This Saturday, Varna will host SENSHI 28, bringing another night of international kickboxing to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The card is headlined by an eight-man Heavyweight Grand Prix, with established names and new prospects competing for the tournament title. The line-up features fighters with backgrounds in GLORY, ONE, K-1 and Muay Thai, making for a diverse field with different styles and levels of experience.
SENSHI
Founded in 2018, SENSHI has carved out a unique spot on the European kickboxing map. The promotion, based in Bulgaria, promotes kickboxing with the traditional value's from Kyokushin karate. With its glamorous seaside setting in Varna and regular appearances from legends of the sport in the corner or as referees, SENSHI has become both a showcase for rising talent and a proving ground for heavy-hitters looking to make a name on the global stage. With the 28th edition the Bulgarian promotor brings back the tournament style fighting, fans got to know in the 90's and 00's during the golden era of kickboxing.
HOW TO WATCH
SENSHI 28 will be streamed live on the official ThrillerTV, Senshi website and YouTube channel, with free access worldwide.
The event begins at 7:00 p.m. local time in Varna (EEST).
- Central Europe (CEST): 6:00 p.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 5:00 p.m.
- United States (ET): 12:00 p.m.
- United States (PT): 9:00 a.m.
GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Francesko Xhaja vs. Rhys Brudenell
The quarter finals kick off with a clash of two favourites for this Grand Prix. Xhaja is a familiar face for the Varna audience. The Italian Albanian fought several times in SENSHI and has established himself as one of the best Heavyweights outside Glory. In recent fights Xhaja has been implementing a lot of calf kicks. Question will be if head coach Said el Badaoui (SB Gym) has the kicks also in the gameplan for this Grand Prix. His opponent Brudenell proved last year to be a true tournament fighter with 3 KO finishes in the K-1 Sicily qualifier. The Brit will lean on his powerful punches to win.
Bruno Chaves vs. Thomas Bridgewater
Bruno Chaves has seen it all in the current kickboxing landscape: GLORY, ONE, SENSHI, Karate Combat. You name it, he has been there. The Brazilian primarily uses his boxing, hence the nickname “Muhammed Ali” and not without succes. Chaves is one of the favourites to win the tournament. The name of his opponent Thomas Bridgewater immediately raises some eyes. The older brother of GLORY star Levi Rigters has been away from kickboxing for more than 2 years and seemed to have left the sport for good. Apperantly his brother succes has brought him some new motivation, Cause for the past year he has been working hard on his comeback at ARJ Gym with big names like his brother Levi, Nico Horta and Tarik Khbabez.
Ali Badawi vs. Samet Agdeve
On the other side of the bracket we find two of the hottest prospect in heavyweight kickboxing at the moment. The 21 year old Agdeve is still unbeaten in his young professional career. The Turkish prospect has an aggressive style that is fun to watch and is always hunting for the knock out. In his SENSHI debut he defeated Greek veteran Giannis Stoforidis. Facing him in the ring this Saturday is Ali Badawi, a 25 year old, Swiss-Lebanese well rounded heavyweight. Badawi earned his place in the tournament by defeating former ISKA world champion Maasila Hamaili with a spectacular head kick knock out.
Hamza Ourahou vs. Gerrardo Atti
WBC Muay Thai champion Gerrardo Atti will likely be the lightest fighter in the line up. The German fighter normally fights at Light Heavyweight and under Muay Thai rules. It will be interesting to see how he will cope with the big changes. One thing is for certain, his opponent can prepare for a scrap. Atti has showed his fighter heart more than once in his many Thai fights. Ourahou steps up as a late replacement for Cihad Kepenek and later Cristian Ristea, who both recently lost at Glory 103. The 25-year-old Belgian Moroccan will have to try to use his weight advantage and power to progress to the next round.
