Superkombat Fighting Championship
 | |
| Industry | Kickboxing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Eduard Irimia |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Parent | SUPERKOMBAT Global Ltd. |
| Divisions |
SUPERKOMBAT Global Ltd. SUPERKOMBAT USA, Inc. |
| Website | http://www.superkombat.com |
The SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship, frequently shortened to simply SUPERKOMBAT or SK, is one of Europe's major kickboxing promotions,[1][2][3][4][5][6] that produces events in Romania and across the world. Eduard Irimia serves as the president of the SUPERKOMBAT.
In 2011, Superkombat cemented its status as one of the best kickboxing promotions in the world by taking the Best Promotion Of The Year Award (under K-1 rules) at the World Independent Promoters Union Awards. Dutch promotions Ultimate Glory and It's Showtime, and Italian promotion Fight Code were the other finalists who presented at the Award.[7]
On the back of a successful year, Superkombat has been nominated in the “Promotion of the Year” category of the Combat Press 2016 Kickboxing Awards.[8]
In July 2017, the company moved its headquarters to London, United Kingdom from Bucharest, Romania. One month earlier, regional headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA were opened. The company will still have its already established marketing headquarters in Bucharest, Romania and New York City, New York, USA.
History
After having 8 years of experience in Local Kombat, Irimia decided to expand internationally launching the product under new name in 2011.[9] SUPERKOMBAT is well-known mainly for heavyweight fights and includes an elimination tournament in the heavyweight division and bouts at different weight classes.[10]
The first SK event took place in 2011 in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania. The purpose of the event was to determine the most effective stand-up martial art between opponents from all over the world from different disciplines, including boxing, kickboxing, MMA, judo, karate, Muay Thai, wrestling, and others.[11]
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 best new kickboxing talent coming out of Europe.[12][13] At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final, nearly all K-1 fighters were from the SK roster.[14] The agreement has been eventually ended in April 2013.[4][14][15][16]
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix is an elimination tournament that has been held annually since 2011. Each year SK holds mainly 4-man tournaments over six events to decide the SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix champion.
Development
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes is a platform launched in 2013 for up-and-coming talent which has served since its inception as the official developmental territory for SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix.[19][20]
| # | Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 29 July 2017 |  Shenzhen, China |
Shenzhen Stadium |
| 23 | 7 April 2017 |  Bucharest, Romania |
Romexpo Dome |
| 22 | 12 March 2017 | Bucharest, Romania |
Berăria H |
| 21 | 12 November 2016 | Bucharest, Romania |
Sala Polivalentă |
| 20 | 1 October 2016 | Iași, Romania |
Sala Polivalentă |
| 19 | 6 August 2016 | Comănești, Romania |
Dealul Galionului |
| 18 | 30 July 2016 | Mamaia, Romania |
Tenis Club IDU |
| 17 | 25 June 2016 | Brașov, Romania |
Patinoarul Olimpic |
| 16 | 7 May 2016 | Bucharest, Romania |
Romexpo Dome |
| 15 | 26 March 2016 |  San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Roberto Clemente Coliseum |
| 14 | 7 November 2015 | Bucharest, Romania |
Sala Polivalentă Dinamo |
| 13 | 2 October 2015 |  Milan, Italy |
Gran Teatro Linear4Ciak |
| 12 | 1 August 2015 | Mamaia, Romania |
Piațeta Cazino |
| 11 | 19 June 2015 | Constanța, Romania |
Sala Sporturilor |
| 10 | 23 May 2015 | Bucharest, Romania |
Sala Polivalentă |
| 9 | 7 March 2015 | Ploiești, Romania |
Sala Sporturilor Olimpia |
| 8 | 2 August 2014 | Constanța, Romania |
Sala Sporturilor |
| 7 | 29 March 2014 | Ploiești, Romania |
Sala Sporturilor Olimpia |
| 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
The SUPERKOMBAT Tryouts seek new contestants.[4][20]
| # | Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7 May 2016 | Bucharest, Romania |
SUPERKOMBAT Academy |
| 6 | 8 June 2014 |  Almere, Netherlands |
Markerkant |
| 5 | 4 April 2014 |  Middlesbrough, United Kingdom |
Teesside University Students' Union - The Hub |
