The Official Black Belt Magazine World Sport Karate Rankings have been created by a committee with the consideration of major leagues including but not limited to the ISKA, WAKO, NASKA, and WKC. In the adult sparring divisions, pay-per-view events like Virtual Fight Tour and Pro Point are also considered. These rankings do not impact seeding in any of the aforementioned leagues, and are intended to highlight amazing athletes and generate positive sport karate discussion.
Most Recent Update - July 7, 2022
Black Belt Magazine has partnered with ISKA from the inception of these rankings, and as such the ISKA World Champions from the U.S. Open hold a special champion's position above the active rankings. The majority of the champions were determined in the coveted Night of Champions. There were a few divisions that were not featured in the Night of Champions, and in those cases the NASKA grand champion from the daytime eliminations was awarded the unofficial title. These divisions include youth forms and weapons, men's divisional sparring, women's sparring, and all of the senior divisions.
Another update for this edition of the rankings is the format used for recognized junior point fighters. Instead of trying to list all the talented fighters in this division, the committee has decided to use the objective measure of featuring the Grand Champion and Open Weight winners from the most recent NASKA world tour event. The ages of these competitors range from 10 to 17.
Previous Update - June 22, 2022
The final rankings update before the U.S. Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships follows the Hungarian Kickboxing World Cup and the Battle of Atlanta. There are no major updates to the divisions listed or the number of featured competitors, but these large WAKO and NASKA events have resulted in some movement in the rankings. Head-to-head matchups and recent performances are weighted more heavily than earlier results.The Defending U.S. Open ISKA World Champions:
Men's Weapons
Women's Weapons
Men's CMX Forms
Women's CMX Forms
Men's Traditional Forms
Women's Traditional Forms
Men's Lightweight Fighting
Men's Heavyweight Fighting
Men's Open Weight Fighting
Women's Fighting
Junior Boys' CMX Weapons
Junior Girls' CMX Weapons
Junior Traditional Weapons
Junior Traditional Forms
Junior Boys' CMX Forms
Junior Girls' CMX Forms
Youth Boys' Weapons
Youth Girls' Weapons
Youth Boys' Forms
Youth Girls' Forms
Senior Men's Weapons
Senior Men's Forms
Senior Men's Fighting
Senior Women's Forms & Weapons
Synchronized Weapons
Synchronized Forms
Team Demonstration
Men's Team Fighting
Active World Black Belt Rankings
Men's CMX Weapons
- Jake Presley
- Dawson Holt
- Alex Mancillas
- Rashad Eugene
- Connor Chasteen
Men's Traditional Weapons
- Jake Presley
- Dawson Holt
- Alec Jahanvash
- Samuel Diaz III
- Rashad Eugene
Women's CMX Weapons
- Haley Glass
- Sara Campbell
- Kaelyn Kowalski
- Solange Olivier
- Francesca Dellostrologo
Women's Traditional Weapons
- Haley Glass
- Sara Campbell
- Laine Barrett
- Rose Rhéaume
- Amber Rutherford
Men's CMX Forms
- Jake Presley
- Dawson Holt
- Salef Celiz
- Shaquan Parson
- Diego Rodriguez Florez
Men's Traditional Forms
- Mason Stowell
- Joey Castro
- Diego Rodriguez Florez
- William Smart
- Jeff Doss
Women's CMX Forms
- Haley Glass
- Noell Jellison
- Solange Olivier
- Julia Moreci Guanzon
- Francesca Dellostrologo
Women's Traditional Forms
- Gabrielle Rudolph
- Kaelyn Kowalski
- Amber Rutherford
- Rose Rhéaume
- Ana Lucia Conde
Men's Lightweight Fighting
- Bailey Murphy
- Jack Felton
- Tyson Wray
- Kevin Walker
- Enrique Letona
Men's Heavyweight Fighting
- Kameren Dawson
