Bonk Coin Partners with Karate Combat

The name and brand of Solana meme coin Bonk will soon adorn a combat sports stadium, as a result of its partnership with Asim Zaidi, president of the crypto-fueled fighting league Karate Combat. This partnership aims to upgrade Zaidi’s social media-famous gym, the Goat Shed.

With this, the Bonk Stadium is set to host half of the upcoming Karate Combat events, with the league stating that two other fighting organizations have expressed interest in using the venue.

Currently, the Goat Shed gym spans 3,000 square feet, but the expansion will total 15,000 square feet. The new facility will include the Karate Combat Performance Institute for training and content creation, the Bonk Stadium, and increased space for Goat Shed fighters—all under one roof.

Bonk’s multi-year partnership will see the coin’s branding throughout the facility, including the Karate Combat pit and MMA cage, along with naming rights for the stadium. The Bonk team can also host events at the facility.

> “This allows Goat Shed to host a Karate Combat Performance Institute and live events under the Bonk Stadium name,” said Onlylarping, Karate Combat’s founder. “We expect the facility to open in a couple of months and to host the first Karate Combat event there in June.”

Details are still being finalized, and Zaidi has not yet confirmed the arena’s capacity. Generally, attendance for Karate Combat events ranges from 1,000 to 3,000.

Zaidi is also a combat sports coach with a record of 131-18-1, training notable fighters at Goat Shed, including UFC fighter Ailin Pérez and Gillian Robertson, who holds the record for most submissions in women’s UFC history.

Goat Shed plans to set up a 24-hour livestream, branded with Bonk’s logo, to enhance the gym’s visibility, especially after a recent mention on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and a visit from UFC star Alex Pereira.

Karate Combat will not own the facility, but Zaidi will be the majority owner. The league will manage the performance institute and has committed to holding events at Bonk Stadium.

In October, Karate Combat launched a Hedera layer-2 network for its Up Only Gaming app, which allows users to bet tokens on upcoming fights. Those leading the Karate Combat Up Only Gaming leaderboards might get “special access” to the new facility.

Bonk holders will also have opportunities to access the facility for events, utilize workspaces, and possibly win free tickets.

> “We’ve bet Karate Combat’s future on Web3,” Zaidi stated. “I’m incredibly excited to partner with one of the largest communities in the entire crypto landscape.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward