The first event in
Pattaya,
Thailand on January 25, 2014, included super fights and a 4-man kickboxing tournament with
Andrei Kulebin, Petsanguan Luktupfah, Guo Dongwang and
Umar Semata. After the inaugural event the promotion has held events in Thailand two more times. On June 7, 2015, it was announced that Kunlun Fight had signed one of the most successful and famous 70 kg kickboxers in history, 2 time K-1 World Max Champion
Buakaw Banchamek to an exclusive 6-fight contract. Buakaw has continued fighting in the promotion beyond the original 6-fight contract. In 2015, the promotion organized
Kunlun Fight 25 in
Banská Bystrica,
Slovakia. The event included a Lethwei superfight at between Burmese Lethwei star
Too Too and local Slovak fighter Igor Danis at 75 kg in the event organized in partnership with the
Slovakia Lethwei Association. The event was billed as the
European Premiere of Lethwei marking the first Lethwei fights hosted in Europe. Too Too dominated the match and inflicted heavy damage to his opponent. The match was ruled a draw under
Traditional rules. In March 2016, Kunlun Fight finished series B financing from
Morningside Ventures,
IDG Capital Partners and
Northern Light Venture Capital. The round of financing valued the company at over US$350 million, making Kunlun Fight the most valuable combat sports company in China. Prior to B+ round of financing in Q1 2017 the company was reportedly valued at over US$500 million. Multiple Kunlun Fight branded gyms and event venues exist like the
Kunlun Fight World Combat Sports Center in
Beijing and the Kunlun Fight Stadium in
Tongling,
Anhui,
China.
70 kg tournaments Kunlun Fight holds a yearly 70 kg world championship tournament. In 2014 the inaugural 16-man tournament was won by
Dzianis Zuev who defeated Victor Nagbe in the final. For 2015 the tournament was expanded to 64-man and
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong emerged as the champion from a field of fighters including multiple
kickboxing champions and highly ranked fighters such as
Marat Grigorian,
Enriko Gogokhia,
Enriko Kehl,
Davit Kiria,
Murthel Groenhart,
Andy Souwer,
Yodsanklai Fairtex,
Dzhabar Askerov,
Superbon Banchamek,
Amancio Paraschiv,
Chingiz Allazov,
Aikpracha Meenayothin and the 2014 tournament winner
Dzianis Zuev. The 2016 tournament was won by
Superbon Banchamek, who also beat the winner of the previous tournament
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in the quarterfinals. The 2017 tournament champion was
Marat Grigorian who beat the 2016 tournament winner
Superbon Banchamek in the final. The 2018 tournament was won by
Davit Kiria. The 2019 tournament was intended to be held on 31 December 2019 in
Wuzhishan City,
Hainan,
China, but was postponed. The tournament was rescheduled for March, 8 in
Wuzhishan City, but the event had to be cancelled due to the
2020 coronavirus pandemic ban on live sporting events. The 70 kg tournament was announced to be coming back for 2024. It is scheduled to start April 27 on
Kunlun Fight 97 in Beijing.
Kunlun Combat Professional League On September 22, 2018, Kunlun Fight launched a new line of 2nd tier events called Kunlun Combat League. The league has 16 teams and fights are fought in 6 different weight classes. The league events are held mostly at a Kunlun Fight venue in
Tongling. 71 KCL events were held during the first qualification season between September 22 and December 31, 2018. In its present format, the league begins in March with 16 teams split into 2 groups for a regular season. The highest scoring teams from both groups proceed to a knockout phase that culminates with the final event at the end of the year. In 2019 the league was renamed to Kunlun Combat Professional League (KCPL) and started its first full season on March 16, 2019. The first season was won by team Shenzhen, who beat team Shenyang in the finals held on December 24, 2019, in
Yiwu,
China. For the 2020 season, the intended March start date for the league was disrupted by the
2020 coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 season was rescheduled to start in mid-May without live audiences present at the events.
Kunlun Fight City Hero Started in 2016, a 3rd tier series of events with a mix of professional and amateur fights. ==Kunlun Fight Events==