| 4 | 22 February 2013 | Rijeka, Croatia |
Zapadni Trgovacki Centar |
| 3 | 15 February 2013 | Luton, United Kingdom |
Storm Gym |
| 2 | 9 February 2013 |  Dortmund, Germany |
Fight Lounge |
| 1 | 26 January 2013 |  Athens, Greece |
MMA Gym |
SUPERKOMBAT Academy (2015-)
A 32-man heavyweight tournament will take place in th next 3 years in search of the next star. A sizeable investment of $5 million put into reality series to introduce the fighters at live events, with SK paying gym costs, coaches and medical bills, and even for travel.[21]
| # | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 May 2016 | Bucharest, Romania |
| 1 | 25 April 2015 | Târgoviște, Romania |
List of SUPERKOMBAT champions
Tournament Champions
| Event | Date | Weight class | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2011 Final | November 19, 2011 | Heavyweight (+95 kg/209.4 lb) |
 Sergei Lascenko |
 Ismael Londt |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2012 Final | December 22, 2012 | Heavyweight (+95 kg/209.4 lb) |
Pavel Zhuravlev |
Ismael Londt |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final | December 21, 2013 | Heavyweight (+95 kg/209.4 lb) |
 Frank Muñoz |
Redouan Cairo |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2014 Final | November 22, 2014 | Light heavyweight (-81 kg/178.6 lb) |
Jorge Loren |
 Aristote Quitusisa |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2015 Final | November 7, 2015 | Heavyweight (+95 kg/209.4 lb) |
 Tarik Khbabez |
Roman Kryklia |
| SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2017 Final | December 2, 2017 | Heavyweight (+95 kg/209.4 lb) |
TBA | TBA |
Other Tournaments winners
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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) | vacant | August 7, 2016 | |
| Cruiserweight | 92 kg (202.8 lb) |  Igor Bugaenko | December 21, 2013 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final) | 0 |
| Light heavyweight plus | 86 kg (189.6 lb) | César Almeida | May 7, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2016) | 0 |
| Middleweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Amansio Paraschiv | November 12, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final) | 0 |
| Lightweight | 63.5 kg (140.0 lb) | Cristian Spetcu | November 12, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final) | 0 |
| Women's Bantamweight | 56 kg (123.5 lb) | Marija Malenica | November 12, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final) | 0 |
Other
Intercontinental champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super cruiserweight | 95 kg (209.4 lb) |  Bruno Susano | July 29, 2017 (SUPERKOMBAT Special Edition China) | |
| Light heavyweight plus | 86 kg (189.6 lb) | Alexandru Negrea | June 17, 2017 (BELLICUM) | 0 |
New Heroes
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruiserweight | 92 kg (202.8 lb) | Clyde Brunswijk | June 25, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes 9) | 0 |
| Light heavyweight | 81 kg (178.6 lb) | Clyde Brunswijk | January 18, 2014 (KIMBO 2) | 0 |
| Middleweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Amansio Paraschiv | March 7, 2015 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2015) | 0 |
| Women's Lightweight | 65 kg (143.3 lb) |  Angela Whitley | March 26, 2016 (SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2016) | 0 |
Championship history
Heavyweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ismael Londt def. Freddy Kemayo |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2012 Varna, Bulgaria |
July 7, 2012 |
Super Cruiserweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrei Stoica def. Ondřej Hutník |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final Galați, Romania |
December 21, 2013 | 1. def. Ali Cenik at SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2014 on 21-06-14 2. def. Moisés Baute at SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2014 Final Elimination on 25-10-14 3. def. Fred Sikking at SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix IV 2015 on 01-08-15 | |
| 2 | Jorge Loren def. Andrei Stoica |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2015 Final Bucharest, Romania |
November 7, 2015 | ||
| 3 | Ionuț Iftimoaie def. Jorge Loren |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix IV 2016 Comănești, Romania |
August 6, 2016 | ||
| Iftimoaie vacated the title with his retirement on August 7, 2016. | |||||
Cruiserweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogdan Stoica def. Ivan Stanić |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
