ZST (pronounced ''Zest'') is a
Japan-based
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
promotion and sanctioning organization holding amateur and semi-professional MMA events. ZST adopts unique rules in the MMA industry and also used to hold tag-team MMA matches.
History
Before establishment
ZST was conceived in efforts to accommodate fighters of
puroresu
is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's ac ...
MMA promotion
RINGS
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
that went defunct in February 2002. On September 22, 2002,
Takeshi Caesar, the president of Shoot Boxing Association (SBA), and Koki Hioki, representative of ZST, had a conversation after a Shoot Boxing event, and they announced that SBA would support ZST. For this reason, ZST promoted some matches under
shoot boxing rule early on.
First event
The first ZST event "''The Battle Field ZST Opening Event''" was arranged on November 23, 2002 in Tokyo, and it has since experienced a dramatic increase in popularity possibly in large part due to their highly different rule format. In this event, not only usual MMA matches but MMA
tag match also was held among
Takumi Yano,
Masakazu Imanari
is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pa ...
and
Remigijus Morkevicius Remigijus is a masculine Lithuanian given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Remigijus Kančys (born 1987), Lithuanian marathon runner
*Remigijus Kriukas (born 1961), Lithuanian painter
*Remigijus Lupeikis (born 1964), Lithuanian cyclist
...
,
Mindaugas Stankos
.
ZST GP
On November 23, 2003, "ZST GP Opening" was held in Tokyo.
On May 17, 2008, ZST announced a major partnership with
DEEP
Deep or The Deep may refer to:
Places United States
* Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia
* Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah
* Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania
* Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...
. The partnership will allow the two organizations to co-promote shows, share fighters and eventually unify the organizations.
Deep, ZST Partner Up
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Rules
ZST Rule
Bouts consist of three rounds with a rest period of one and a half minutes. The first and second rounds are five minutes in duration and the third round is three minutes in duration, but the third round is an extra round. Punches, elbow strikes, knees and kicks are allowed to the head and body when both fighters are standing. On the ground punches, elbow strikes, knees and kicks are only allowed to the body. Bouts are not judged. In the event that the bout goes the full-time, the bout is ruled a draw.
Grappling rule (GT-F Rule)
Bouts consist of two rounds with a rest period of one and two minutes. The first and second rounds are five minutes in duration. The positioning is not regarded for scoring as important factor and any motions including clinching
In metalworking, clinching or press-joining is a bulk sheet metal forming process aimed at joining thin metal sheets without additional components, using special tools to plastically form an interlock between two or more sheets. The process is ...
and holding which impedes bouts are prohibited. GT-F came from "Grappling Tournament - Featherweight".
Events
ZST holds various types of events depending on their theme.
*ZST
*:The main events held regularly under ZST rule for the top contenders.
*ZST GP
*:The tournament events under KOK rule. The events are divided to twice.
*Battle Hazard
*:The events focusing the matches which are not under ZST rule.
*GT-F
*:The tournament events of grappling
Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling ...
.
*Genesis
*:The opening matches of ZST and Battle Hazard for the fresh professional contenders.
*SWAT!
*:The events focusing the fresh professional contenders who currently participate Genesis matches. It holds "Genesis tournament" every year, and it is an actual freshmen tournament.
*Pre Stage
*:The events of grappling for the amateur contenders.
Weight division
ZST sets 11 weight divisions.
References
External links
Official site (in Japanese)ZST channel on youtube.comZST event results at sherdog
{{MMA organizations
Mixed martial arts organizations
Sports organizations of Japan
