I found this on the Full Contact Fighter website.



It looks like Chuck Norris is wanting to start a "league" of team-based Kickboxing competition, similar to how amateur wrestling teams compete. This is a trial run of 8 teams to see if the league will fly. Here is a quote from the article...


"How does the WCL work? Teams consist of seven members, pre-matched by weight and sex with their opposing team. Each competitor fights one three-minute round against his or her challenger and is scored on a "modified five-point must" system. After all seven individual rounds have concluded, a half-time period allows coaches to strategize and prepare their athletes for a second and final round with the same opponent (fighters KO or TKOed do not continue on). Final scores are tallied at the end to determine the victorious team.

Jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, back fists and spinning backfists above the waist are a go; clinching, wrestling, sweeping, or throwing are a no-no. Knees to the head are allowed above the waist and to the front and side of the torso. Roundhouse kicks may be delivered to the inside and outside of the front leg, above the knee. All competitors wear Commission-approved gloves and padded shin, instep, and foot protection commonly utilized in American kickboxing events.

With bouts held in a specially designed circular ring surrounded by a 10-inch lip that is elevated 18 inches off the ground, the WCL's 2006 season of eight teams will also host playoffs and a "Crystal Glove" championship to crown the "toughest city."

Here is the full article

Padding for 1 round???? LMAO!!!! How can you see above the knee while wearing pants? Knees to the head without clinching? Who wrote these rules?

ISKA President Cory Schafer did. However, he has started allowing me to do amateur MT with elbows to the head, which is a first for ISKA. As you know, Norris is a FCR fan, and he thought to revive it again with the WCL. Problem is, FCR is long gone, and we all have to start adding low kicks & knees to be able to compete with MMA. I promote a lot of shows, and if I make all the amateurs wear all that protective crap, the fans will lose interest in Kickboxing alltogether. The rules for the WCL are a compromise, that is why you see so many FCR guys in the mix. I do believe that a limited clinch and kicks below the knee would be better!

Lane

Aside from the long pants and padding for one round, those rules sound very similar to the rules of K-1 USA, the last I checked.

Sounds ridiculous to me, why would you wanna fight on it?

$$$ £££ €€€ ???

I agree with the ridiculous comment on rules.

I just returned from the WCL! All the fighters were treated the best ever! Chuck and his staff are very dedicated to making it work! Yes some may say it sounds rediculous but being able to see it on the tv while in the dressing room it actually looked really cool and professional. With the commentators Don the dragon and being able to see scores on the screen while the fights were going on. They have their bumps to smooth out but I am sure not everything with basketball, football etc. was smooth when they started.
With the team concept I think and many others think it will develop a larger fan base for the sport! Wouldn't it be nice to see kickboxing catch up or surpass mma? The buzz is already out to buy teams from what we heard. There were some good fights and the point fighters did very well and surprised alot of people! Team Houston edged out the L.A. Stars by just a few points. I missed the last two teams due to getting stitches in my head. There were lots of cuts 6 I think went to the hospital for stitches. Everyone is allowed to their opinion but so far there is no $ in our sport so this seems like a good step with all the right people behind it. Chuck is very sincere and him and all of his staff want to see more like all of us be able to make livings doing what we all love!!

Thanks alot Ryan

Cool, how did you do in your bout Ryan?

Ryan won by DQ when Peyton Russell hit him with his forearm.

Lane

Thanks Lane, Hang in there Ryan these things happen. Good luck on your next bout

Hmm. I dunno. The team concept is pretty interesting. Some shows have a group of fighters from one gym fighting another gym. It's similar to that, I suppose. That factor on those shows seems to make it pretty interesting.

I have serious doubts that the rules used would allow it to surpass MMA. In most MMA events, like the UFC, they can do pretty much full Muay thai rules on their feet, elbows, knees to the head and full clinching. Well, there are no downward or "spiking" elbows allowed, but I think those are rarely thrown in Muay Thai anyway.

But, aside from competing with MMA, I think the team concept could be a pretty interesting thing for establishing a professional kickboxing league, if that concept were ever possible.

I noticed pet spratt in the pic.

Golded Glove boxer and trained in muay thai by Saekson Janjira up in Dallas or that was the last time I'd seen him a few years back.

Anyword on his fight?

who is the cat up front in the second picture. Not to be rude but it looks like he has boobs (@)(@)

Pete Spratt defeated Colby Snyder 2-0. On the IKF message board there was talk of 4,000 fans and cameras everywhere. Sounds like an exciting show to be a part of.

anyone have full results?

cool...thanks for the update

any footage? i dont like the sound of the rules but I would like to see it

Looks like an interesting concept that will generate a bit of interest. It won't last long but it will send new kickboxing fans our way. We'll see a new generation of noobs appearing asking questions like "Who would have won in their respective primes, Andy or Chuck?"

I am intereted in seeing it. Not real sure how well it will do on t.v. But with Chuck behind it, they'll get a shot. Think he was actually saying possibly ESPN. In that first picture. I do notice Pete Spratt. And I believe, if not mistaken, that is Guy Mezger in the very back.

I got to think if your going to try and compete with mma now-a-days, Muay Thai kickboxing would be the best choice, or something similar to Shootboxing.

Couldn't agree with you more Roger. MMA has made significant progress in the past couple of years with the resurrected UFC with the reality-based TUF 1 & 2. A lot of people are interested in watching MMA and training MMA. But to compete with it doing only standup, I concur that a harder style, like FULL muayThai or even San Da or shootboxing is the way to go. But diluting these into rules like the K-1 and this stuff probably won't last IMHO.

i really think if a station like spike or even spike themselves picks up superleague or k-1 maxx,they would do really good.

if you would show real muaythai,i think the fights themselves would be appreciated but not the traditional stuff.

sanda i don't think would do it either.i can appreciate their skills and everything else but i hate to watch guys continually picking their asses up off the ground every 30 sec..having their gloves wiped off,waiting for the refs score,start again,get thrown,repeat.

curtis bush whom i never ever agree with said a very profound thing.on the first ultimate fighter,everyone raved about the fight between forrest griffin and stephan bonner.90% of that fight was kickboxing,and only decent kickboxing.ppl loved this fight,could you imagine if they got to see some real good superleague fights or some real good muaythai fights.they love elbows.show them some fights that were elbow wars by guys who are specialist with them.

i think it would help alot.

Kirk - you make excellent points. With the progress being made to showcase pro muayThai with full rules in the US in the works, it will only be a matter of time. I've mentioned this on the forum before, that if Spike TV were to pickup K-1 Max and yes, the SL would be great too.

LOL

Pisand-You get my email about the free fight? I think I will be deleting the Lindsay vs Real Fight for lack of content.

Lane

K-1 might be better off doing MAX shows in the U.S. then the heavyweight stuff.

I agree with k1 showing or doing more k1 max not only in America but the rest of the world.


To make things more interesting they should put chucks fighters against some Muay Thai fighters.

kirk

I also had that same observation. In fact, it is an observation that applies for many popular MMA fights. People enjoy watching Vanderlei Silva, Chuck Lidell and CroCop in MMA because they have a tendency to stay on their feet and basically fight Kickboxing.

To play devil's advocate though, perhaps the fighting-on-their-feet excitement is more hightened because of the danger of being taken down. In my opinion, because of the danger of being taken down, MMA stand-up fighters tend to throw bigger and more explosive shots. More bombs thrown. Fewer jabs, etc.

One thing with mma with the gloves being what they are. It is just basically another fist wrapped around your own. More punches can slip through your opponent's defense. MMA stand-up still has the element of a bare-knuckle fight which I think adds to the appeal.