Nobuaki Kakuda
Having been fighting in Japan with success for a number of years, Hug became extremely popular in the country. The fans were impressed by his technical diversity, spectacular aesthetics, tactics and strength. In 1992, he made the switch from Kyokushinkaikan to Seidokaikan, completing the step from being an amateur to becoming a professional fighter and star in Japan. He debuted as a Seidokaikan karate fighter on July 30, 1992, defeating Toshiyuki Yanagisawa on points at the "Seidokaikan Kakutogi Olympics II". He then competed in and won the 1992 Seidokaikan Karate World Cup on October 2, 1992, overcoming Taiei Kin in the final. On April 30, 1993, Hug fought in K-1 for the first time, albeit under Seidokaikan rules, in a rematch with Nobuaki Kakuda at the "K-1 Grand Prix '93". The pair previously met at the second round of the 1992 Seidokaikan Karate World Cup with Hug winning by "ippon" and the Swiss repeated his performance by stopping Kakuda with a knee strike from the Thai clinch in round two.