Superkombat Fighting Championship

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.

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]

History

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]

Notable competitors

List of athletes who competed in :

• Benjamin Adegbuyi
• Sebastian Ciobanu
• Sebastian Cozmâncă
• Alexandru Lungu
• Ionuț Iftimoaie
• Cătălin Moroșanu
• Amansio Paraschiv
• Cristian Spetcu
• Andrei Stoica
• Bogdan Stoica
• Henriques Zowa
• Ben Edwards
• Paul Slowinski

• Zabit Samedov
• Alex Pereira
• César Almeida
• Thiago Michel
• Felipe Micheletti
• Igor Bugaenko
• Alexey Ignashov
• Dževad Poturak
• Anderson Silva
• Chris Ngimbi
• Mladen Brestovac
• Antonio Plazibat
• D'Angelo Marshall
• Tomáš Hron

• Ondřej Hutník
• Christian Colombo
• Jorge Loren
• Frank Muñoz
• Brice Guidon
• Zinedine Hameur-Lain
• Freddy Kemayo
• Corentin Jallon
• Nicolas Wamba
• Jamie Bates
• Daniel Sam
• Stefan Leko
• Mike Zambidis
• Roberto Cocco
• Mustapha Haida

• Faldir Chahbari
• Ibrahim El Bouni
• Tarik Khbabez
• Daniel Stefanovski
• Brian Douwes
• Hesdy Gerges
• Albert Kraus
• Fabio Kwasi
• Fred Sikking
• Rico Verhoeven
• Errol Zimmerman
• Redouan Cairo
• Ismael Londt

• Cedric Manhoef
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Yoann Kongolo
• Volkan Oezdemir
• Yousri Belgaroui
• Murat Aygün
• Roman Kryklia
• Sergei Lascenko
• Pavel Zhuravlev
• Tony Johnson
• Mighty Mo
• Bob Sapp

Events

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]

Awards

• World Independent Promoters Union (WIPU)
  • 2011 - Kickboxing Promoter of the Year (Runner ups GLORY and It's Showtime)^[11]

