Combat Sports

Karate Combat

🏛️Official — Karate Combat

Karate Combat Unified Rules· 2026 Karate Combat Unified Rules — full-contact professional stand-up karate league with strikes-only, 3-round x 3-minute fights in the sunken Pit arenaOpen source

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Beginner Guide

At a glanceEverything you need to set up a game

1–2 players

Players

Indoor

Environment

glove, mouthguard, helmet +1

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Section 1: Introduction

Karate Combat is a US-based professional stand-up karate promotion founded in 2018. Unlike Olympic-style WKF Karate (which uses point-stop scoring with light contact), Karate Combat is full-contact, continuous-action — closer in pacing to MMA/kickboxing — but restricted to stand-up striking only (no takedowns, no ground fighting). Fights take place in the distinctive "Pit" arena: a sunken, slanted-wall enclosure with no cage and no ropes, designed to keep action centered. Karate Combat has grown rapidly via streaming + crypto-partnership distribution, attracting traditional karate practitioners alongside kickboxers and Muay Thai fighters.

Section 2: Equipment

MMA-style 4-oz fingerless gloves — open palm for grip-and-clinch defense
Mouthguard: mandatory
Groin protector: mandatory (men); chest protector for women
Shin guards / instep pads: not standard (more karate-style than kickboxing)
Karate Gi top: traditional karate gi top + black shorts for branding consistency
Barefoot competition

Section 3: Playing Area

"The Pit": proprietary sunken-floor arena (~25 ft diameter circular floor, slanted walls)
No cage, no ropes — sloped walls keep action centered (fighters cannot rest on cage/rope)
Padded floor + walls; lighting + camera positions optimized for live broadcast

Section 4: Players & Officials

Two competitors per match
Weight classes (Men, lb): Strawweight, Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight
Women's divisions: Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight
Officials: 1 in-pit referee + 3 judges + ringside physician + commission rep (where state athletic commission applies)

Section 5: Rules of Play

Match Length

3 rounds × 3 minutes (60-second rest between rounds)
Championship fights: 5 rounds × 3 minutes

Permitted Strikes

Punches (closed fist, MMA-gloved)
Kicks (legs, body, head)
Knee strikes (body + head, including jumping knees)
Spinning techniques fully legal

Prohibited Techniques

No elbows (since the early seasons; subject to change by edition)
No takedowns (any attempt = referee reset)
No ground fighting (if both fall, immediate stand-up)
No clinch beyond ~5 seconds (referee separates)

Knockdowns + Knockouts

Standing 10-count rule
Three-knockdown rule per round = TKO
KO = total victory; TKO via referee/doctor stoppage

Section 6: Scoring

10-Point Must scoring (boxing-style)
Judges weight: clean technical strikes (kicks heavier than punches by tradition), aggression, ring generalship, defensive technique
Title fights produce championship rankings (Karate Combat World Title per weight class)
Crypto-partnered scoring system: fan-voted "$KARATE" governance influences event selection (separate from in-fight scoring)

Section 7: Violations & Penalties

Illegal techniques (elbows, takedowns, eye-poke, throat strikes, back-of-head, spine): warning → point deduction → DQ
Excessive clinching: warning + ref reset
Hitting after the bell: point deduction
Faking injury: point deduction
Unsportsmanlike conduct: DQ
Anti-doping: state athletic commission (where applicable) + Karate Combat anti-doping policy at championship level

Section 8: Safety Considerations

Karate Combat is full-contact stand-up combat with KO/concussion risk comparable to professional kickboxing. Mandatory pre-fight medical (neurological, cardiac, ophthalmological, MRI for major fights), ringside physician with stoppage authority, on-site EMT + ambulance, AED in arena. Post-fight medical assessment is mandatory. KOs trigger automatic medical suspension (minimum 30-day rest, longer for severe KOs, with neurological clearance required). State athletic commission oversight at events held in commission-regulated jurisdictions. Pit floor is padded; slanted walls absorb falls more safely than vertical cage. Concussion protocol: SCAT-5 assessment; medical-clearance return-to-fight requirement.

Karate Combat

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