SENSHI 32 Grand Prix: Kickboxing’s One-Night World Cup
While the FIFA World Cup holds the world’s attention this July, with 48 nations battling through, kickboxing is staging its own version of the same idea. On July 11, the beach arena at St. Constantine and Helena Resort in Varna, Bulgaria, hosts SENSHI 32 Grand Prix: a one-night, eight-man elimination tournament where 16 fighters from 13 countries meet under the open sky to decide a middleweight champion before the night is out. No second chances, no weeks between rounds. Three fights. One winner.
Right now, football’s World Cup is deep into its knockout phase. The round of 16 is in full swing, with England beating Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca, Norway knocking out five-time champions Brazil, and France, Morocco, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, USA, Belgium, Switzerland, and Colombia still fighting for quarter-final spots. Both events share the same core drama: nations lining up against each other, with elimination as the only outcome that matters.
The SENSHI Grand Prix: 13 Nations, One Night, One Belt
SENSHI 32 Grand Prix is the fourth Grand Prix tournament in SENSHI’s history and the first at the 85 kg middleweight limit. Sixteen fighters from Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, England, Albania, Algeria, Suriname, Tunisia, and Bulgaria enter the ring on July 11 starting at 7:30 PM EET / 12:30 PM EST.
The main bracket features eight fighters across four quarter-final bouts, with winners advancing through the semi-finals and into a championship final, all in the same evening. Two reserve fights sit alongside the bracket in case any competitor is unable to continue, and two super fights in the -75 kg and 95+ kg categories round out the card.
Viewers can watch the SENSHI 32 Grand Prix live and free worldwide on SENSHI’s YouTube channel or TrillerTV. People in the United States and Canada can tune in on Swerve Combat. Fans in Bulgaria can watch on Bulgaria ON AIR, DIEMA, and Max Sport 1.
Joshua Akingbade vs. Ali Yuzeir
Joshua Akingbade, nicknamed “Bad Boy,” is 23 years old and fights out of Dublin, Ireland. He trains at Origins Muay Thai and carries a professional record of 14 wins, 1 loss, and 11 knockouts across 15 fights. He won the Battle of Barock four-man tournament in 2026 and holds titles as a two-weight division Irish Muay Thai Champion and a two-weight division Four Nations Muay Thai Champion. His most recent outing was a decision win over Sergei Braun and Brice Kombu at Battle of Barock on April 25, 2026, at 85 kg. At 187 cm, he fights from both stances and describes his motivation simply: growth in sport, work, and life.
Ali Yuzeir is 27 years old athlete and fights out of Varna, the same city hosting the event. He is a home fighter in the fullest sense: born in Kubrat, Bulgaria, training with Team Vokil, and stepping into his own backyard beach arena. His professional record stands at 16 wins, 5 losses, and 7 knockouts. In SENSHI specifically, he is 2-0 with both wins coming by knockout, against Seraly Abilkassym at SENSHI 4 in 2019 and against Karim Mabrouk at SENSHI 29 in December 2025.
Away from kickboxing, Yuzeir is a 2018 Muay Thai World Champion, a 2015 European Vice-Champion, a 2017 Balkan Best Fighters K-1 Champion, and a three-time WAKO World Cup winner. He has competed on major international stages across multiple disciplines for over a decade.
David Szabo-Toth vs. Fabian Lorito
David Szabo-Toth is 25 years old and fights out of Gardony, Hungary, training at Toparti Sport Club. His professional record is 8 wins and 2 losses, with 3 knockouts. He comes through an extensive amateur career that includes the ISKA Amateur European Championship in 2025, the XFC Amateur World Championship in 2024, the WAKO World Cup in 2024, the WFMC Amateur World Championship in 2023, and more than ten Hungarian national titles between 2021 and 2026. His last three fights were all wins: a unanimous decision over Vito Kosar in Zagreb in April 2026, a TKO in round three over Karol Lasiewicki in Poland in November 2025, and a unanimous decision over Harrison Martyn at Total Kombat 2 in London in September 2025. He fights from both stances and is making his SENSHI debut.
