The two main independent publishers disagree at No. 1: Beyond Kickboxing picks Chico Kwasi, Combat Press picks Superbon.
Back to the trend of the day: Japan's Hiroki Akimoto fights to win back world kickboxing title in Tokyo
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
Best Kickboxers in the World Right Now (October 2026)
Chico Kwasi is No. 1 at Beyond Kickboxing but only No. 9 at Combat Press, whose No. 1, Superbon, pulled out injured from his May 2026 title defense.
- No. 1: Ryujin Nasukawa
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Ryujin Nasukawa
No. 3 on both October lists after taking Kazuki Osaki's RISE title in an extension round in September. He also won his ONE debut by TKO.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 3 · Gemini: 6 · DeepSeek: 4
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 1
He is the only name on this list with a ONE finish, a RISE world title and a decision over Kazuki Osaki in 2026.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 3
He took Kazuki Osaki's RISE world title in an extension-round decision, immediately earning top-three places in both major editorial rankings.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 6
Ascended to #3 on the global P4P chart after conquering former pound-for-pound leader Kazuki Osaki in a defining technical masterclass.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 4
The 20-year-old took Kazuki Osaki’s RISE 53kg belt in September, avenging a June loss and jumping to No. 3 in Beyond’s P4P.
4 AIs put it here - 2
Chico Kwasi
Beyond Kickboxing No. 1 but Combat Press No. 9. GLORY double champion, with a fifth welterweight defense in a 50-45 sweep of Hristov, who had beaten him in December 2025.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 3 · ChatGPT: 1 · Gemini: 1 · DeepSeek: 1
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 3
The Beyond Kickboxing No. 1: a GLORY double champion after edging Donovan Wisse by split decision.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 1
Five successful GLORY welterweight title defenses and a five-round shutout of Teodor Hristov put him first despite Combat Press ranking him ninth.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 1
Holds the #1 pound-for-pound mantle after toppling long-standing divisional kings and logging multiple GLORY welterweight title defenses.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 1
The only fighter on this list with two GLORY belts at once and five welterweight defenses — the P4P race bent toward him when other top fighters left or went inactive.
4 AIs put it here - 3
Koki Osaki
No. 2 at Beyond Kickboxing, No. 7 at Combat Press. Champion in two sports in 2026: a RISE bantamweight title in March and a Rajadamnern Muay Thai belt in June.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 4 · Gemini: 5 · DeepSeek: 3
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 2
A two-sport world champion: RISE bantamweight title in March and a Rajadamnern belt in June.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 4
A 40-6 record and No. 2 placement at Beyond Kickboxing meet Combat Press's No. 7, making him one of the clearest examples of ranking-system disagreement.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 5
Reached #2 in the global pound-for-pound rankings following an unbroken series of wins against top Japanese and international striking opposition.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 3
Beyond’s No. 2 at 40-6, with a RISE bantamweight title and a Rajadamnern belt in a second sport after a first-round comeback knockout in June.
Source ↗
4 AIs put it here - 4
Kazuki Osaki
No. 4 on both lists. He lost his RISE 53kg title to Nasukawa only after an extension round and keeps a 48-8 record.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 6 · Gemini: 8 · DeepSeek: 5
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 4
Beyond Kickboxing's July pound-for-pound king after beating Nasukawa, then beaten by him in the October rematch.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 6
A 48-8 career record and elite RISE opposition survive a narrow title loss to Ryujin Nasukawa; one extension round separates the two.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 8
Retains a top-5 pound-for-pound stature with one of the most dominant long-term championship reigns in the history of RISE.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 5
Lost the RISE title to Ryujin but remains No. 4 in Beyond at 48-8; the streak ended, the decade-long résumé did not.
Source ↗
4 AIs put it here - 5
Kento Haraguchi
The widest split of any shared name: No. 2 at Combat Press, No. 9 at Beyond Kickboxing. Won GLORY 108's one-night tournament by beating Petchpanomrung, whom he had lost to three times.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 5 · DeepSeek: 8
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 7
He won a GLORY x RISE crossover tournament by beating Petchpanomrung, a fighter with eight GLORY title defenses.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 5
Combat Press ranks him second worldwide, but Beyond Kickboxing has him ninth; I keep him fifth rather than accepting either extreme.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 8
Won GLORY’s one-night Last Featherweight Standing in June, beating Petchpanomrung after three previous losses to him.
