What is Krush? K-1’s Feeder promotion to build up future kickboxing stars

Everyone has heard of top Kickboxing promotions like ONE, RISE, and, of course, the legendary K-1. However, if you are an MMA aficionado, you’ll probably notice that MMA doesn’t have a proper regional scene, although the PFL is currently trying to create one. So we see lesser promotions, such as LFA, being used to attract the top talent from the regional scene and propel them to the biggest promotions in MMA, most notably the UFC.

Does this exist in kickboxing? Yes, it does! And it’s surprisingly cool. Enter KRUSH, K-1’s very own in-house feeder promotion that exists to mold and propel the future of the sport of kickboxing to the top of K-1.

KRUSH is the biggest minor league in kickboxing today

Krush, despite being a feeder promotion and, as a result, a minor league in comparison to the main K-1 promotion. This hasn’t stopped it from creating some of the biggest names in modern kickboxing. The generational great Takeru Segawa made his start and built a great legacy in Krush, where he proved his stripes and refined his style against the best of the national Japanese talent he would face, such as Nobuchika Terado and Taiga Kawabe, who are both notable world champions.

So, despite not being the pinnacle of the sport by any means, it’s not low-level either. Krush is the proving ground for Japanese kickboxers and international fighters, as anyone can compete in Krush regardless of national origin. They can earn their way onto the most prestigious stage in kickboxing and truly make their career take off, even if they never become a K-1 champion.

Also, the fights in Krush are just fantastic. Despite the lower skill level, it doesn’t diminish the excitement from the fights, as the young guns go after each other in fights and show off who really wants it more, much like we see on Dana White’s Contender series for the UFC.

What does winning a Krush Title Mean?

While Krush calls its title a world title, it’s clear that it isn’t on the same level as the K-1 proper title or any of the major promotion belts. So, the most accurate way to describe this belt is maybe to say it’s a minor world title, much like how the IBO belt is a minor world title in boxing. However, Krush still isn’t even on the level of the IBO in boxing, as the ISKA world titles are more apt comparisons to IBO boxing titles.

So, to describe the Krush title even more accurately, it is either a Japanese national kickboxing title or a regional Asian title in kickboxing. Two things that are nonexistent in MMA are very much a thing in Boxing, which has many national and regional titles.