Zhulien Rikov (Bulgaria) is the big champion of the first SENSHI Grand Prix in the 75 kg category. After a total of 10 rounds across three tough qualifying stages, the 19-year-old kickboxer overcame three outstanding opponents to earn his first Grand Prix title in SENSHI. The victory came on February 28 at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, during the 30th anniversary edition of SENSHI 30 – the first of five planned events for 2026.
In his opening qualifying bout, Rikov defeated Brazil’s Carlos Barbosa. In the semifinal, he faced Constantin Rusu of Moldova. The match was so evenly contested that the judges required an additional fourth round to determine the winner — Zhulien Rikov.
In the final, the 19-year-old Bulgarian — also the youngest competitor in the tournament bracket — faced the oldest participant, 35-year-old Christian Baya of DR Congo. Baya secured his place in the final after two fast and decisive first-round knockouts against Konstantin Stoykov and Jordi Requejo of Spain. After three hard-fought rounds, Rikov triumphed, claiming the championship belt and igniting the crowd, who chanted his name throughout the night.
Check out the Full Results from SENSHI 30 Grand Prix:
- SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Qualifying Bout:
Carlos Barbosa (Brazil) vs. Zhulien Rikov (Bulgaria) – Rikov wins by split decision. - SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Qualifying Bout:
Konstantin Rusu (Moldova) vs. Florin Lambagiu (Romania) – Rusu wins by unanimous decision. - SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Reserve Bout:
Aibek Amanov (Kazakhstan) vs. Viktor Krashevski (Bulgaria) – Amanov wins after Krashevski retires due to injury. - SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Reserve Bout:
Fernando Tigre (Portugal) vs. David Kinhefner (Hungary) – Tigre wins by unanimous decision. - SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Qualifying Bout:
Jordi Requejo (Spain) vs. Konstantin Stoykov (Bulgaria) – Requejo wins by unanimous decision. - SENSHI 30 Grand Prix – Qualifying Bout:
Jorge Davila (Spain) vs. Christian Baya (DR Congo) – Baya wins by first-round knockout at 01:50 minutes. - Super Fight, KWU Full Contact (-70 kg):
Hirokatsu Miyagi (Japan) vs. Samo Petje (Slovenia) – Petje wins by unanimous decision. - SENSHI Grand Prix Semifinal 1:
Zhulien Rikov (Bulgaria) vs. Constantin Rusu (Moldova) – Rikov wins by unanimous decision after an extra fourth round. - SENSHI Grand Prix Semifinal 2:
Jordi Requejo (Spain) vs. Christian Baya (DR Congo) – Baya wins by first-round knockout. - Super Fight, KWU Full Contact (-70 kg):
Charalampos Digkas (Greece) vs. Diyan Dimitrov (Bulgaria) – Digkas wins by split decision. - SENSHI Grand Prix Extra Fight*:
Aibek Amanov (Kazakhstan) vs. Fernando Tigre (Portugal) – Amanov wins by split decision.
*Due to a knockout in the semifinal, Jordi Requejo was unable to continue, which required an additional bout between the winners of the two reserve fights to determine Constantin Rusu’s opponent in the third-place match.
- Super Fight, KWU Full Contact (95+ kg):
Francesco Xhaja (Albania) vs. Giannis Stoforidis (Greece) – Xhaja wins by unanimous decision. - SENSHI Grand Prix – Fight for 3rd place:
Constantin Rusu (Moldova) vs. Aibek Amanov (Kazakhstan) – Rusu wins by split decision. - SENSHI Grand Prix Final:
Zhulien Rikov (Bulgaria) vs. Christian Baya (DR Congo) – Rikov wins the Grand Prix championship title in the 75 kg division.
The entire SENSHI 30 Grand Prix fight night is available to watch on Triller TV and on SENSHI’s official YouTube channel.
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SENSHI 30 is organized in cooperation with the KWU International Professional League, as well as with the special support of Armeec Insurance Company, MAX Sport, Bulgaria Air, M Car Group – BMW dealer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Service, and St. St. Constantine and Helena Holding.
The media partners of SENSHI 30 are Boec.bg and Boec.com, Bulgaria ON AIR, MAX Sport, TrillerTV, Beyond Kickboxing, Gol.bg, Sportal.bg, Dir.bg, Topsport.bg, KWUnion.com, KyokushinКarate.News, Fighto.News и Vechtsportinfo.nl.
