South Korean martial arts fighter Choi Hong Man beat Akebono in a matchup between former grand champions of South Korean and Japanese sumo and went on to win the K-1 World Grand Prix meet Saturday in Seoul.
Choi, who was making his K-1 debut after a career switch from traditional South Korean wrestling known as ssirum, pounded Akebono in the face with a barrage of straight punches and scored a technical knockout win just 42 seconds into their semifinal match.
Choi then won the final against Kaoklai Kaennorsing of Thailand on decision after their bout went into overtime.