New Years Eve Previews: K-1, Shockwave, and Inoki

While American MMA fans are left with a 6-hour UFC commercial featuring brief clips of bouts you've probably already seen, Japanese fans have to decide where to send their precious PPV dollars. The face of professional wrestling in Japan, Antonio Inoki, has held a NYE event for the last 3 years (with plans to hold them more often next year) but now the Pride Fighting Championships and K-1 have also gotten in the act. And this year all three events will feature MMA bouts in addition to kickboxing or "worked" wrestling matches. With MMA gaining in popularity in Japan and around the world (right now, it is mostly Japan), the producers of the events felt they had to raise the stakes and incorporate the "sport of the future" our beloved mixed martial arts.