The world's most prestigious fighting tournament

This holiday weekend in the US marks the 40th anniversary of the US Open, the largest open karate tournament in the U.S. To celebrate this milestone, we're taking a look at some of the most prestigious tournaments in the history of modern martial arts and the champions who have won.

The world's most prestigious fighting tournament

1. JKA All Japan Karate Association 1957 to present

2. International ………………………………………. 1964 to present

3. Henry Cho's All American………………………………. 1967-1989

4. World Taekwondo Championships 1973 – Present

5. Battle of Atlanta…………………………………………….1970–present

6. Karate World Championships …………………………. 1970-present

7. WAKO World Championships 1977 – Present

8. Diamond Nationals ………………………………………….1978 to present

9. US Capitol Classics …………………………………………. 1982 – Present

10. US Open ……………………………………………………….1984–present

The first All Japan Karate Championship in Japan was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in 1957. Since then, the All Japan Karate Championship has been held annually. It is considered one of the most prestigious martial arts tournaments in Japan. The JKA was founded by Gichin Funakoshi, known as the “Father of Modern Karate”.

Legendary Champions: Hirokazu Kanazawa, Takayuki Mikami

The first International Karate Championship was held on August 2, 1964 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, by Kenpo Karate Grandmaster Ed Parker and won by Mike Stone.

The event was the first to be seen and listened to on the West Coast and frequently featured celebrities such as Elvis Presley.

The event is known as the first time Bruce Lee demonstrated the Junfan Kung Fu forms, the Two Finger Push Up and the One Inch Punch with Takki Kimura.

this It continues today under the direction of Steve Cooper.

Legendary Champions: Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, Joe Louis, Jim Kelly, Benny Urquidez, Chung Lee, Steve Muhammad

The U.S. Open was held at the Madison Square Garden Center in New York City for 23 consecutive years, from 1967 to 1989. Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee first met at the 1967 U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has continued to be held outside the Garden since 1989.

Legendary Champions: Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris, Mitchell Bobrow, Michael Warren, Albert Cheeks, Herb Perez, Mark Williams, George Thanos, Tony Blanchard, Keith Kelly, William Oliver.

of Karate World ChampionshipsAlso known as the World Karate Championships, the tournament is the highest level of competition in karate organised by the World Karate Federation (WKF).

The tournament is held every two years in a different city. In 1980, women were allowed to compete in the championships for the first time.

Legendary Champions: Rika Usami, Rafael Aghaev, Antonio Diaz

It was founded in 1970 by famous promoter Joe Corey. tournament It was originally called the Southeastern United States Championships, but karateka and author Dirk Mosig later coined the phrase “The Battle of Atlanta” in an article he wrote about the event.

In the 1980s and 1990s, this tournament was the most important one to win as it was the first karate event in America and was nationally broadcast on ESPN, and it was also the first open tournament to feature full contact in the evening finals.

The tournament is held annually in Atlanta, Georgia and is currently run by Greg, Toby and Tommy Ruth, is rated 6A in the NASKA organization and is one of the most important American tournaments to win.

Winners include Joe Lewis, Keith Vitali, Howard Jackson, Michael Warren, Haley Glass and Cynthia Rothrock.

World Taekwondo Championships It is organised by the World Taekwondo Federation every two years in a different host country, with past events having been held in Seoul, Chicago, Mexico City, Manila and Bangkok.

The World Championships will see athletes from 144 countries across 16 weight classes (8 men's and 8 women's), competing for the coveted world title and important qualification points for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Outside of the Olympics, the World Championships are the sport's premier event, showcasing not only the best skills of the sport's elite athletes, but also the internationality and inclusiveness of the sport.

Winners include Herb Perez, Lynette Love and Jimmy Kim.

Jeff Smith Team Coach WAKO 10th World Championships circa 1980s

In 1977, Wako It was founded in Europe and developed its rules and regulations as the World Kickboxing Federation. It was founded by American kickboxing promoter Mike Anderson and his friend, German kickboxing promoter Georg Brückner.

WAKO offers seven styles: Point Fighting, Light Contact, Full Contact, Kick Light, Low Kick, K1 Style and Musical Form.

Currently, WAKO partners with 126 countries across five continents, 95 of which are officially recognised by their respective sports councils or Olympic councils.

After hosting two European Championships two years earlier, WAKO held its first Amateur World Championships in West Berlin in 1978. A year later, the second World Championships were held in Tampa, Florida.

In the 1980s, the World Championships were held every other year, except for 1985, when feuds within the WAKO organization led to two versions of the championships being held on the same day, in London and Budapest.

Currently, tournament and tatami operations in the United States are overseen by Bill Viola Jr.

Winners included Mike Bernardo.

In 1978, the first Diamond National Karate Championship was held in St. Paul, Minnesota. Approximately 550 athletes participated and were highly praised for their high level of competition and organization. The tournament grew to become the largest and most prestigious martial arts tournament in North America. It was named the Diamond Karate Championship. The Diamond Nationals are called the Diamond Nationals because the Black Belt Grand Champion wins a Diamond Ring. The Diamond Nationals has been voted the number one tournament in the United States for the past 18 years and was once recognized as the number one tournament in the world. Black Belt Magazine.

Today's tournament is run by JLB Productions.

Winners included Dan Anderson, Keith Vitali, George Chan, John Chan, Keith Cook, John Varela, Steve Anderson, Arlene Limas and Linda Denley.

US Capitol Classicis the martial arts world's premier event and has been held annually in Washington DC since it was founded by martial arts master Dennis Brown in 1982. This prestigious tournament is NASKA 6A rated and is known for its special focus on Chinese martial arts.

In 2007, the event expanded to include the China Open, reflecting its important role in providing Chinese martial artists with the opportunity to compete in a variety of divisions. This expansion introduced categories not normally recognized in NASKA, including Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Wushu, Sanda, Chinese Continuous Sparring, Pencak Silat, Self-Defense and Kyokushin Karate.

US Capitol Classics serves as a cultural bridge, fostering friendship and mutual respect through a shared passion for martial arts.

Winners included Billy Blanks, Steve “Nasty” Anderson, Hakim Alston, Linda Denley, Helen Chan, George Chan, Charlie Lee, Cynthia Rothrock and Caitlin Deshelle.

It started as the “East Coast Grand Nationals” in 1973 by Ted and Kim Kresge. The event was purchased by the promotion company ProKick Productions LLC, owned by Mike McCoy and Mike Sawyer, and is now known as the “US Open” and has been promoting this initiative since 1984.

The Open is a 6A rated event and is the largest tournament on the North American Karate Association (NASKA) Tour, a strong pillar of the circuit, and has been recognized since 1998 as the ISKA Annual Open Martial Arts World Championship and the premier event on ISKA's global tournament circuit, held on multiple continents.

Today, the event takes place at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and is televised by ESPN. With hundreds of divisions, the event has diversified tournament competition by pioneering the addition of creative formats, demos and breaking to the televised competition.

The winners were Hailey Glass, Esteban Tremblay, Devon Hopper and Justin Cuellar.