EVO cold open

Karate.

Kung-fu.

Two revered forms. Two foundational styles.

Many have trained with it. Few have won with it. But only two people in the world have truly made it theirs, pushed the limits of their art form beyond its limits, and elevated it to lethal brilliance.

They have met each other twice. Fought twice. Both times, they were dead even.

It was a stalemate that everyone thought would never be resolved, and as the royal roads they walked on diverged, their paths were filled with the remains of those they decimated on their way to being the undisputed best of their craft — and indeed, their sport.

One of them, an unspeakable disaster that has razed her foes with relentless force, suffocating pressure, and boundless skill that can make even the best fighters alive look like bumbling novices by comparison. In the process, she has ascended beyond champion to karate’s demonic femme fatale, ruling her world with a heavy metal hand.

The other, an unbreakable master, the only person who has mastered 10,000 kicks 10,000 times. With a legacy sturdier than oak, Hong Kong’s superwoman has shown time and time and time again why she’s the legendary exponent of kung-fu and the most complete martial artist ever known. Every fighter from every nation has bowed to her crown...all except one.

Now, in the biggest stage of combat sports, the titans of women’s fighting will settle the score once and for all.

But first: the most elegant grappler in the world looks to defend her throne against the wildfire burning through the ranks of EVO’s best, but that challenger will meet the champion head-on, and prove the world why she’s worthy of the women’s featherweight belt.

Then: the Korean King of Fighters, once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, throws down the gauntlet against Japan’s fastest-rising superstar in a five-round match to determine who truly is worthy to face Ryu Umehara in the EVO Men’s Seniors Final coming next week.

And finally, for the main event of the evening: the towering Immortal Queen of Chinese Kung-fu takes on Japan’s ferocious Elder Tigress of Karate. For one. Last. Time.

We have finally reached the Final Stage of the journey, and an audience of billions will bear witness to the epic conclusion of the greatest war in martial arts history, waged by the only two goddesses equipped to fight it till the bitter end.

Live from Singapore National Stadium, this is the first night of Evolution Champions Finale: Chun-li vs Kazumi III. And it starts...

RIGHT NOW.