Lost a straight up standing match to an MMA guy who decided to train in Thailand for a little bit. Helped show that K1 striking is a myth.
Was rooting heavy for Saki to pull off the upset win in the 2010 WGP.
Saki jumped to MMA at 37, kickboxing already beat his body up for 15+ years. Injuries piled up quick, knee surgery, training injuries, etc. Even his cardio was an issue at that point. All that plus the need to learn so many new things in a small frame of time.
I wouldn’t say K-1 striking is a myth, but rather that MMA is a relatively different game. Especially for an aged fighter with lots of injuries and wear and tear.