The best kickboxing organizations in the world are K-1, GLORY Kickboxing, ONE Championship, and RISE. Kickboxing continues to grow in popularity across the globe, attracting millions of fans with its fast-paced action, technical striking, and explosive knockouts. While various promotions operate internationally, only a few truly stand out as leaders in the sport. Below, we explore the five best kickboxing organizations in the world, each offering a unique approach to the sport and featuring some of the best fighters on the planet.
Here’s a list of the four most respected and exciting kickboxing promotions globally.
Top Kickboxing Organizations in the World: 4 Best Promotions
1. K-1: Best in Entertaining Kickboxing Fights
K-1 is one of the most iconic names in kickboxing history. Founded in Japan in 1993, it brought together top fighters from disciplines like karate, Muay Thai, and full-contact kickboxing into a single tournament format. K-1’s popularity exploded in the early 2000s with its heavyweight World Grand Prix events.
What makes K-1 particularly entertaining is its emphasis on aggression and knockout finishes. Aggression is thought to be strongly considered in scoring, compared to Glory Kickboxing, which can make for more exciting fights. While its global prominence has faded since its golden era, K-1 still hosts high-level events in Japan, particularly in the lighter weight divisions, and remains a favorite among purist fans of striking arts.
Website: https://www.k-1.world/
2. Glory Kickboxing: The Biggest Kickboxing Organization
GLORY Kickboxing stands as the largest and most popular kickboxing organization in the world today. Founded in 2012, it quickly became the successor to K-1’s global legacy, attracting top talent from around the world and establishing a strong presence in Europe and North America.
GLORY is known for its professional structure, weight divisions, and polished event production. Fans of boxing matches would probably enjoy the fights in Glory the most. Its events are broadcast in over 100 countries and often held in major cities like Rotterdam, Paris, and Chicago. GLORY has become the go-to promotion for fans seeking high-level kickboxing with international reach.
Website: https://glorykickboxing.com/
3. ONE Championship (Formerly ONE Fighting Championship/ONE FC)
ONE Championship is best known for MMA, but it also promotes elite-level kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts under its global ruleset. ONE Championship’s kickboxing division was officially launched in 2018. The promotion also differentiates itself by holding many of its striking fights inside a cage rather than a ring.
Though ONE’s kickboxing events are generally less prominent than its MMA and Muay Thai offerings, they still feature incredibly high-level matchups. ONE’s kickboxing division includes some of the most technical strikers in the sport. While not the most popular platform for kickboxing fans overall, ONE’s striking divisions are respected for their quality and depth.
Website: https://www.onefc.com/
4. RISE: Great Production Quality, Limited Reach
RISE is a Japanese kickboxing promotion that focuses on speed, precision, and clean technique—especially in the lighter weight classes. RISE Kickboxing (also known as RISE Fighting) was founded in 2003 in Japan. It has gained a loyal following within Japan thanks to high-paced fights and a strong pool of homegrown talent, including fighters like Tenshin Nasukawa, who gained international fame before moving to boxing.
Although RISE events are often praised for their entertainment value and skill level, the promotion has limited visibility outside Japan. Its lack of English-language broadcasting and international expansion has kept it from reaching the global recognition that K-1 or GLORY enjoys.
Website: https://rise-rc.com/
Interested in learning kickboxing in Metro Vancouver? Try a free trial beginner class at Art of Kickboxing today!
Art of Kickboxing
Address: 4471 No. 6 Road, Unit 125A, Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 1P8
Phone: 604‑805‑3382
Email: artokickboxing@gmail.com
