In a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s podcast, Karate Combat President Zaidi made waves by announcing an aggressive expansion into Asia, starting with a major event in Singapore on September 18th. Zaidi expressed frustration with ONE Championship’s business practices, alleging they had interfered with Karate Combat’s operations and mistreated fighters.
Zaidi recounted an incident where ONE Championship allegedly pressured a prominent Thai gym to pull their fighter from a Karate Combat event just days before. He also claimed multiple ONE Championship fighters have reached out expressing desire to compete for Karate Combat instead.
Zaidi had something to say about deceptive business practices at ONE FC:
“Let’s say a fighter signs a big contract to fight for $50,000 and $50,000 for their first fight with ONE Championship. Great contract, and most fighters would be very happy with that. But what happens is they keep the fighter so inactive that the fighter starts getting desperate. Then, according to that manager, they’ll often hear, ‘Look, we don’t have the budget for that show, but we can put you in to fight for $10,000 and $10,000.'”
“Champions told me they’d rather retire in their prime than fight for ONE again,” Zaidi stated. He accused ONE of keeping fighters inactive for extended periods and lowering promised purses.
The Karate Combat president sees an opportunity to provide alternatives for Asian martial artists. “We’re going to Singapore to throw the greatest event possible and give opportunities to former ONE fighters and Asian fighters,” he declared.
Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida recently voiced his frustration with ONE Championship on social media yesterday, revealing that he has been inactive for over a year, not by choice but due to the organization’s delays. Addressing rumors of retirement, Buchecha clarified that he’s been waiting for a fight for 13 months, expressing disappointment with the situation. His case isn’t unique, as other stars like Diego Pato and Bruno Pucci have shared similar stories of extended inactivity.
Zaidi emphasized Karate Combat’s unique format and rapid growth. He highlighted their pit-style arena and rule set allowing ground striking but no submissions. “You’re seeing the greatest strikers in the world compete under this ruleset,” he said.
The Singapore event will feature a title fight between the reigning champion and Pakistani sensation Shahzaib Rind. Zaidi called it potentially “the first world title ever for Pakistan in combat sports.”
With bold plans for expansion and strong words for the competition, Karate Combat appears poised to make major moves in the Asian martial arts landscape. The September 18th event in Singapore could mark a significant milestone in the promotion’s global ambitions.
