Articles & Q&A

Every KBN ranking point comes from one formula: base points × event multiplier × time value, applied to each verified bout. Here i...

Five participation points for every approved bout reward athletes who actually compete. Here is the reasoning, and the limits that...

Placement bonuses are large by design. Where they are added, how they stack with the win bonus, and what "final bout only" means.

A finish is worth five more base points than a decision, and the submission bonus applies in MMA only. The reasoning behind both r...

The biggest difference between kickboxing and Muay Thai is what you can strike with and how long you can clinch: Muay Thai allows...

MMA allows striking and grappling, including takedowns, ground strikes and submissions, while kickboxing is a stand-up striking sp...

Boxing allows only punches above the belt, while kickboxing adds kicks and, depending on the ruleset, knees. That single differenc...

KBN ranking points expire in two steps: a result keeps 100% of its value for 12 months, drops to 50% after 12 months and to 0% aft...

Rankings measure current form. Results keep 100 % of their value for a year, 50 % for a second year, then leave the active table.

Every KBN-recognised event has a level with a multiplier: National ×1.0, International Open ×1.5, Continental Championship ×2.0, K...

The Ranking Committee can lower an event's multiplier or set it to zero. What triggers it, how it is logged, and what happens to p...

A KO (knockout) happens when a fighter cannot continue after a legal strike, usually failing to beat the count; a TKO (technical k...

A no contest (NC) is a bout officially ruled to have no winner or loser, typically after an accidental foul early in the fight or...

KBN ranking points are earned only through verified sporting performance and can never be purchased, whether through fees, sponsor...

When two KBN fighters have exactly the same points, the one with more verified wins ranks higher; if wins are also equal, they are...

Four steps, six documents, one declaration. What to prepare before you start and how long each stage takes.

The strongest evidence for a fight result is an official result sheet or bout sheet from the organiser or sanctioning federation,...

If KBN rejects a bout or makes a ranking decision you disagree with, you can ask your national branch to review it within 14 days,...

To get a KBN kickboxing world ranking you apply online with proof of identity and evidence for each official bout; KBN verifies ev...

An MMA fighter gets a KBN world ranking by submitting official, verifiable bout results; every approved bout earns base points (wi...

Muay Thai fighters are ranked by KBN in their own tables, separate from kickboxing, using points from verified official bouts only...

Boxers get a KBN ranking by submitting verified official bouts; amateur and professional boxing are ranked in separate tables by g...

A KBN fighter licence is an official document, issued only by KBN World HQ after identity and results are verified, that proves wh...

A KBN fighter licence is valid for one year from its issue date minus one day, and renewal can start in the fighter portal before...

Before your first fight you need medical clearance, any licence the event requires, a safe plan to make weight, the right kit, a c...

To document a fight record properly, keep one file per bout with the official result, the event details, the method, round and tim...

The KBN fighter portal is where athletes track their application through the six stages, submit new bout records with evidence, do...

To verify a KBN fighter licence, scan its QR code or enter the licence number, certificate number or Fighter ID at the verify page...

Scan the QR code or type the number. What a valid record shows, and what "no matching record" means.

Amateur competition focuses on development and safety, with more protective rules and tournament formats, while professional bouts...

Choose a martial arts gym by watching a class, asking about the coaches' qualifications, sparring rules, safeguarding and competit...

An athlete under 18 can apply for a KBN ranking only with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian uploaded with the appl...

A fight record is written wins-losses-draws, so 12-3-1 means twelve wins, three losses and one draw; no contests are counted separ...

One installable web app, four roles. iOS and Android instructions and what works offline.

The pipeline board, the stage-1 checklist, the AI pre-check, and the approve/reject decision for each result.

This glossary defines the terms used in KBN rankings and documents, from base points and event multipliers to time value, scopes,...

A kickboxing glossary covering strikes (jab, cross, hook, uppercut), kicks (round, front, side, spinning), defence (check, parry,...

An MMA glossary covering takedowns, positions (guard, half guard, side control, mount, back control), submissions (chokes and join...

KBN uses three numbers per athlete: a career-long Fighter ID (KBN-{country code}-{sequence}), a licence number (KBN-L-{yy}-{5 digi...

Prepare for a first amateur kickboxing bout with about eight weeks of structured training: sharpen a small set of reliable techniq...

A fight camp typically runs six to twelve weeks and moves from building fitness and skills, to fight-specific intensity, to a tape...

Good sparring is controlled practice, not a fight: agree the intensity, wear full protective equipment, match partners sensibly, c...

Effective strength and conditioning for fighters builds general strength, power and resilience, conditions the energy systems your...

For combat sports training you need hand wraps, gloves suited to the session, a well-fitting mouthguard and groin protection, plus...

Pre-fight nerves are a normal stress response that can sharpen performance when managed. Consistent routines, slow breathing, proc...

