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Current season, competition or edition: 2024 in Karate Combat | |
Sport | Karate Submission grappling |
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Founder |
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CEO |
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COO |
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Director |
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President |
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Headquarters | New York City |
TV partner(s) | beIN SPORTS |
Official website | www |
Karate Combat (KC) is a brand which promotes the first professional full-contact karate league, hosting worldwide events since April 2018. The private company is headquartered in New York and was founded by Michael DePietro and Robert Bryan. The brand also encompasses sports equipment, a worldwide Dojo network and mobile apps for viewers. Karate Combat was founded in order to promote karate as a sport and martial art. Former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten hosts Karate Combat venues alongside special guests. [1]
Contestants compete in a seasonal championship in which the winner is awarded a golden belt. [2] They consist of karateka from various styles of karate like Kyokushin, Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Wado Ryu, American Karate, and Tang Soo Do. Contestants from other martial arts disciplines like Taekwondo have also participated. [3] The contestants are expected to abide by karate-do etiquette and specific tournament rules. [4]
The organization puts emphasis on innovation and technology with the use of video game-style analytics of fighter's biometrics, nutrition and DNA-based data in real-time. Fights regularly feature CGI environments created with the Unreal Engine as reported by NBC Sports. [5] Marketing and promotion include appearances of Danny Trejo, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and UFC top-contender Stephen Thompson. [6] [7]
In 2020 rights to Karate Combat have been acquired by beIN SPORTS. The media group broadcasts the Karate Combat seasons in 37 countries. [1]
Fighting takes place in a 6,5m x 6,5m (21'4" x 21'4") square combat pit surrounded by 45° angled walls. A match consists of 3 rounds each lasting 3 minutes with the possibility of 2 additional rounds for championship fights.
Scoring uses a 10-point must system and is based on aggression and effectiveness of attacks. Three judges evaluate each fight from a position around the combat pit. Scoring cards are omitted in case of a knock-out.
Equipment consists of 4oz gloves, mouthpieces, groin protectors for male contestants, karate belts and officially designed long karate trousers with national emblems or flags.
Wrestling, submissions, elbows are not permitted. A grounded opponent may use upkicks while the standing opponent may use ground punches. After 5 seconds any grounded opponent will be brought back to a standing position by the referee. [4]
Division | Upper weight limit |
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Heavyweight | No limit |
Light Heavyweight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Middleweight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Welterweight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
Lightweight | 150 lb (68 kg) |
Bantamweight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
Women's Featherweight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
Women's Bantamweight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
Women's Flyweight | 125 lb (57 kg) |
Women's Strawweight | 115 lb (52 kg) |
In January 2024, Karate Combat announced that they would begin staging professional grappling matches in the pit prior to their karate fights, under the name of "Pit Submission Series." [8] The first fight under the Pit Submission Series took place on January 26, 2024.
