K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that was originally held annually from 1993 to 2012 by the K-1 organization, under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG). Each year, K-1 would hold various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style qualifying tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in the main World GP.

Nine tournaments have been held, with Ernesto Hoost and Semmy Schilt each winning four times.

Match-ups

Combatants of the quarter-finals of a 16-man 8-match tournament are paired by drawing, with the exception of the final in the Tokyo Dome.^{[citation needed]}

A lottery draw would take place in the beginning, with fighters pulling a ball from a glass bowl. The balls represent numbers 1 to 8, which determine the fighters' order in choosing a position from a giant tournament tree figure by standing in front a drawn bracket (from A to H) on the poster, which represents the fighter's corner-color and the line-number of the match. The next fighter does the same, but is able to choose between challenging the one on the stage or an "empty" section. This procedure goes on until one fighter remains who has no choice but to fill one slot left next to the one lone fighter.^{[citation needed]}

K-1 World Grand Prix dates and venues

Champions

Year	Winner	Nationality	Runner-up	Nationality
1993	Branko Cikatić		Ernesto Hoost
1994	Peter Aerts		Masaaki Satake
1995	Peter Aerts		Jerome Le Banner
1996	Andy Hug		Mike Bernardo
1997	Ernesto Hoost		Andy Hug
1998	Peter Aerts		Andy Hug
1999	Ernesto Hoost		Mirko Filipović
2000	Ernesto Hoost		Ray Sefo
2001	Mark Hunt		Francisco Filho
2002	Ernesto Hoost		Jerome Le Banner
2003	Remy Bonjasky		Musashi
2004	Remy Bonjasky		Musashi
2005	Semmy Schilt		Glaube Feitosa
2006	Semmy Schilt		Peter Aerts
2007	Semmy Schilt		Peter Aerts
2008	Remy Bonjasky		Badr Hari
2009	Semmy Schilt		Badr Hari
2010	Alistair Overeem		Peter Aerts
2012	Mirko Filipović		Ismael Londt