Fan polling on the K-1 Japanese Website has named Andy Souwer and Masato as the favorites, but longtime K-1 watchers know that anything can happen when the bell rings Wednesday at the World Max 2008 Final.

With its 70kg/154lbs weight limit, K-1 World Max's speed and technique have made the fightsport production immensely popular in Japan and around the world. At the Nippon Budokan tomorrow, this year's top four World Max fighters will clash in a couple of semifinal bouts, the winners then meeting in the Main Event to fight for the World Max 2008 Championship Belt.

The 13-bout card also includes a couple of tournament reserve bouts, a World Max Superfight, the ISKA World Lightweight Title Match and another lightweight contest, plus the quarterfinals in K-1's new Koshien King of U-18 series.

In a press conference today at Tokyo's Laforet Hotel, participating fighters shared their thoughts with the media in advance of the event.

The first of the World Max semifinals sets respected Japanese kickboxer Masato -- the World Max 2003 Champion and last year's runner-up -- against compatriot Yoshihiro Sato, the '06 & '07 World Max Japan Champion.

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