3 AIs put it here - 6
Mory Kromah
GLORY heavyweight champion, No. 5 and No. 8 pound-for-pound. Won the belt by walkover, then knocked out Cvjetićanin with a flying knee. Record given as 38-3-1 or 37-3.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 6 · ChatGPT: 7 · Gemini: 9 · DeepSeek: 6
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 6
GLORY heavyweight champion, ranked the world's No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer as of June 1, 2026.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 7
A 37-3 heavyweight with 23 knockouts is ranked fifth by Beyond Kickboxing and eighth by Combat Press, an unusually strong consensus for a heavyweight.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 9
Broke into the worldwide pound-for-pound top five by storming through GLORY's light heavyweight tournament circuit with undefeated poise.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 6
GLORY heavyweight champion at 38-3-1; his June flying-knee defense over Cvjetićanin was the first of the new reign.
Source ↗
4 AIs put it here - 7
Marat Grigorian
No. 5 pound-for-pound at Combat Press but only No. 2 lightweight at Beyond Kickboxing. Four straight in ONE, the latest a decision over Mamuka Usubyan.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: 8 · DeepSeek: 9
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 10
Ranked No. 2 at lightweight, and he won a unanimous decision over Mamuka Usubyan in August 2026.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 8
A knockout of Kaito Ono in under two minutes reinforces his contender credentials; Combat Press places him fifth while Beyond Kickboxing ranks him second in his division.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 9
Four straight ONE wins, 71-14 and a tournament semifinal spot; shorter than the men above, but the opponents are ranked, not regional unknowns.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 8
Mohamed Touchassie
On both pound-for-pound top 10s (No. 8 and No. 10) and ranked No. 1 or No. 2 at light heavyweight, but few 2026 results are cited.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, StepFun, DeepSeek, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 10
2 AIs put it here - 9
Jonathan Haggerty
ONE champion who beat 13-fight-streak Yuki Yoza in April, yet only No. 10 at Beyond Kickboxing and outside Combat Press's top 10. Defends against Akimoto today.
Included it: Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, StepFun, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 5 · Gemini: 10 · DeepSeek: 7
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 5
A ONE champion who beat Yuki Yoza for his second defense and meets Hiroki Akimoto tonight.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 10
Maintains an elite cross-promotional standing as the reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion defending against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 7
The ONE bantamweight kickboxing champ beat Yuki Yoza in April for his third defense, then signed to face Hiroki Akimoto in October.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 10
Donovan Wisse
No. 7 at Beyond Kickboxing. His one 2026 defeat was a split decision to No. 1 Kwasi in which one judge scored it for Wisse.
Included it: Claude, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, StepFun, DeepSeek, Wenxin.2 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
RISE supplies three of Beyond Kickboxing's top four (Koki Osaki, Nasukawa, Kazuki Osaki); GLORY supplies No. 1 and No. 5.
Petchpanomrung is retiring and leaving GLORY. Beyond Kickboxing has dropped him, while Combat Press had him No. 2 in April.
ONE's new rankings launched with Muay Thai only, so they cannot settle a cross-promotion kickboxing debate.
03Questions people ask
who is the best kickboxer in the world
There's no single answer. Beyond Kickboxing's October 2026 No. 1 is Chico Kwasi, Combat Press's is Superbon, and Ryujin Nasukawa is No. 3 on both.
Source ↗who is the best kickboxer in the world right now
On current form, Ryujin Nasukawa: he took Kazuki Osaki's RISE title on Sep 19, 2026, and is top three on both pound-for-pound lists.
who is the best kickboxer in the world of all time
That's a separate career question. Giorgio Petrosyan is often cited for a winning streak of more than 80 fights in the modern elite era.
why do kickboxing rankings disagree
They use different pools and activity rules. Kwasi is No. 1 at Beyond Kickboxing and No. 9 at Combat Press, which keeps fighters for up to 18 months without a fight.
Source ↗04How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 Kickboxers in the World Right Now: One List Across ONE, GLORY, RISE and K-1
2Why this topic
Promotion rankings and editorial lists never agree. Here you see who makes every top 10, who makes only one, and who has dropped out for inactivity.
3Where it applies
global (kickboxing and Muay Thai, all major promotions)
4What we looked at
- Appears in at least two independent rankings
- Active, with a fight in the last 12 months
- Wins over other ranked strikers, not only the record
- Promotion-neutral: ONE, GLORY, RISE, K-1 and others on one list
- Beyond Kickboxing (October 2026) — Monthly editorial men's pound-for-pound list across promotions; drops fighters for inactivity
- Combat Press (October 2026) — Monthly pound-for-pound and divisional top 10s; keeps fighters up to 18 months inactive
- ONE Championship — Official rankings and belts, ONE fighters only; the new rankings cover Muay Thai first
- Tapology — Fan-voted pound-for-pound list (dated November 2025) and fight records
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, StepFun, DeepSeek, Wenxin.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
05Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ryujin Nasukawa
He is the only name on this list with a ONE finish, a RISE world title and a decision over Kazuki Osaki in 2026.
