20 events in five years with 244 athletes from 48 countries. These are the numbers of SENSHI, the Bulgarian combat sports promotion, which, on Feb. 24, will host its 20th event in the 6.500-year-old Bulgarian city of Varna on the Black Sea.
Among the big names in combat sports who have taken to the SENSHI arena are WAKO Pro K-1 world champion Sergej Braun of Germany, four-time WGP champion Bruno Gazani of Brazil, Dutch kickboxing legend Peter Arets, Romanian fighters Stefan Latescu and Florin Lambagio, and stars from the Stoica Academy – the most renowned kickboxing school in Romania. The powerful fighter Uku Jürjendal from Estonia received the audience’s applause in his four fights in the SENSHI ring, and his performances in Varna were a springboard for his participation on big stages abroad. The Bulgarian Bogdan Shumarov, who made his country famous in Asia, also achieved outstanding achievements, and his star rose in the SENSHI ring, where he scored four victories.
For this special occasion, the management of the promotion has hired a dream team of officials. The referees and the judges will be all champions and masters of martial arts such as Ernesto Hoost, Semmy Schilt, Peter Aerts, Francisco Filho, Glaube Feitosa, Sam Greco, Nicholas Pettas, Ewerton Teixeira, Jan Soukup, Yusuke Fujii, Albert Kraus, Andy Souwer, Asen Asenov, Zahari Damyanov, Petar Martinov, Krasimir Dimov and Nikolay Atanasov.
SENSHI events are under the KWU Kyokushin World Union Professional League rules that are:
KWU Full Contact
Allowed techniques: all boxing punches; spinning backfist, all kicks, only one knee to the head when there’s a two-hand grip; clinch up to five seconds, if active; sweeps; hold the leg and hit, but no pushing or pulling the opponent. And, they wear kickboxing gloves.
KWU SENSHI
Allowed techniques: all boxing punches; spinning backfist; all kicks; only one knee to the head when there’s a two-hand grip; clinch up to five seconds, if active; sweeps; hold the leg and hit; elbow strikes, and throws. And, they wear kickboxing gloves
KWU OPEN
Allowed techniques: all boxing punches; spinning backfist; all kicks; clinch up to 10 seconds; sweeps; hold the leg and hit; elbow strikes, throws, and ground work up to 30 seconds; chokes on the ground; submissions; shots to the body and knees to the body when on the ground. And they wear MMA gloves
Here is the full card of the event SENSHI 20:
Ognyan Mirchev, Bulgaria vs. Uros Neskovic, Serbia
Cat. -70 kg KWU Full Contact
Ognyan Mirchev was the WAKO K-1 European champion in 2022 for seniors, the WAKO Vice-World champion for older cadets, and is an 18-time Bulgarian kickboxing champion.
The Serbian debutant Uros Neskovic was the WAKO European Cup champion in 2023 and the WAKO Balkan champion in 2022. He was also second place at the WAKO Junior World championship in 2022.
- Konstantin Stoykov, Bulgaria vs. Alejandro Garrido, Spain
Cat. -70 kg KWU Full Contact
Konstantin Stoykov is an 11-time Bulgarian kickboxing champion. He is also a Pro Fight 2022 winner and champion of Pro Fight 2023.
Alejandro Garrido was a Spanish K-1 runner-up in 2023, and this bout will be his debut in the ring of SENSHI.
- Niall McGreevy, Ireland vs. Marc Dass Rey, Spain
Cat. -70 kg KWU SENSHI
Niall McGreevy was the Lion Fight Muay Thai European champion in 2021. He was the Victory League winner in 2022 and the Deliverance Professional Muay Thai Winner in 2022.
Marc Dass Rey was the WBC Spanish champion in 2017 and the ICO World champion in 2018.
Cat. -75 kg KWU Full Contact;
Atanas Bozhilov is the European champion SENSHI in -75kg. He was the WAKO PRO World champion K-1 in 2019 and held second place in the WAKO Kickboxing European championship in 2018 and 2016. He was the WAKO World Cup champion in 2017.
James Lemarié is the WKN Muay Thai champion in 2023, French Vice-champion in 2021, and AFMT Pro vice-champion de France -71 in 2019.
