Story
Journey to the 100 Man Fight
The Judd Reid story.
In mid 2011, Judd Reid was invited by the World Kumite Organization (WKO) to attempt the 100 Man Kumite, to be held in Japan on October 22 at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
The 100 Man Kumite is an intimate event steeped in tradition. A person attempts to fight 100 black belts consecutively for 1.5 minute rounds, taking almost 3.5 hours to complete. Very few people have ever attempted, let alone completed, what must be the toughest mental and physical challenge in the world. It has been compared to doing the Hawaii Ironman with competitors punching and kicking you throughout the entire event.
Judd is one of the most accomplished martial arts fighters of the past 20 years, a former Kyokushin Karate Australian heavyweight champion and WKO world heavyweight champion.
He is also the first foreigner to have completed the 1,000-day “uchi deshi” live-in student program in Tokyo, Japan, under Kyokushin Karate founder Sosai Mas Oyama, from 1990 to 1993.
There are two things every great karate fighter should aspire to achieve: become a world champion, and complete the 100 Man Kumite.
Sosai Oyama (1923–1994) pioneered the 100 Man Kumite in the 1950s. He was revered in the karate world as a martial arts legend with almost mythical powers. At the height of his following he had over 12 million students worldwide, including Sean Connery, Sonny Chiba, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Hug and Francisco Filho.
Sosai Oyama used to tell his students that there are two things every great karate fighter should aspire to achieve in his lifetime: to become a world champion, and to complete the 100 Man Kumite.
Judd achieved the first aim in 2010. As the first fighter invited to do the kumite under WKO rules, he decided to return to Japan after years of teaching and training in Thailand to attempt to fulfill his former master’s dream.
Journey to the 100 Man Fight follows his training from the five-storey WKO world headquarters in Thailand under Sifu Ian McInnes. Teachers, colleagues, family, friends and training partners explain who Judd is, what drives him, and the physical and mental preparation required for such a dangerous event.
Watch Journey to the 100 Man Fight and follow Judd’s journey as he prepares to take on what is considered by many martial arts elders the ultimate challenge of the spirit.