Hampton, VA
June 25, 2010
2010 WKA
North American
Combat Sports
Championships
Hampton, VA
Click here for
results
Click here for
photos of the event
Special Thanks to our Sponsor
WKA
USA hosted its 9th annual Combat Sports Championships
on June 18th-20th, 2010 in Hampton, VA. This year’s
North American Championships boasted its largest
number of participants and spectators to date. With
over 75 schools from 18 states and Canada, this year’s
event topped the charts for both categories. The event
featured both novice and open level competition in
Muay Thai and MMA; it also introduced junior level
(13-17) K-1 and MMA divisions. Novice class fighters
had three wins or fewer and open class fighters had
more than three wins.
On Saturday morning,
staff put the final touches on the two boxing rings
and cage in the beautiful Boo Williams Sportsplex
before the nearly 300 competitors filed in the gym for
the 9:00 fighters’ meeting. Chief officials Chris
Wagner of New York and Fred Corritone of Virginia
conducted the fighters meeting, giving instructions to
fighters and coaches while addressing all of their
questions and concerns. After some bracket
modifications, the event began with the two rings
starting the Muay Thai brackets. Shortly after the
Muay Thai divisions began the MMA divisions began in
the cage. The first round of the tournament consisted
of 75 matches in Muay Thai, MMA, and K-1. It seemed
that all teams had prepared their fighters well for
the competition, especially the novice fighters who
seemed more like the open class fighters of past
years. Edge Brown, former WKA professional champion
now running a gym in California, was quoted as saying,
“The event was very good and the standard of the
fighters was very high; most of the novice fighter
were better than a lot of open fighters at other
events. This event has become the premier amateur US
championships for Muay Thai and MMA.” The matches
began at 10:45 and ran throughout the day with the
last of the 145 bouts ending shortly after midnight.
This year there were 46 champions who received
commemorative medallions or championship belts.
Eric Haycraft, another former WKA Champion whose gym
is in Kentucky said “This was the third year I have
brought fighters to the WKA North American
Championships. The level keeps growing each year and
it is great to see so many of the same teams bringing
fighters year after year. The level in the region is
pushed because of this. The one thing that I really
love about this tournament is the fact that winning it
gives fighters a chance and a venue to compete on the
international stage in the WKA World Championships. I
encourage everyone to check out the dates of next
year’s tournament. Plan ahead and attend! If we really
want to make the sport bigger and better it takes a
bit of work. Let’s all start now!”
Haycraft went on to say “This year we were able to
bring in Rob Kaman and it was an amazing response. The
WKA awarded him his WKA Championship Belt as a nice
show of respect. Rob was amazed to see so many of his
old friends there and make some new ones.”
Special
guest at this year’s event was three time WKA world
champion, Rob “The Dutchman” Kaman. Rob was available
throughout the event for autographs and pictures. He
also handed out many of the awards during the
competition. There was a brief intermission where Rob
was presented an official WKA World Title Belt. During
his tenure as world champion he had been given the
belts of the various promotions but never an official
WKA World Title belt. He was genuinely surprised and
happy to receive the belt. He was impressed by the
number of Muay Thai participants in this year’s
competition and the organization and smooth running of
such a large tournament. On Sunday, Rob shared many of
his Dutch-style training methods which he has coined
“Kaman 101” in a seminar at the event hotel. Through
his many years of competition in many rules styles,
Rob has developed a comprehensive training program
which can improve a fighter’s stand up striking
skills, whether novice or
professional. All who
attended the seminar were impressed by the progress of
the drills and saw how it could benefit their stand up
game as a Muay Thai or MMA fighter.
After
9 successful years as the premier summer tournament to
feature both Muay Thai and MMA, the WKA North American
Combat Sports Championships will move to winter. 2011
WKA North Americans will join 10 others sports to form
the Hampton Sports Festival and bring even more
excitement to the championships. The event will be
held on President’s holiday weekend on February
18th-20th, 2011, which will allow the event to be
split between two days of competition. The 10th year
anniversary of the tournament will be highly enhanced
by the addition of a Full Rules Muay Thai Division, a
streamlined check in process, the spacious Hampton
Road Convention Center and increasing to 3 rings and a
cage. Plans and refinements are already underway as
next year’s tournament is only 8 months away.
Click here for
results
Click
here for photos of the event
