European Championship will be held 9-10th May. Five categories for women five for men. Men’s division coming right up..!
The men’s division have in total 87 fighters, divided into the five categories. That gives us a respectable number in each category. Photo by the never resting: Okiem Sportowca
And as you are about to read – notable fighters with world class level spice up the championship, which is set to be a very strong one.
Georgia won 4 out of 5 categories in 2025. And on home soil will be particularly hard to beat. Remember that now they have one more athlete in each category – as the organizer.
Reigning champion, Mindia Mgeladze, along with 3rd place holder Lasha Shantadze is a challenge for anyone in the class. Both in the top 8 in the World Championships, where Mgeladze took 3rd place in the 1st WFKO World Championships
Lasha Shantadze qualified for the World Championships by taking 3rd place in the qualifying tournament. The class held a significant level, and he made a good figure in Japan during the World Championships.
The European Championships on home soil will certainly give us an even stronger athlete than what we saw in 2025. David Dzneladze, who is the third athlete from Georgia, also holds the European Championship title in age groups. A solid trio.
Balaami Ahmadov ( Right ⇑ ) Azerbaijan beat Lasha Shantadze in a very hard semi-final last year EC, and ended 2nd i total – a step up from 2024. Mykhailo Naumchyk / Ukraine, winner of EFKO 2024, 3rd last year EC – who is capable of threatening the top. Competent fighter, very technical style, very good eye for distance – which is also entertaining – we are talking about good techniques – not chest to chest and pushing yourself to the result.
Further on, strong nations like Lithuania and Hungary are in the line up, followed be Turkey and Latvia. We see several young fighters coming into the EC – and it will be really interesting to follow several new faces in action.
In this category it is hard to even begin. It’s packed with top fighters from top nations. Again Georgia have the most merited one. Seven times EC champion Andrei Zinchenko / Georgia, and reign champion will be be the top name.
Data Putkaradze and Dimitri Mskhaladze is the other two fighter from Georgia. Data Putkaradze has all ready been notable i sever occasions, wholehearted high pace fighting has given him many successes already. 3rd last year – aiming higher this year for sure!
One big challenger for the title is Mateusz Dyniewicz / Poland. Finalist the last three years, with noticeable growth. He is incredibly strong, and seems unstoppable. An eye-opener for many was his victory in the Kokoro Cup 2025 – and remember, that’s an Open-weight tournament. Photo by the never resting: Okiem Sportowca
The other athlete from Poland also holds a significant level. Kuba Pałaszewski has several good merits around Europe, and those who witnessed the fight vs Mateusz Dyniewicz in the Polish championship earlier this year, understand that Poland will be something to be reckoned with in this EC. Photo by the never resting: Okiem Sportowca
Azerbaijan will be right up there, fighting for the top spots. With two previous EC champions Aligismat Hasanov and Emin Ismayilli. Aligismat moving up a category this year, without any problem so to say.
A fighter who have been fighting vs these fighters is Husein Mamedov / Ukraine. Many good results from different championships – 2nd in the EFKO 2024, loosing to Aligismat Hasanov, but winning against Emin Ismayilli in the semi-final.
Usually one can predict top 4 in a EC, but not in this category. In this category it will be exiting to see who will be into top 8! And that’s rare, without doubt a very even and hard category! And still we haven’t mention strong nations like Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania and more…!
Once again, we have a strong profile on home soil. Five times EC EKO champion Lasha Ozbetelashvili from Georgia. Seems to be unbeatable in the EC, despite many very good contenders in the category. Lost to Keijiro Tsukamoto in WFKO – so he can be beaten, but only if you are among the best in the World.
One of the absolute strongest contenders in the class is Ali Hayder Sweden. He has stronger results on paper than Ozbetelashvili, including from the last World Championship – but when they have met, Ozbetelashvili has been the one who has won. That said, Hayder has clearly shortened the lead – enough for taking it ail the way?
An incredibly strong athlete, and one who we believe has had the odds stacked against him at times, is Salahat Hasanov. Like Ozbetelashvili and Hayder, he possesses everything a fighter needs, and he has the titles to prove it too. Ten years ago, in Georgia – Salahat won the European Championship – is it time again?
