Results of the 2006 WKA USA North American Championships

WKA NORTH AMERICAN AMATEUR COMBAT SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Thai boxing         MMA         Full Contact         Kickboxing         Submission Grappling

New North American Amateur Championships aims to rival WKA European Championships

On July 20 - 23, 2006, the World Kickboxing Association - USA will host an elimination tournament to determine the best fighters in North America and to select members for the United States WKA National Team that will qualify to represent the U.S. at the WKA World Championships. This year's WKA World Championships will be special as it will be held in beautiful Spain. As the WKA US Nationals has grown and WKA promoters have grown, it was a natural next step to expand the event to not only include our Canadian and Mexican neighbors, but also Central, South American and Caribbean competitors.

The 2006 North Americans will feature the top amateurs from across the U.S. vying for the WKA NORTH AMERICAN TITLE, and has now been made an open tournament for athletes coming from North, South, Central America and our Caribbean neighbors. This event will feature both "Open" and "Novice" Divisions, with "Novice" Divisions equating to those competitors having no more than three wins in any combative sport (Thai boxing, Full Contact, Kickboxing, MMA, and Boxing). The "Open" divisions are open to all amateur competitors regardless of experience. However, if a "Novice" (three wins or less) chooses to move to Open, he will not be allowed to compete as a Novice again.

The event will offer the following divisions: "Open" divisions in : Thai boxing, Kickboxing (low kick), Full Contact (above the waist) and amateur MMA (mixed martial arts). "Novice" divisions in: Thai boxing, Kickboxing (low kick), Full Contact (above the waist) and amateur MMA (mixed martial arts).

Submission Grappling divisions: all levels of men, women and children.

Amateur fighters intersted in competing in one or more of the WKA North American divisions may pre-register for competition by completeing an application that can be found on the WKA US's official website, www.wkausa.com

The 2006 WKA North American Combat Sports Championships will be sponsored by Primetime Fight Gear (the only approved fight gear by the WKA USA), NHBfights.com, WorldClassTrainingSecrets.com, MICC's Fightwear, and Dog Bone Customs.

The World Kickboxing Association is one of the world's oldest and most recognized governing bodies for various forms of kickboxing. In 2000, the organization formed the WKA US to oversee kickboxing competition in the United States and, in 2004, the WKA US added mixed martial arts and submission grappling to its portfolio of combat sports that it regulates.

Three days of the best amateur matches in the Americas
The three-day WKA affair will kick off Friday with a single-elimination, mixed martial arts rules tournament that will divide fighters into nine different weight classes and two experience levels - Open and Novice.

Day One (Friday July 21, 2006), will be the Amateur MMA rules elimination tournament contested under the WKA rules for MMA Division - Class "C". These rules can be seen at www.wkausa.com/mma_rules.htm and are modeled after the Unified Rules of Conduct. Competitors will wear slightly oversized gloves and there will be no elbows or forearms, or knees to the head standing or grounded. Competitors can registger for either the "open" or "novice" division, depending on the competitive experience of each athlete. Both novice as well as open tournament fighters will be separated into nine different weight classes. Matches will consist of two rounds of five minutes each and will progress by way of single elimination. The victor of each weight class in the "open" division will be crowned the North American Champion in that class and US fighters will gain valuable points toward selection to the US National Team.

Weight Divisions for Mixed Martial Arts

Day two (Saturday July 22, 2006) will be the Amateur Kickboxing rules elimination tournament contested under the WKA's three traditionals sets of rules - Thai boxing, Full Contact (above the waist kicks), and Kickboxing (low kick). Competitors can register for either the "open" or "novice" division, depending on the competitive experience of each athlete. Both novice as well as open tournament fighters will be separated into 11 different weight classes (see www.wkausa.com/amateur_rules.htm) and will engage in bouts consisting of three, two-minute rounds. The victor of each weight class in the "open" division will be crowned the North American Champion in that class and US fighters will gain valuable points toward selection to the US National Team.

Weight Divisions for Thai boxing, Kickboxing, Full Contact

Day three (Sunday July 23, 2006) of competition will consist of the North American Submission Grappling Championships. It is open to Men, Women and Children in all experience levels. This will be a single elimination tournament. All submission grappling tournament competitors will be registered into the new WKA ranking system (www.wkausa.com/grappling_rules.htm).

