The Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, turned into an arena of combat glory during SENSHI 26 Gladiators – a gala night filled with high adrenaline, raw emotion, and clashes between 24 modern-day gladiators from 16 countries. On the ancient stage, 12 professional fights took place under the rules of KWU FULL CONTACT, KWU SENSHI, and KWU OPEN, proving once again why SENSHI is one of the leading combat sports promotions in Europe.
The event on May 17 brought together impressive fighters from four continents – Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Four Bulgarian athletes delivered strong performances and stirred the emotions of the crowd. The highlight of the night was the main event for the European title in the -70 kg category, where Bulgarian kickboxing star Dragomir Petrov faced off against Croatian fighter Andrej Kedves.
In front of packed stands and under the open sky, SENSHI 26 Gladiators offered martial arts fans dynamic battles, spectacular knockouts, and honorable fights fought until the final bell.
Here are all the results from the fight night:
Fight #1 – Cat. -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Christian Baya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) vs. Samo Petje (Slovenia)
Winner: Samo Petje by unanimous decision.
Fight #2 – Cat. -75 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Sabri Ben Henia (Belgium) vs. Atanas Bozhilov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Atanas Bozhilov by unanimous decision (his 22nd career win).
Fight #3 – Cat. -80 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Johan Koffi (France) vs. Michael Samperi (Italy)
Winner: Michael Samperi by unanimous decision.
Fight #4 – Cat. -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Giannis Eminov (Greece) vs. Diyan Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Giannis Eminov by split decision.
Fight #5 – Cat. -70 kg, KWU SENSHI – Rematch
Alisher Karmenov (Kazakhstan) vs. Victor Xavier (Brazil)
Winner: Alisher Karmenov by technical knockout in round 3.
Fight #6 – Cat. -85 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Ulric Bokeme (Switzerland) vs. Joilton Lutterbach (Brazil)
Winner: Ulric Bokeme by unanimous decision after an extra round.
Fight #7 – Cat. -95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Surat Garayev (Azerbaijan) vs. Yves Roland Oly (Ivory Coast)
Winner: Surat Garayev by technical knockout in round 1.
Fight #8 – Cat. +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Arend van Montfoort (Netherlands) vs. Callyu Gibrainn (Brazil)
Winner: Callyu Gibrainn by knockout in round 2.
Fight #9 – Cat. +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Marius Munteanu (Romania) vs. Francesko Xhaja (Albania)
Winner: Francesko Xhaja by knockout in round 1.
Fight #10 – Cat. +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Errol Koning (Netherlands) vs. Florin Ivanoaie (Romania)
Winner: Florin Ivanoaie by unanimous decision.
Fight #11 – Cat. -80 kg, KWU OPEN
Flavio Pina (Brazil) vs. Vladislav Kanchev (Bulgaria)
Winner: Vladislav Kanchev by spectacular knockout in round 2.
Fight #12 – Cat. -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT – European Title Fight
Andrej Kedves (Croatia) vs. Dragomir Petrov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Andrej Kedves by European Title victory after two knockdowns in round 3.
Special Awards at SENSHI 26 Gladiators:
- “Knockout of the Night” – Vladislav Kanchev
- “Fighting Spirit” – Diyan Dimitrov
- “Best Technique” – Andrej Kedves
The grand combat show SENSHI 26 Gladiators left the audience breathless. Follow SENSHI on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more photos, videos, and behind-the-scenes highlights from this epic fight night.
The next edition of SENSHI will take place in Bulgaria’s seaside capital, Varna, on July 12, 2025. Don’t miss the summer spectacle that awaits!
The 26th edition of Gala Night SENSHI 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 26 are Boec.BG and Boec.COM, Bulgaria ON AIR, MAX Sport, the American online combat sports television TrillerTV, Dir.bg, KWUnion.com, KyokushinKarate.News, Fighto.News and Novinata.bg.