Arzuman Hasanov / Azerbaijan, Gergely Fekete / Hungary, Severyn Palii / Ukraine – all well known names and strong athletes. Gergely Fekete has also been on the EC podium (in the -85 category, before the last regulation of the weight limits) Arzuman Hasanov is coming up from the category below. Fotó: Szutor Csaba, SHSZ Média
Marek Odzeniak and Krzysztof Wolny / Poland, Martin Thauvoye Belgium, Balint Ujvari / Hungary, Lasha Babuadze / Georgia – All competent fighters – who will bring the fight to their opponents.
Maybe we can’t find the names on the results for previous years, but they will for sure have a significant roll to play in the total picture for the result in this category that hold 21 fighters.
In this category (At the time 17 fighters) over 50% have been on the EC podium in previous EC’s. We notice also that the average age is higher that other categories.That means a very hard an even category, with lot of experience. We notice also that the average age is higher that other categories.
Two times reign champion David Mskhaladze / Georgia and champion from 2023 Marek Wolny / Poland are the two with EC titles, and it may be one of them this time as well. A final between these two could be some firework, but the seeding could be a factor, so a potential fight could be earlier than the final. Photo by the never resting: Okiem Sportowca
For sure Patrik Lajtos / Hungary will be in this discussion – runner up last year. Lajtos like Wolny and Mskhaladze are always well conditioned, and well prepared. These three were top three in the Open-weight European Championship in 2022 as an example, at their level.
All these three will cost you a lot to fight – they have faced the best on the way up and in other classes, have had many tough fights and have strong teams behind them. They will be challenged by strong nation as Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ukraine. Bulgaria’s Fatih Faik and Todor Todorov are two that we can expect to do a good figure – again.
Laurynas Vaičikauskas and Orestas Abazorius / Lithuania, Levan Verulidze / Georgia have all been on the podium some years back. Vaičikauskas coming up from the category below, together with Danish fighter Samuel Jacob Hallas.
Samuel Jacob Hallas and Laurynas Vaičikauskas are both very good fighters with experience all over the world. No doubt that Hallas has been a profile, after heavy commitment in Japan with training and championship. both need to establish themselves in a new class, and with the level in the class it will be very interesting to follow.
In the heaviest category, we do have some interesting settings, with Maciej Mazur / Poland and Eventas Gužauskas / Lithuania back in the line up. Non of them participated last year EC, and the category was taken care by Paulius Žimantas / Lithuania. Photo by the eminent Piotr Sztencel see more: Pi.Sztencel
That Lithuania will be very hard to beat with the two class fighters they have is obvious. Both fighters ended 3rd at the World Championship a tournament with sky high level. A question is if they face each other: Žimantas or Gužauskas?
Gužauskas has been the leading fighter for many years now, Žimantas even it out the lead for each tournament. Seen from outside, Žimantas is ready to follow Gužauskas all the way – age and experience are not such a big difference anymore.
One don’t really know what to expect from Maciej Mazur now, as he has been out of it for a while. Some are writing him off, we not. Regardless, Mazur is Mazur, a top fighter – the fights have to be fought, and then you count up in the end. Photo by the never resting: Okiem Sportowca
Artem Akimekov is the second man from Poland, and he is no push-over either. Only 22, and growing for each time we see him fight. Podium 3 years a row, Žimantas and Gužauskas has been in the way, but everybody hunts the leaders – so do Akimenkov.
Serhii Chekhovych / Ukraine Serhii Chekhovych appeared on the podium in 2023 EC, 3rd place, showed good skills. He has shown good fighting since then, will he advance this year, and will he be able to reach the podium again?
A lt of names are not mention, and we should gladly check out every one of them. everything has its limitations. Participating in EKO Shinkyokushin EC is a challenge, the level is sky high and seeding makes it extremely hard at times. You see that choices are made in participating or not – and that’s how it always will be. Choices must be made based on the actual point of view you have – not what others say.
