THURSDAY December 31st, 2020, AT 8:45 PM / PST

THIS WEEKENDS IKF ACTION

January 2nd and 3rd, 2021

AK PROMOTIONS PRESENTS



AMATEUR MUAY THAI / KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

Columbus, Convention Center
Columbus, Georgia, USA

"COVID 19 PROTOCOL"

IKF AND GEORGIA STATE COVID 19 PROTOCOLS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THIS EVENT!

• When: Friday January 1st (Early weigh-ins only)
  Saturday 2nd, 2021 and Sunday, January 3rd, 2021
• Who: AK Promotions.
• Where: Columbus, Convention Center, Columbus, Georgia, USA
• What: IKF Georgia Muay Thai / Kickboxing Classic Tournament
• IKF Event Representative: James Corbett and Mike Storm
• Event Referees & Judges: Dale Frye, Keith Morriea, (App. Anthony Bui, David Barber)
• Judges: James Marino, Jose Perez, David Barber ( App. Anthony Bui, Kim Green)
• Timekeeper: S. Corbett, (App. Kim Green)
• Locker Room Inspectors: Mike Johnson & Garrett Johnson
• Ambulance Service: EMS Care Ambulance of Columbus, GA
• Ringside Physicians (MD): Dr. Mike Busman & Dr. Jordan Knoeffler
• Promoter: Johnny Davis, (843) 773-1005. johnnyd@akpromotions.org
  • Tournament Contact Lori Hubbard: (205) 281-2005.
• ON THE WEB: www.AKPromotions.org
• 

MONDAY December 28th, 2020, AT 11:30 PM / PST

IKF CA PROMOTERS

A Reminder As Announced Back On October 13th, 2020
There Will Be An Increase In IKF Promoter Fees As Of January 1st, 2021.

The main increase will be in Promoter License Fees. As noted by the CSAC, the IKF will be aligning some of their fees to equal those of CAMO MMA here in CA.

Pretty much every IKF CA CSAC Promoter will be required to renew their IKF CA Promoters License for when the State will start allowing Amateur events again. The 12 month License Time line for Promoters that renew prior to December 31st at 11:59:59 PM/PST will not begin until the Promoter has their 1st event. If you are an IKF CA Promoter and want to see if your IKF CA Promoters License has expired, please go to this page CAPromoters.htm

Promoters who choose to Renew their license prior to December 31st at 11:59:59 PM/PST, will still be granted the same Promoters License fee that has remained the same since 2014. Your renewal form can be found by clicking HERE

Some Promoters had never been charged an IKF CA Promoters License fee due to activity and or already being a CSAC Licensed Promoter. However, the IKF has been asked to separate any and all licenses from the CSAC which means ALL IKF CA Promoters will need to attain a separate IKF CA Promoters License, just as CAMO MMA and USA Boxing has required since their inception.

For those Promoters who choose not to renew or attain their new IKF CA Promoters License by December 31st at 11:59:59 PM/PST, the new fees they will be required to pay can be found by clicking HERE.

• FOR REFERENCE
  
  
  • CAMO MMA FEES
    
    
    • PROMOTERS LICENSE / $500
      
      
    • FIGHTER LICENSE / $75
      
      
    • CAMO MMA FEES
      
      
  • IKF CA FEES
    
    
    • CLICK HERE
      
      
  • USA BOXING CA FEES
    
    
    • FIGHTER LICENSE: $70.00 - $100.00
      
      
    • TRAINER LICENSE: $100 plus $25 for background every two years.
      
      
    • CLUB LICENSE: $220.
      
      
    • EVENT SANCTIONING: $391 + $100 deposit for your Financial Report Submission.
      
      
    • WEBSITE REFERENCED

SATURDAY December 12th, 2020, AT 4:45 PM / PST

COMPARING MUAY THAI & KICKBOXING SANCTIONING
IN OTHER STATES TO THOSE IN CALIFORNIA

Social Media is always a blessing and a curse. The IKF uses Social Media (Facebook) when we need to make an announcement that we need to be shared by many around the world that may not take the time to visit the IKF News Page here. Although the posts always get attention and good reviews, when posts about regulatory rules and regulations are discussed, there's always someone or several who feel they know all about the Ins and Outs of fight sport sanctioning or regulatory oversight requirements.

