The Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv in Bulgaria transformed into an arena of combat glory during the spectacular SENSHI 26 Gladiators – an unforgettable gala night brimming with adrenaline, raw emotion, and fierce clashes between 24 modern-day gladiators representing 16 countries.
On this historic stage, 12 intense professional bouts unfolded under the KWU FULL CONTACT, KWU SENSHI, and KWU OPEN rulesets, once again solidifying SENSHI’s reputation as one of Europe’s premier combat sports promotions.
The event, held on May 17, united top-tier fighters from four continents: Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Among the warriors, four Bulgarian fighters delivered inspiring performances that electrified the passionate home crowd. The pinnacle of the evening was the highly anticipated European title bout in the -70 kg category, where Bulgarian kickboxing talent Dragomir Petrov went head-to-head with Croatian standout Andrej Kedves.
Beneath the open sky and in front of packed stands, SENSHI 26 Gladiators thrilled martial arts fans with action-packed battles, jaw-dropping knockouts, and displays of honor and perseverance that lasted until the final bell.
Here are all the results from the electrifying fight night:
Fight #1 – Category: -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Christian Baya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) vs. Samo Petje (Slovenia)
Winner: Samo Petje by unanimous decision.
Fight #2 – Category: -75 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Sabri Ben Henia (Belgium) vs. Atanas Bozhilov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Atanas Bozhilov by unanimous decision – securing his 22nd career victory.
Fight #3 – Category: -80 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Johan Koffi (France) vs. Michael Samperi (Italy)
Winner: Michael Samperi by unanimous decision.
Fight #4 – Category: -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Giannis Eminov (Greece) vs. Diyan Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Giannis Eminov by split decision.
Fight #5 – Category: -70 kg, KWU SENSHI – Rematch
Alisher Karmenov (Kazakhstan) vs. Victor Xavier (Brazil)
Winner: Alisher Karmenov by technical knockout in the third round.
Fight #6 – Category: -85 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Ulric Bokeme (Switzerland) vs. Joilton Lutterbach (Brazil)
Winner: Ulric Bokeme by unanimous decision after an extra round.
Fight #7 – Category: -95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Surat Garayev (Azerbaijan) vs. Yves Roland Oly (Ivory Coast)
Winner: Surat Garayev by technical knockout in the first round.
Fight #8 – Category: +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Arend van Montfoort (Netherlands) vs. Callyu Gibrainn (Brazil)
Winner: Callyu Gibrainn by knockout in the second round.
Fight #9 – Category: +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Marius Munteanu (Romania) vs. Francesko Xhaja (Albania)
Winner: Francesko Xhaja by knockout in the first round.
Fight #10 – Category: +95 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT
Errol Koning (Netherlands) vs. Florin Ivanoaie (Romania)
Winner: Florin Ivanoaie by unanimous decision.
Fight #11 – Category: -80 kg, KWU OPEN
Flavio Pina (Brazil) vs. Vladislav Kanchev (Bulgaria)
Winner: Vladislav Kanchev with a spectacular knockout in the second round.
Fight #12 – Category: -70 kg, KWU FULL CONTACT – European Title Fight
Andrej Kedves (Croatia) vs. Dragomir Petrov (Bulgaria)
Winner: Andrej Kedves claimed the European title after two knockdowns in the third round.
Special Awards from SENSHI 26 Gladiators:
Knockout of the Night – Vladislav Kanchev
Fighting Spirit – Diyan Dimitrov
Best Technique – Andrej Kedves
Baya
Petje
Ben Hеnia
Bozhilov
Koffi
Samperi
Eminov
Dimitrov
Karmenov
Xavier
Bokeme
Lutterbach
Garayev
Roland
van Montfoort
Gibrainn
Munteanu
Xhaja
Koning
Matei
Pina
Kanchev
Kedves
Petrov
The grand spectacle of SENSHI 26 Gladiators left the audience breathless and eager for more. Stay connected with SENSHI on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore exclusive photos, thrilling videos, and behind-the-scenes content from this epic fight night.
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.
