Combined team wins fifth world title

JAMAICA's combined martial arts team, the Manna Fighters, took home their fifth world title this week after winning the US Open continuous team-sparring title from the International Sports Karate Association (ISKA) US Open, held in Orlando, Florida.

Jamaica, four-time defending champions of the ISKA World Continental title, departed from their traditional five-man team to the three-man event, fielding Kenneth Edwards, Kevin McDowell and invitee Adrian King.

Facing Mexico in the final, Jamaica easily dispatched their Central American rivals to win the division on their first try.

Captain Jason McKay said using the combination of Edwards, McDowell and King was deliberate, departing from the trio of Alrick Wanliss, Nicholas Dussard and Kenneth Edwards, the team's lead-off fighters in five-man contests.

"It's ongoing effort to expose other fighters on the team to team sparring, outside the restricted weight format of micro, light and heavyweight," he explained, pointing out that the three-man contest was an open-weight event.