Source ↗ - 2Koki Osaki
A two-sport world champion: RISE bantamweight title in March and a Rajadamnern belt in June.
Source ↗ - 3Chico Kwasi
The Beyond Kickboxing No. 1: a GLORY double champion after edging Donovan Wisse by split decision.
Source ↗ - 4Kazuki Osaki
Beyond Kickboxing's July pound-for-pound king after beating Nasukawa, then beaten by him in the October rematch.
Source ↗ - 5Jonathan Haggerty
A ONE champion who beat Yuki Yoza for his second defense and meets Hiroki Akimoto tonight.
Source ↗ - 6Mory Kromah
GLORY heavyweight champion, ranked the world's No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer as of June 1, 2026.
Source ↗ - 7Kento Haraguchi
He won a GLORY x RISE crossover tournament by beating Petchpanomrung, a fighter with eight GLORY title defenses.
Source ↗ - 8Donovan Wisse
His only loss in this group of results came by a split decision.
Source ↗ - 9Mohamed Touchassie
Beyond Kickboxing's No. 8, with few other measures I could cite.
Source ↗ - 10Marat Grigorian
Ranked No. 2 at lightweight, and he won a unanimous decision over Mamuka Usubyan in August 2026.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
Nasukawa and Kazuki Osaki have traded wins this year, which is why I put the pair near the top and kept them apart by who won last.
Takeru knocked out Rodtang in round 5 at ONE SAMURAI 1 to win the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing title. He said it was his final fight.
Petchpanomrung announced he is leaving GLORY and retiring. Beyond Kickboxing kept him ranked for one final month.
Superbon, whom a listicle calls pound-for-pound No. 1, is No. 6 at Beyond Kickboxing after an injury layoff with no fight scheduled.
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Chico Kwasi (Netherlands)
Five successful GLORY welterweight title defenses and a five-round shutout of Teodor Hristov put him first despite Combat Press ranking him ninth.
Source ↗ - 2Superbon Singha Mawynn (Thailand)
Combat Press's No. 1 and ONE's elite featherweight champion; his top-opposition résumé keeps him above almost everyone despite Beyond Kickboxing placing him sixth.
Source ↗ - 3Ryujin Nasukawa (Japan)
He took Kazuki Osaki's RISE world title in an extension-round decision, immediately earning top-three places in both major editorial rankings.
Source ↗ - 4Koki Osaki (Japan)
A 40-6 record and No. 2 placement at Beyond Kickboxing meet Combat Press's No. 7, making him one of the clearest examples of ranking-system disagreement.
Source ↗ - 5Kento Haraguchi (Japan)
Combat Press ranks him second worldwide, but Beyond Kickboxing has him ninth; I keep him fifth rather than accepting either extreme.
Source ↗ - 6Kazuki Osaki (Japan)
A 48-8 career record and elite RISE opposition survive a narrow title loss to Ryujin Nasukawa; one extension round separates the two.
Source ↗ - 7Mory Kromah (Guinea)
A 37-3 heavyweight with 23 knockouts is ranked fifth by Beyond Kickboxing and eighth by Combat Press, an unusually strong consensus for a heavyweight.
Source ↗ - 8Marat Grigorian (Armenia)
A knockout of Kaito Ono in under two minutes reinforces his contender credentials; Combat Press places him fifth while Beyond Kickboxing ranks him second in his division.
Source ↗ - 9Haruto Yasumoto (Japan)
A first-round stoppage at RISE in September protected his place among the pound-for-pound elite, rather than simply preserving a historical ranking.
Source ↗ - 10Mohamed Touchassie (Morocco)
He makes both October pound-for-pound top tens, but his divisional hierarchy is disputed: Beyond Kickboxing rates him first at light heavyweight, Combat Press second.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
The world's two prominent independent kickboxing ranking publishers disagree at No. 1: Beyond Kickboxing chooses Chico Kwasi, while Combat Press chooses Superbon.
Ryujin Nasukawa's September victory over Kazuki Osaki immediately changed the pound-for-pound debate: both Combat Press and Beyond Kickboxing placed him third.
Chico Kwasi won every round on all five judges' scorecards against Teodor Hristov, an unusually decisive championship result against an elite opponent.
Tapology's fan-created kickboxing list still leads with Rico Verhoeven, while the newer editorial lists substantially favor different fighters; popularity, longevity, and recent results are different measurements.
