The 30th anniversary edition of the international combat gala night SENSHI attracted great interest on February 28, 2026, at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, featuring the first-ever Grand Prix tournament in the up to 75 kg category and three super fights. A total of 18 renowned fighters from 13 countries stepped into the arena, facing each other in elimination bouts with remarkable determination to win. The young Bulgarian kickboxer Zhulien Rikov triumphed as the SENSHI Grand Prix champion in the up to 75 kg division, while the audience enjoyed a world-class spectacle full of action and dramatic twists.
At the end of the anniversary combat gala night, three special individual awards were also presented to fighters who demonstrated technical excellence, powerful strikes, fighting spirit, gave their all in the ring, and impressed fans with their performances.
The “Best Technique” award went to the European SENSHI champion in the up to 75 kg category and winner of the annual “Helmet of Spartacus” award (2025) – Samo Petje (Slovenia), who demonstrated outstanding fighting skills in his bout against a Japanese opponent. He received his award from the New Zealand fighting legend Ray Sefo.
The “Fighting Spirit” award was claimed by the young sporting prospect Diyan Dimitrov (Bulgaria) for the courage he showed in the SENSHI ring. The prize was personally presented to him by the combat sports icon Andy Souwer.
The SENSHI Grand Prix runner-up Christian Baya (DR Congo) received the “Knockout of the Night” award for his uncompromising victories in the first two matches of the gala evening. The prestigious award was presented to Baya by the legendary Semmy Schilt.
The next SENSHI Grand Prix tournament, this time in the up to 70 kg category, will take place on May 30 in Plovdiv. Videos, photos, and news from the SENSHI combat gala events can be found on the organization’s official profiles on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
The special 30th anniversary edition of SENSHI is one of the biggest and most international so far, with a total of 470+ guests, athletes, legendary instructors, trainers and media, coming from 35 countries: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, USA, Scotland and Bulgaria.
More than 420 participants from 27 countries, along with 11 world-renowned combat sports legends, are part of the international SENSHI training camp held in the days leading up to the fight gala night, while an additional 18 professional fighters from 13 countries further enhanced the event’s international character.
SENSHI 30 is organized in cooperation with the KWU International Professional League, as well as with the special support of Armeec Insurance Company, MAX Sport, Bulgaria Air, M Car Group – BMW dealer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Service, and St. St. Constantine and Helena Holding.
The media partners of SENSHI 30 are Boec.bg and Boec.com, Bulgaria ON AIR, MAX Sport, TrillerTV, Beyond Kickboxing, Gol.bg, Sportal.bg, Dir.bg, Topsport.bg, KWUnion.com, KyokushinКarate.News, Fighto.News и Vechtsportinfo.nl.