May 12, 2012 | |
| 2 | Igor Bugaenko def. Bogdan Stoica |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2013 Final Galați, Romania |
December 21, 2013 |
Light Heavyweight Plus Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | César Almeida def. Moisés Baute |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix II 2016 Bucharest, Romania |
May 7, 2016 |
Middleweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Kraus def. Alexander Schmitt |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2011 Final Darmstadt, Germany |
November 19, 2011 | ||
| Kraus was stripped of the title, when he left the SUPERKOMBAT for GLORY. | |||||
| 2 | Mike Zambidis def. Harun Kina |
SUPERKOMBAT VIP Edition Bucharest, Romania |
August 31, 2013 | 1. def. Harun Kina at Iron Challenge 2015 on 17-01-15 | |
| Zambidis vacated the title with his retirement on June 27, 2015.[22] | |||||
| 3 |  Chris Ngimbi def. Amansio Paraschiv |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final Elimination Iași, Romania |
October 1, 2016 | ||
| 4 | Amansio Paraschiv def. Chris Ngimbi |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final Bucharest, Romania |
November 12, 2016 | ||
Lightweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristian Spetcu def. Simón Santana |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final Bucharest, Romania |
November 12, 2016 |
Women's Bantamweight Championship
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marija Malenica def. Ania Fucz |
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2016 Final Bucharest, Romania |
November 12, 2016 |
Production team
Cyrus Fees, Jelani Khalfani or Brad Vee Johnson are the official ring announcers for SUPERKOMBAT events.[23][24][25] Cezar Gheorghe of Romania was one of the best known referees working for the organization.[26] Since 2017, the official commentators are Jordan Jay Adams and Will Vanders.
Broadcast
According to the SUPERKOMBAT, its programming is broadcast in over 100 countries across 5 continents.[27][28]
In 2011, the SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship burst into the mainstream with a landmark long-term broadcast agreement with Eurosport.[29]
Fight Now TV is the exclusive home of SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship in the United States,[30] a station that reaches roughly 80 million households.[31] The partnership started with SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix III 2013.[32]
Sport.ro is the home for SUPERKOMBAT programming in Romania.[33]
In May 2013, SUPERKOMBAT announced a partnership with Playbook International GmbH & Co. KG for global media rights.[34]
In September 2013, SK launched a live streaming partnership with Epicentre.tv.[35]
On 18 March 2014, SUPERKOMBAT announced that they have agreed to extend their Eurosport contract, until the end of the 2016 season.[36][37]
CBS partnership
On December 14, 2016, The SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship and CBS announced a one-year broadcast deal through the CBS Sports Network subsidiary, effectively ending the SUPERKOMBAT's Eurosport partnership. The deal includes six events.[38][39][40][41]
Notable fighters
- Benjamin Adegbuyi
- Raul Cătinaș[42][43]
- Sebastian Ciobanu
- Ionuț Iftimoaie
- Alexandru Lungu
- Cătălin Moroșanu
- Amansio Paraschiv
- Cristian Spetcu[44]
- Andrei Stoica
- Bogdan Stoica
-
Henriques Zowa -
Ben Edwards - Paul Slowinski
-
Zabit Samedov - Igor Bugaenko
- Alexey Ignashov
-
Dževad Poturak - César Almeida[45][46]
- Thiago Michel
- Felipe Micheletti
- Alex Pereira
- Anderson Silva
- Chris Ngimbi
- Mladen Brestovac
- Marija Malenica[44]
-
D'Angelo Marshall - Errol Zimmerman
-
Tomáš Hron - Ondřej Hutník
- Brice Guidon
- Zinedine Hameur-Lain
- Freddy Kemayo
- Nicolas Wamba
-
Hesdy Gerges - Frank Muñoz
- Jorge Loren
-
Daniel Sam - Stefan Leko
- Mike Zambidis
- Roberto Cocco
- Faldir Chahbari
- Ibrahim El Bouni
- Tarik Khbabez[47]
- Mustapha Haida
- Brian Douwes
- Albert Kraus
- Wendell Roche
- Fred Sikking
- Rico Verhoeven
-
Simón Santana - Redouan Cairo
- Fabio Kwasi
- Ismael Londt
- Cedric Manhoef
-
Volkan Oezdemir - Yoann Kongolo
-
Yousri Belgaroui - Pavel Zhuravlev
- Roman Kryklia
- Sergei Lascenko
- Bob Sapp
- Carter Williams
- Mighty Mo
References
- ↑ "Contender Promotions finalise deal with Romanian fight sport giants Superkombat". Gazette Live. 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 3 "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.
