KurdishMMA

Kickboxing and muay thai

Kurdish kickboxing

The ring came before the cage. Two Kurdish fighters show what that looks like at world level: one who stayed and won a title, one who crossed over.

Cudi desk · Updated 2026-08-03

A world title from Dersim

Erivan Barut, born 26 June 2000 in Dersim, in Bakur, took the WAKO-Pro world low kick title at flyweight in 2023, the same year she won a WAKO world championship at forty eight kilograms. She trains at Dersim Kickbox and has also fought at K-1 (Wikipedia, 2026). She is the clearest answer to anyone who assumes Kurdish combat sports means men only.

From Glory to the cage

Cihad Akipa from Mêrdîn built a kickboxing record of forty nine wins and twelve losses with eighteen knockouts, competed in Glory, and since 2024 fights at middleweight in Oktagon MMA (Glory Kickboxing, 2026). Crossing from striking to mixed martial arts in public, in front of an audience that already knows you, is the harder direction to travel. Read his full profile.

Kickboxers in the register

Name Sport Record Roots Based in
Cihad Akipa
The Punisher 		Kickboxing, MMA 12-2 Merdin (Mardin), Bakur Germany
Erivan Barut Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Boxing (amateur) 5-1 Dersim, Bakur n.a.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Kurdish kickboxing world champion?

Yes. Erivan Barut from Dersim won the WAKO-Pro world low kick title at flyweight in 2023, alongside a WAKO world championship the same year (Wikipedia, 2026).

Who is Cihad Akipa?

A fighter from Mêrdîn who competed in Glory kickboxing and now fights at middleweight in Oktagon MMA. Glory lists his kickboxing record as forty nine wins and twelve losses with eighteen knockouts (Glory Kickboxing, 2026).

What is the difference between kickboxing and muay thai here?

Both appear in this register. Muay thai allows elbows and clinch work that most kickboxing rulesets restrict, and several fighters compete under both sets of rules.

Sources

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