Championship | Current Champion(s) | Date won | Previous Champion(s) | Defenses |
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Karate Combat Heavyweight Championship | Sam Alvey | 15 December 2023 | Inaugural | 0 |
Karate Combat Middleweight Championship | Ross Levine | 25 June 2022 | Shahin Atamov | 1 |
Karate Combat Welterweight Championship | Rafael Aghayev | 24 June 2023 | Josh Quayhagen | 0 |
Karate Combat Lightweight Championship | Luiz Victor Rocha | 28 May 2022 | Edgars Skrivers | 1 |
Karate Combat Bantamweight Championship | Myrza-Bek Tebuev | 16 September 2023 | Eoghan Chelmiah | 0 |
Karate Combat Women's Bantamweight Championship | Melinda Fabian | 15 December 2023 | Inaugural | 0 |
Karate Combat Women's Straweight Championship | Sthefanie Oliveira | November 3, 2023 | Inaugural | 0 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
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1 | Sam Alvey def. Ross Levine | Karate Combat 43 Las Vegas, Nevada | December 15, 2023 | 85 days (incumbent) | |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
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1 | Josh Quayhagen def. Jerome Brown | Karate Combat Neo Tokyo Episode 7 Orlando, Florida | October 25, 2020 | 1001 days | 1. def. Dionicio Gustavo at Karate Combat Okinawa 2 on July 11, 2021 |
— | Rafael Aghayev def. Raymond Daniels for interim title | Karate Combat 37 Salamanca, New York | December 17, 2022 | ~ | |
2 | Rafael Aghayev def. Josh Quayhagen | Karate Combat 40 Orlando, Florida | June 24, 2023 | 259 days (incumbent) |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses | |
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1 | Edgars Skrivers def. Luiz Victor Rocha | Karate Combat Evolution Orlando, Florida | September, 2019 | 980 days | 1. def. Myrza-bek Tebuev at Karate Combat Neo Tokyo episode 7 on November 8, 2021 2. def. Bruno Assis at Hollywood Hills Event 7 on August, 2021 | |
2 | Luiz Victor Rocha def. Edgars Skrivers | Karate combat Season 4 Event 2 Orlando, Florida | May 28, 2022 | 651 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Bruno Souza at KC 39 on May 20th, 2023 2. def. Edgars Skrivers at KC43 on November, 2023 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
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1 | Melinda Fabian def. Omaira | Karate Combat 43 Las Vegas, Nevada | December 15, 2023 | 85 days (incumbent) | |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign | Defenses |
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1 | Sthefanie Oliveira def. Christina Kavakopoulou | Karate Combat 42 Orlando, Florida | November 3, 2023 | 127 days (incumbent) | |
Longest championship reign | Eoghan Chelmiah | 1086 days |
Oldest champion | Rafael Aghayev | 38 years, 3 months |
Youngest champion | Eoghan Chelmiah | 24 years, 1 months |
Most title fight wins | Edgars Skrivers and Eoghan Chelmiah and Luiz Victor Rocha | 3 |
Most consecutive title defenses | Edgars Skrivers and Eoghan Chelmiahand Luiz Victor Rocha | 2 |
It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled 2018 in Karate Combat , 2019 in Karate Combat , 2020 in Karate Combat , 2021 in Karate Combat , 2022 in Karate Combat , 2023 in Karate Combat and 2024 in Karate Combat . (discuss) (January 2024) |
Karate Combat events feature male and female karateka from a roster of over 100 professional fighters. The first five events were held in front of an invite-only audience. Later events incorporate CGI effects and original music in order to achieve a modern appearance and appeal to a younger demographic. [9] Event locations favor optimal camera angles and cinematic scenery over a big live-audience. Thus locations like the 102nd floor of the One World Trade Center were chosen hosting a selected audience with black-tie dress code. [10] The events attracted the notice of American television [11] and newspaper. [12] Recordings of all events can be accessed for free via the official website. Past events have also been streamed via UFC Fight Pass. [13] [14]
