It was the 16th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments.

All fights followed the classic 8-man tournament format and were conducted under K-1 rules; three rounds of three minutes each, with a possible tiebreaker.

The qualification for the top eight fighters in this event was held at K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16.

A random draw assigned the selection order and the fighters one by one made their way to a stage.

Saki, selecting fourth, matched himself up with Karaev.