Recently (See Below Articles) the IKF posted about an Illegal, unsanctioned in gym event that happened in California. Some from other states didn't understand why the IKF was disciplining those involved, siting that the IKF was simply upset it wasn't paid for sanctioning the event. This opinion could not be further from the truth. Below is the post the IKF did that goes into detail why the IKF and our other sanctioning bodies take unsanctioned and or illegal events Very Seriously. Hopefully it will not just shed light on the unknown for many of you reading but also educate you as well.

________________
Not to be rude, but the reality here is,
If you do not live in California, you TRULY have no idea just how the regulatory process works here for full contact fight sports.

The IKF was appointed and is directly regulated by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to oversee, regulate and maintain legal rules and regulations in the State for Amateur Kickboxing and Muay Thai. Since the IKF sanctions over 3,000 events a year on every continent around the world, the IKF fully understand how things are regulated in states such as Florida since the IKF sanctions events there as well. However, there is a VAST difference between how full contact fight sports are regulated in Florida (And many other states) than how they are regulated in California.

To start with, there are "23" approved sanctioning bodies for full contact fight sports in Florida, a vast majority of them are actually promoters who sanction their own events.

FLORIDA AMATEUR SANCTIONING BODY LIST - CLICK HERE

There is absolutely NO detailed organization in the amateur fight sports in Florida.
To begin with, there is a VAST difference between a "Sanctioning" body and a "Regulatory" body.

A "Sanctioning" body has no oversight of anything other than a title bout and the selection of the contenders.

A "Regulatory" body can have that same oversight but is also responsible for ALL Rules and Regulations surrounding and including the actual event.

• Many of the areas a Regulatory Body oversees are the things no one thinks about such as;
  
  
  • Confirming Medical Staff Qualifications: Doctor Licenses, Ambulance Staff And Qualifications, The Difference Between A Paramedic And An EMT.
    
    
  • Fighter Medical Insurance And All That It Covers.
    
    
  • What Rule Styles Are To Be Fought.
    
    
  • Assuring All Officials Are Certified And Or Skilled To Be Able To Work Such A Bout.
    
    
  • Proper Approved Fighter's Equipment.
    
    
  • Correct Wrapping Of The Hands.
    
    
  • Glove Brands.
    
    
  • Glove Sizes, Etc. Etc...
    
    
• However, The IKF Goes Well Beyond All Of These Things And Includes things such as;
  
  
  • Upcoming Event Schedule with approved bout lists.
    
    
  • Actual Fighter Rankings
    
    
  • Licensed Fighter List.
    
    
  • Licensed Trainer List.
    
    
  • Pre Event Fight Card Listings.
    
    
  • Fighter Background Checks.
    
    
  • Matchmaking Approval.
    
    
  • Public Suspension Listing.
    
    
  • Full And Detailed Bout And Event Results.
    
    
  • And Much More.

"Letters on a fight poster do not mean much unless those letters are backed by the full support and oversight of an actual, real and legit,
Sanctioning / Regulatory body that knows it's number 1 priority is to assure fighter safety."

As back to the Florida example, the IKF honestly can't think of ANY of those 23 organizations in Florida that actually post results let alone give out medical suspensions for stoppages or injuries and if they do, since they do not post results, NO ONE knows who may be on a medical suspension.

As in many other places around the world, a fighter will fight one weekend, get knocked out, and the very next weekend, fight again while under what is suppose to be a mandatory medical suspension. However, with NO detailed oversight or actual organization of all these so called sanctioning bodies, it's often never caught before the fighter fights again. Thankfully not all, but MANY fighters and trainers ignore medical suspensions. The IKF catches fighter's and trainer's booking fighter's who are under a medical suspension all the time. If not for detailed fighter background checks and matchmaking approval, such things would never be caught. And without a pre bout physical, such things would be missed yet again. Here in California, with only one organization overseeing each full contact fight sport (Kickboxing / Muay Thai: IKF, MMA: CAMO, Boxing: USA Boxing), it's easy to keep track from a medical perspective as to who may be under any such medical suspension.