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
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1 | 6 | 2019 | ||
2 | 12 | 2020 | ||
3 | 12 | 2021 | ||
4 | 4 | 2022 | ||
KC35 | 1 | 2022 | ||
KC36 | 1 | 2022 | ||
KC37 | 1 | 2022 | ||
KC38 | 1 | 2023 | ||
KC39 | 1 | 2023 | ||
KC40 | 1 | 2023 | ||
KC41 | 1 | 2023 | ||
KC42 | 1 | 2023 |
# | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Fight Card | VOD |
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0 | Karate Combat: Genesis | February 3, 2018 | Secret Warehouse | Budapest, Hungary | Rafael Aghayev - Dionicio Gustavo Achraf Ouchen - Elhadji G Ndour Luiz Victor Rocha - Reda Messaoudi Lahad Cisse - Aykit Usda Muslum Basturk - Joshua Quayhagen Deivis Ferreras - Saeid Ahmadikaryani Randy Cura - Alexandre Bouderbane | Watch |
1 | Karate Combat: Inception | April 26, 2018 | Miami Beach | Miami, U.S. | Elhadji Ndour - Andras Virag Alexandre Bouderbane - Dionicio Gustavo Abdalla Ibrahim - Joshua Quayhagen Spyros Margaritopoulos - Mohamed Salem Mohamed Lahad Cisse - Adham Sabry Pedro Roman Roig - Jerome Brown | Watch |
2 | Karate Combat: Olympus | July 28, 2018 | Zappeion Courtyard | Athens, Greece | Jerome Brown - Davy Dona Deivis Ferreras - Myrza-bek Tebuev Achraf Ouchen - Franklin Mina Fabiola Esquivel González - Sarah Ait Ibrahim Fioravante Valentino - Igor De Castañeda Wellington Barbosa - Yaser Sahintekin Reda Messaoudi - Nikos Kosmas | Watch |
3 | Karate Combat: One World | September 27, 2018 | One World Trade Center | New York City, U.S. | Abdalla Ibrahim - Dionicio Gustavo Dimitrios Triantafyllis - Luiz Victor Rocha Elhadji G Ndour - Adilet Shadykanov Spyros Margaritopoulos - Jorge Perez Joshua Quayhagen - Vitalie Certan Adham Sabry - András Virág Pedro Roman Roig - Jesus Paucarcaja Lopez Gabriele Cera - Fernando Moreno Paz Teeik Silva - Edgars Skrivers | Watch |
4 | Karate Combat: Hollywood | January 24, 2019 | Avalon | Los Angeles, U.S. | Luiz Victor Rocha - Myrza-bek Tebuev Elhadji G Ndour - Calum Robb Igor De Castañeda - Milos Vukovic Abdalla Ibrahim - Kevin Walker Daniel Viveros - Ilies Mardhi Alexandre Bouderbane - Willians Quirino Nadege Ait Ibrahim - Ana Luiza Ferreira Da Silva Teeik Silva - Kevin Kowalczik Luis Diogo - Jonas Correia | Watch |
5 | Karate Combat: Evolution | September 21, 2019 | KC-1 | Unknown | Luiz Victor Rocha - Edgars Skrivers Dionicio Gustavo - Joshua Quayhagen Abdalla Ibrahim - Davy Dona Jorge Perez - Shahin Atamov Igor De Castañeda - Zsolt Habda | Watch |
# | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Fight Card | VOD |
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1 | Karate Combat: Anger Wat I | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Abdalla Ibrahim - Jerome Brown Maximilian Mathes - Stefanos Roupakas Deivis Ferreras - Jesús López | Watch |
2 | Karate Combat: Anger Wat II | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Ilies Mardhi - Pedro Roig Roman Reda Messaoudi - Joshua Quayhagen Craig Ryan - Rida Boutadout | Watch |
3 | Karate Combat: Anger Wat III | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Myrza-Bek Tebuev - Daniel Viveros Calum Robb - Franklin Mina Vitalie Certan - Gabriele Cera | Watch |
4 | Karate Combat: Scrap Punk I | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Luiz Victor Rocha - Ilies Mardhi Stefanos Roupakas - Daniel Viveros Bruno Assis - Gergő Horváth | Watch |
5 | Karate Combat: Scrap Punk II | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Jerome Brown - Joshua Quayhagen Bryan van Waesberghe - Lahad Cisse | Watch |
6 | Karate Combat: Scrap Punk III | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Shahin Atamov - Franklin Mina Dionicio Gustavo - Reda Messaoudi Gilmarcos de Bastos Jr. - András Virág | Watch |
