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Superkombat Fighting Championship
Romanian kickboxing promotion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Superkombat Fighting Championship stylized as SUPERKOMBAT or SK, was a Romanian kickboxing and mixed martial arts promotion based in Bucharest, Romania.[4] The organization was considered one of the world’s top kickboxing organizations[5] and at one point the largest kickboxing promotion in Europe,[6][7] featuring some of the highest-level fighters in the sport on its roster.
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Superkombat rose to prominence during the decline of the Japanese kickboxing giant K-1 in 2011.[8] The next year, the organization partnered with K-1, assisting with event production, European talent recruitment and co-promoted K-1's 2012 event series in USA, Greece and Japan such as the K-1 World Grand Prix.[9][7] Superkombat had partnerships with the World Kickboxing Network and WAKO for event sanctioning.[10] Superkombat founder Eduard Irimia was awarded the Promoter of the Year 2011 by WIPU (World Independent Promoters Union) winning over Its Showtime and United Glory, an award who had previously been given to boxing promoter Don King.[11] In 2016, the promotion held the Superkombat World Grand Prix IV 2016 which drew a record-setting attendance of 34,000 spectators in Comănești, Romania.[12] This set a new European audience record for kickboxing, surpassing the previous mark of 25,000 set at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Amsterdam.[13] [14]
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History
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Promoter Eduard Irimia built Local Kombat into a national sensation in Romania and in 2004 co-promoted in partnership with World Kickboxing Network, the first major world championship held on Romanian soil in kickboxing history.[15][16] In 2009, Irimia made cover of the first issue of Forbes Romania magazine.[17][18] Local Kombat eventually rebranded as Superkombat in 2011 and rose to global success during the decline of Japan's top kickboxing organization K-1 which catapulted Irimia to one of the most influential figures in kickboxing.[8] Stephane Cabrera, President of the World Kickboxing Network stated that: "Kickboxing was completely unknown in Romania. Now their fighters are even more popular than football players. Eduard Irimia is now one of the biggest European promoters who makes a Superkombat show every month live on Eurosport, with a large and serious audience."[16] Superkombat and Eurosport announced a three-year broadcast deal, and ultimately lasted until the end of 2016.[1] Fight Now TV was the exclusive broadcaster in the United States and the partnership started with Superkombat World Grand Prix III 2013.[19] On December 14, 2016, the promotion announced a one-year broadcast deal with CBS Sports, through its subsidiary CBS Sports Network, to air events in the United States.[20] The deal included six events for 2017.[21] In Brazil, Superkombat events were broadcast on Combate Channel from Globosat.[2] FightBox aired Superkombat fights in over 40 countries around the world.[3] The promotion was featured in the TV magazine program Eurosport Fight Club.[22] Bob Sapp and Alexandru Lungu won Special Fight of the Year for their match at Superkombat World Grand Prix IV 2011.[23][24]
On August 10, 2012, SK entered in a co-promotion agreement with Japanese-based kickboxing promotion K-1 was announced.[7] Though the agreement would eventually end, SK president Eduard Irimia stated that while its company will be independent in 2013, it will still continue to have cooperation with any interested promotion, including K-1, by exchanging fighters.[25] In November 2012, Superkombat announced that it would host a major mixed martial arts event in Bucharest, Romania. The competition was scheduled to take place on December 22 at the Polivalenta Hall and featured fighters from multiple countries. According to the organizers, the event was expected to attract a global audience and was part of Superkombat's strategy to expand its international presence.[26]
In 2013, Superkombat expanded internationally through strategic support from Syrian-born entrepreneurs Basel and Khaled Fetrawi. Their involvement as official ambassadors contributed to the organization’s ability to host events in new markets such as Dubai and secure broader global broadcast distribution.[27] The promotion donated all revenues from tickets sales for Superkombat World Grand Prix 2013 Final to flood victims in Galați County[28] and in 2015 donated half of ticket sales for Superkombat World Grand Prix 2015 Final to Colectiv nightclub fire victims.[29] The same year, Tarik Khbabez faced Roman Kryklia in the SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight Grand Prix finals and won by decision.[30][31] Superkombat champion Cătălin Moroșanu was scheduled to face Badr Hari at Global Fighting Championship Fight Series 4 in Dubai, but the fight never materialized.[32] In 2018, the promotion only held one event named SUPERKOMBAT Dream at the Magic Place in Bucharest, Romania.[33][34]
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Notable competitors
List of athletes who competed in :
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Events
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Controversy
In 2016, an article by MMA Plus reported that several European kickboxing promotions, including Superkombat, were accused of withholding payments from fighters.[35] In October 2016, Superkombat publicly addressed claims of non‑payment from fighters, stating delays stemmed from contractual complexities involving third‑party promoters and agents, while reaffirming its intent to resolve all outstanding purses.[36]
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Awards
- World Independent Promoters Union (WIPU)
- 2011 - Kickboxing Promoter of the Year (Runner ups GLORY and It's Showtime)[11]
See also
References
External links
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