Wrestler-turned-mixed martial arts fighter Choi Hong-man on Friday beat highly-touted Bob Sapp in a unanimous decision at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan.

In the first real test for Choi, the two fighters came out swinging early in the first round, with Sapp knocking Choi down with a leg kick. But the 7-foot-2 Choi avoided the 6-foot-7 American's persistent attempts to close the gap with surprising agility and elusiveness for a man his size.

Choi hit the American with solid rights in the second round, including a flurry soon before the bell. In the third, Choi gave Sapp a standing eight count with a knee to the face that bloodied Sapp.

Sapp, however, managed to recover and attempted to overwhelm Choi with a flurry of punches, though many were wild swings.

Choi is 6-0 in K-1 with three knockouts since his debut in March. Sapp fell to 10-5-1 in K-1 competition with six knockouts.

The winners of the Osaka tournament will advance to the quarterfinals of the K-1 Grand Prix Final in Tokyo next month.