7 | Karate Combat: Neo Tokyo I | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Edgars Skrivers - Myrza-bek Tebuev Willians Quirino - Nikos Gikados | Watch |
8 | Karate Combat: Neo Tokyo II | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Christina Kavakopoulou - Fabiola Esquivel Andrei Grinevich - Achraf Ouchen | Watch |
9 | Karate Combat: Neo Tokyo III | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Bruno Assis - Teeik Silva Melinda Fabian - Ana Luiza Ferreira Da Silva | Watch |
10 | Karate Combat: Valhalla I | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Davy Dona - Nikos Gidakos Igor de Castañeda - Shahin Atamov Franklin Mina - Bryan Van Waesberghe | Watch |
11 | Karate Combat: Valhalla II | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Vitalie Certan - Nikita Yanchuk Anna Laura Prezzoti - Omaira Molina | Watch |
12 | Karate Combat: Valhalla III | 2020 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Bruno Assis - Jesus Lopez Teeik Silva - Pedro Roman Roig Willians Quirino - Vasilii Antokhii | Watch |
# | Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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1 | Karate Combat: Okinawa Event 01 | JULY 4, 2021 | Azouz vs Chelmiah Lukacs vs Ameknassi Tebuev vs Silva | Watch |
2 | Karate Combat: Okinawa Event 02 | JULY 11, 2021 | Hasanov vs Mardhi Gustavo vs Quayhagen | Watch |
3 | Karate Combat: Okinawa Event 03 | JULY 18, 2021 | Anthokhii vs Dona Kavakopoulou vs Linhares Habda vs Gera | Watch |
4 | Karate Combat: Okinawa Event 04 | JULY 25, 2021 | Azouz vs Brito Ferreras vs Mathes | Watch |
5 | Karate Combat: Hollywood Hills Event 05 | JULY 29, 2021 | Gidakos vs Bastos Perez vs Jeknic Ericsson vs Ramirez | Watch |
6 | Karate Combat: Hollywood Hills Event 06 | AUGUST 5, 2021 | Oudoud vs Chelmiah Antokhii vs Messaoudi Atamov vs Van Waesberghe | Watch |
7 | Karate Combat: Hollywood Hills Event 07 | AUGUST 12, 2021 | Molina vs Santos Certan vs Viveros Assis vs Skrivers | Watch |
8 | Karate Combat: Hollywood Hills Event 08 | AUGUST 19, 2021 | Kukulicic vs Ha Esquivel vs Villanueva Hasanov vs Lopez Yanchuk vs Rocha | Watch |
9 | Karate Combat: Future Event 09 | AUGUST 26, 2021 | Novikov vs Lukacs Castaneda vs Perez Grinevich vs Levine | Watch |
10 | Karate Combat: Future Event 10 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 | Cera vs Bouderbane Mina vs Atamov | Watch |
11 | Karate Combat: Future Event 11 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 | Zsiga vs Thorpe Uzakov vs Ramirez Antokhii vs Paz | Watch |
12 | Karate Combat: Future Event 12 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | Ferreras vs Certan Chelmiah vs Mardhi | Watch |
# | Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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1 | Karate Combat: Event 1 | MAY 14, 2022 | Tommy Azouz vs Artur Gasanov Sthefanie Oliveira vs Fabiola Esquivel Mitchell Thorpe vs Lazar Kukulicic Ross Levine vs Igor De Castaneda | Watch |
2 | Karate Combat: Event 2 | MAY 28, 2022 | Dastonbek Otabolaev vs Andres Madera Dionicio Gustavo vs Nikita Yanchuk Edgars Skrivers vs Luiz Rocha | Watch |
3 | Karate Combat: Event 3 | JUNE 11, 2022 | Damian Villa vs Gabriel Stankunas Jesus Lopez vs Myrza-bek Tebuev Vitalie Certan vs Bruno Assis Rafael Aghayev vs Zsolt Habda | Watch |
4 | Karate Combat: Event 4 | JUNE 25, 2022 | Robbie Lavoie vs Moulay Odoud Adrian Galvan vs Rob Buxton Omaira Molina vs Ana Ferreira Alberto Ramierz vs Matthew Stevens Gabriel Varga vs Bruno Assis Rafael Aghayev vs Davy Dona Eoghan Chemliah vs Ilies Mardhi Ross Levine v Shahin Atamov | Watch |