Medical suspensions are not just from a stoppage such as a KO or TKO. Some other suspensions we've seen have been discovered in a pre bout medical check by a licensed medical doctor. Things such as heart issues, kidney issues, eyesight, skin rashes, etc. etc. are found often during these checks, or, in the fighters yearly FULL Medical which is required to be done by a licensed medical doctor. In the defense of some of you, If you are not in the regulatory field or business, you would never think of things like this let alone have any idea what is involved in the regulatory oversight process of them. To many fighters and trainers, HEALTH and SAFETY issues for that matter are just not on their priority list as are things like bag work, stamina training, pad work and sparring. This is why "Athletic Commissions" were formed and SHOULD always be the job of anyone appointed to oversee fighter safety by any state commission...

Although, sadly, this is not always the case... The IKF has to have a wide view of ALL ASPECTS of the sport as does the ISCF for MMA and the IAB for Boxing. When we sanction and regulate an event we oversee everything from the front door to the back of the locker room, from the opening of the venue door to the last fighter leaving. We also oversee and regulate weigh-ins, appointing qualified officials and making sure each and every promoter is not just qualified, but actually DOES his or her job to assure a safe and successful event is done for all involved.

Lets look at the "What IFS"
What if a fighter fights on some event, (even a sparring event) or on an event in a state or more so, on Native American land where there is no regulatory oversight for medical needs, fighter insurance needs, qualified officials, etc. and lets say he gets KO'ed on one of these gym smokers with no doctor or ambulance present. He wakes up, feels fine, goes home, and starts training for his next fight which happens to be the next weekend. All may look fine from the outside, but without a post bout medical evaluation, no one truly knows what's going on inside their head... Many here have no idea what "Secondary Impact Syndrome" is...

About Second Impact Syndrome - Click HERE.

SADLY, we do and it's something that happens in all full contact sports, not just full contact fight sports. We've seen what happens when a fighter AND Trainer fail to let others know on a pre-bout physical report that they were KO'ed a week or so ago in their own gym or in some fight out of state or somewhere there are no fighter safety or health and safety regulatory requirements. A fighter who has head trauma may never know there was damage to their brain until it's too late. A brain bleed happens inside the head, not on the outside where you get a pre warning of something happening. Sadly the vast majority of the time, when a brain bleed begins, it's too late and sadly death can follow. I'm sure some of you here think these things would never happen, and especially to yourselves or your fighters... SADLY, we Know they DO, as we've seen it.

So if you truly believe the issue with the IKF is just over sanctioning when we throw up a Red Flag in reference to illegal and or unsanctioned events, you truly can't be further from the truth. Fighter health and safety is the #1 concern for every event we sanction. When an unsanctioned event like the one discussed below in Southern California happens in the state where the IKF has been given the sole responsibility to assure fighter health and safety, you better believe we throw up a Red Flag!! And if any one here believes that in doing so, the IKF is going to lose business, well, we have NO PROBLEM with losing ANY business if the trade off is the discipline of health and safety and the potential loss of life.

Speaking of loss of life, here is just one example of what I just explained for those reading:
A Sad Reminder As To Why We Have Medical Suspensions...
Click HERE.

FRIDAY December 11th, 2020, AT 2:45 PM / PST

PROVIDING CLARITY ON THE RECENT
ILLEGAL EVENT IN CALIFORNIA

Daniel Higgins, the person who held the event posted on Facebook:
"This is a OBVIOUSLY a non sanctioned sparring event to give us a chance to spar against other students at other gyms. This has nothing to do with the IKF or anyone other than my gym. No one was charged any $$ or anything along these lines. This was coaches getting fighters together for hard sparring in the ring. Nothing more!! We never claimed any affiliation with you or any organization!! I apologize for using your "PKB" initials to describe the kind of sparring we would be doing."

Higgins also followed his defense with:
"No contact has been made w me or my gym. Just this "Professional "Facebook post. NO TRADEMARKED anything was mentioned on sparring night we hosted! I made mistake and used "PKB" on post for future sparring night, and for that I apologized and immediately took down after I found this post on my own! I again have not been contacted or asked to do anything by anyone from the IKF. It's blowing their minds to see a group of martial artist get together and train for fun no trophies and belts, and we charged absolutely nothing!! I'm a martial artist not a promoter!!!"

