Combat Press Kickboxing Rankings: May 2019

As kickboxing continues to grow on a global scale with promotions like GLORY, K-1, Kunlun Fight, and more, fighters are constantly jockeying for position in the eyes (and rankings) of the media.

Every month, Combat Press will rank each weight class from heavyweight to strawweight, as well as the pound-for-pound rankings for both men and women. This month in particular, we are opening two new weight divisions. Instead of encompassing all of the fighters under 65-kilograms into one weight class, we have opened up the rankings in the lower weight classes.

The numbers in parentheses represent the fighter’s ranking from last month.

1. Rico Verhoeven (1)
2. Roman Kryklia (2)
3. Jamal Ben Saddik (3)
4. Benjamin Adegbuyi (4)
5. Mladen Brestovac (5)
6. Zabit Samedov (6)
7. Guto Inocente (8)
8. Luis Tavares (9)
9. Murat Aygun (10)
10. D’Angelo Marshall (-)

Dropped from the rankings: Badr Hari (7)

There were no fighters in action during the month of April. According to the Doping Autoriteit Netherlands, formerly seventh-ranked heavyweight Badr Hari has been suspended 19 months after a failed drug test during his GLORY 51 bout against Hesdy Gerges, who was also officially reprimanded for a violation by the Instituut Sportrechtspraak.

1. Artem Vakhitov (1)
2. Pavel Zhuravlev (2)
3. Igor Bugaenko (3)
4. Donegi Abena (5)
5. Felipe Micheletti (6)
6. Zinedine Hameur-Lain (7)
7. Sergej Maslobojev (8)
8. Tarik Khbabez (9)
9. Danyo Ilunga (10)
10. Michael Duut (-)

Dropped from the rankings: Ariel Machado (4)

There were no fighters in action during the month of April. However, Ariel Machado was flagged for a doping violation during his light heavyweight title challenge against Artem Vakhitov at GLORY 47. Due to Machado being dropped from the rankings, Michael Duut re-enters at No. 10.

1. Alex Pereira (1)
2. Simon Marcus (2)
3. Yousri Belgaroui (3)
4. Jason Wilnis (4)
5. Loren Javier Jorge (5)
6. Artem Levin (6)
7. Hicham El Gaoui (7)
8. Ulrik Bokeme (8)
9. Ibrahim El Boustati (9)
10. Ertuğrul Bayrak (10)

There were no fighters who were active during the month of April, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Artur Kyshenko (1)
2. Cédric Doumbé (2)
3. Harut Grigorian (3)
4. Alim Nabiyev (4)
5. Murthel Groenhart (5)
6. Nieky Holzken (6)
7. Regian Eersel (7)
8. Raymond Daniels (8)
9. Yoann Kongolo (9)
10. Alexander Stetsurenko (10)

There were no fighters who were active during the month of April, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (1)
2. Giorgio Petrosyan (2)
3. Marat Grigorian (3)
4. Superbon Banchamek (4)
5. Yodsanklai Fairtex (5)
6. Chingiz Allazov (6)
7. Tayfun Ozcan (7)
8. Endy Semeleer (8)
9. Jonay Risco (9)
10. Buakaw Banchamek (10)

There were no fighters who were active during the month of April, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Qiu Jianliang (1)
2. Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao (2)
3. Ren Hiramoto (3)
4. Kaew Weerasakreck (4)
5. Jordann Pikeur (5)
6. Masaaki Noiri (6)
7. Ilias Bulaid (7)
8. Petchtanong Banchamek (8)
9. Rukiya Anpo (9)
10. Abdellah Ezbiri (10)

There were no fighters in action during the month of April, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Kenta Hayashi (4)
2. Koya Urabe (5)
3. Wei Rui (6)
4. Saeksan Or. Kwanmuang (7)
5. Wang Wenfeng (8)
6. Yuto Shinohara (9)
7. Gonnapar Weerasakreck (10)
8. Yannick Reine (-)
9. Lin Qiangbang (-)
10. Hamza Essalih (-)

In the biggest change of the month, K-1 lightweight champion Kenta Hayashi takes the top spot in the newly revised bantamweight rankings. Many of the world’s best from 60.1 to 63 kilograms were already ranked. However, opening new weight divisions created opportunities for Yannick Reine and Hamza Essalih to debut in the rankings. China’s Lin Qiangbang returns to the top 10 in the ninth spot. The only fighter who was active during the month of April was Reine, who defeated Unai Caro by decision at Noia Fighters 3 on April 20 in France.

1. Takeru (-)
2. Tenshin Nasukawa (-)
3. Kosuke Komiyama (-)
4. Leona Pettas (-)
5. Koji (-)
6. Asahisa Hirotaka (-)
7. Yuma Saikyo (-)
8. Ilias Ennahachi (-)
9. Suraek Rukkukami (-)
10. Kotaro Shimano (-)

Debuting at No. 1 in the newly constructed flyweight rankings, three-division K-1 champion Takeru holds a firm grasp atop the division. Second-ranked Tenshin Nasukawa knocked out Filipino striker Fritz Biagtan at Rizin 15. Eighth-ranked Ilias Ennahachi stopped France’s Madani Belhaddad in the second round to defend his 60-kilogram title at Enfusion 82: Orchies.

1. Yoshiki Takei (-)
2. Akihiro Kaneko (-)
3. Alex Rivas (-)
4. Yuta Murakoshi (-)
5. Masashi Kumura (-)
6. Gunji Taito (-)
7. Yuki Egawa (-)
8. Haruma Saikyo (-)
9. Astemir Borsov (-)
10. Wang Junguang (-)

In the rankings debut of the strawweights, K-1 super bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei cements himself at the top of the division.

1. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (1)
2. Giorgio Petrosyan (2)
3. Takeru (3)
4. Artur Kyshenko (4)
5. Marat Grigorian (5)
6. Rico Verhoeven (6)
7. Superbon Banchamek (7)
8. Artem Vakhitov (8)
9. Qiu Jianliang (9)
10. Alex Pereira (10)

There were no fighters in action during the month of April, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Anissa Meksen (1)
2. Jorina Baars (2)
3. Denise Kielholtz (3)
4. Tiffany van Soest (4)
5. Iman Barlow (5)
6. Wang Kehan (6)
7. Gong Yanli (7)
8. Wang Cong (8)
9. Anissa Haddaoui (9)
10. Amy Pirnie (10)

Fifth-ranked Iman Barlow defeated Delphine Guenon by decision to defend the Enfusion 52-kilogram world title at Enfusion 82: Orchies.

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Editor’s Note: Fighters are eligible to be ranked if they have competed in the last 18 months. Any fighter that chooses to switch weight classes will be ranked in their previous weight class until they have competed twice in their new division.