It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled 2022 in Karate Combat . (discuss) (December 2023) |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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KC35 | AUGUST 27, 2022 | Deivis Ferreras vs Kevin Kowalczik Gabriele Cera vs Jonnie Broad Teeik Silva vs Maximo Nunez Gabriel Stankunas vs Jesus Lopez Bruno Souza vs Maciej Tercjak Achraf Ouchen vs Elhadji G Ndour Raymond Daniels vs Franklin Mina Luiz Rocha vs Joshua Quayhagen | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|
KC36 | OCTOBER 29, 2022 | Maximiliano Larrosa vs Damian Villa Abdessalam Ameknassi vs Kalvis Kalnins Nikos Gidakos vs Kenji Grillon Elvin Aghayev vs Chayil Calaway Tommy Azouz vs Mitchell Thope Fernando Paz vs Diego Avendano James Vick vs Jorge Perez | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|
KC37 | DECEMBER 17, 2022 | Rafael Aghayev vs Raymond Daniels Eoghan Chelmiah vs Jesus Lopez Gabriel Varga vs Tommy Azouz Samuel Ericsson vs Tarek Khelifi Rob Buxton vs Sasha Palatnikov Andres Madera vs Maciej Tercjak Maximo Nunez vs Gabriel Stankunas Gabo Diaz vs Samy Ennkhaili | Watch |
It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled 2023 in Karate Combat . (discuss) (December 2023) |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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KC38 | APRIL 2, 2023 | Ross Levine vs Igor de Castaneda Eoghan Chelmiah vs Jesus Lopez Bruno Souza vs Bruno Assis Sasha Palatnikov vs Adrian Hadribeaj James Vick vs Gabriele Cera Erica Santos vs Melinda Fabian Shahzaib Rindh vs Gabo Diaz Kenji Grillon vs Jorge Perez Robbie LaVoie vs Damian Villa Davy Dona vs Dionicio Gustavo | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|
KC39 | MAY 20, 2023 | Luiz Rocha vs Bruno Souza Raymond Daniels vs Sasha Palatnikov Shahzaib Rindh vs Tommy Azouz Cody Jerabek vs Antonio Arroyo Alberto Ramirez vs Maciej Tercjak Elijah Everill vs Rahul Bhowmick Ana Luiza da Silva vs Nathalia Dinis Adam Rosa Ramos vs Zakaria BenBouchta Gabriel Stankunas vs Ignacio Capllonch Jonathan Broad vs Will Esparza | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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KC40 | JUNE 25, 2023 | Josh Quayhagen vs Rafael Aghayev Edgars Skrivers vs Gabriel Varga Samuel Ericsson vs Alexandre Bouderbane Kenji Grillon vs Shahin Atamov Jesus Lopez vs Ilies Mardhi Marcel Ritter vs Kai Calaway Fernando Paz vs Jeremy Payet Deivis Ferreras vs Mitchell Thorpe Jo Miyahara vs Leo Valdivia Maximo Nunez vs Damian Villa | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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KC41 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 | Eoghan Chelmiah vs Myrza-Bek Tebuev Tim Ha vs Deivis Ferreras Antonio Arroyo vs Reynaldo Acevedo Jorge Perez vs Gabriele Cera Sam Alvey vs Adam Rosa Maximo Nunez vs Moulay Oudoud Ana Villanueva vs Rafaela Bernardo Erica Santos vs Sarah Ait Ibrahim Vinicius Bareta vs Antonio Molloy | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|
KC42 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | Luiz Rocha vs Edgars Skrivers Sthefanie Oliveira vs Christina Kavakopoulou Jorge Perez vs Jo Miyahara Bruno Assis vs Tim Ha Elias Santos vs Mitchell Thorpe Kenji Grillon vs Vasilii Antokhii Oscar Sosa vs Elvin Aghayev Jeremy Payet vs Zhang Kui Lazar Kukulicic vs Artur Gasanov Alejandro Brugal vs Diego Avendano Ariano Gavino Diaz vs Li Lishan | Watch |
Event | Date | Fight Card | VOD |
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KC43 | DECEMBER 15, 2023 | Anthony Pettis vs Benson Henderson Ross Levine vs Sam Alvey Omaira Molina vs Melinda Fabian Raymond Daniels vs Bruno Souza Gorjan Slaveski vs Brandon Jenkins Freddy Masabo vs Batgerel Danaa Omar Morales vs. Armus Guyton Shahzaib Rind vs. Federico Avella Shannon Hudson vs Chinzo Machida Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Gabriel Stankunas Elijah Everill vs Javier Arteaga Loxbey Montalvan vs Gabriel Diaz Jordan Lee Barker vs Damian Villa | Watch |
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