Rank, movement arrow, verified record, points. What each column means and why the order is what it is.

Combat sports rankings are built in three main ways: panels of experts who vote, sanctioning bodies that publish their own lists,...

You climb the KBN rankings by adding verified results at higher-level events, staying active so new results replace ageing ones, a...

The same fighter can be #1 in Uzbekistan, #1 in Asia and #1 in the world, or #3, #7 and #19. How the scopes are derived from one c...

A KBN continental ranking lists fighters from the same continent in the same division, ordered by the same points as the world tab...

KBN ranks women in separate tables for every discipline, category and weight class, using exactly the same point formula, evidence...

A KBN division is one combination of discipline, category, gender and weight class, and each division has its own ranking. Points...

Movement arrows are not only about new results. Expiring results, verified appeals and multiplier changes all move the table.

Movement arrows in KBN tables compare each fighter's current position with their position in the table calculated as of 30 days ea...

Aleksei Karimov leads with 635 points. Who is chasing, where the points came from and what would change the order.

Li Shang leads with 562.5 points. Who is chasing, where the points came from and what would change the order.

Fatima Diallo leads with 535 points. Who is chasing, where the points came from and what would change the order.

Rustam Nazarov leads with 357.5 points. Who is chasing, where the points came from and what would change the order.

A fighter appears in KBN ranking tables only when four conditions are met: licensed status, ranking published by KBN World HQ, not...

To start a martial arts federation you need a legal entity, a written statute, elected officers, member clubs, trained officials,...

Good federation governance separates powers between an elected board and specialist committees, manages conflicts of interest, pub...

A national federation joins KBN by applying with its legal credentials, accepting the KBN Executive Statute and paying annual memb...

A KBN branch administrator manages their country's branch page and events, and reviews their country's applications through the fi...

Clean national rankings depend on official result sheets from every event, a single register of events and athletes, consistent na...

Every combat sports club and federation needs a written safeguarding policy, a named welfare officer, appropriate background check...

Sponsors and partners can support events, athletes and education, and receive visibility in return, but they can never influence r...

Rapid weight cutting, especially by dehydration, carries real risks, including impaired performance, kidney strain, heat illness a...

A concussion is a brain injury that can follow a blow to the head, even without loss of consciousness. Anyone with suspected concu...

Medical clearance confirms that a registered medical practitioner has found an athlete fit to compete. KBN records only a clearanc...

A licence is only usable with a valid medical clearance. How the date is recorded, who can update it and what happens at check-in...

Most training injuries in combat sports come from uncontrolled sparring, sudden jumps in training load, poor warm-ups, worn equipm...

Under anti-doping rules you are responsible for any prohibited substance found in your body, whether or not you meant to take it....

Fighters perform and recover best when they eat enough energy for their training, with adequate protein, carbohydrates timed aroun...

Recovery after a bout is both physical and mental: rest, medical checks and gradual return to training, alongside dealing with the...

Statute Article 17 in practice: what a minor must upload, and what the public sees.

A fighter is ranked in the class assigned from declared weight at registration. Weigh-in at the event checks the bout, not the ran...

To follow fighters on KBN, create a free fan account, open a fighter's profile and tap Follow; with push notifications on, you are...

KBN Social is the members-only network of the KBN World Federation for fighters, coaches, officials and fans of combat sports. Mem...

A fight card lists the bouts at an event in running order, usually ending with the main event, and shows each fighter's corner, di...

The KBN live centre shows the current bout, round, judges' running totals and per-round scores, plus tonight's card with statuses,...

Judges' decisions are often disputed because bouts are scored round by round rather than overall, scoring criteria are not what ma...

To become a kickboxing referee you typically need solid knowledge of the sport, a referee course and exam run by a federation, sup...

Becoming a combat sports judge means learning the scoring criteria of your discipline, practising scoring full bouts against exper...

10–9, 10–8, 10–7 and the rare 10–10. What each score means, how knockdowns and fouls are recorded, and how the app sends it to the...

A 10-8 round is scored when one athlete clearly dominates, typically with a knockdown plus control of the rest of the round or ove...

The KBN referee app shows an official's assigned bouts, checks fighters in by scanning their licence QR, records weigh-ins, scores...

A referee should stop a bout when an athlete can no longer intelligently defend themselves, is hurt and taking further punishment,...

Fouls are illegal techniques or actions, such as strikes to the back of the head, groin strikes, headbutts or holding, and they ar...

Every licence carries a QR code that resolves to the verify page. At the venue, the referee app turns that scan into a four-point...

A result entered at ringside creates two pending bouts. The Ranking Committee verifies them before a single point is awarded.

To sanction an event with KBN, work through your national branch: submit the event as a draft with venue, officials, medical cover...

The KBN event level should match the real field and standard of an event: National for one country, International Open for multi-c...

