 In 2002 the K-1 heads decided to stop the long-winded tournaments as it was putting a strain on matchmakers and the fighters, as evidenced by the injuries in the last two years.So instead, they had one eight-match event with the winners going on to the finals in Tokyo.Fifteen of the fighters were chosen by K-1 while the last fighter, Michael McDonald, qualified by winning the K-1 Las Vegas tournament.