First Karate Combat of 2023 will have a Bruno x Bruno duel and two belt disputes

Karate Combat will start the 2023 season with the 38th edition, which will take place on April 1st, in Miami, Florida (USA). On the card, the highlights will be the belt disputes in the middleweight (up to 84 kg) and bantamweight (up to 61 kg) categories, in addition to the challenge between Brazilians Bruno Souza and Bruno Assis in the lightweight division (up to 68 kg).

“We will start the year with a solid card and two rematches that are much awaited by the fans. We continue to build the biggest and best standup league on the planet, step by step. We will have many important news this year”, stated the president of the organization Adam Kovacs.

The fight between the ‘Brunos’ will bring interesting technical counterpoints Representative of the Machida school, Souza relies on evasive movements and counterattacks; Assis is known for his aggressiveness and resilience. Whoever wins will get closer to the dispute for the belt against the current champion, the also Brazilian Luiz Rocha.

“Bruno (Assis) is a tough fighter, he has very powerful blows and more experience than me in Karate Combat. But I believe I’ll be the most technical in this match, with better movement and better physical conditioning. I intend to start the fight very strong and give a great show for the fans”, stated Souza.

“I like Bruno (Souza) a lot. I’m a fan of Lyoto and the Machida school. Facing someone I admire will be something new in my career. This fight will show a lot of what I’ve learned recently. United. I’m sure I’ll surprise and expand the evolution I’ve had in the last challenges. I’ve learned many new strategies and I’ll put everything into practice, always allied to the huge ‘heart’ as always”, said Assis.

The title fights on the card will be two rematches. At middleweight, current champion Ross ‘Turbo’ Levine (USA) will face Spaniard Igor De Castanheda. In January of last year, Levine won by knockout, and subsequently won the title.

At bantamweight, Jesus Lopez (Peru) and Eoghan Chelmiah (Ireland) fought in December last year, and the result was controversial. After five balanced rounds, the athletic commission and the refereeing body got confused and recorded the victory for the Peruvian. But it was the Irishman who had won in the scorecards.

In Brazil, Karate Combat events are broadcast live and free of charge on all of the organization’s digital platforms. KC 38 is scheduled to start at 8 pm (Brasília time).