K-1 World Max coroa Jonas Salsicha com GP e vaga no Japão e Jennifer Maia mantém título do WGP

The night of Saturday, June 28, was historic for Brazilian Kickboxing. The K-1 World Max brought plenty of excitement to the city of São José dos Pinhais, in greater Curitiba. In the event that headlined the night, Jonas Salsicha defeated three athletes, Marcio de Jesus, Jones Coliseu, and André Martins, to take home the trophy of the GP and secure a spot to fight in the final phase in Japan in December. Another major highlight of the night was Jennifer Maia's victory, who maintained her WGP Kickboxing female lightweight title after a true war against Uruguayan Marilyn Contin. The event also featured a beautiful knockout by Brazilian Jordan Kranio over Argentine Ignacio El Fino.

Jonas Salsicha wins three fights and takes home the trophy and a spot in Japan

The K-1 World Max GP promised a lot with eight athletes competing for a spot in Japan. And the participants lived up to expectations. On one side of the bracket, Petros Cabelinho had no problems winning the first quarterfinal against Metralleta Torino by unanimous decision. And his opponent in the semifinals was determined in the clash between André Martins and Gabriel de Lima, which was intense. In the end, André was slightly superior and advanced to face Cabelinho in a rematch.

On the other side of the bracket, Jones Coliseu squared off with Heliazir Estefani, and there was no shortage of excitement. After scoring a knockdown in the first round and nearly finishing the fight, Zizi could not withstand Jones's momentum, who, even after taking the fight to the sudden death round due to the first assault, prevailed by unanimous decision. In the last quarterfinal, former WGP champion Jonas Salsicha had the upper hand in a balanced duel against Marcio de Jesus and also advanced.

In the first semifinal, a rematch from the K-1 2024 edition in Brazil where Cabelinho defended his WGP title against André Martins. This time, the story was different. Very aggressive from the start, André defeated the favorite Cabelinho by split decision and moved on to the final. His opponent came from the bout between Jonas Salsicha and Jones Coliseu, who had a very balanced fight, with Salsicha performing better for the majority of the match. A victory by majority decision for the former WGP champion, securing a place in the final.

In the grand final, Jonas Salsicha and André Martins entered seeking the trophy and the coveted spot to fight in the final phase of the K-1 World Max in Japan. And inside the ring, what was seen was a hungrier Salsicha looking for more strikes, while André was looking for counters. For two of the nine minutes, there was little doubt about the winner. Jonas Salsicha takes home the trophy and the spot to fight on the other side of the world.

Jennifer Maia retains title and beautiful knockouts highlight the main card

The co-main event of the night put the WGP female lightweight title at stake. Brazilian champion Jennifer Maia faced Uruguayan Marilyn Contin. Inside the ring, what was seen was the home athlete controlling the beginning of the duel and loosening up throughout the rounds, while her opponent tried to impose her strikes. At the end of the five rounds, Jennifer performed better, retaining her WGP female lightweight title after a split decision.

The event also featured two breathtaking international fights. First, in a Brazil vs Argentina match, Jordan Kranio and Ignacio El Fino honored their rivalry. The Brazilian came in with blood in his eyes and achieved a beautiful knockout in the first round. Next was a Brazil vs Paraguay match with a taste of revenge. Ariel Villalba, who had previously been defeated by Maycon Souza in a WGP edition, avenged the knockout suffered in 2024 with another knockout in the second round, claiming victory.

The preliminary fights of the K-1 World Max 2025 also stirred the gym in São José dos Pinhais. The highlights were João Victor, André Dedé, and Fernando Mineiro. The first dominated the entire match against Uruguayan Carlos El Mohicano and secured victory by unanimous decision. The second achieved a beautiful knockout in the second round against Vitor Formigão, while Mineiro also put together a good sequence in the second round against Uederson Macabro. Denis Jr, Gustavo Bolino, and Leticia Orchel.

Photo credits: Sam Castro/Disclosure WGP