Can a fighting organization change the lives of young fighters and open the door to the world stage? For SENSHI, the answer is a resounding “yes.” From amateur tournaments to the spectacular bouts of its gala nights, the platform has become the natural stepping stone for rising fighting stars from all over the globe. It is a place where quality sport, sportsmanship, respect for the opponent, and thrilling battles prevail, outweighing commercial goals and restrictive contracts, thereby creating room for growth—both for combat sports and the athletes themselves.
“SENSHI is not just a fighting organization – here you can truly see the development of young fighters,” says four-time K-1 World Champion Semmy Schilt, President of KWU SENSHI Europe. “There are no long-term contracts that limit the athletes – SENSHI gives them the freedom to develop and to be noticed on an international level.”
Legends Ernesto Hoost, Albert Kraus, and Andy Souwer are equally impressed. “The fighters are always highly motivated, and the tournaments are a true test of their skills,” says Hoost. “With each new edition, the level rises, and the camps give young athletes the chance to learn from the very best,” adds Albert Kraus.
The Road to Success Starts Here
Every young fighter dreams of that first big victory. At SENSHI, this is not just ambition – finalists from the KWU SENSHI Cup for Amateurs tournaments in 2024 and 2025, as well as the European Cup in 2021, won their awards on SENSHI’s professional ring. For many of them, this was the first and perhaps most important step in transitioning from amateur to professional fighting sports. Some are already competing on the professional SENSHI stage.
The amateurs are only a small part of all the athletes who begin their professional careers in the SENSHI arena. Increasingly, well-known names in combat sports that we now see on the global stage got their start at SENSHI, where their skills and spectacular knockouts first impressed audiences.
The winner of SENSHI’s first-ever Heavyweight Grand Prix, Samed Agdeve, along with Sergej Braun, Milos Cvjeticanin, Uku Jurjendal, Alessio Malatesta, Ahmed Krnjic, Nikola Todorovic, Jimmy Livinus, Stefan Latescu, Rade Opacic, Asdren Gashi, Andrej Kedves, and many others, are among the SENSHI fighters whom the world now recognizes as the new heroes of the global fighting stage. Their place in the SENSHI ring has already been taken by the next wave of rising athletes, promising to become even tougher opponents.
What Makes SENSHI the Academy for New Champions?
The fighters who step into the SENSHI ring can be sure that fame is just around the corner, because they can easily be noticed on a global level. Their super fights at SENSHI gala nights are broadcast online on multiple platforms across Europe, North America, and worldwide. This brings significant recognition to emerging talents, personal attention to SENSHI athletes, and often leads to invitations from other international promotions.
The most recent edition – SENSHI 28 Grand Prix, held on September 13, 2025, in Varna – is emblematic of how the organization blends tradition with innovation. For the first time in its history, SENSHI introduced a Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament that gathered eight elite fighters from different countries. The atmosphere of Bulgaria’s sea capital turned into the center of the global fighting world, and the epic clashes in the ring proved that SENSHI is a platform putting Bulgaria firmly on the global combat sports map.
Another distinctive and crucial feature of SENSHI is the legendary names on its refereeing and judging panels, who also serve as leading instructors in the international martial arts training camps held alongside the gala events. Among them are world champions and K-1 icons who inspired generations of fighters, such as Semmy Schilt, Ernesto Hoost, Francisco Filho, Albert Kraus, Andy Souwer, Nicholas Pettas, and other renowned figures. Their presence not only guarantees exceptional professionalism and impartiality in judging but also gives young fighters the unique opportunity to receive feedback and guidance from true legends of combat sports. The SENSHI format combines spectacle, professionalism, and respect for martial traditions. Each tournament is not only a sporting event but also a cultural meeting of styles and schools. This is precisely what makes SENSHI different from most international promotions – it does not strive solely for business success but builds a community that inspires and develops the champions of tomorrow.
