A year ago, during Kombat Taekwondo 003 in Buenos Aires, we ran into the Venezuelan team training at the hotel just a few days before the competition. They looked so good that as soon as we got back to our room, we had to revise our predictions to pick all three of them as future winners of the event. We weren’t wrong: we knew about Jhonny Becerra’s talent, even though he was coming into this event after suffering a shocking knockout at 001; Leonel, who won his match by kicking despite the crowd’s boos; and Yveth, a complete unknown who made an Olympic competitor look like nothing inside the cage.
Venezuela won all three of its matches that night… And what matches they were.
That victory put Venezuelan taekwondo back in the headlines in its home country after decades of absence… Yes, taekwondo, thanks to three fighters whose Olympic careers are etched in the memory of a country where the once-great tradition of punches and kicks has faded over time.
And then, a year later, we landed in Caracas.
Ever since I heard there would be a Challenge in Venezuela, I’ve been excited at the prospect of getting to know the country, though to be honest, that excitement was also fueled a bit by a sense of morbid curiosity. It’s a place that fascinates people, often for the wrong reasons, but that’s another story that should be told another time.
From day one, when Johandy Hernández met with Kombat Global’s top brass to propose himself as president, the inevitable question arose: “Do you have the financial resources to make this format work in your country?” And the answer has remained the same to this day: “Of course not… But the drive and commitment are there.” And yes: just tune in for 10 minutes on the live stream to see the massive event they put on.
The Kombat Taekwondo Challenge Series 016 in Caracas, Venezuela, will be remembered not only for the quality of the event itself or because we witnessed 7 K.O.’s in 11 fights, but for the feat of staging an unlikely event in an even more unlikely location, because the passion I saw in the Venezuelan staff makes me believe that with enough of them around the world, great things can be achieved: turning a dream into reality or making the improbable possible.
This latest trip to Venezuela is one I will remember as a turning point in my current career—whatever you want to call it: journalist, communicator, storyteller, producer, or simply a humble content creator who is happy to contribute to ensuring that this blend of sport, martial art, and way of life continues to make headlines and spark conversation in every aspect of it.
I’m really happy for Venezuela, because they set a great example of hard work, but that’s not all—the quality of what we saw inside the octagon wasn’t a matter of chance either; there was a selection process to put together a card worthy of the spectacle we witnessed.
I hope I can return to that country someday, preferably for another Challenge; you can always count on my support. But what I’d like most is to see several of the fighters who competed there—wearing “VEN” on their backs—step into an international cage. They deserve it, and we deserve to see it.
Thank you, Coach Johandy, for your vote of confidence; thank you, Coach Rick Shin, for allowing me to share this event with the world; but above all, thank you, Venezuela, for proving that the impossible is merely improbable.
