Japanese Kickboxing

I've seen this 5-6 times now, going about once a quarter to watch a series of fights over the last few years.

The fights start from the youngest and work towards the main event, similar to American boxing matches. You have children as young as 6 or 7 coming into the ring to spar. The protection starts out heavy, with helmets, covers, and all sorts of protective gear and slowly over time it goes away, with the older fighters wearing none.

What doesn't change is the ring entering ritual. The fighters approach the ring, while music is going on, and then bow. They will often kneel and pray or have some sort of offering as part of starting the fight. This is something each fighter has their own version of and is an almost identifiable trait at recognizing the fighter and their style.

Japan has much in the way of ceremony and ritual here - it is part of the concept of order and organization.