I was ready to write about the K-1 World MAX gala in Bucharest. On paper, it looked like an interesting event that would have pitted Sergey Adamchuk, the former Glory champion in the 65 kg category, against Romania’s young wolves in a high-stakes tournament: qualification for the K-1 World MAX 2026 – 70 kg World Championship Tournament Opening Round.
Unfortunately, the event was a disappointment from a sporting perspective, because you can’t show up with third- or fourth-tier fighters, or with 18-year-olds whose physiques are still in adolescent development, throwing them into fights against battle-hardened veterans and hope for a miracle.
Still, one pleasant surprise was Ștefan Vrânceanu, who fought in the quarterfinals against Latvia’s Marek Pelcis. Despite a huge height difference (and probably weight as well), he fought bravely and intelligently, coming close to scoring the knockout of the night by sending his opponent to the canvas in the final second of the match with a tornado kick. Unfortunately, since it happened in the last second, the Latvian wasn’t counted out, and he ended up being awarded the victory in what was otherwise a rather messy fight.
Another surprise was the young Albert Enache from Scorpions Iași, who bravely defeated Turkey’s Oghuz Yildirim in the quarterfinals with a knockout in the second round. Taking advantage of a possible pre-existing injury in the Turk’s legs, after a solid first round in which he mixed punches with well-timed kicks, Enache delivered a series of three low kicks in the second round to the area just above the ankle (which had been wrapped in bandages suggesting a vulnerability), forcing his opponent to retire.
The final was the climax of an otherwise directionless event, with Sergey Adamchuk—who was in excellent physical shape—choosing to run for three rounds around the 39-year-old Vitalie Matei, who was constantly pressing in pursuit of the former Ukrainian champion. Although Matei clearly scored more, controlled the ring, and took the initiative, he was denied the victory following a unanimous decision by the judges—one that probably only they understood.
Perhaps in the future, something will need to change in the kickboxing rules to favor actual fighting and penalize passivity and running in the ring.