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Chico Kwasi
Holds the #1 pound-for-pound mantle after toppling long-standing divisional kings and logging multiple GLORY welterweight title defenses.
Source ↗ - 2Superbon Singha Mawynn
Remains the standard of featherweight precision, holding victories over Giorgio Petrosyan, Marat Grigorian, and Sitthichai across unified kickboxing rules.
- 3Donovan Wisse
Has gone undefeated through 5 middleweight title defenses, conceding virtually zero offensive openings against GLORY's top contenders.
Source ↗ - 4Rico Verhoeven
Anchors the heavyweight division with over a decade as world champion, defeating four consecutive top-ranked title contenders in GLORY.
Source ↗ - 5Koki Osaki
Reached #2 in the global pound-for-pound rankings following an unbroken series of wins against top Japanese and international striking opposition.
Source ↗ - 6Ryujin Nasukawa
Ascended to #3 on the global P4P chart after conquering former pound-for-pound leader Kazuki Osaki in a defining technical masterclass.
Source ↗ - 7Superlek Kiatmuu9
Defeated Takeru Segawa under 3-round kickboxing rules and knocked out Jonathan Haggerty in 49 seconds under Muay Thai rules.
Source ↗ - 8Kazuki Osaki
Retains a top-5 pound-for-pound stature with one of the most dominant long-term championship reigns in the history of RISE.
Source ↗ - 9Mory Kromah
Broke into the worldwide pound-for-pound top five by storming through GLORY's light heavyweight tournament circuit with undefeated poise.
Source ↗ - 10Jonathan Haggerty
Maintains an elite cross-promotional standing as the reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion defending against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE SAMURAI 4.
Source ↗
What Gemini noticed
The cross-promotional pound-for-pound crown has shifted toward GLORY's Chico Kwasi following consecutive signature victories over elite welterweight contenders, dethroning long-standing Asian-circuit champions.
The lower weight divisions (53 kg to 57.5 kg) in RISE and K-1 boast the highest concentration of ranked-versus-ranked bouts, as shown by Ryujin Nasukawa, Koki Osaki, and Kazuki Osaki trading places inside the top 5.
Fighters competing in ONE Championship frequently straddle both Muay Thai and Kickboxing belts, requiring rankings to weigh whether 4-ounce gloves and clinch-limited rules reflect traditional kickboxing excellence.
🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Chico Kwasi
The only fighter on this list with two GLORY belts at once and five welterweight defenses — the P4P race bent toward him when other top fighters left or went inactive.
- 2Superbon Singha Mawynn
ONE’s featherweight kickboxing king owns the Combat Press No. 1 spot, but he has not defended since unifying against Noiri and withdrew from a May 2026 title defense.
- 3Koki Osaki
Beyond’s No. 2 at 40-6, with a RISE bantamweight title and a Rajadamnern belt in a second sport after a first-round comeback knockout in June.
Source ↗ - 4Ryujin Nasukawa
The 20-year-old took Kazuki Osaki’s RISE 53kg belt in September, avenging a June loss and jumping to No. 3 in Beyond’s P4P.
- 5Kazuki Osaki
Lost the RISE title to Ryujin but remains No. 4 in Beyond at 48-8; the streak ended, the decade-long résumé did not.
Source ↗ - 6Mory Kromah
GLORY heavyweight champion at 38-3-1; his June flying-knee defense over Cvjetićanin was the first of the new reign.
Source ↗ - 7Jonathan Haggerty
The ONE bantamweight kickboxing champ beat Yuki Yoza in April for his third defense, then signed to face Hiroki Akimoto in October.
Source ↗ - 8Kento Haraguchi
Won GLORY’s one-night Last Featherweight Standing in June, beating Petchpanomrung after three previous losses to him.
- 9Marat Grigorian
Four straight ONE wins, 71-14 and a tournament semifinal spot; shorter than the men above, but the opponents are ranked, not regional unknowns.
Source ↗ - 10Yuki Yoza
His 13-fight run included Superlek and Petchtanong before Haggerty ended it in April; he stays ranked because the wins were elite.
Source ↗
What DeepSeek noticed
Beyond’s October P4P has no Petchpanomrung at all after his GLORY departure, while Combat Press had him No. 2 in April — inactivity and promotional status swing these lists more than one loss.
RISE supplies three of Beyond’s top four — Koki Osaki, Ryujin Nasukawa and Kazuki Osaki — while GLORY supplies No. 1 Chico Kwasi and No. 5 Mory Kromah. The balance has shifted toward Japan’s smaller weight classes.
ONE’s new AI rankings launched with Muay Thai only; kickboxing rankings are promised later, so the ONE side of this list still relies on editorial lists and promotional records.