See also

• GLORY
• It's Showtime
• K-1
• Dynamite Fighting Show
• Colosseum Tournament

References

1. ^ "Programul galei Superkombat de pe 7 martie de la Ploieşti" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 1 March 2015.
2. ^ "Luptătorii Superkombat Filip, Năstase și Chelariu fac show în China" (in Romanian). Libertatea. 21 August 2017.
3. ^ "Card Changes for November 7th and Other Big News for Superkombat". fightbox.com. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
4. ^ "Liverkick's Exclusive Interview with Superkombat President Eduard Irimia". liverkick.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
5. ^ "Superkombat announces global expansion". Bloody Elbow. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. one of the world’s top kickboxing organizations
6. ^ "Superkombat New Heroes LIVE November 12, 2016". FightBox HD. November 7, 2016. one of the top kickboxing promotions in the world * "Superkombat Reaches Deal With CBSSN". Fight Sports. April 20, 2018. Superkombat, one of the biggest kickboxing promotions in Europe * "Superkombat Announces First Event of 2017, Partnership with FIVES International". Combat Press. March 13, 2017. One of Europe’s largest kickboxing promotions, Superkombat
7. ^ "K-1 Announces Agreement With SuperKombat". Liver Kick. liverkick.com. December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021. Superkombat WGP is the industry leader in fight production throughout Europe.
8. ^ Povestea lui Eduard Irimia, promotorul care a mutat K-1 din K-1 din Japonia în România Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine - Alin Huiu - Accesat la data de 11.11.2011
9. ^ "Kickboxing News: Badr Hari Update, Superkombat And K-1 Team Up, Much More". Bloody Elbow. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
10. ^ "Mr. Eduard Irimia and WAKO President, E. Falsoni, signed an historical agreement in Bucharest". WAKO. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. * "Eduard Irimia a lansat circuitul WAKO Pro World Grand Prix" (in Romanian). Mediafax. 4 February 2011.
11. ^ "Eduard Irimia, cel mai bun promotor". Casino Life & Business Magazine. May 3, 2012. * "Eduard Irimia a fost premiat alături de Mike Tyson şi Andre Ward" (in Romanian). Libertatea. 10 February 2012.
12. ^ "Iftimoaie Defeats Jorge & Receives WKN Belt Live on Eurosport". WKN. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2021. The event broke European attendance record with 34.000 fans.
13. ^ Rob Tatum (August 7, 2016). "Superkombat Comanesti Results". Combat Press The crowd was the biggest in Europe since a K-1 event in Amsterdam in 2007.
14. ^ Zach Aittama (August 10, 2016). "Superkombat Comănești Breaks European Attendance Record". Combat Press. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. record setting attendance that garnered an astounding 34,000 people in Comănești
15. ^ "SuperKombat Tastes Prestige of WKN Live on Eurosport". Fightmag. 8 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018.
16. ^ "WKN Makes Kickboxing History in Romania". Fightmag. 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016.
17. ^ "Primul număr Forbes România: 50.000 tiraj şi copertă cu promotorul galelor Local Kombat" (in Romanian). Pagina de Media. 18 March 2009.
18. ^ "Forbes Romania intra pe piata intr-un tiraj de 50.000 de exemplare" (in Romanian). Wall-Street.ro. 19 March 2009.
19. ^ "Fight Now TV home for SUPERKOMBAT kickboxing in US". Sherdog. 26 September 2013.
20. ^ "Superkombat to air kickboxing and MMA on CBS Sports Network in 2017". Bloody Elbow. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018.
21. ^ "Superkombat Reaches Deal With CBSSN". fightsports.tv. January 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
22. ^ Gancu, Alexandru (Eurosport) (2011-04-15). "Fight club - Kickbox cu români pe Eurosport - Consumer Site" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
23. ^ "Castigatorii premiilor SUPERKOMBAT WGP 2011" (in Romanian). Gladiatorium. 4 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
24. ^ "Lista premianţilor la festivitatea Superkombat International" (in Romanian). OnlineSport.ro. December 4, 2011.
25. ^ "Liverkick's Exclusive Interview with Superkombat President Eduard Irimia". Liverkick.com. February 19, 2013. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013.
26. ^ "Mixed martial arts competition Superkombat to be held in Bucharest, Romania this December". Romania Insider. 2012-11-15. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
27. ^ "Kaled and Basel Fetrawi". Milestone Magazine. July 5, 2016. Archived November 12, 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
28. ^ "SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix – Final in Galati, Romania on December 21st". Muaythai TV. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
29. ^ "Donații pentru victimele din Colectiv, din încasările Galei Superkombat. Cauza, promovată în peste 100 de țări!" (in Romanian). România Liberă. 2 November 2015.
30. ^ "Nicolas WAMBA s'incline en 1/2 finale du SUPERKOMBAT". muaythaitv.fr. 2 January 2021.
31. ^ "Tarik Kbabez dominates Superkombat World Grand Prix, now waits to face Daniel Sam in Contender Promotions". mmaplus.co.uk. 29 September 2014.
32. ^ Catalin Morosanu vs. Badr Hari Postponed Due to 'Conditions' Archived 2015-05-12 at the Wayback Machine - LiverKick - Accesat la data de 10.05.2015
33. ^ "Șansa carierei pentru cel mai talentat luptător român! Se va lupta pentru centura mondială Superkombat" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 25 March 2018.
34. ^ "Macedonian faces off against "Swiss" Beni Osmanovski". minareport.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
35. ^ Anoop Hothi (November 18, 2016). "European Kickboxing Promotions Withholding Payments from Fighters". MMA Plus * Anoop Hothi (November 21, 2016). "European kickboxing organisations accused of withholding payments to fighters". MMA Plus
36. ^ Anoop Hothi (November 22, 2016). "Superkombat respond to non‑payment allegations by Colin George and Daniel Sam". MMA Plus

External links

• Superkombat Fighting Championship on Facebook