CLARITY FROM THE IKF
The "PKB" reference was "ONLY" in regards to Daniel Higgins' event planned for January. As Johnny Davis (President of IKF PKB) explained, IKF/PKB or just PKB cannot be used other than on an actual "PKB" sanctioned event due to it's copyright.

Daniel Higgins' past event that was indeed an unsanctioned illegal event was going to be for the better part, ignored. That was, until the IKF saw that he was actually going to do another unsanctioned illegal event and this time, he used the "PKB" letters to advertise that event.

ANY and ALL events in California using the term Kickboxing and or Muay Thai and done in a boxing ring is required to be sanctioned through the IKF / CSAC - California State Athletic Commission. ( CAMO MMA if a full contact sport is done in a cage - USA Boxing if a Boxing event).

EVERY qualified trainer in California knows this.
As for other comments about the WHY? This was not about the IKF wanting Higgins' to pay them. At this time, ANY AND ALL "AMATEUR" Fight sports are NOT ALLOWED during the Covid 19 shutdown! NOT even in house sparring events can be held.

• Still, this was brought to the IKF's attention since there was;
  
  
  1. NO Doctor present. CSAC (California State Athletic Commission) Mandatory Requirement.
     
     
  2. NO Ambulance present. CSAC Mandatory Requirement.
     
     
  3. NO general health physicals done for any of the fighters. CSAC Mandatory Requirement.
     
     
  4. NO fighter medical insurance. CSAC Mandatory Requirement.
     
     
  5. NO JUNIOR fighter requirements met. CSAC Mandatory Requirement.
     
     
  6. NO Licensed and or certified Officials to assure fighter safety. CSAC Mandatory Requirement.

This decision was about Fighter SAFETY, which is why regulatory sanctioning requirements are mandatory in the state of California.

Adding to this was Higgins' neglect to see the potential safety issues that could have happened, that have happened in events of this kind.

Look, WE ALL GET IT!
NONE of us like being shut down during this whole Covid thing.
NONE of us!!!
However, Higgins' also broke state and federal mandated Covid rules and guidelines; (regardless of the city and county rules for gatherings)

• NO social distancing.
• Hardly anyone had a mask on.
• No temperature checks. And other rules...

However, despite breaking all these rules, Higgins' held an unsanctioned fight sport event, which is illegal in the State of California.
The only blessing out of all this is that no one was hurt or needed a doctor at the event.

THIS WEEKENDS IKF ACTION...

December 12th, 2020

Robinson's MMA & Kickboxing Presents
"IKF Point Muay Thai Sparring Tournament"

Robinson's Kickboxing
Sumter, South Carolina, USA

"COVID 19 PROTOCOL"

For More Information Go To
www.AKPromotions.org
Or contact Mr. Jerome Robinson at (803) 236-0803
Or Mr. Johnny Davis at (843) 773-1005 or by e-mail at johnnyd@akpromotions.org for Rules etc.

Jerome Robinson

Johnny Davis

IKF OFFICIALS

IKF / PKB Event Representative: Johnny Davis

FRIDAY December 4th, 2020, AT 10:50 AM / PST

THIS WEEKENDS IKF ACTION...

December 5th, 2020
United Thai Boxing Presents
"IKF Point Muay Thai Sparring Tournament"
"Your Next Step Out of the Gym and Beyond!"
Durham, North Carolina, USA

"COVID 19 PROTOCOL"

BOUTS ARE "SEMI CONTACT"
NO KNOCKOUTS!
DONE ON AN OPEN MATTED FLOOR
NOT IN A BOXING RING OR MMA CAGE!
"It's About Points Not Power!"

For More Information Go To www.AKPromotions.org Or
Contact T. K. King at (919) 201-4287
Or Mr. Johnny Davis at (843) 773-1005 or by e-mail at johnnyd@akpromotions.org for Rules etc.

T. K. King

Johnny Davis

IKF OFFICIALS

IKF / PKB Event Representative: Johnny Davis

PAST IKF NEWS - CLICK HERE!

HOME - NEWS - EVENTS - RANKINGS - SANCTIONING - JOINING - RULES & REGULATIONS - MERCHANDISE - ISCF - MMA - IAB BOXING