Fabian Lorito is 26 years old, based in Switzerland with Italian roots, and represents Italy at SENSHI 32. He trains at Fight Team Stefanovski and David Gym and fights from both stances. His record shows 19 wins, 12 knockouts, and 2 losses. He holds the WAKO Pro K-1 European Championship from 2025, the WAKO Pro Low Kick World Championship from 2024, and the WKU European Championship from 2024. He has competed internationally in Japan, China, Portugal, Serbia, France, and Germany. In SENSHI, he is 1-1: a December 2025 KO victory over Alexandru Velenciuc at SENSHI 29, and a unanimous decision loss to Ulric Bokeme at SENSHI 27 in July 2025. Those two are on opposite sides of this bracket, which means a rematch is mathematically possible if both reach the final.
Ulric Bokeme vs. Juri De Sousa
Ulric Bokeme is 35 years old, Swiss-Congolese, and fights out of Geneva for Switzerland. He trains at Singto Gym and has been competing professionally since 2013. His pro record stands at 30 wins, 17 by knockout, and 5 losses. He is a Swiss Kickboxing Champion and a WFC European Champion. His SENSHI record is a perfect 3-0: unanimous decision wins over Joilton Lutterbach at SENSHI 26, Fabian Lorito at SENSHI 27, and Francis Goma at SENSHI 29, all in the past calendar year. He has been one of the most active and consistent performers in the promotion heading into this Grand Prix.
Juri De Sousa is 31 years old, German-born, and competes under the Portuguese flag. He trains at Sousas Elite Gym in Mannheim and fights in an orthodox stance. His professional record covers 70 fights, 56 wins, 21 knockouts, and 14 losses. He is a World, European, and German Kickboxing Champion, and in 2026 he won the It’s Fight Time tournament in Germany with a first-round knockout of Redouan Yaakoubi on June 6.
He also won the Mix Fight Championship in December 2024 over Niko Nikolov by decision. His most recent defeat came against Francys Gomis at Glory Kickboxing in July 2024. At 188 cm and with 70 professional fights behind him, De Sousa is one of the most experienced men in the entire Grand Prix field.
Miles Simson vs. Olivier Langlois-Ross
Miles Simson is 34 years old and represents Suriname while living and training in Haarlem, Netherlands. He fights from both stances, has been competing for 20 years, and trains at Team Simson. His professional record is 84 fights, 69 wins, 15 losses, and 26 knockouts. His titles include the WFCA Dutch Kickboxing Championship, two Enfusion ECE World Championships, and the SLAMM Muay Thai World Championship. He also holds the WFCA Dutch Thaiboxing and WMTA Dutch Muay Thai titles. With close to eight-and-a-half dozen fights on his record, Simson brings a depth of experience that few at 85 kg can match.
Olivier Langlois-Ross is 35 years old, Canadian, and currently based in Novi Sad, Serbia, where he trains at KBK Tron and CDS. He fights southpaw and has been competing for over 20 years. His career record is 52 wins, 37 losses, and 15 knockouts. He is a former K-Energy eight-man tournament champion from 2019, a 2018 WMO Thailand Champion, and a 2014 Thepprasit Stadium Super Heavyweight Champion.
In SENSHI, he has appeared four times: wins over Sebastian Lutaniuc at SENSHI 18 and Ivan Bartek at SENSHI 15, and losses to Lukas Achterberg at SENSHI 16 and Stefan Latescu by KO at SENSHI 12. His most recent bout before SENSHI 32 was a points loss to Aleksandr Djukic at Armmada on March 14, 2026. He is a SENSHI veteran who knows the format.
Angelo Mirno vs. Ricardo Luckei – Reserve Bout
Angelo Mirno is 23 years old and fights out of Foggia, Italy. He trains at Team Mirno and stands at 182 cm in an orthodox stance. His record sits at 32 wins, 6 losses, and 23 knockouts from 38 professional fights. He is a WKU World Champion from 2025 and a WFMC European Champion. His last three outings were a win over Raciti at KAYAN Dubai on May 30, 2026, a loss to Avramidis at Martin Fight Night on March 28, 2026, and his WKU world title victory over Sam Plet on October 29, 2025.
Ricardo Luckei is 28 years old and comes from GuaÃba, Brazil, where he trains at SENSHI RS. He fights in an orthodox stance and holds a 1st dan grade. His professional record covers 35 fights. He is the KWU SENSHI World Cup Champion from 2024, a double WKA World Champion in K-1 Rules and Full Contact from 2025, and an ISKA South American Champion from 2024. He also received the Best Technique award at the SENSHI World Cup. His last three fights include two WKA World Championship knockout victories in October 2025 and a decision title defense over Cristian Perin at JVT Fight Night 9. He is the most decorated fighter in this reserve pairing and would be a serious threat if called into the main bracket.
