"Strong men are what women dream of."

[Mulboyne]

Young Japanese get their kicks from new form of violent sport
TOKYO - The Thai kickboxer withstands blows to the groin before delivering a withering set of kicks and punches to a tall, solidly built Russian. The cheering crowd in the Tokyo stadium loves every painful minute of it.
...'We're looking for something that gets us motivated in our lives. The seriousness of the K-1 fighters gives me energy to work hard the next day in Japan's indifferent society,' said office worker Ryohei Suzuki, 23.
...'In Japan's complicated politics, economy, job hunting and social order, the simplicity of mixed martial arts fights - a strong man wins - attracts young people,' said Dr Rika Kayama, a psychiatrist and professor at the Tezukayama Gakuen University.
Dr Kayama said the large number of female fans showed two contradictory feelings of Japanese women in a male-dominated society: The need to relieve stress and the yearning for protection....more...

I thought K1 was on the wane....

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think K-1 is still going strong. But mixed martial arts events like Pride are getting more and more popular. That's why K-1 has MMA bouts now too. Anyway, I think most younger Japanese chicks are more into those metrosexual, eye-brow-plucking ladyboy types.