ZakKa!
01-09-2009, 18:47
Ishii Vs. Tanigawa! K-1 Split?
There’s a new article out (take some Japanese articles with a grain of salt) which says that the relationship between FEG President Tanigawa and K-1 Founder Ishii is not that good these days. The article starts out writing that K-1 is in a crisis right now.
According to the article, after Ishii came out of jail he wanted to acquire stocks of FEG but the TV people didn’t like it since he’s an ex-convict, so Tanigawa and his people tried to somehow exclude him. With Ishii’s new YouTube channel, publishing a book, starting an amateur organization, and telling FEG to combine things with WVR [Sengoku], Tanigawa and his people aren’t very happy and it seems now that them and Ishii and his people have split up.
However, it seems that that’s not the only reason for the split, it seems to really be about K-1 having serious economic difficulties. Less tickets are being sold, ratings are decreasing, they have debts, guaranteed money to staff and fighters are late, etc.
It seems things went worse when Ishii was away and an MMA/K-1 authorised person says in the article that Ishii’s matchmaking was ingenious and that Tanigawa was no good after all. Masato retiring doesn’t make the situation any good either.
16 years since starting the event, a road of hardships is awaiting K-1…
http://nightmareofbattle.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/ishii-vs-tanigawa-k-1-split/
There’s a new article out (take some Japanese articles with a grain of salt) which says that the relationship between FEG President Tanigawa and K-1 Founder Ishii is not that good these days. The article starts out writing that K-1 is in a crisis right now.
According to the article, after Ishii came out of jail he wanted to acquire stocks of FEG but the TV people didn’t like it since he’s an ex-convict, so Tanigawa and his people tried to somehow exclude him. With Ishii’s new YouTube channel, publishing a book, starting an amateur organization, and telling FEG to combine things with WVR [Sengoku], Tanigawa and his people aren’t very happy and it seems now that them and Ishii and his people have split up.
However, it seems that that’s not the only reason for the split, it seems to really be about K-1 having serious economic difficulties. Less tickets are being sold, ratings are decreasing, they have debts, guaranteed money to staff and fighters are late, etc.
It seems things went worse when Ishii was away and an MMA/K-1 authorised person says in the article that Ishii’s matchmaking was ingenious and that Tanigawa was no good after all. Masato retiring doesn’t make the situation any good either.
16 years since starting the event, a road of hardships is awaiting K-1…
http://nightmareofbattle.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/ishii-vs-tanigawa-k-1-split/