Knock Out (stylized as KNOCK OUT) is a Japanese

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

promotion and brand established in 2016 by the Bushido Road subsidiary Kixroad. It is currently run by Def Fellow. In 2019, the promotion established two different rulesets. The Knock Out-Red ruleset allowed elbow strikes,

sweeps Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...

and

throws Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by ani ...

. The Knock Out-Black ruleset followed the traditional

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

ruleset, which allowed kicks and strikes with fists or

knees In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

, while extended clinching, elbow strikes and throws of any kind were prohibited.

Current champions

History

On September 14, 2016, Bushido Road announced the establishment of a new kickboxing promotion called Knock Out. The promotion was founded jointly by Riki Onodera and Road Fight, and initially partnered with another kickboxing promotion "NO KICK NO LIFE". KNOCK OUT held their first event, called "Knock Out vol.0", at the Tokyo Dome City Hall on December 5, 2016. It was headlined by a

muay thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

bout between Sirimongkol PKsaenchaimuaythaigym and the Rajadamnern 135 lbs champion

Genji Umeno Genji Umeno (梅野源治) is a Japanese Muay Thai and Kickboxing practitioner. He is the current BoM Lightweight champion. He is the former Rajadamnern 135 lbs champion, WPMF World Super Featherweight champion, WBC Muaythai World and I ...

Tenshin Nasukawa is a Japanese Professional Boxing, professional boxer, former kickboxer, professional kickboxer and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A generational talent, Nasukawa was regarded as a pound for pound talent throughout most of his caree ...

faced the two-weight Lumpinee champion Wanchalong PK.Saenchai in the co-headliner. A half hour segment of the event was later broadcast by

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

on December 31, 2016. The event was fully broadcast on January 1, 2017. Riki Onodera retired from the position of producer on April 29, 2019. On May 20, 2019, it was announced that he would be replaced by Genki Yamaguchi. On the same day, Knock Out announced that they had entered into a partnership agreement with

Rebels A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

, another kickboxing and muay thai promotion. On June 15, 2020, Bushido Road sold Knock Out ownership rights to Def Fellow, the operating company of Rebels. At a press conference held on September 28, 2020, producer Genki Yamaguchi announced his retirement. Former K-1 producer and Good Loser president Mitsuru Miyata was announced as his replacement. On December 18, 2020, Def Fellow announced they would merge Rebels into the Knock Out brand. The merger occurred in March 2021.

Rules

The current rules were last revised in February 2023, and are as follows: * Matches are won by knockout, technical knockout, disqualification or judges decision. ** A knockout victory is awarded if one competitor is rendered unable to continue competing as a result of a single strike. ** A technical knockout victory is awarded is one of the following cases: *** (1) if one of the competitors is unable to rise in time (i.e. within 10 seconds) following a knockdown *** (2) if one of the competitors suffers three knockdowns inside of a single round *** (3) if the corner-men of one of the competitors throws in the towel, or opts to retire their fighter at the end of the round *** (4) if the referee decides that a competitor cannot continue fighting due to an injury, or if they receive significant damage without intelligently defending themselves ** Matches are scored based on the following criteria: *** (1) number of knockdowns *** (2) presence or absence of damage done to the opponent *** (3) number of clean hits *** (4) aggressiveness ** In case of a draw, an extension round will be fought, after which one competitor will necessarily be declared a winner * Spitting, headbutts, biting, groin strikes, strikes to the back of the head, striking after the round has ended or the referee has called for a break, striking while the opponent is knocked down and excessive holding are all considered fouls. Furthermore, under the KNOCKOUT BLACK ruleset, sweeps, throws, and strikes with the elbow are prohibited. Fights under the BLACK rules allow a fighter to land a single strike while holding an opponent's leg, if it was caught after an attempted kick **If one of the competitors commits a foul, they will be given a caution and a warning. If the foul is repeated, they will be given a yellow card, which results in a point deduction. Should the foul be committed once again, the competitor will be given a red card, and will be disqualified.

Championship history

King of Knock Out

Super Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 65 kg''

Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 61.5 kg''

Super Bantamweight Championship

''Weight limit: 55 kg''

Flyweight Championship

''Weight limit: 51 kg''

Knock Out-Red

Red Super Welterweight Championship

''Weight limit: 70 kg''

Red Super Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 65 kg''

Red Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 62.5 kg''

Red Super Featherweight Championship

''Weight limit: 60 kg''

Red Featherweight Championship

''Weight limit: 57.5 kg''

Red Super Bantamweight Championship

''Weight limit: 55 kg''

Red Bantamweight Championship

''Weight limit: 53.5 kg''

Red Super Flyweight Championship

''Weight limit: 52 kg''

Knock Out-Black

Black Super Middleweight Championship

''Weight limit: 75 kg''

Black Super Welterweight Championship

''Weight limit: 70 kg''

Black Welterweight Championship

''Weight limit: 67.5 kg''

Black Super Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 65 kg''

Black Lightweight Championship

''Weight limit: 62.5 kg''

Black Super Featherweight Championship

''Weight limit: 60 kg''

Black Featherweight Championship

''Weight limit: 57.5 kg''

Black Super Bantamweight Championship

''Weight limit: 55 kg''

Black Super Flyweight Championship

''Weight limit: 52 kg''

Black Female Minimumweight Championship

''Weight limit: 47.5 kg''

Black Female Atomweight Championship

''Weight limit: 46 kg''

Grand Prix

References

{{Kickboxing organizations Kickboxing organizations Sports organizations established in 2016 2016 establishments in Japan Kickboxing in Japan