SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Kickboxing promotion |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder(s) | Eduard Irimia |
| Headquarters | Bucharest, Romania |
| Website | http://www.superkombat.com |
The SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship, frequently shortened to simply SUPERKOMBAT or SK, is one of Europe's premier kickboxing promotions,[1][2][3][4] that produces events mainly in Romania but also globally. Eduard Irimia serves as the president of the SUPERKOMBAT.
After an 8-year experience with Local Kombat, Irimia decided to expand internationally, launching its product under a new name in 2011.[5] SUPERKOMBAT is well-known mainly for its heavyweight division fights and includes an elimination tournament in the heavyweight division and bouts at different weight classes.[6]
The first SK event was held in 2011 in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania. The purpose of the event was to identify the most effective martial art in a real stand-up fight between competitors all over the world of different fighting disciplines, including boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, judo, karate, Muay Thai, wrestling, and other styles.[7]
On 10 August 2012, SK began working together with K-1 in the development of K-1's live event production. SUPERKOMBAT has also assisted K-1 in securing the biggest and best new kickboxing talent coming out of Europe.[8][9] At the K-1 World Grand Prix in Zagreb, nearly 80% of all the Final 8 fighters and the reserve fighters were members of the SK roster.[10] The agreement has eventually ended in April 2013.[3][10][11]
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 2011 by the promotion. Each year, SK holds four 4-men, 2-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which eight fighters will compete in the Final Elimination that is an event where the participants compete for the final four spots in the Final ("Final 4").
| Date: | No: | Event: | Location: | Venue: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-12-21 | 20 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final |  Galați, Romania | Galați Skating Rink |
| 2013-11-09 | 19 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final Elimination | Ploiești, Romania | Olimpia Sports Hall |
| 2013-10-12 | 18 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix IV 2013 | Giurgiu, Romania | Chauncey Hardy Polyvalent Hall |
| 2013-09-28 | 17 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2013 | Botoșani, Romania | Elisabeta Lipă Polyvalent Hall |
| 2013-08-31 | 16 | SUPERKOMBAT VIP Edition | Bucharest, Romania | Epika Hall |
| 2013-05-18 | 15 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2013 | Craiova, Romania | Polyvalent Hall |
| 2013-04-06 | 14 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2013 | Oradea, Romania | Antonio Alexe Arena |
| 2012-12-22 | 13 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2012 Final | Bucharest, Romania | Polyvalent Hall |
| 2012-11-10 | 12 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2012 Final Elimination | Craiova, Romania | Polyvalent Hall |
| 2012-10-10 | 11 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix IV 2012 | Arad, Romania | Galleria Shopping Center |
| 2012-07-07 | 10 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2012 |  Varna, Bulgaria | Palace of Culture and Sports |
| 2012-05-12 | 9 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2012 | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | Horia Demian Sports Hall |
| 2012-02-25 | 8 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2012 |  Podgorica, Montenegro | Morača Sports Center |
| 2011-11-19 | 7 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2011 Final |  Darmstadt, Germany | Sporthalle am Böllenfalltor |
| 2011-11-17 | 6 | SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club | Oradea, Romania | Oradea Shopping City |
| 2011-10-15 | 5 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix IV 2011 | Piatra Neamț, Romania | Polyvalent Hall |
| 2011-10-01 | 4 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2011 | Brăila, Romania | Danubius Polyvalent Hall |
| 2011-07-16 | 3 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2011 | Constanța, Romania | Sport Hall |
| 2011-05-21 | 2 | SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2011 | Bucharest, Romania | Mihai Flamaropol Skating Rink |
| 2011-03-18 | 1 | SUPERKOMBAT The Pilot Show | Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania | Traian Sports Hall |
Development
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes is a 2013 launched platform for up and coming talent which has served since its inception as the official developmental territory for SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix.[6]
| # | Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | TBA 2014 |  TBA, Great Britain |
To be announced |
| 6 | 3 November 2013 |  Carrara, Italy |
CarraraFiere Exhibition Centre |
| 5 | 30 August 2013 | Târgoviște, Romania |
Polyvalent Hall |
| 4 | 31 May 2013 |  Dubai, UAE |
Al Boom Tourist Village |
| 3 | 10 May 2013 |  Vienna, Austria |
Gasometer |
| 2 | 3 March 2013 |  São Paulo, Brazil |
Ginásio Milton Feijão |
| 1 | 23 February 2013 |  Opatija, Croatia |
Hotel Kvarner |
SUPERKOMBAT Tryouts
SUPERKOMBAT Tryouts are made in an effort to groom a "new generation" of kickboxing.[3]
| # | Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 April 2014 | Middlesbrough, Great Britain |
To be determined |
| 4 | 22 February 2013 | Rijeka, Croatia |
Zapadni Trgovacki Centar |
| 3 | 15 February 2013 | Luton, Great Britain |
Storm Gym |
| 2 | 9 February 2013 | Dortmund, Germany |
Fight Lounge |
| 1 | 26 January 2013 |  Athens, Greece |
MMA Gym |
Champions
Tournament champions
| Tournament | Date | Weight class | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final |
