The October 2026 ISKA Sport Karate Rankings are out, offering an updated look at the competitors leading the race across the sport's major divisions.
Many of September's familiar names remain near the top. Phillip Brumme, Esteban Tremblay, Haley Glass-Mancillas and Averi Presley continue to headline the open divisions, while Dawson Holt, Mason Stowell and Amber Rutherford remain prominent in traditional competition.
The latest standings also reveal some movement. Several athletes have climbed the rankings, new names have entered the top five, and the competition remains active across sparring and synchronized events.
Here's a closer look at the adult competitors making their mark in October.
QUICK RECAP
Phillip Brumme and Esteban Tremblay remain the defending champions in Men's Open Weapons and Men's Open Forms, respectively, with Brumme also ranked No. 1 behind Tremblay in forms.
Haley Glass-Mancillas and Averi Presley continue to feature prominently across the women's open and traditional divisions.
Dawson Holt and Mason Stowell retain their defending championship positions in Men's Traditional Weapons and Forms.
Bailey Murphy leads Men's Lightweight Sparring and is the top-ranked challenger in Men's Open Weight Sparring.
Katarina Herman and Dimitrios Economo remain the defending champions in women's and men's open-weight sparring.
Team Paul Mitchell holds the defending titles in both synchronized open forms and synchronized open weapons.
ADULT OPEN DIVISIONS: FAMILIAR CHAMPIONS, NEW CHALLENGERS
Phillip Brumme and Esteban Tremblay Remain at the Front
Phillip Brumme continues to occupy a strong position in the men's divisions.
As the defending Men's Open Weapons world champion, Brumme sits ahead of a challenger field led by Dawson Holt, who holds the No. 1 ranking. Esteban Tremblay follows in second, with Ben Jones third, Austin Murray-Ohmart fourth and Hamza Tai fifth.
The order has shifted since September, when Holt also led the challengers but Jones occupied second place. Tremblay's move into that position gives him a stronger presence in the weapons standings.
Tremblay is also the defending Men's Open Forms champion, where Brumme remains his top-ranked challenger.
Colin O'Brien now occupies second place, followed by Dawson Holt, Austin Murray-Ohmart and Joe Troia.
With Brumme competing near the top of both divisions and Tremblay holding a world title in forms while challenging in weapons, the two remain central figures in the adult open rankings.
Haley Glass-Mancillas and Averi Presley Lead the Women's Divisions
The women's divisions continue to feature two of sport karate's most recognizable competitors.
Haley Glass-Mancillas holds the defending championship in Women's Open Forms, with Alyss Groce ranked first among the challengers. Kaitlyn Vong follows in second, Gemma Trohoske third, Averi Presley fourth and Sofia Rodriguez Florez fifth.
Glass-Mancillas also holds the defending Women's Traditional Weapons title, where Maria Routel Ferguson leads the rankings ahead of Amber Rutherford, Sofia Rodriguez Florez, Melina Pecci and Averi Presley.
Presley, meanwhile, remains the defending Women's Open Weapons champion.
Her challenger field is led by Glass-Mancillas, followed by Maria Routel Ferguson, Melina Pecci, Kaitlyn Vong and Sara Tippey.
One of the more interesting developments is the movement behind the champions. Glass-Mancillas has moved into the No. 1 challenger position in Open Weapons, while Rutherford has climbed to second in Traditional Weapons.
Both divisions feature competitors capable of performing at a high level across multiple disciplines.
TRADITIONAL FORMS AND WEAPONS: THE RACE CONTINUES
Traditional competition has its own established champions, along with several athletes making progress in October.
Dawson Holt remains the defending Men's Traditional Weapons champion. Ben Jones now leads the challenger rankings, followed by Alec Jahanvash, Diego Rodriguez Florez, Matthew Moore and Michael Brumme.
Jones' move into first is a notable change from September, when Jahanvash held the top challenger position.
In Men's Traditional Forms, Mason Stowell retains his defending championship position. Mitchell Street leads the rankings, followed by Andrew Wang, Jeff Doss, Noah Thomas and Kevin Thompson Jr.
The women's traditional forms standings are headed by defending champion Amber Rutherford.
Gabrielle Rudolph remains the No. 1 challenger, with Sofia Rodriguez Florez second, Kaitlyn Vong third, Melina Pecci fourth and Christina Subonj fifth.
Rutherford's continued presence across traditional forms and weapons is particularly noteworthy. Along with Glass-Mancillas, she remains among the women appearing prominently in more than one division.
SPARRING: MURPHY, ECONOMO AND HERMAN HEADLINE THE FIELD
The October sparring rankings show several changes among the leading contenders.
Dimitrios Economo remains the defending Men's Open Weight Sparring champion, with Bailey Murphy ranked first behind him.
Mason Bumba now occupies second place, followed by Enrique Letona, Tyson Wray and Martin Balint.
