Bonjasky wins K-1 World GP 2008 by DQ as Hari suffers in-ring meltdown

Remy Bonjasky won his third K-1 World GP championship on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan in a bizarre culmination to a highly entertaining fight card.  Bonjasky defeated reigning K-1 heavyweight champ Badr Hari by disqualification in the final after the Moroccan seemed to become unglued in the 2nd round, perhaps in response to suffering a knockout in the opening frame.  It was a strange in-ring "meltdown" for one of K-1's young superstars and stood in contrast to what had been a dominant run to the finals by Hari.

The final started with both men tentatively "feeling out" the other, with Hari taking early advantage with his superior jab and technical punching skills.  Despite being the "busier" fighter in the first round, he was having trouble finding his way through Bonjasky's superior defense.  Near the end of an otherwise close opening round, Bonjasky scored a flash knockdown with a short left hand inside.  Initially, it appeared that a roundhouse kick by "The Flying Gentleman" had sent Hari to the canvas but the replay revealed that it was the initial punch that did the damage with the subsequent kick missing the mark entirely.  Hari stayed down for the full eight count, and both men closed the round with a flurry of punches.

The drama began in the second round with Hari knowing he was down 10-8 on all three judges' scorecards thanks to the "open scoring" employed by K-1 for the event.  Hari came out aggressively, and was scoring well with a combination of kicks and punches.  At that point, an awkward sequence resulted in Bonjasky stumbling to the mat--from the replay it appeared that Hari slipped and tried to catch himself on his opponent.  Hari was able to keep his balance, while Bonjasky ended up on his back.  Instead of waiting for Bonjasky to get to his feet and continue the fight, however, Hari seemed to lose his senses at this point.  He landed several punches on his downed opponent--a nice "ground and pound" technique in MMA parlance but illegal in K-1.  He punctuated his illegal assault with a downward footstomp--a technique that is illegal in most MMA promotions around the world. 

At this point he had to be restrained by the referee, whom he attempted to manhandle in an effort to get back at the now dazed Bonjasky, and his opponent's coach and Muay Thai legend Ivan Hippolyte.  Up to now, the referee was giving Hari considerable leeway--he presented him with a yellow card when he clearly had grounds for a disqualification.  Had Hari calmed down at this juncture, the fight may have been allowed to continue.  His behavior would deteriorate even further, however, as Bonjasky was allowed a five minute recovery period.  While his opponent attempted to regain his bearings on a stool, Hari stood in the opposite corner sneering and yelling taunts calling Bonjasky--among other things--a "sissy".  Hari then had to be restrained from heading over to his opponent's corner, presumably to attack him as he sit dazed from the earlier illegal barrage. Hari retreated, only to resume his glaring and sneering at Bonjasky and beginning a trash talking contest with essentially everyone he could find at ringside including the announcers, judges and his own corner. 

The referee had now seen enough--he addressed the crowd in Japanese stating that Hari had attacked Bonjasky while on the ground.  Bonjasky was now seeing double as a result of the illegal attack and, the referee continued, this behavior was not only completely unsportsmanlike but an affront to the high standards of competition for which K-1 stands.  The referee then brandished a red card toward Hari and dramatically announced "Disqualified".

It was a shocking meltdown for a fighter who entered the night K-1's top young superstar.  While his illegal "ground and pound" attack was certainly an egregious offense, it was also one that could have been chalked up to a combination of being in the "heat of battle" and from the fatigue of fighting three fights in one night.  What is far less conscionable was his behavior *after* the initial yellow card--at that point it was almost as if he wanted to behave in as unsporting a manner as possible.  It'll be interesting to see how--or even "if"--Hari and his handlers try to rationalize and hopefully apologize for his punk-like behavior that resulted in a climax unfitting of what had been until that point an excellent night of fighting.