One of the top Texas AOK events was on October 25th, 2025. It was one of the last AOK tournaments of 2025 in the Texas AOK. The well-known promoter of The Texas Finest Nationals was the great Derrick Wilson.
Derrick Wilson is widely recognized as one of the leading karate champions in Texas within the AOK organization. He is also known for his significant role as a promoter of The Texas Finest Nationals, helping to advance and support the growth of martial arts in Texas through the AOK martial arts organization.
Over the years, his tournament has evolved into one of the premier events of the state’s oldest and well-known organizations. I have attended this event and competed against some of the best martial artists in the region.
This year’s event was attended by many of the greatest martial champions in the sport karate world. Abel Villareal was one of those kickboxing and full karate legendary fighters who walked the road with humility and cast a wide shadow. Many of the AOK founders are no longer with us and have since passed away or retired from active attendance, but Abel has stood the test of time and stayed the course, shining the way for future generations.
Abel Villareal started his career at a time when full-contact sport karate was in its infancy and karate matches were held in boxing rings. Abel rose in stature to become one of Texas’ top champions. In 1972, Abel won a gold medal in full-contact karate against the Olympic champion and giant heavyweight La Mano De Oro. I was only 15 years old then, and Chuck Norris was still competing at 33 years old and starred in the movie “Return of the Dragon.”
Abel became a grand master in 1978, which makes him one of the most senior ranked living martial arts pathfinders still alive. In 1980, Abel formed Global Tae Kwon Do and at the time was represented by 15 countries and had 26 US charter schools. He continues to be a shining example of martial arts legacy and commitment. Abel currently trains US Marshals, FBI agents, CIA agents, and local police groups in self-defense.
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The tournament was attended by over 225 competitors and as many parents and siblings started off with the customary opening exercises and ceremonies. The atmosphere was charged with the excitement of an army of children and adults vying for points to be seated at the coming December state championships. This was one of the last tournaments for a better standing at the 2025 Texas AOK State Championships.
As the event unfolded, many new champions were crowned, and others were set for the State finals top spot. This event was “A” rated so the points mattered, and it was also one of the final events this year for many in the East AOK region and several were attempting to win the golden Greek honor, so this was their last opportunity for points toward the prized 2025 Greek top competitor award.
The skill and talent shown by both Children and adults reflected their hard work and level of perfection. The many sparring matches were exciting and had the crowd of parents, guests, and participants on edge with excited zeal.
The adult black belt men’s sparring grand championship came down to David Chambers against Devon Pettway. In a hard fight that went back and forth with both men putting on a supreme effort and after several serious exchanges David ended up on top for the black belt men’s grand championship win. The senior black belt group was a contest between the elder D.E. Chambers, Daniel Perez, and Walter Bryant with D.E. Chambers pulling out a close victory over Daniel in a hard-fought final fight for the men’s black belt senior grand championship.
***The tournament ran smoothly with the whole event finalizing around 3:30 PM.
The top 10 champions were:
Thomas Ramirez – Ramirez Karate
Rebecca Jewell – Texas School of Karate – Blue Mound
Victor Serna – Northside Karate
Penelope Jacobson – Houston Karate Academy
Eric Ryan – Texas Soryu Karate
Johnnie Murphy – Champions Bushido Karate School
Max Dimitry – Houston Karate Academy
Timothy Dimitry – Villareal Karate Club
Nathanael Cyphers – Fire Dragon Martial Arts Institute
Shreya Prakash – Dulles Kickstart