Murphy also holds the No. 1 ranking in Men's Lightweight Sparring, ahead of Jason Letona, Enrique Letona, Edoardo Bagarello and Nathan Tait.
In Men's Heavyweight Sparring, Mason Bumba leads the standings, followed by Kameren Ali, Trey Browne-Williams, Kristhian Rivas and Alex Mancillas.
The lightweight and heavyweight rankings are particularly interesting when viewed alongside the open-weight division. Murphy and Bumba lead their respective weight categories while also occupying the top two challenger positions behind Economo.
On the women's side, Katarina Herman remains the defending Women's Sparring champion.
Ki'Tana Everett now leads the challenger rankings, followed by Hristina Andonova, Jimena Janeiro, Sofia Rodriguez Florez and Maeve McColgan.
Everett's move into first marks a change from September, when Andonova held the top challenger position.
Team Sparring Remains Competitive
Team Revolution retains the defending Men's Team Sparring championship, while Top Ten Team USA leads the challenger rankings.
Team Paul Mitchell sits second, followed by Team Impex/KTOC, Team Straight Up and Team Legend.
In Women's Team Sparring, Top Ten Team USA holds the defending championship, with Team Paul Mitchell ranked first. Team Impex/KTOC follows in second, ahead of Team Revolution.
The team standings continue to show the strength of several established sport karate programs, particularly Team Paul Mitchell and Top Ten Team USA.
SENIOR DIVISIONS: EXPERIENCED SPORT KARATE COMPETITORS LEAD THE WAY
The senior rankings feature another competitive field across forms, weapons and sparring.
Kevin Walker leads Senior Men's Sparring, followed by El Java Abdul Qadir, Kevin Harden Jr., Chance Turner and Kevin Dang.
In Senior Women's Sparring, Shannon Olson occupies the top position, ahead of Anna McCarty, Tricia Shugart, Dee Everett and Tyana Kline.
The weapons and forms divisions also feature several familiar names.
Rashad Eugene remains the defending Senior Men's Weapons champion, with Samuel Diaz III ranked first among the challengers. Jeff Doss follows in second, Brett Thomason third, Eric Tremblay fourth and Drew Derrick-Bisbee fifth.
Diaz III is also ranked second in Senior Men's Forms, behind Mike Welch. Jared Dunn, Rashad Eugene and Brett Shumway round out the top five.
On the women's side, Katie Zimmerman leads Senior Women's Weapons, followed by Rissa Kilar, Ashley Bartlett, Allie Husain and Sarah Brodnick.
Rissa Kilar also holds the No. 1 ranking in Senior Women's Forms, ahead of Clarissa DeHoyos, Ashley Bartlett, Katie Zimmerman and Tabitha Botz.
These standings reflect a senior field in which several competitors remain active across multiple disciplines, rather than concentrating on a single event.
SYNCHRONIZED COMPETITION: TEAM PAUL MITCHELL
REMAINS A MAJOR FORCE
The synchronized divisions continue to showcase some of sport karate's most established teams.
Team Paul Mitchell holds both defending synchronized open championships.
In Synchronized Open Forms, the pairing of Dawson Holt and Ben Jones retains the championship position. Team AKA leads the challenger rankings, followed by Team Infinity Captains, Team LoCo, Team Raptor and InfiniTeam.
Team Paul Mitchell's Jones and Tremblay also hold the defending Synchronized Open Weapons title.
Team Raptor leads that challenger field, with Team Competitive Edge second, Team Infinity third, Team 8 fourth and InfiniTeam fifth.
Traditional synchronized competition features a different collection of teams.
Team Infinity remains the defending Synchronized Traditional Forms champion, with Team Revolution ranked first, followed by Team Matsumura, Team Army Strong, Team Immortals and Team Fire Fighters.
In Synchronized Traditional Weapons, Team Showtime retains the defending championship. Team Competitive Edge leads the rankings, followed by The Brumme Brothers, Team Infinity, Team DeBo and Team Double A.
Team Freestyle also remains the defending Team Demonstration champion, with Team Competitive Edge holding the No. 1 challenger position.
Team Infinity, Team Xtreme Revolution, Team No Limit and InfiniTeam complete the top five.
THE OCTOBER RANKINGS SHOW A DEEP ADULT FIELD
The October standings reinforce a familiar theme in competitive sport karate: holding a world championship and leading the current challenger rankings are two different accomplishments.
The defending champions remain the athletes everyone is chasing, but the order behind them continues to change.
Brumme and Tremblay remain major figures in the men's open divisions. Glass-Mancillas and Presley continue to compete across multiple women's categories. Holt and Rutherford are prominent in traditional competition, while Murphy and Bumba are making their presence felt in sparring.
The team divisions tell a similar story, with established programs maintaining championship positions as challengers work their way through the standings.
For competitors and fans following the 2026 season, October offers another look at the athletes and teams shaping the race.
The champions are established. The challengers are still sorting out their order.
