (2008, 2009), and a two-time It's Showtime World Heavyweight champion (2009, 2010).
Along with the strong fight card, the audience will watch an unprecedented show: each fighter's majestic appearance at 6 m above stage (a specially designed lift will take them down); impressive video installations, 3D mapping and replays of highlights on the largest projection screen in the history of fighting shows. Apart from music, Dolby Surround will make all the sounds on the ring (fighters' blows, referee instructions) heard as if the audience is fully enwrapped in sounds.
LEGEND Fighting Show Fight Card,
May 25:
Reserve fight. K-1, 71 kg
Vyacheslav Borschev vs Alim Nabiev
Super Fight, MMA, 77 kg
Sergey Khandozhko vs Eduard Vartanyan
The Big 4 Semifinal. 71 kg
Dzhabar Askerov vs Enrico Gogokhia
The Big 4 Semifinal, 71 kg
Artur Kyshenko vs Yury Bessmertny
Super Fight, MMA, 77 kg
Alexei Nazarov vs Mindaugas Verbickas
Super Fight, K-1, +93 kg
Badr Hari vs Zabit Samedov
The Big 4 Final. K-1, 71 kg
Super Fight, MMA, +93 kg
Alexander Emelianenko vs Bob Sapp
