 Even though Bob Sapp became a sensation in Japan the previous year the two "K-1 Beast" events held were disappointments in both match quality and revenue.Despite these changes, K-1 still moved forward filling in the slots for the 2003 K-1 WGP.There were four qualifying and one repecharge tournaments to fill in the remaining slots for the elimination round being held in Osaka that also included the final eight fighters from last year.