Kendell Ward

Kendell "The Lion" Ward meets Paul Karns at Crash Combat 8 for the 125 lb bare-knuckle Muay Thai title. Born in Boscobel, Jamaica, in St. Mary's Parish, to a Jamaican father and a Scottish-American mother from Colorado Springs, he holds dual citizenship and moved to the United States at eight, growing up across Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. He relocated to Virginia about four years ago at his daughter's urging — her advice was that if he wanted to win a world title, he needed to get away and focus. He has trained since he was six: taekwondo first, then wrestling through middle school, high school and into college. He left college for culinary school, then travelled to Thailand to train in a small fishing village, learning Muay Thai and Muay Boran under the late Arjarn Jai-Khaeng, who gave him the name Singto — the Lion. He went 3-0 fighting there. After his teacher's passing he turned professional in boxing in 2008 and spent years taking hard fights on the road; having watched and been a victim of corruption in that sport, he stepped away and returned to the discipline he truly loves. Today he coaches, manages and trains himself, working Muay Thai at four in the morning before work. He granted Karns this rematch himself, saying he did not want Karns's career to go the way his own did. On the two sides of him: "Kendell stays outside the ring, and the Lion enters the ring." On the fight: "Stay tuned, because this is going to be the funnest thing you guys have ever seen." Sources: Crash Combat pre-fight interview, August 2026; fighter-submitted profile.