This past weekend, prior to Kunlun Fight 47, Kunlun Fight announced the promotion’s upcoming schedule, releasing dates and venues for upcoming events in China and Japan.
The promotion heads to Jining, China on July 31, for Kunlun Fight 48. The fight card features a clash of top middleweights when the Kunlun Fight 80-kilogram champion Artur Kyshenko moves up to 81-kilograms to fight WGP middleweight champion Alex Pereira. The promotion is pushing the popular Kyshenko as the 29-year-old Ukrainian looks to continue his impressive 12-fight winning streak against top competition. Pereira is riding the momentum of two impressive wins in Brazil and a controversial, but closely contested showdown with top-10 middleweight Israel Adesanya, who Pereira will fight again at Wu Lin Feng: Glory of Heroes 5 on Oct. 1.
The first quarterfinal of the 2016 Clash of Titans 70-kilogram tournament is scheduled to take place at Kunlun Fight 48. Two of the top fighters competing in the lightweight division in China will battle when 2015 70-kilogram tournament semi-finalist Superbon Banchamek takes on the Topking World Series 71-kilogram tournament runner-up Khayal Dzhaniev. Superbon earned his spot in the quarterfinals with knockout victories over Chen Cheng and Martin Gano at Kunlun Fight 40. Dzhaniev made his way into the quarterfinals of the 64-man tournament with victories over Soichiro Miyakoshi and Pongthong Jetsada at Kunlun Fight 38.
Kunlun Fight announced two more tournaments scheduled to take place beginning at Kunlun Fight 48, the eight-man, 100-kilogram and the 16-man, 65-kilogram championship tournaments. Top-10 heavyweight Andrey Gerasimchuk, top featherweight Massaro Glunder and former GLORY lightweight champion Davit Kiria are just a few of the fighters that highlight the highly anticipated event.
The promotion also announced a partnership with leading Japanese Muay Thai promotion REBELS in a joint effort for Kunlun Fight 49 X REBELS.45 in Tokyo, Japan on Aug. 7. The event features multiple promotional and world champions competing against one another in a heavily stacked lineup of fights. The fight card includes the second part of the 65-kilogram world championship tournament.
The fight card is overflowing with talent, including former K-1 MAX champion Albert Kraus against REBELS 70-kilogram champion Hinata Watanabe and Lion Fight champion Tetsuya Yamato against 300-fight veteran Petchtanong Banchamek. The fight card features more than 15 champions from REBELS, R.I.S.E. and various worldwide sanctioning bodies of both kickboxing and Muay Thai.
The tournaments continue in Changsa, China on Aug. 14, for Kunlun Fight 50. The fight card features four quarterfinal bouts in the 80-kilogram tournament. Top-5 welterweight and GLORY welterweight No.1 contender, Murthel Groenhart, enters the field of eight opposite GLORY veteran Jonatan Oliveira. Former GLORY welterweight champion Marc de Bonte returns to the kickboxing ring after more than two years away competing as a light heavyweight in his professional boxing career. The 26-year-old Belgian takes on the 2015 80-kilogram tournament runner-up Dmitry Valent. Enfusion 80-kilogram champion Hicham El Gaoui meets WAKO light heavyweight champion Cedric Tousch. Former top-10 welterweight Alexander Stetcurenko takes on surging Chinese prospect Bo Fufan.
The promotion also announced the return of Andy Souwer on Kunlun Fight 50. The two-time K-1 MAX retired from kickboxing following his fight of the year contender with Mohammad Khamal in April. Souwer made his impressive MMA debut against Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima at the RIZIN Fighting Federation World Grand Prix 2015. Souwer faces off against popular Chinese mixed martial artist Wu Haotian. Haotian has earned seven victories in 11 fights with the promotion over the past two years.
The schedule and fight cards are listed below:
Massaro Glunder vs. Kim Minsoo – 65-kilogram tournament
Khufenia Giorgi vs. Meng Guodong – 65-kilogram tournament
Isaac Araya vs. Abdallah Ezbiri – 65-kilogram tournament
Tofan Pirani vs. Ashihati – 100-kilogram tournament quarterfinal
Andrei Gerasimchuk vs. Bruno Susano – 100-kilogram tournament quarterfinal
Khayal Dzhaniev vs. Superbon Banchamek – 70-kilogram championship tournament
Xiong Jingnan vs. Aya Saber
Zhang Chunyu vs. Zhao Yan
Davit Kiria vs. Robbie Hageman
Nuerla vs. Vuyisile Colossa
Artur Kyshenko vs. Alexander Pereira
Petchtanong Banchamek vs. Tetsuya Yamato – 65-kilogram tournament
Buray Bozaryilmaz vs. Kim Dongsu – 65-kilogram tournament
Craig Dickson vs. Bai Lishuai – 65-kilogram tournament
Takuma Konishi vs. Li Zhuangzhuang
Gu Hui vs. Danilo Zanolini
Albert Kraus vs. Hinata Watanabe
Mohamed Mezouari vs. David Ruiz
MMA: Emi Fujino vs. Zhang Weili
MMA: Zhang Meixuan vs. HPS Date
Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Lin Bin
Naruto Banchamek vs. Keijiro Miyakoshi
Marc de Bonte vs. Dmitry Valent – 80-kilogram tournament quarterfinal
Cedric Tousch vs. Hicham El Gaoui – 80-kilogram tournament quarterfinal
Alexander Stetcurenko vs. Bo Fufan – 80-kilogram tournament quarterfinal