The Ultimate Olympian?
How much is an Olympic gold medal worth?
Well, that depends on where you’re from. What I can tell you for certain is that nobody from the United States will be living on Easy Street regardless of how well they perform at this year’s Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Stateside athletes pocket just $37,500 for capturing gold.
That’s why athletes like Henry Cejudo and Kayla Harrison were quick to pursue careers in mixed martial arts (MMA). Cejudo parlayed his gold medal in wrestling into a bantamweight title for UFC, while Harrison piggybacked on her judo gold medal to usurp the lightweight crown in PFL.
Karate practitioners could soon follow suit.
“Karate is making its Olympic debut, it’s a historic moment,” Karate Combat President Adam Kovacs announced. “Karate Combat is offering a six-digit contract to anyone who wins the Olympic gold medal in karate.”
Representatives from Karate Combat are on location in “The Land of the Rising Sun” and will also be recruiting select silver and bronze medalists, as well as non-medalists who deliver outstanding performances.
Both male and female.
“We want the elite karateka of Tokyo to know that their journey doesn’t end here, there’s a professional contract waiting for them if they want to take that next step,” Kovacs said. “There’s a long list of boxers who have won gold at the Olympics and went on to become legends as professionals. Karate fighters have never had that opportunity until now.”
The Olympic Games will play host to more than 80 karatekas spread across 37 countries.
Karate Combat returns to the airwaves this Thursday (Aug. 4) with its sixth event of Season 3, featuring Reda “The Cobra” Messaoudi battling Vasilii Antokhii, as well as Shanin Atamov taking on Bryan van Waesberghe in the main event.
For complete episodes and event recaps of Karate Combat click here.