Machida protege Bruno Souza faces former champion Edgars Skrivers at Karate Combat 36

Orlando, FL – Fresh off a standout performance in his Karate Combat debut last month, Bruno ‘The Tiger’ Souza is looking to accelerate himself into world title contention when he takes on former lightweight champion Edgars’ The Bearslayer’ Skrivers in the main. Karate Combat 36 event when the organization returns to The Backlot at Universal Studios Florida on Saturday, October 29.

Scheduled for five rounds, this main event bout will be the toughest challenge of both men’s careers, with UFC veteran and former LFA champion Souza taking on a fighter who reigned in the division until earlier this year.

The winner will immediately step into the title contender picture and join the pool of potential challengers looking to give reigning lightweight champion Luiz Victor Rocha a shot when the Brazilian dynamo, who defeated Josh Quayhagen in a super champion fight against champion last month, put your next belt on the line.

The former Karate Combat Skrivers lightweight champion has been a dominant force in the division, undefeated in four fights until the rematch with Rocha earlier this year, where he suffered the first loss of his career.

With the score between Rocha and Skrivers now at 1-1, he is eager to get back into contention and regain his title by winning a decider that will also see him win the trilogy.

Standing in the way is Souza, who trained with sensei Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida from the age of four at the Machida Dojo in his native Belem, Brazil and holds black belts in Machida Karate plus judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Now based in Los Angeles, he competed for the Legacy Fighting Alliance, promoted by Ed Soares, Anderson Silva’s longtime manager, and won the LFA Featherweight Championship in August 2021 before moving on to the UFC.

Last month he made an auspicious debut at Karate Combat 35, winning a clear unanimous decision after three dynamic rounds of fighting. Come October, he’s looking to accelerate into title contention by taking out the former champion.

The October 36 Karate Combat card will also feature the Karate Combat debut of James Vick, a 14-fight UFC veteran with roots in karate.

Vick faced some familiar names from the MMA world during his eight-year UFC career, including recent UFC lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje, and brings extensive experience to the Karate Combat Pit.

First to welcome him to The Pit will be four-fight Karate Combat veteran Jorge Perez, a heavy-handed middleweight from the Dominican Republic who has secured both of his Karate Combat victories by stoppage.

New contenders in the bantamweight (135 lbs/61 kgs) division, ruled by Irish champion Eoghan Chelmiah, look set to emerge in the coming months, starting with two contests on this card.

Kalvis Kalnins, who is turning pro after competing in the 2020 Olympics, makes his Karate Combat debut at bantamweight against newcomer Tom Soulliere of France, while in an All-American fight, Damian Villa takes on to the newcomer Maximilliano Larrosa.

Also confirmed for the Karate Combat 36 undercard is Greek contender Christina Kavakopoulou, who looks to move one step closer to title contention when she takes on American newcomer Kaye Asesor in a strawweight bout (115 lbs/ 52 kgs), and there will be more exciting new talent. was shown when Elvin Aghayev from Azerbaijan faces Chayil Calaway from USA in a heavyweight (205 lbs / +93 kgs) fight.

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. He is passionate about combat sports and also hosts a podcast for Sitting Ringside. He is also a former MMA Fighter and Kickboxer.

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