Kunlun Fight
 | |
| Industry | Kickboxing promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Jiang Hua  |
| Headquarters | Beijing, China |
Key people | Jiang Hua (Founder and CEO) Tony Chen |
| Owner | Kunsun Media |
| Website | http://kunlunjue.com/ |
Kunlun Fight (Chinese: 昆仑决; pinyin: Kūnlún Jué), is a Chinese kickboxing promotion developed by Kunsun Media. Kunlun Fight debuted in 2014 and is regarded as one of the top kickboxing promotions in the world.[1]
The first event was held in Pattaya, Thailand on January 25, 2014. The promotion has since kept on a steady pace of events and in 2015 alone held over 20 events.[2]
Kunlun Fight is broadcast in mainland China on Jiangsu Television[3] and on HKSTV in Hong Kong and Taiwan.[4]
History
Inaugural event
The first event in Pattaya, Thailand on January 25, 2014 included super fights and a 4-man kickboxing tournament with Andrei Kulebin, Petsanguan Luktupfah, Guo Dongwang and Umar Semata.[5][6] After the inaugural event the promotion has made Thailand a regular stop on their schedule having visited there two more times.[7][8][9]
Signing Buakaw Banchamek
On June 7, 2015 it was announced that Kunlun Fight had signed one of the most successful and famous[10] 70 kg kickboxers in history, 2 time K-1 World Max Champion Buakaw Banchamek to an exclusive 6-fight contract.[11][12]
Middleweight tournaments
One of the staples of Kunlun Fight is their yearly 70 kg tournaments. In 2014 the 16-man tournament was won by Dzianis Zuev who defeated Victor Nagbe in the final. In 2015 the tournament was expanced to 64-man and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong emerged as the champion from an impressive field of fighters including multiple K-1 Champions and other highly ranked fighters such as: Marat Grigorian, Enriko Gogokhia, Enriko Kehl, Davit Kiria, Murthel Groenhart, Andy Souwer, Yodsanklai Fairtex, Dzhabar Askerov, Superbon Banchamek, Amancio Paraschiv, Chingiz Allazov, Aikpracha Meenayothin and the 2014 tournament winner Dzianis Zuev.[13]
Business
In March 2016 Kunlun Fight finished series B financing from Morningside Ventures, IDG Capital Partners and Northern Light Venture Capital. The financing valued the company at over 350 million USD, making Kunlun Fight the most valuable combat sports startup in China.[14][15][16]
Events
Rules
Kunlun Fight mostly holds fights under kickboxing rules, but also under MMA rules. Some Muay Thai, Boxing and Lethwei[17][18] fights have also been held on Kunlun Fight events.
◾Kickboxing rules: no clinch for survival, active clinch with knees, no throws, no elbows, a yellow card forfeits 25% of the fight purse and earns a 1 point deduction, a red card is a disqualification.
◾Mixed martial arts rules: Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts
◾Muay thai rules: knees are allowed to the body, legs and the head, throws and clinch are allowed, elbows are allowed to the body, legs and head, a yellow card forfeits 25% of the fight purse and earns a 1 point deduction, a red card is a disqualification.
Weight classes
| Kickboxing Weight Classes | Kilograms(kg) | Pounds(lbs) | MMA Weight Classes | Kilograms(kg) | Pounds(lbs) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | 52 | 114.6 | Strawweight | 52.2 | 115 | |
| Junior lightweight | 56 | 123.5 | Flyweight | 57.6 | 125 | |
| Lightweight | 60 | 132.3 | Bantamweight | 61.2 | 135 | |
| Welterweight | 65 | 143.3 | Featherweight | 65.8 | 145 | |
| Middleweight | 70 | 154.3 | Lightweight | 70.3 | 155 | |
| Super Middleweight | 75 | 165.3 | Welterweight | 77.1 | 170 | |
| Light Heavyweight | 80 | 176.4 | Middleweight | 83.9 | 185 | |
| Cruiserweight | 90 | 198.4 | Light Heavyweight | 93 | 205 | |
| Heavyweight | 100 | 220.5 | Heavyweight | 120.2 | 265 | |
| Super Heavyweight | 100+ | 220.5+ | Super Heavyweight | - | - |
Kunlun Fight Kickboxing Champions
Tournament Champions
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kunlun Fight World Max 2014 |  Dzianis Zuev |
 Victor Nagbe |
Kunlun Fight 13 | November 16, 2014 | 70 kg World Max Tournament 2014 bracket |
| Female 52 kg Tournament 2015 |  E Meidie |
 Anissa Meksen |
Kunlun Fight 32 | October 28, 2015 | Female 52 kg Tournament 2015 bracket |
| Kunlun Fight World Max 2015 |  Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong |
 Enriko Gogokhia |
Kunlun Fight 37 | January 23, 2016 | 70 kg World Max Tournament 2015 bracket |
| 80 kg Tournament 2015 | Artur Kyshenko |
Dmitry Valent |
Kunlun Fight 35 | December 19, 2015 | 80 kg Tournament 2015 bracket |
| 100+ kg Tournament 2015 |  Jahfarr Wilnis |
 Hesdy Gerges |
Kunlun Fight 26 | June 7, 2015 | Super Heavyweight Tournament 2015 bracket |
| 75 kg Tournament 2016 | Zheng Zhaoyu |
Zhang Yang |
Kunlun Fight 47 | onJuly 10, 2016 | 75 Kg Tournament 2016 bracket |
| 65 kg Tournament 2016 | Wei Ninghui |
Abdellah Ezbiri |
Kunlun Fight 51 | September 10, 2016 | 65 Kg Tournament 2016 bracket |
| 100+ kg Tournament 2016 | Andrei Gerasimchuk |
Tsotne Rogava |
Kunlun Fight 52 | September 11, 2016 |
One Night Tournament Champions
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Man 67 kg tournament | Petsangnuan Luktupfah |
Andrei Kulebin |
Kunlun Fight 1 | January 25, 2014 | 67 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 80 kg tournament |  Simon Marcus |
Vehas Topking |