At a KBN event, the officials' final result creates pending bouts for both fighters; they count in the ranking only after an admin...

A good weigh-in uses calibrated scales, a published time and tolerance, identity and licence checks, and a clear record of each we...

On event day a promoter needs medical cover in place before the first bout, officials briefed, fighters checked in, a clear runnin...

Antalya, 12 Oct 2025. World Championship (×3). 18 verified results and the points they produced.

Tehran, 9 May 2026. KBN World Cup (×2.5). 20 verified results and the points they produced.

Dubai, 15 Aug 2026. Continental Championship (×2). 4 verified results and the points they produced.

Istanbul, 14 Jun 2025. Continental Championship (×2). 7 verified results and the points they produced.

Lagos, 2 Aug 2025. Continental Championship (×2). 1 verified results and the points they produced.

Tashkent, 20 Mar 2025. Continental Championship (×2). 6 verified results and the points they produced.

London, 5 Sept 2026. International Open (×1.5). 14 verified results and the points they produced.

Istanbul, 13 Jun 2026. International Open (×1.5). 18 verified results and the points they produced.

Most amateur combat sports tournaments use single-elimination brackets: lose once and you are out, with byes filling gaps when the...

Branches create events as drafts. HQ sanctions them and sets the level. Applicant-submitted events have no level until HQ decides.

From the live Istanbul Open to the World Championship in Dubai, the remaining sanctioned events and what a win at each is worth.

A sustainable fight career usually starts with two or three years of amateur competition to build experience safely, followed by a...

There is no universal number, but many amateur fighters compete several times a year and many professionals two to four times, dep...

Change weight class when your natural weight, health or performance says you should, and decide it with your coach and doctor. In...

Most amateur fighters find bouts through their club, their national federation's championships and open tournaments, and through m...

"The Tashkent Wolf" holds 635 active points and a verified 6-2-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Iron Monk" holds 132.5 active points and a verified 3-1-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Thunder" holds 125 active points and a verified 4-1-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Queen of Dakar" holds 535 active points and a verified 4-0-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Zagros" holds 165 active points and a verified 3-1-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Dragon" holds 562.5 active points and a verified 6-0-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Falcon" holds 182.5 active points and a verified 4-0-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

"Samarkand" holds 357.5 active points and a verified 4-0-0. Bout by bout, this is how the total was built.

A UK kickboxer with six claimed bouts is at stage 2. What his file looks like, what the branch checks and when he will appear in t...

Athletes from the United Kingdom apply for the KBN World Ranking online; KBN United Kingdom, based in London, checks their documen...

Turkish athletes apply for the KBN World Ranking online, and KBN Turkey in Istanbul verifies their documents and results before KB...

Athletes from Russia apply online for the KBN World Ranking; KBN Russia in Moscow verifies identity and results, and KBN World HQ...

Founded 2026 in London with 34 member clubs, 4 licensed fighters and 3 sanctioned events. President Daniel Hughes.

Iranian athletes apply online for the KBN World Ranking; KBN Iran in Tehran verifies documents and results, and KBN World HQ issue...

Athletes whose KBN country is the United Arab Emirates apply online and are verified by KBN UAE in Dubai before KBN World HQ issue...

Athletes from Uzbekistan apply online for the KBN World Ranking; KBN Uzbekistan in Tashkent verifies their documents and results,...

Founded 2019 in Tehran with 72 member clubs, 4 licensed fighters and 3 sanctioned events. President Reza Karimi.

Nigerian athletes apply online for the KBN World Ranking; KBN Nigeria in Lagos verifies documents and results, and KBN World HQ is...

Founded 2024 in Lagos with 22 member clubs, 2 licensed fighters and 3 sanctioned events. President Chinedu Okafor.

Brazilian athletes apply online for the KBN World Ranking; KBN Brazil in São Paulo verifies their documents and results, and KBN W...

Founded 2023 in São Paulo with 41 member clubs, 2 licensed fighters and 2 sanctioned events. President Rafael Costa.

A branch admin sees only their own country. The split of duties between branches and KBN World HQ, and why it protects the ranking...

7 questions answered: Can I buy ranking points or pay for a higher placement? · Does a loss earn anything? · Why did my total drop...

7 questions answered: Who can apply? · What must I upload? · My fight was 20 months ago. Will it count?

6 questions answered: How long is a licence valid? · What is on the certificate? · My certificate says World No. 3 but the table s...

5 questions answered: How often are rankings updated? · What does NEW mean? · Why is a fighter with more wins ranked below one wit...

4 questions answered: Do live scores change the ranking? · What if my phone loses signal during a bout? · What does the check-in s...

4 questions answered: How does a country join KBN? · What can a branch admin see? · Can a branch run its own ranking?

4 questions answered: Where are my documents stored? · Is my passport number visible? · Can I get my data or have it deleted?