Buakaw Banchamek (THAILAND) vs Nieky Holzken (NETHERLANDS) 2 | Kickboxing Fight HIGHLIGHTS

Buakaw K-1 WORLD MAX CHAMPION in 2004 and that incredible victory in 2007. Nikki Holzken usually fights at 72.5kg. Sawa broke back in 2007. The Sawa contest was a shoeboxing match and Buakaw, of course, as I said, was here inside from the Sundown Budokan Arena in Tokyo on a hot summer's night. Slight reach advantage. He is 182cm, 5'11.5". As we saw against Andre Dida last time in K-1 MAX, where Dida almost decapitated Buakaw in the pursuit. Good outside fighter of the calibre of Wayne Park. And a nice catch and sweep. Tex Boys will absolutely crumple the Dutchman. Good jab outside fighter with elbows. A very risky fight to take. He's also got a beautiful left hook on him as Holzken. He KO'd Marco Piquet last November. It's all to let Buakaw find his rhythm here because once Buakaw settles into his rhythm, he's pretty much unstoppable. Buakaw thought about the front kick, moved in for a grapple. Buakaw, 175cm. Jab front kick. Fought only 10 days ago in Montego Bay, Jamaica under full Muay Thai rules in Holland with a left hook. One of the best knockouts of 2008. There's a stiff right hand in Muay Thai from Buakaw. Buakaw saying to Nikki, Hey, I own you. I can manhandle you. Nikki a stadium champion back in the day. She kicks again to the midsection. Buakaw ties him up. He used to fight at Lumpini and Rags to Moon. Nikki is not capitalizing on that. And allows himself to very easily take the knees into the lead thigh. Goes to the liver section. Nikki did let go of a golden opportunity. Buakaw. Amazing. Holzken could not afford to let Buakaw find the mark. Again, not scoring techniques here from Buakaw, but it's Buakaw's way. 10 seconds of the opening round. Good right hand from Nikki Holzken. Good left hook right combination from Nikki Holzken. Buakaw goes to the back leg. Spinning hook kick from Nikki Holzken. He had a spinning back. That's what he should have been doing from the opening round, Nikki Holzken. And in my opinion, Mike Dogan, as we go to the towel. I mean, if you watch the last fight of Buakaw alone in K-1 against Andre Dida, that should be a lesson to everyone. Dida is an inexperienced stand-up fighter. It was only his second ever fight under K-1 max rules. He dropped him. He almost knocked out Cole Buakaw in the first round. Meanwhile, Nikki Holzken, who expected to start very strongly, has started terribly slow. Unnatural. Slow first round for him. Yeah, 10 all. Which is right. Like I said, Nikki is starting to react to him by dropping his hands a little bit and see the cringing. I think the more and more that he starts to do, you're going to see. Hodge in the final 16 actually broke his toe in the third round of that fight. We are told it would set up an absolute dream semifinal. Fast-paced, but yet it looks like they're both in slow motion. It's probably because it's very stationary. Both of them think Nikki did let go of a golden opportunity. It's a very dangerous game. If you want to play, count on me. But Nikki Holzken is on it and go to town on it. More and more and more with it. Just asking for that cross. Step up knee to the knee for Nikki Holzken who, as I said, suffered an injury in his fight against Chahid. You can see Bukal has a high altitude little tip kick and dabs Holzken with it. Slight reach advantage. He is 182 centimeters. And Holzken again sitting back. He's not... And Nikki's left hand drops more and more and more and his body bends. Hopefully take you apart. Oh, he found a rhythm. He's dancing now. I see that straight cross coming in because he exposes the chin. All right. Bukal, tip kick into the midsection. Fires a knee to the other. Kicks underneath the jab. Goes to the ribcage again. Tip kick to the midsection. It's an... Bukal just seeing where the openings are. He'll find a chink in the army here. Spoon his manager. About half an hour before the show here tonight. In Holland with the left hook. One of the best knockouts of 2008. It's an interesting phase. He's keeping a relatively good... But... I don't think enough. I mean, he looks worse than he did in the first fight against Charlie. And I didn't think he was super impressed in that fight. You can sense it. You can see it. Bukal getting on rhythm. That beautiful tip kick. Just digging into the belly button. Pushing it through the back. Goes up to the sternum on that occasion. And it's the fine leg work of one of the master Muay Thai fighters, Bukal Bukrama. And victory number 188. And he's certainly on his way. A tip kick as it's called in Muay Thai. From Bukal. Holston could not afford to let Bukal find the mark with his leg kick. Very true. Only three men have ever won it twice. Schauer, Bukal and Masato are the only one of these... I know. And we're talking about 50 or 60 of these a round. You know, if Bukal gets through this round with a victory and gets into the semifinals... We're gonna have to win. But... I don't think he'll know. Let's see. Good outside fight. He will absolutely crumple the Dutchman. Good jab outside fight. Two-time K-1 MAX champions facing off. Which means one of them will go to the finals and possibly... Nice. Foot sandwich. Front kicks are coming like jabs. And you're right. You see again, Holston is just allowing these front kicks to come. Another winner being Albert Kraus. The inaugural winner back in 2000. Could continually have your opponent dig the ball of his feet. I really don't think it helps. Nice little lever from Bukal. Bukal from continuing with the front kick. And there comes that cross, like I said. Kick to the lead leg, then to the midsection from Bukal. A little bit more aggression here in Bukal. Then go to the midsection. I'm telling you, this pairing... I mean, not pairing. That's pace, but yet it looks like they're both in slow motion. It's probably because it's very stationary. Both of them kind of... There you go. We're going right back to the second round. Left hook from him. And once again, it is all one-way traffic here on the third and final round. Bukal. And Nicky's left hand drops more and more and more. And his body bends more with him. Just gets up in there to referee moves. He's also got a beautiful left hook on him as Holston KO'd Marco Piquet last November. Doing everything to stop it. Nicky Holston, take it. Holston has allowed Bukal to find that rhythm. To work those two kicks. And Bukal, but time is now the enemy. Bukal is just going to run down the clock. With 20 seconds, we're going to try and pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat here, Nicky Holston. Bukal just dictating. Slams the round kick to the upper left rib cage. Holston, Mike Cogan. And find out just how many front kicks Bukal is trying. Oh, I'll tell you how many. A lot. Currently beating Holston here tonight, Bukal. He has ripped out Nicky's soul. That was a glorified sparring session for Bukal. Pretty much. No, no, pretty much. I mean, I don't think he even got hit. 30.28 says the first judge. 30.28 says the second judge. Bukal is through. 30.28 says the third judge.