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ISKA
The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches. It is based in the United States. It was established in 1985 as a response to legal and revenue issues that sent the Professional Karate Association (PKA) into decline. History From 1974 until 1985, the PKA had been the most recognized worldwide kickboxing sanctioning group. It was instrumental in establishing public relay of the sport via ESPN, helping to introduce the burgeoning sport to a wider audience, and had also developed the first fighter's ratings systems. Five major U.S.-based promoters and resigning PKA executives created the new body, the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), with an official announcement on July 16, 1986. The first U.S. directors were Mike Sawyer, Karyn Turner, Tony Thompson, John Worley and Scott Coker. It currently runs the biggest marti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships
The US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships is widely considered to be among the largest and most prestigious Open Sport Martial Arts competitive events in the world. Since 1999 the US Open amateur tournament and professional black belt ISKA World Championships have been held annually at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, typically around the 4th of July Holiday. The parent company of the US Open, Pro-Kick Productions, LLC, is owned by Mike Sawyer, Mike McCoy, and Cory Schafer. As well as sanctioning by the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) as their annual world championships, the event is also a premier 6A top-tier tournament on the North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) annual tour, and the biggest event on the Pro MAC annual tour. History The US Open was established in 1973 as the East Coast Grand Nationals and was part of the annual circuit of the United States Karate Association (USKA). Ted and Kim Kresge, both USKA members, org ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 career as a professional kickboxer and is regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers in the modern history of the sport. Nasukawa became famous after his knockout victories over former Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai champion and International Boxing Federation, IBF boxing world champion Amnat Ruenroeng in 2017 and Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai champion Wanchalong PK.Saenchai, Wanchalong PK Saenchaigym in 2016. A professional kickboxer between 2012 and 2022, Nasukawa is the former RISE (kickboxing)#Bantamweight championship, RISE Bantamweight (55 kg) and RISE (kickboxing)#Featherweight World championship, RISE World Featherweight (57.5 kg) champion. He was also the International Sport Karate Association, ISKA Unified ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Tate
Emory Andrew Tate III (born 1 December 1986) is an American and English social media personality, businessman, and former professional kickboxer who is also a citizen of Vanuatu among another countries. He gained notoriety for promoting various positions in the manosphere community. His controversial commentary has resulted in his expulsion from various social media platforms and concern that he promotes misogynist views to his audience. A divisive influencer, Tate has amassed 10.7 million followers on Twitter as of June 2025 and was the third-most googled person in 2023, with most British adults aware of who he is. He has been dubbed the "king of toxic masculinity", has called himself a misogynist, and is politically described as both right-wing and far-right. As of March 2025, Tate is facing six legal investigations—four criminal and two civil—in Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. From 2005, Tate began his kickboxing career in England, winning s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Roufus
Rick John Roufus (born June 3, 1966) is a retired American kickboxer. He has also competed professionally in boxing and mixed martial arts. An accomplished professional fighter throughout his competitive career, Roufus has won multiple world championships across the globe in several weight classes. He was world champion as a super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. Roufus held titles for all the major kickboxing associations worldwide (PKA, IKF, ISKA, FFKA and KICK), and is known for his boxing skills and powerful kicks. Roufus is the Global Director of Fighter Development for PKA Worldwide. In 2012 he was inducted into the World Kickboxing League Hall of Fame. Biography and career Rick Roufus began his martial arts practice at the age of 5 under the tutelage of his father Pat J. Roufus, a renowned PKA referee, who had graduated as a black belt in 1973 by Dukan Yun. Rick learned taekwondo from his father. He quickly rose up the national karate points circuit and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean-Claude Leuyer
Jean-Claude Leuyer (born November 30, 1970), or simply Jean Claude, is an American former heavyweight kickboxer. He was a six-time world champion, holding titles in four different organizations, and competing in sixteen world title fights. He holds notable wins over Rob Kaman and Tomasz Kucharzewski in K-1. Career Early career Although a Muay Thai fighter by trade, Leuyer first began practicing martial arts at the age of five with Shotokan karate. He came to prominence in 1994 when he won the USMTA Heavyweight Championship. He then won the ISKA Intercontinental Super Heavyweight Freestyle Championship by defeating Hirawi Te Rangi of New Zealand on March 13, 1994. Later in his career, he also held the ISKA World Super Heavyweight Freestyle Championship and ISKA World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship. Invitation to K-1 In 1996, Leuyer was invited to take part in the K-1 World Grand Prix, the annual gathering of the world's best heavyweight kickboxers in Japan. Billed sim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giorgio Petrosyan
