Karate Combat has signed Layla Anna-Lee as presenter and Josh Palmer as play-by-play commentator. The tremendously accomplished pair join combat sports hall-of-famer and Karate Combat Ambassador Bas Rutten and other celebrity guests. Karate Combat is full contact karate in a slope-sided fighting pit, all taking place in a virtual world created by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the same engine that creates Fortnite. Watch Karate Combat airs each Sunday at 7 pm EST / 4 pm PST at Karate Combat YouTube.
“Layla gets fighting, I’ll tell you,” says Bas Rutten, Karate Combat Ambassador and Commentator. “She knows so much about it I bet she could do some damage in the fighting pit if she wanted to try. As for Josh, I’m proud to have a wingman with so much experience covering so many martial arts. He is a BJJ black belt himself so he knows what he is talking about. The action comes fast and furious and this team doesn’t mix up its mawashi geris!”
Layla Anna-Lee is a groundbreaking sports media presenter and content producer. She has become the female face of the European combat sports scene, fronting the hottest promotion and hosting her own MMA show. Layla is also known for co-hosting The Best FIFA Football Awards with Idris Elba, and for being entrusted by major networks such as ESPN, BBC, and NBC to interview some of the biggest stars in football—including Messi, Ronaldo, and Beckham to name a few. Layla even anchors the world’s greatest five-a-side competition, Neymar Jr’s 5, with Neymar himself, for Red Bull. Her TV career took off when director Danny Boyle hired her as the narrator of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony for an audience of 1 billion.
“Now fight fans can fully geek out on elite athletes adapting to a powerful new rules set that displays the most beautiful and brutal elements of Karate. Karate Combat brings high adrenalin, high discipline, and highlight finishes,” said Karate Combat Presenter Layla Anna-Lee. “With Josh, who I’ve worked with for years, and the legend that is Bas Rutten, Karate Combat has created a global A-Team.”
Josh Palmer has over ten years experience bringing combat sports to life from cage-side, mat-side, and now pit-side. A staple of the longstanding Cage Warriors promotion, he has also cemented himself as one of the foremost voices of professional grappling action, presenting both Polaris Professional Jiu-Jitsu and Kasai Grappling. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and trained architect blends his technical fight knowledge and clear delivery to provide compelling broadcasts across a variety of media platforms.
“I’m blown away by the approach Karate Combat is taking to bring the audience something completely new and enticing,” said Karate Combat play-by-play commentator Josh Palmer. “The mix of dynamic striking with aggressive clinch work and out-of-this-world digital graphics ensures fans will stay on the edge of their seats from the first blow to the last. Add to this the new weekly format showcasing the personal journeys behind the best Karatekas in the world and the final product is one any fight-fan won’t want to miss. I’m proud to be part of the team with Bas and Layla”
Events are available to view in many regions on beIN SPORTS, in Spain on GOL, and beginning on October 23rd on FreeSports in the UK. Karate Combat airs every Sunday at 7 pm ET / 4 pm ET at Karate Combat YouTube.
Learn about the rules, the fighters, and more at karate.com.
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