- Avery Plowden
- Elijah Everill
- Darren Payne
- Coca Guzman
Men's Open Weight Fighting
- Avery Plowden
- Jack Felton
- Tyson Wray
- Bailey Murphy
- Anatoli Kuschnir
Women's Fighting
- Morgan Plowden
- Ki'Tana Everett
- Francesca Ceci
- Melanie Ortiz
- Cassandra De La Barrera
Synchronized Weapons
- Ben Jones & Esteban Tremblay
- Alessandra Alinea & Shane Billow
- Kodi & Michael Molina
Synchronized Forms
- Diego & Sofia Rodriguez Florez
- Dawson Holt & Ben Jones
- Salef Celiz, Colin OBrien & Joe Troia
Team Demonstration
- Team Competitive Edge
- Team Freestyle
- Florida Sport Martial Arts Academy
- Team Infinity
- Team P Squared
Team Fighting
- Team All Stars
- Top Ten Team USA
- Team Dojo Elite
- Team Straight Up
- Team Next Level
Junior Boys' CMX Weapons
- Esteban Tremblay
- Mason Bumba
- Phillip Brumme
- Ben Jones
- Jackson Hensley
Junior Boys' Traditional Weapons
- Shane Billow
- Ben Jones
- Esteban Tremblay
- Brayden Seitz
- Matthew Gruitia
Junior Girls' CMX Weapons
- Averi Presley
- Samantha Mitling
- Anna Beth Hedgepeth
- Alyss Groce
- Katelyn McMillan
Junior Girls' Traditional Weapons
- Madison Magnotta
- Katelyn McMillan
- Alessandra Alinea
- Averi Presley
- Sofia Rodriguez Florez
Junior Boys' CMX Forms
- Esteban Tremblay
- Phillip Brumme
- Shane Billow
- Jonah Meshell
- Aidan Guernsey
Junior Boys' Traditional Forms
- Matthew Gruitia
- Luca Ricotti
- Shane Billow
- Phillip Brumme
- Eric Quackenbush
Junior Girls' CMX Forms
- Alyss Groce
- Averi Presley
- Anna Beth Hedgepeth
- Sofia Rodriguez Florez
- Katelyn McMillan
Junior Girls' Traditional Forms
- Sofia Rodriguez Florez
- Katelyn McMillan
- Maddy Kennaway
- Logan Goodman
- Rylee Rainone
Junior Boys' Fighting - Featured Competitors
- 10-11 Grand Champion: Angel Pérez
- 12-13 Grand Champion: Cesar Aguilar
- 14-15 Grand Champion: Sebastian Villanueva
- 16-17 Grand Champion: Jose Carlos Romero
- 11 & Under Open Weight: Tony Homsani Jr.
- 12-14 Open Weight: Sebastian Villanueva
- 15-17 Open Weight: Grayson New
Junior Girls' Fighting - Featured Competitors
- 10-11 Grand Champion: Aria Martin
- 12-13 Grand Champion: Victoria Homsani
- 14-15 Grand Champion: Sofia Rodriguez Florez
- 16-17 Grand Champion: Katarina Herman
- 11 & Under Open Weight: Aria Martin
- 12-14 Open Weight: Victoria Homsani
- 15-17 Open Weight: Alexi Jimenez
Youth Boys' CMX Weapons
- Michael Molina
- Judah Sagawa
- Dax Howland
- Gibran Rawlings
- Nolan Grunwald
Youth Boys' Traditional Weapons
- Sterling Keefe
- Adomas Rackauskas
- Michael Molina
- Wassim Dridi
- Nolan Grunwald
Youth Girls' CMX Weapons
- Isabella Nicoli
- Kodi Molina
- Madalynn Wiersma
- Ashley Lopez
- Demi Rodriguez
Youth Girls' Traditional Weapons
- Isabella Nicoli
- Kodi Molina
- Madalynn Wiersma
- Adelynn Lau
- Gabby Viola
Youth Boys' CMX Forms
- Judah Sagawa
- Michael Molina
- Wassim Dridi
- Adomas Rackauskas
- Christian Quinlan
Youth Boys' Traditional Forms
- Sterling Keefe
- Adomas Rackauskas
- Wassim Dridi
- Michael Molina
- Angel Pérez
Youth Girls' CMX Forms
- Isabella Nicoli
- Kodi Molina
- Madalynn Wiersma
- Abigal Hunck
- Camille Trippodo
Youth Girls' Traditional Forms
- Isabella Nicoli
- Kodi Molina
- Lia Goto
- Madalynn Wiersma
- Savannah Agosto
Senior Men's Forms
- Joey Castro
- Kevin Kowalczik
- Samuel Diaz III
- Drew Derrick-Bisbee
- Jeff Doss
Senior Men's Weapons
- Samuel Diaz III
- Joey Castro
- Eric Tremblay
- Edgar Cordova
- Drew Derrick-Bisbee
Senior Men's Fighting
- El-Java Abdul-Qadir
- Yoskar Gamez
- Abid Benwali
- Anthony Merricks
- Santiago Averso
Senior Women's Forms & Weapons
- Casey Marks-Nash
- Melanie Strauss
- Amy Williams
- Ana Lucia Conde
- Teresa Lopez Barroso
