Karate Combat
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Karate promotion |
Founders | Michael Depietro Robert Bryan |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Robert Bryan (CEO/Director) Adam S. Kovacs (COO/President) Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (League Ambassador) |
Website | http://www.karate.com/ |
Karate Combat is a brand which promotes the first professional, full-contact karate league, hosting worldwide events since April 2018. The private company[1] is headquartered in New York and was founded by Michael DePietro and Robert Bryan. The business 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.[2] Former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten hosts Karate Combat venues alongside special guests.[3]
Contestants compete in a seasonal championship in which the winner is awarded a golden belt.[4] They consist of karateka from various styles of karate like Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Wado Ryu and American Karate,[5] who are expected to abide by karate-do etiquette and specific tournament rules.[6]
The organisation 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 Mixed Reality environments created with the Unreal Engine as reported by NBC Sports.[7] Marketing and promotion include appearances of Danny Trejo, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.[8] [9]
In 2020 rights to Karate Combat have been acquired by beIN SPORTS. The media group broadcasts the Karate Combat seasons in 37 countries.[3]
Rules
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 effectivity 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, knees, 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.[6]
Events
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.[10] 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.[11] The events attracted the notice of American television[12] and newspaper.[13] Recordings of all events can be accessed for free via the company's website. Past events have also been streamed via UFC Fight Pass.[14][15]
Season Overview
Season 1
# | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Season 2
# | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Season 3
# | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Fight Card | VOD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Karate Combat: Okinawa I | 2021 | Mixed Reality | Unknown | Myrza-Bet Tebuev - Teeik Silva Nikolasz Lukacs - Abdessalam Ameknassi Edghan Chelmiah - Kevin Azouz |
Watch |
Current championships
Championship | Current Champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Event | Venue | Location | Previous Champion(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Karate Combat Welterweight championship | ![]() |
1 | 9 November 2019 | 1,749+ | Karate Combat | Unknown | Unknown | |
Karate Combat Lightweight championship | Edgars Skrivers | 2 | 21 September 2019 | 550+ | Karate Combat | Unknown | Unknown |
Divisions and Classification
Division | Upper weight limit |
---|---|
Heavyweight | no limit |
Light Heavyweight | 93 kg (205 lb) |
Middleweight | 84 kg (185 lb) |
Welterweight | 75 kg (165 lb) |
Lightweight | 68 kg (150 lb) |
Bantamweight | 61 kg (135 lb) |
Women's Bantamweight | no limit |
Women's Flyweight | 55 kg (121 lb) |
Terminology
Honoring the japanese heritage of karate, combat techniques in Karate Combat are often referenced with original japanese terminology.
Term | Translation |
---|---|
Tsuki | Punch |
Keri | Kick |
Jodan | Upper-Section (Head) |
Chudan | Mid-Section (Body) |
Gedan | Lower-Section |
Mae | Front |
Mawashi | Roundhouse (Spin) |
Ushiro | Back |
Keage | Snap |
Kekomi | Thrust |
Oss / Osu | Acknowledgement |
See also
References
- ^ "Karate Combat linked.in company register". linkedin. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "About Karate Combat". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "beIN SPORTS Acquires Second Season of Karate Combat Across 37 Countries". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Karate Combat: Evolution Coverage". www.themix.net. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Karate Combat Fighters Roster". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Karate Combat Rules & Regulations" (PDF). Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Marshawn Lynch will provide color commentary on 'Karate Combat'". NBC Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Bas Rutten and Danny Trejo bring you... Karate Combat!". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Georges St-Pierre to work as 'Season Sensei'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Reuters Article about Karate Combat". reuters.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ Nick, Laham. "ESPN coverage of Karate Combat event on Oct 9, 2018". ESPN. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Karate Combat coverage on CBS Miami". Youtube. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "USA Today's News Article on Karate Combat: Inception". USA Today. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Karate Combat hits UFC Fight Pass". UFC. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "UFC Fight Pass: Karate Combat: One World". UFC. Retrieved 20 July 2020.