Karate Combat Signs Former Bellator Champion Raymond Daniels

Raymond Daniels is headed to Karate Combat, as the former champion has signed a deal with the promotion.

Daniels, who won the Bellator kickboxing title, is also a former title challenger in Glory. He will make his debut at Karate Combat 35 this month.

Karate Combat 35 takes place August 27 from The Backlot at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of combat sports, and the best-ever American karateka to enter the professional fighting circuit, Daniels has won numerous national and world championships in the course of his storied career.

Beginning as an amateur on the sport-karate circuit he won ten world titles and numerous tournament championships before crossing over into professional kickboxing, where he twice challenged for Glory championships and recently won the Bellator kickboxing championship, which he is now vacating as he joins Karate Combat.

“We’re excited to welcome Daniels to the league. He’s a name I had on my hit list from day one and glad we got the deal done. His resume speaks for itself. He’s an all-time great and I am excited to see what he does in The Pit. Recently we’ve signed Gabriel Varga, Rafael Aghayev, several world champions from other organizations and now Raymond Daniels. Karate Combat is becoming a world leader in stand-up fighting.” said Adam Kovacs, Karate Combat President.

Among the fellow fighters and industry figures to have lauded his skills are Georges St-Pierre, who says Daniels is “the best striker I’ve ever seen”, and noted trainer Duke Roufus, who described one of Daniels’ spin-kick finishes as “the knockout of the century”.

Daniels said, “Karate is my first love and is what has made me stand out in all the other sports I’ve fought in. In MMA and kickboxing I’ve not even been able to use my full repertoire of karate techniques so I’m very excited to be able to show the fans things they’ve never seen before. I love everything about Karate Combat, from the rules to The Pit to the production. I am very excited to be here and in a way it’s a homecoming for me.”