Kyshenko added to MAX finals

K-1 has announced a new superfight for the MAX Finals: 2008 finalist Artur Kyshenko will face the debuting Toofan “Storm” Salafzoon.

Salafzoon is a 25 year old Persian fighter and a current or former WPKA Euro Kickboxing Champion, Best Of Best Asian Champion, and World Martial Arts Festival Champion 75kg. An aggressive striker, Salafzoon has an amateur record of 78-7 with 33 KOs, and a professional record of 8-0 with 5 KOs. Obviously, this is a huge task for him, and a very difficult way to make his K-1 debut.

Kyshenko v. Direcki at It’s Showtime

Despite losing their planned main event, It’s Showtime continues to push forward with plans for their big 2010 Amsterdam Arena show on May 29. Yesterday we announced the first fight signed: Tyrone Spong v. Melvin Manhoef. Now they have added a 2nd:

Artur Kyshenko v. Murat Direkci

Kyshenko represents a huge acquisition for It’s Showtime, as he is currently the #5 ranked fighter in the weight class, and one of the men in line to be #1 in the world. With Masato out of the K-1 MAX tournament this year a lot of fans (including myself) picked Kyshenko to go all the way. Andy Souwer put a stop to that in the final 8, but with his mix of power and technique, Kyshenko remains the kind of fighter that can dominate the sport.

For Direkci, this will be another in a line of tough upcoming tests. Currently ranked #14 and coming off one of the biggest wins of his career against Gago Drago, the It’s Showtime 70 kg champion is now facing a new level of competition: on October 24 Chahid Oulad El-Hadj, on November 21 Giorgio Petrosyan, and now Kyshenko in May. Direkci is on a roll and has looked strong lately, but this is a huge series of challenges. If he can win these fights, Direkci will launch himself into the top 5 in the sport – but he also faces the very real risk of dropping three straight.

It’s Showtime promises more fights announced in the coming weeks, and we will keep you posted.