On February 22, 2026, Kombat convened its National Presidents Meeting via Zoom, assembling 52 senior officials, National Presidents, and executive representatives from across the globe.
The meeting opened with strategic remarks from President Rick W. Shin, who reflected on Kombat’s rapid global ascent since its inaugural championships were held in Bogotá, Colombia, 23 months ago.
In less than three years since its founding, including 23 months since its first professional championship event, Kombat has expanded memberships into 124 countries, built a global infrastructure of 1,250 plus Licensed Clubs, and certified more than 3,000 Licensed Kombat Referees. This disciplined expansion has positioned Kombat among the fastest growing professional combat sports organizations in the international market.
President Shin emphasized that the first 23 months represented a deliberate foundation building phase rather than rapid expansion.
During this period, Kombat applied data driven decision making, carefully measuring market response, operational performance, and stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with verified global demand within the professional combat sports sector.
“It has been an intensive build phase,” President Shin stated. “There are many professional combat leagues in the marketplace today. However, very few achieve long term sustainability because they lack foundational infrastructure. From the beginning, Kombat made a conscious decision not to follow that path. We built Kombat from the ground up, establishing our own governance model, licensing systems, referee infrastructure, and international framework. That disciplined foundation differentiates Kombat and positions us for long term stability and scalable growth.”
Strategic Infrastructure Expansion
This initiative represents a structural advancement intended to strengthen brand identity, enhance broadcast presentation, and provide predictable event frequency for global audiences and commercial partners.
Originally launched through Kombat Taekwondo, the organization is now expanding into additional professional combat sports divisions in response to sustained international demand:
• Kombat Jiu Jitsu
• Kombat Kun Khmer (Muay Thai)
• Kombat Kickboxing
• Kombat MMA
This integrated model enables cross discipline scalability while maintaining centralized governance and unified championship standards.
Kombat has initiated the appointment of Licensed Kombat Promoters in key regions worldwide. These promoters are authorized to organize sanctioned professional events within designated disciplines and territories under Kombat’s regulatory framework.
This controlled expansion model ensures brand consistency, operational oversight, athlete safety, and long term governance integrity.
An official announcement was made regarding important rule refinements within Kombat Taekwondo.
Effective immediately:
• Professional bouts will now consist of three rounds of three minutes each, replacing the previous single five minute round format
• A one minute rest period will separate each round
• The ground fighting allowance has been reduced from ten seconds to five seconds
• All fighters will wear full traditional Taekwondo uniforms representing their respective styles
These adjustments are designed to increase pace, enhance broadcast rhythm, elevate spectator engagement, and preserve stylistic identity while maintaining athlete safety and regulatory structure.
These adjustments are designed to increase pace, enhance broadcast rhythm, elevate spectator engagement, and preserve stylistic identity while maintaining athlete safety and regulatory structure.
The meeting included updates on championship scheduling, regulatory alignment, infrastructure development, and international coordination.
With its foundational phase complete, Kombat is now transitioning into accelerated championship execution and structured expansion, reinforcing its position as a leading force in the global professional combat sports landscape.