December 21, 2013 | Heavyweight (+96 kg/211.6 lb) |  Frank Muñoz |
 Redouan Cairo |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2012 Final |
December 22, 2012 | Heavyweight (+96 kg/211.6 lb) |  Pavel Zhuravlev |
Ismael Londt |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2011 Final |
November 19, 2011 | Heavyweight (+96 kg/211.6 lb) | Sergei Lascenko |
Ismael Londt |
Current champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | +96 kg (211.6 lb) | Ismael Londt | July 7, 2012 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2012) | 0 |
| Super cruiserweight | 95 kg (209.4 lb) | Andrei Stoica | December 21, 2013 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final) | 0 |
| Cruiserweight | 92 kg (202.8 lb) |  Igor Bugaenko | December 21, 2013 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final) | 0 |
| Middleweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Mike Zambidis | August 31, 2013 (SUPERKOMBAT VIP) | 0 |
New Heroes
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light heavyweight | 81 kg (178.6 lb) | Clyde Brunswijk | January 18, 2014 (KIMBO 2) | 0 |
| Middleweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Cedric Manhoef | November 3, 2013 (SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes 6) | 0 |
Production team
Cyrus Fees is the voice of SUPERKOMBAT. He was nominated for the best ring announcer for 2013 award at the 2013 Florida MMA Awards.[12] Before, the announcers were Brad Vee Johnson[13] and Octavian Pescaru.[14] Jelani Khalfani is the current MC.[15] Referees usually are: Cezar Gheorghe (Romania), Vladimir Kondov (Bulgaria) and Angelo Baglio (Italy).[16]
Broadcast
SK is broadcast in around 100 countries on 5 continents.[17]
In 2011, the SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship burst into the mainstream with a landmark long-term broadcast agreement with Eurosport.[18] The agreement includes all the SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix live events broadcast on the Eurosport network annually.[7]
Fight Now TV is the exclusive home of SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship in the United States,[19] a station that reaches roughly 80 million homes.[20] The media partnership kicked-off with a live coverage on September 26, 2013.[21]
Sport.ro is the home for kickboxing programming, with the channel broadcasting SK events. Previously, its assets were sold to Pro TV, a sister station. Pro TV still airs a tape delayed broadcast of the shows late night with same commentary.[22]
The SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes events are usually broadcast around the world from regional TV and tape delayed on Eurosport.[7]
In May 2013, SUPERKOMBAT teamed-up with German based agency Playbook International GmbH & Co. KG to sign global media rights partnership for a worldwide distribution cooperation for its media rights.[23]
In September 2013, SK have announced that www.Epicentre.tv will produce live pay-per-view streams to market their events.[24]
References
- ↑ "Superkombat Grand Prix live stream this Saturday May 18". BloodyElbow. 15 May 2013.
- ↑ "Superkombat announces global expansion, looking for partners in the US and internationally". BloodyElbow. 9 January 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Liverkick's Exclusive Interview with Superkombat President Eduard Irimia". Liverkick. 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "Fight Now TV home for SUPERKOMBAT kickboxing in US". Boxing Pulse. 24 September 2013.
- ↑ "Mixfight exclusief: interview met Superkombat promotor Eduard Irimia" (in Dutch). Mixfight.nl. 20 October 2011.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Kickboxing organization SuperKombat announces new partnership, looks to the future". BloodyElbow. 23 September 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "About SUPERKOMBAT". SUPERKOMBAT Official Website. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ "Kickboxing News: Badr Hari Update, Superkombat And K-1 Team Up, Much More". BloodyElbow. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ↑ "K-1 Announces Agreement With SuperKombat". LiverKick. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "SUPERKOMBAT Officially Splits From K-1: Is this the Final Nail in K-1′s Coffin?". Fight Sport Asia. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ↑ "Superkombat officially ends partnership with K-1". BloodyElbow. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ↑ "2013 Best Ring Announcer". Florida MMA Awards. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ ""Fiarele" din ring, întâlnire cu reptilele din... Patinoarul "Flamaropol"!" (in Romanian). Prosport. 18 May 2011.
- ↑
- ↑ "Trăieşte visul american în România! A lăsat Chippendales pentru ringul de K-1 de la Botoşani" (in Romanian). Prosport. 25 September 2013.
- ↑ "Thriller in Ploiesti at SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix – Final Elimination". SUPERKOMBAT Official Website. 12 November 2013.
- ↑ "SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix – Final in Galati, Romania on December 21st". MMAmadhouse. 15 December 2013.
- ↑ "Superkombat la Eurosport". Eurosport Romania. 17 December 2013.
- ↑ "Fight Now TV home for SUPERKOMBAT Kickboxing Fighting Championship in U.S.". Fight Now TV. 24 September 2013.
- ↑ "Superkombat News: Plans For US Broadcasts, Bogdan Stoica Injured". BloodyElbow. 30 July 2012.
- ↑ "Fight Now TV home for SUPERKOMBAT kickboxing in US". Sherdog. 26 September 2013.
- ↑ "Şase români vor lupta în marea finală a circuitului Superkombat din 2013" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 3 December 2013.
- ↑ "SUPERKOMBAT Teams Up with Playbook International GmbH & Co.". Fight Sport Asia. 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Agreement between Superkombat and Epicentre.tv to live-stream events". MMAmadhouse. 25 September 2013.
External links
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