Gevorg "Giorgio" Petrosyan (; born December 10, 1985) is an Armenian-Italian kickboxer who competes in the middleweight division. Nicknamed "The Doctor", he is noted for supreme technical skills, ringsmanship, and defensive prowess which has seen him defeat some of the best strikers in the world while taking little damage. As of September 2022, he is ranked the #5 lightweight and #6 pound-for-pound kickboxer in the world by Combat Press, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. After immigrating to Italy from Armenia at thirteen years old, Petrosyan began his professional career as a Muay Thai fighter at sixteen, starting out as a -54 kg/119 lb bantamweight before moving up through the weight classes and settling at the -70 kg/154 lb middleweight division, taking numerous titles along the way. Following a decision loss to Nonthanan Por. Pramuk at Lumpinee Stadium in January 2007, he went on a six-year, forty-two fight undefeated streak co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kickboxing
Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (other), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general physical fitness, fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda (sport), Sanda, and Savate. Although since the dawn of humanity people have faced each other in hand-to-hand combat, the first documentation on the use of kicking and punching in sports combat is from ancient Greece and ancient India. But nevertheless, the term kickboxing originated in Japan, in the 1960s, and developed in the late 1950s from karate mixed with boxing, having some influence, with competitions held since then. American kickboxing originated i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jérôme Le Banner
Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. He is a 2-time K-1 World Grand Prix runner up, a 2-time K-1 Preliminary Grand Prix champion, and is a multiple time world champion in Kickboxing and Muay Thai. He holds notable victories over Ernesto Hoost (twice), Francisco Filho, Mark Hunt (three times), Sam Greco, Mike Bernardo (twice), Peter Aerts, Rick Roufus, Remy Bonjasky, Tyrone Spong, Stefan Leko (twice), Masaaki Satake, Maurice Smith, Gary Goodridge (twice), Musashi (twice), Cyril Abidi and Choi Hong-man (twice). Background Jérôme Le Banner was born in the French city of Le Havre, in the '' région'' of Normandy and began training in judo at the age of five. When he was fourteen, Bruce Lee's '' Fist of Fury'' influenced him so much that he became interested in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Javier Mendez (mixed Martial Arts Trainer)
Javier Mendez (born September 18, 1970) is a Mexican-American mixed martial arts (MMA) coach and founder of the MMA gym American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). He’s a former 2 time ISKA kickboxing world champion with a kickboxing record of 23-2. He is best known for being the coach and mentor to multiple MMA world champions, most famously Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Luke Rockhold, Frank Shamrock, Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. History Javier Mendez was born in Mexico and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 6. He was raised in San Jose, California and attended Andrew Hill High School. His father spent most of his money on alcohol and gambling and told Mendez that he would never amount to anything which gave Mendez motivation to achieve success. Like most of his peers of his generation, Mendez grew up admiring the late Bruce Lee. Mendez started training in martial arts in 1978, studying the discipline of Tang Soo Do. From there, he went to West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Sefo
Ray Sefo (born 15 February 1971) is a New Zealand fight promoter and retired kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist. He was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Runner-up, is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion, and was an eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant. He is the president of MMA promotion Professional Fighters League. In kickboxing, he defeated world champions Jerome Le Banner, Peter Aerts, Stefan Leko, Mike Bernardo, and Mark Hunt. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers to have never won the K-1 World Grand Prix. As mixed martial artist, he most notably competed in the now defunct Strikeforce in 2009 and 2011. Background Training in Kung Fu as a youth, Sefo moved to Muay Thai under Thai fighting legend Kiosot, then continued training under Lollo Heimuli at the infamous Balmoral Lee Gar Gym. Career Early career Sefo had an impressive unbeaten record as an amateur and a professional in the Oceania kickboxin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Coker
Scott Coker (born October 3, 1962) is an American mixed martial artist, Taekwondoin, former movie stuntman, and combat sports promoter. He is the founder and former CEO of MMA promotion Strikeforce, former president of Bellator MMA, and founder of Fight Night at the Tech. Background Scott Coker was born in Seoul in 1962. His father, an American from Tennessee, had arrived in Korea shortly after the Korean War. He met Scott's mother, a Korean, while she was singing at a USO club. They married in December 1959. When he was approximately 9 years old, Scott and his family relocated to the United States, where they settled in San Jose, California in 1973. Coker is an Ernie Reyes protégé and full-contact fight promoter covering Kickboxing, K-1, and MMA. Coker has obtained an 8th degree black belt in Taekwondo under Reyes and was an original member of the West Coast Demonstration Team. In 1986, Scott Coker became one of the first directors of ISKA. Mixed martial arts Strikefor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