- Gregoire Gottardi, France vs. Manuel Pereira, Spain;
Cat. -70 kg KWU Full Contact;
Gregoire Gottardi is the ISKA Europe champion and WCTS Europe champion. He has two wins at the SENSHI circuit.
Manuel Pereira, the WAKO Pro World champion in 2023, is also a Spanish professional K-1 champion and Mix Fight 36 Winner.
- Dragomir Petrov, Bulgaria vs. Abdelall Farchi, Morocco;
Cat. -70 kg KWU Full Contact
Dragomir Petrov is the SENSHI European champion in -70 kg, the EMC European Muay Thai champion in 2019. He was the winner of Wizard in 2019, and he is a four-time Bulgarian kickboxing champion.
Abdelall Farchi was the WAKO World champion in 2019, the WKF World champion in 2016, and a three-time French champion, in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
- Nikola Todorovic, Serbia vs. Edon Agushi, Kosovo;
Cat. -80 kg KWU Full Contact
Nikola Todorovic was the WAKO PRO К-1 World champion in 2021, he held third place in the WAKO World Championship, 2021. He was the Megdan FC champion and Serbian professional kickboxing champion.;
Edon Agushi was the SCOS Swiss champion, the Prestige Championship II Winner, and the Charity Fight Event II Winner.
- Jivko Stoimenov, Bulgaria vs. Drame Cherif, Benin
Cat. -85 kg KWU Open;
Jivko Stoimenov is the eight-time gold medalist in grappling and five-time MMA amateur champion of Bulgaria.
Another debutant – Drame Cherif, is the AKO Show Winner MW in 2023. He was also an undefeated kickboxing amateur of Senegal and reigning champion of the Benin Fighting Championship.
- Nicola Stosic, Serbia vs. Loic Njeya, Cameroon
Cat. -85 kg KWU Full Contact
Nicola Stosic was the WAKO Pro World champion 2018, the Golden Kickboxer Serbia 2019 winner, and the Shotokan Karate champion of Europe.
Loic Njeya won the Gladiators eight-man tournament in 2023, the Ramon Dekkers International belt in 2023, and he was the AFSO intercontinental champion.
- Oly Yves Roland, Côte d’Ivoire vs. Jacub Klauda, Czech Republic;
Cat. -95 kg KWU Full Contact;
Oly Yves Roland is the WBC Muay Thai Africa champion in 2021. He was the WPKF World champion in 2019 and Africa champion in Muay Thai in the same year.
Jacub Klauda is a three-time European champion and two-time world Vice-champion, and he held third place in the Kickboxing World Games in 2017.
- Milos Cvjeticanin, Serbia vs. Enrico Pellegrino, Italy;
Cat. -95 kg KWU Full Contact;
Milos Cvjeticanin won 1st place in WAKO World Cup 2019 and 1st place in WAKO World championship 2017, and he was the Kickboxing champion of Serbia in 2018.
Enrico Pellegrino was the WMC Muay Thai world champion and the WAKO PRO К1 world champion.
- Giannis Stoforidis, Greece vs. Kadir Yildirim, Türkiye;
Cat. 95+ kg KWU Full Contact;
Giannis Stoforidis won the Enfusion Heavyweight Tournament champion in 2019. He was a two-time No Limits Heavyweight champion in 2011 and 2012 and the national boxing champion in 2011.
Kadir Yildirim is the WAKO Kickboxing World champion in 2023, vice-champion of Islamic Kickboxing Games in 2022, and 24-time Türkiye kickboxing champion.
- Ahmed Krnjic, Bosna and Herzegovina vs. Florin Ivanoe, Romania;
Cat. 95+ kg KWU Full Contact;
Ahmed Krnjic is the SENSHI European champion in 95+ kg, the WAKO Prо K-1 European champion 2019, and the WAKO World championship second place, 2017. He was in the WAKO European championship 2nd place in 2018.
Florin Ivanoe is a Romanian national vice-champion in boxing and winner of DFS Heavyweight Tournament runner-up in 2023.
SENSHI’s media partners are; Boec.BG and Boec.COM, the national television in Bulgaria ON AIR, the American online martial arts television Triller, Gol.bg, Topsport.bg, Kwunion.com,; the information portal; Kyokushin Karate News, Fighto.News; and Novinata.