Karate Combat president reacts to being selected as top MMA promotion outside UFC

Karate Combat President Adam Kovacs tweeted an article by Give Me Sport (GMS), which placed his organization at the top of the list of top 10 MMA promotions outside the UFC.

Although not technically MMA since takedowns and submissions are not allowed in the ruleset, the fighters come from a variety of striking disciplines ranging from Kyokushin and Tang Soo Do to boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai-style fighting.

Ground and pound strikes are allowed, and while grounded opponents are allowed ground kicks, they are made to stand up after five seconds.

Adam Kovacs took to Twitter to post the following:

"Karate Combat is at the top of this list. You might say I'm biased, but GMS isn't. That's the way to start the year, folks. You'll see us start winning more and more. Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

Apart from the events, the combat sports organization also creates sports equipment and has a worldwide dojo network and a mobile app. Karate Combat was founded by Michael DePietro and Robert Bryan in April 2018.

---

How many weight classes are there in Karate Combat?

There are six weight divisions for males and two divisions for females in Karate Combat. The male divisions don't have flyweight and featherweight weight classes, and their welterweight limit is 165 lbs. There is no heavyweight upper limit in the organization.

The women's divisions have flyweights and bantamweights, and while the flyweight limit is 121 lbs, the bantamweight division has no upper limit.

Currently, there are four (five, including the interim welterweight champion) division champions in the promotion. Jesus Lopez from Peru is the bantamweight champion and Luiz Victor Rocha from Brazil is the lightweight champion.

Rafael Aghayev from Azerbaijan is the interim welterweight champion, while Josh Quayhagen from the US is the welterweight champion. The American Ross Levine is the middleweight champion.

The organization had a format where events were held in the form of seasons. Season 1 had six events, while seasons 2 and 3 had 12 events each. Season 4 had only four events. The modern format is similar to that of the UFC, with single events on specific dates featuring a roster of different fights and weight classes.