Karate Combat Pushing Technology for the Future of Combat Sports

Unique and exotic locations are not all Karate Combat is up to.

High atop the One World Trade Center observation deck in New York City, the invite-only “Karate Combat: One World” event featured explosive karate techniques with video game-themed backdrops reminiscent of a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. But the atmosphere is not the only unique element the promotion is doing; the other is finding more ways to display the science of fighting.

Gloves fitted with technology to measure heart-rate and striking data were something that was talked about since the organization launched, but in New York it was taken to a new level.

Fighters were fitted with mouth guards that had the technology to not only measure brain health, but the extent of damage athletes took during the bouts. Quadrant Biosciences is behind the mouth guards and a representative was at the event ready to gather data from fighters that took significant blows to the head.

The last few Karate Combat events showed that if there were ever a promotion that had a significant number of knockouts to track, their lineups would certainly fit the bill. There were only three finishes at “Karate Combat: One World,” but knowing the technology is out there that can measure damage somehow has to mean good news for the future of combat sports.

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu Karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since UFC 1. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.