Fighters must check-in, weigh-in, and complete medicals as follows:

Competitors in all divisions are encouraged to take advantage of the early weigh-in and physicals on July 20th between 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

To have a division, there must be at least two people. If there is only one person in a division, that person would be asked to move up a weight class or move to another division. Current US champions will be seeded to the second round.

Ranking
The 2006 Nationals along with previous two years' nationals and all WKA sanctioned events for the past two years will be used to formulate the new WKA rankings.

Combat Sports League
The Combat Sports League is the official US representation to the WKA. Combat Sports League is an association of athletes participating in the combatative sports of Thai boxing, Kickboxing, Full Contact, Mixed Martial Arts, and Submission Grappling. The Combat Sports League is dedicated to providing opportunities to athletes in all areas of combative sports, growth, and development of sport, safety, and regulation of the sports.

License Book
At weigh-in, each competitor will receive their Combat Sports League/WKA license book. The license book must be presented at every CSL/WKA event. This book will record a fighter's record, classification, medicals, and suspensions. Fighters will not be allowed to compete without their license book.

Registration Fees

NOTE: Participants become licensed by the WKA by registering for the 2006 WKA North American Kickboxing Championships, normal licensing fee is waived.

Spectator Tickets

Registered Competitors will receive a free General Admission ticket to Saturday Evening Finals and Thai boxing and MMA show. Only at the time of registration, competitors can receive a $10 credit toward the upgrade to a Reserved or Ringside Ticket to the Saturday Evening Finals and MMA and Muay Thai kickboxing show.

Contact:
WKA USA Office
10454 Ridgefield Parkway
Richmond, Virginia 23233
Toll Free: 1-800-KICKBOX (542-5269)
804-937-7072
Email: info@wkausa.com

Venue Information:
Hampton University - Convocation Center
http://www.hamptonu.edu/convocation_center/index.htm
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia 23668

Hotel Information:
Holiday Inn Hampton Hotel & Conference Center
1815 W. Mercury Boulevard
Hampton, Virginia 23666
757-838-0200
1-800-842-9370
Make reservations online: http://www.hamptonva.holiday-inn.com
Refer to "WKA CHAMPIONSHIPS" when making reservations.
Event Room Rate: $92.00 / night
Reservations must be made by June 30, 2006 in order to guarantee the $92.00/night rate and availability

WKA USA Rules and Regulations

WKA USA Mixed Martial Arts Rules

WKA USA Submission Grappling Rules (Gi and No Gi)

Itinerary for North Americans

July 20, 2006 (at event hotel Holiday Inn & Conference Center)
1:00 pm to 3:00pm - Check-in and late registration for all divisions
3:00 pm to 7:00pm - Fighters weigh-in and physicals for all divisions *

* Competitors are encouraged to take advantage of the early weigh-in and physicals

July 21, 2006 (at HU Convocation Center)
9:00 am - Fighters meeting - Mixed Martial Arts
10:00 am - Elimination tournament begins - Mixed Martial Arts
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Fighters weigh-in and physicals for Thai boxing, Kickboxing, and Full Contact

July 22, 2006 (at HU Convocation Center)
9:00 am - Fighters meeting - Thai boxing, Kickboxing, Full Contact
10:00 am - Elimination tournament begins - Thai boxing, Kickboxing, Full Contact
Some final bouts will be held over for the evening show
6:30 pm - Check-in for Evening Championship Show
7:30 pm - First bout Evening Championship Show

July 23, 2006 (at HU Convocation Center)
8:00 am to 10:00 am - Late registration and weigh-ins for Submission Grappling
10:30 am - Elimination tournament begins - Submission Grappling

Results of the 2006 WKA USA North American Championships

The Hampton University Convocation Center

The latest addition to Hampton University's beautiful landscape is the new 12.5 million dollar Hampton University Convocation Center. It is a modern coliseum-style arena that seats 7,200 (basketball capacity) and 8,000 concert/convention capacity. The HU Convocation Center has a Pro King portable basketball floor, with markings for either collegiate or professional play.