- ↑ "Movings & Shakings Between K-1, Glory, Superkombat". Fight Sport Asia. 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "Eduard Irimia a fost premiat alături de Mike Tyson şi Andre Ward" (in Romanian). Libertatea. 10 February 2012.
- ↑ "Combat Press 2016 Kickboxing Awards: Promotion of the Year – K-1 World GP in Japan". Combat Press. 6 March 2017.
- ↑ "Mixfight exclusief: interview met Superkombat promotor Eduard Irimia" (in Dutch). Mixfight.nl. 20 October 2011.
- ↑ "Kickboxing organization SuperKombat announces new partnership, looks to the future". BloodyElbow. 23 September 2013.
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 "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.
- ↑ "K-1 loses Superkombat support". Fight Linker. 12 April 2013.
- ↑ "Superkombat, din nou pe CBS » Cadou pentru stațiunea Mamaia" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 16 May 2017.
- ↑ "Superkombat, din nou pe CBS » Cadou pentru stațiunea Mamaia" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 16 May 2017.
- ↑ "SuperKombat 2013 Event Schedule Released". LiverKick. 25 February 2013.
- 1 2 "Superkombat începe anul în forţă! Gale în Grecia şi în Mare Britanie" (in Romanian). Ziua News. 12 January 2014.
- ↑ "Six live events and SUPERKOMBAT Academy with 5 million dollars budget". Kickboxing Planet. 13 February 2015.
- ↑ "The Greek Australian kick-boxer retires with pride". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ "2013 Best Ring Announcer". Florida MMA Awards. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ "Trăieşte visul american în România! A lăsat Chippendales pentru ringul de K-1 de la Botoşani" (in Romanian). Prosport. 25 September 2013.
- ↑ ""Fiarele" din ring, întâlnire cu reptilele din... Patinoarul "Flamaropol"!" (in Romanian). Prosport. 18 May 2011.
- ↑ "Thriller in Ploiesti at SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix – Final Elimination". SUPERKOMBAT Official Website. 12 November 2013.
- ↑ "Programul meciurilor de la marea finală Superkombat de la Galati" (in Romanian). onlinesport.ro. 16 December 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.
- ↑ "SuperKombat Signs Three Year Extension with EuroSport". liverkick.com. 19 March 2014.
- ↑ "Contract extension between Superkombat® and Eurosport for three years". SUPERKOMBAT Official Website. 18 March 2014.
- ↑ "Superkombat to air kickboxing and MMA on CBS Sports Network in 2017". Bloody Elbow. 14 December 2016.
- ↑ "SUPERKOMBAT SIGNS MULTI-FIGHT TV DEAL WITH CBS SPORTS NETWORK". SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship. 14 December 2016.
- ↑ "O producţie ROMÂNEASCĂ va fi transmisă în PRIME-TIME în SUA şi CANADA". Evenimentul Zilei. 14 December 2016.
- ↑ "Un produs românesc a dat lovitura! Luptătorii, cot la cot cu NFL și NBA". Gazeta Sporturilor. 14 December 2016.
- ↑ "Raul Cătinaș on performance, flops and future plans". 7 October 2013.
- ↑ Walsh, Dave. "LiverKick - K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 Live Results".
- 1 2 "Superkombat WGP 2016 Results".
- ↑ "SUPERKOMBAT WGP Bucharest: Results - Kickboxingplanet.com". 8 May 2016.
- ↑ Office, WKN World (10 May 2016). "Cesar Almeida Beats Moises Baute & Earns WKN Title Live on Eurosport".
- ↑ "SUPERKOMBAT WGP 2015 Final Results: Shocking Upset In The Title Fight, Kryklia Beaten By Khbabez - Kickboxingplanet.com". 7 November 2015.