Previewing the QUAYHAGEN vs ROCHA Main Event Fight

The first Super Fight in Karate Combat history...

is coming to you at #KC35, live from the backlot of Universal Studios Florida on August 27th!

The main event of this historic card is between two battle tested veterans of The Pit, Welterweight Champion Joshua “The Preacher” Quayhagen and Lightweight Champion Luiz “Pitbull” Rocha.

This historic fight stems from a call-out made by Luiz Rocha after claiming his world title from previously undefeated Edgars Skrivers in a vicious KO sequence. Since then, Rocha has been looking for this fight.

To all the fans' excitement, the Welterweight Champion gladly accepted his challenge. And Karate Combat is making it happen.

Click the Screenshot to see the video on Instagram

Lightweight Champion Luiz Rocha is a protégé of the Pitbull Brothers MMA Gym in Natal, Brazil and has been seen training with League Sensei Lyoto Machida as well. It should come to no surprise then that his fighting style is very reminiscent of these MMA legends.

In traditional Shotokan Karate fashion, his game revolves around feinting, reading his opponent, and waiting for the right moment to blitz in from a long range. But Luiz finds more success than many other blitz fighters: every time he blitzes he is either keeping space or taking space from his opponent.

Luiz won his title by defeating the previously unbeaten Skrivers

Overall, his fighting style is a great example of the traditional Karate concept known as Ikken Hissatsu 拳必殺 or to “annihilate with one strike”. While Rocha respects his opponents outside the Pit, inside he looks to score a finish from the very start.

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Finishing a fighter like Josh Quayhagen is a tall order for anyone. Muay Thai World Champion Cosmo Alexandre found this out the hard way in his Bellator MMA Debut against Quayhagen. The Preacher would utilize his superior footwork and angles to win a unanimous decision against the Muay Thai Powerhouse.

Quayhagen won "The Bushido Spirit" Award for his Title Defense vs Gustavo

While the Pitbull and the Preacher are both blitz fighters, Quayhagen’s American Karate style differs from Rocha’s more traditional karate style. American Karate traditionally uses more of the lead hand and lead leg than the more traditional styles of Karate. This can be seen clearly when Quayhagen fights in a southpaw stance. American Karate also focuses less on seizing opportunities and more on creating them in striking exchanges.

For me, this fight will answer the question as to who the pound for pound baddest Karateka in the Pit is.

(Click here to see my current Karate Combat rankings.)

The only way to find out is by watching live on August 27th.