A professional competitor has taken to social media to publicly criticize Karate Combat after allegedly waiting nearly two months for payment following his bout with the organization.
Emiliano Sordi posted a lengthy statement on social media platform X detailing his frustrations with the martial arts promotion. “It has been almost two months since I fought for Karate Combat, and I still haven’t been paid,” Sordi wrote. “After multiple false promises of payment, the CEO of the company stopped responding altogether.”
The competitor emphasized that he fulfilled all his contractual obligations. “I did my part. I trained, I showed up, and I fought. I’m still waiting for them to honor what they owe,” Sordi stated in his post.
When asked by another user about the reasoning behind the delayed payment, Sordi suggested the organization claimed financial constraints while simultaneously continuing to organize additional events.
“They don’t have money, but they do other events,” he responded.
Sordi framed his complaint as extending beyond his individual situation. “This isn’t just about me. Fighters deserve respect, professionalism, and to be paid on time,” he wrote. “Honoring contracts is not optional.”
The complaint arrives amid broader concerns about Karate Combat’s financial health. MMA journalist John Nash previously investigated the organization’s finances in August in an episode of his podcast “Hey Not the Face.”
He revealed that ITP Productions LLC, which operates Karate Combat, faced multiple lawsuits from production vendors seeking unpaid fees totaling nearly $400,000.
Nash reported that The Freeman Company sued for $222,000, Onset Services claimed nearly $90,000, and Limitless Light and Sound sought $76,000. According to his findings, one lawsuit resulted in a default judgment after the company failed to respond, while other cases led to settlement discussions.
The financial troubles extended beyond vendor disputes. Nash discovered that fighters at a recent two-night event signed contracts stipulating payment delays of up to 30 days. While he initially found this alarming, Nash learned this practice was standard for Karate Combat.
Nash spoke with company staff members who reported their own payment delays. “I have spoken to people and apparently people at Karate Combat, their staff, some of them claim they have not been paid for months,” Nash stated on his podcast. “And so that suggests that Karate Combat has some serious financial problems.”
“My understanding is they are refinancing the company,” Nash said. “They are in the process of paying off their staff. That’s the last I heard. That’s what they said. That’s what some people told me they’re doing.”
“My understanding is that Karate Combat maybe went to one of those companies that they had a default verdict against them and they’ve come to an agreement of a payment plan,” Nash explained. He added that his sources indicated the company was “in the process of paying off their staff.”
Nash presented two possible interpretations of the situation. The first was that Karate Combat faced immediate and serious financial problems. The alternative was more optimistic: the company had identified its financial issues and was actively resolving them through refinancing, new investors, or organizational restructuring.
Sports commentator Robert Joyner weighed in on the situation, suggesting that modern MMA media outlets may be hesitant to thoroughly investigate such issues due to potential business relationships.
“Folks like BloodyElbow used to hold Failing promoters to account, put them on blast when fighters were getting shorted,” Joyner wrote, implying that current coverage might be influenced by content partnerships or employment considerations.
As of publication, Karate Combat has not publicly responded to Sordi’s allegations.