Kunlun Fight 2 | February 16, 2014 | 80 kg tournament bracket |
| Female 52 kg tournament | Jemyma Betrian |
E Meidie |
Kunlun Fight 3 | March 30, 2014 | Female 52 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 95 kg tournament | Massinissa Hamaili |
 Ivan Bartek |
Kunlun Fight 4 | April 27, 2014 | 95 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 70 kg tournament | Victor Nagbe |
Li Zikai |
Kunlun Fight 5 | June 1, 2014 | 70 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 100 kg tournament | Andrei Gerasimchuk |
Dmitry Bezus |
Kunlun Fight 6 | June 29, 2014 | 100 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 75 kg tournament | Xu Yongba |
Kiryl Chanka |
Kunlun Fight 8 | August 24, 2014 | 75 kg tournament bracket |
| Female 60 kg tournament |  Valentina Shevchenko |
 Irina Mazepa |
Kunlun Fight 9 | August 31, 2014 | Female 60 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 95 kg tournament | Andrei Gerasimchuk |
Wang Chongyang |
Kunlun Fight 10 | September 13, 2014 | 95 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 65 kg tournament | Yang Zhuo |
JR |
Kunlun Fight 12 | October 26, 2014 | 60 kg tournament bracket |
| 4-Man 75 kg tournament | Nuerla |
Wang Yuhu |
Kunlun Fight 34 | November 21, 2015 | 75 kg tournament bracket |
Kunlun Fight MMA Champions
Welterweight Championship
| No. | Champion | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wang Sai def. Sergey Proskuryakov |
Kunlun Fight 36 Shanghai, China |
January 9, 2016 | 1. def. Horiuchi Yasuhiro at Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 6 on October 21, 2016 |
Lightweight Championship
| No. | Champion | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Beibit Nazarov def. Bruno Amorim |
Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 2 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
April 4, 2015 | 1. def. Wu Haotian at Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 3 on June 7, 2015 2. def. Massimo Capusella at Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 4 on October 4, 2015 |
| 2 | Zhang Lipeng def. Beibit Nazarov |
Kunlun Fight 37 Sanya, China |
January 23, 2016 | 1. def. Takashi Noto at Kunlun Fight 43 on April 26, 2016 |
Flyweight Championship
| No. | Champion | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhang Meixuan def. Kazybek Ashimov |
Kunlun Fight 23 Changsha, China |
April 26, 2015 | 1. def. Ricky Granstad at Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 3 on June 7, 2015 2. def. Kazybek Ashimov at Kunlun Fight - Cage Fight Series 4 on October 4, 2015 |
Female Strawweight Championship
| No. | Champion | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhang Weili def. Maira De Souza |
Kunlun Fight 53 Shanghai, China |
September 24, 2016 |
Notable fighters
Buakaw Banchamek- Superbon Banchamek
Jemyma Betrian- Jomthong Chuwattana
- Yodsanklai Fairtex
- Kaew Fairtex
Andrei Gerasimchuk
Enriko Gogokhia
Marat Grigorian
Murthel Groenhart
Davit Kiria- Albert Kraus
- Andrei Kulebin
- Artur Kyshenko
Simon Marcus- Aikpracha Meenayothin
Valentina Shevchenko- Kem Sitsongpeenong
- Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong
- Andy Souwer
Amansio Paraschiv
Alexander Stetsurenko- Dmitry Valent
- Rico Verhoeven
- Jahfarr Wilnis
References
- ^ "Combat Press 2015 Kickboxing Awards: Promotion of the Year - Kunlun Fighting Championship". Combatpress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Kunlun Fight Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Card for Kunlun Fight 39, Featuring Buakaw". LiverKick.com. 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "昆仑决与香港卫视达战略成合作 影响更多的观众-搜狐体育". Sports.sohu.com. 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "World Muaythai Council » Kunlun Fight 1 in Pattaya". Wmcmuaythai.org. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "《昆仑决》真人秀：决战曼谷 20140125-乐视体育". Sports.le.com (in Template:Zh icon). 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ "KunLun Fight in Pattaya". Pattaya Daily News. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ [2] [dead link]
- ^ "Buakaw Banchamek and the Life of a Muay Thai Celebrity". Sports.vice.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Muay Thai Legend Buakaw Signs 6-Fight Contract With Kunlun Fighting Championship". Combatsportsasia.com. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
- ^ "Buakaw signs six-fight deal with Kunlun Fighting Championship". Kickboxingplanet.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Kunlun FC's 70-Kilogram Tournament: The Biggest Endeavor in Combat Sports?". Combatpress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Inside China's Smart Money This Week: March 14-18". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Kunlun Fight 39 Results and Kunlun Acquires Series B Financing, Making Them a Chinese Powerhouse". LiverKick. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Kunlun Fight raises RMB200m - Yutang Sports | The Premier Sports Intelligence and Sports Sponsorship Platform in China". En.ytsports.cn. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "Kunlun-Fight - Myanmar Traditional Boxing In Slovakia | Ministry Of Information". Moi.gov.mm. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
- ^ "KUNLUN FIGHT Slovakia, 15.may 2015 FIGHTCARD". Thaiboxing.sk. Retrieved 2016-08-17.