If nothing else, Karate Combat is making itself stick out.
That’s a welcomed addition to the MMA landscape, one where the world’s leading fight promotion frequently hosts sparsely-attended events in a Las Vegas warehouse.
One month after the promotion landed “on the moon,” complete with twerking aliens, it’s set to host Karate Combat Kickback 1 on Saturday – live and free on YouTube from the backyard of a Florida mansion.
Oh, and it’s hosted by Rick Ross, because why not?
(Insert Rick Ross grunt ad-lib here)
Giving off the vibes of Kimbo Slice backyard brawls and mid-2000s music videos, this is like my YouTube search history in middle school come to life.
With a pool immediately next to the pit, at least a few celebratory post-fight dive celebrations seem to be inevitable.
The new Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi, also head coach of the viral Goat Shed team, is trying to shake things up (with as many words and as few breaths as possible).
This is Zaidi’s second event at the wheel and he seems to be annoying some karate traditionalists. The promotion’s next stop is expected to be Mexico City in February, coinciding with the UFC Fight Night event there, making for many creative sets and green screen possibilities.
Catching people’s attention is one thing, but maintaining it is a next-level challenge. In December, Zaidi told MMA Junkie he was in talks with a pack of notable free agents that included Darren Till, Jose Aldo, Luke Rockhold, and Tyrone Spong. That was after Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson fought six (yes, six) rounds.
Whether Karate Combat lasts a year or an eternity, at the end of the day, if they keep doing different, cool sh*t, the incentive to keep watching will be there.
The full Karate Combat Kickback 1 card includes:
- Joilton Lutterbach vs. Darren Smith Jr.
- Peter Caballero vs. Saidyokub Khakhramonov
- Mike Lee vs. Reggie Northrup
- Joshuah Alvarez vs. Kobe Bowen
- Safar Akhmadov vs. Gustavo Oliveira
- Michael Cora vs. Roland Dunlap
- Nathan Fought vs. Arturo Vergara
- Jose Ferreri vs. Luis Melendez
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, that’s on you.