Ramy Deghir vs. Sharif Ben Mabrouk – Reserve Bout
Ramy Deghir is 30 years old, French-based, and competes under the Algerian flag. He trains at Mahmoudi Gym in Le Plessis Trevise and has been competing for 11 years. His record is 8 wins and 3 losses. He holds the French Professional Championship from 2023 and two WAKO European Universities silver medals. His most recent fights include a unanimous decision win over Cauwenberg Mamba in June 2025, a narrow VBS loss to Fabian Lorito in February 2025 and a unanimous decision loss to Serkan Ozcaglayan at GLORY Collision 7 in December 2024. Outside the ring, Deghir works as an accountant in Paris for an organization that supports young people with career development.
Sharif Ben Mabrouk is 22 years old athlete based in The Hague, Netherlands, and competes for Tunisia. He trains at ARJ Gym and has been training for eight years. His record covers 12 professional fights. He is the Honor Fight League World Champion from 2025 and a Honor Fight League 7 winner. His recent fights include a doctor stoppage win over Rudsel Zinhagel, a points loss to Soufiane Abdelkhalek at Heresh XL, and a TKO win over John Granville at Honor Fight League. At 190 cm and 22 years old, he is one of the tallest and youngest fighters across the entire card.
Nathan Cook vs. Francesko Xhaja 95+ kg Super Fight
Nathan Cook is 29 years old and fights out of Reading, England. He stands at 198 cm and competes at a walking weight of 117 kg in the heavyweight division. His professional record is 7 wins, 6 by knockout, and 3 losses. He holds the MTGP Muay Thai British Championship, the Muay Thai European Championship, and the ISKA British Championship. Away from fighting, he holds a Master’s degree in Osteopathy. He has been training since 2018 and has turned his competitive and academic careers into parallel tracks.
“Smile” Francesko Xhaja is 32 years old, Albanian-born, and lives in Treviso, Italy. He stands at 194 cm and has a professional record of 21 wins, 8 knockouts, and 8 losses. He is a former Ultimate Fight Night winner from 2021 and a Megdan 8 winner from 2020.
His SENSHI record is active: he beat Abdarhmane Coulibaly by KO at SENSHI 27 in July 2025, beat Marius Munteanu by KO at SENSHI 26 in May 2025, and lost by KO to Rhys Brudenell at SENSHI 28 in September 2025. He also appeared at SENSHI 30 in February 2026, taking a unanimous decision win over Giannis Stoforidis. Xhaja is one of the most familiar faces on this card for the SENSHI audience.
Daniele Valente vs. Zhulien Rikov -75 kg Super Fight
Daniele Valente is 23 years old, from Foligno, Italy, and trains at MKG. He fights from both stances at a competition weight of 73 kg. His professional record covers 5 fights: 3 wins, including 1 by knockout, and 2 losses. He is the Italian Kickboxing Champion and the Italian and World XFC Champion. He appeared at SENSHI 24 in December 2024, taking a unanimous decision win over Petar Stoykov. This fight with Rikov is his return to Bulgaria.
Zhulien Rikov is 20 years old, from Dobrich, Bulgaria, and trains at Desant Kickboxing. He fights in an orthodox stance and stands at 190 cm. He is the reigning SENSHI Welterweight Grand Prix Champion, having won the 75 kg title at SENSHI 30 in February 2026 by defeating Christian Baya, Constantin Rusu, and Carlos Barbosa in three separate bouts across a single night.
He also has wins over Marius-Cristian Cimpoieru at SENSHI 29 and Corneliu Lisii at SENSHI 27. Outside of SENSHI, he is a two-time World Cup winner, a two-time European Cup champion, and an eight-time Bulgarian national champion. His February triumph earned him the fan nickname “Lionheart” and caught the attention of Dutch legend Albert Kraus, who returns as part of the officiating team on July 11. Rikov is 20 years old. The Grand Prix belt he won in February was not enough, he is back on the same beach looking for more.
With the FIFA World Cup in its knockout rounds and SENSHI 32 landing on the same weekend, July 11 is shaping up to be a strong night for anyone who enjoys watching nations go head to head under elimination rules.
