Zoltan Bathory Funds PRO JUDO After Five Finger Death Punch's Donation
The band behind the gift
Zoltan Bathory founded Five Finger Death Punch, and his two worlds met on the road. USA Judo announced in January that part of the band's 2026 U.S. tour ticket sales would go to the federation, with singer Ivan Moody directing his share to USA BMX. The North American leg of the 20th Anniversary World Tour, with Cody Jinks and Eva Under Fire per Live Nation, wrapped October 23 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, per the band.
The run followed Legacy, which Apple Music lists as out July 31, 2026, under exclusive license to Better Noise Music.
Five Finger Death Punch: "Legacy" (Official Video)
The donation, per the release
Atom Splitter PR's release says Bathory presented "$100,000 to USA Judo through Five Finger Death Punch's 20th Anniversary World Tour initiative," backing athletes on the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Per the release, he is now "committing a second $100,000 to fund PRO JUDO."
The band's own post frames the tour total more broadly: it says Five Finger Death Punch closed the North American leg "with a $200,000 donation in support of Team USA athletes," presenting "$200,000 to USA Judo and USA Cycling" on October 23.
The release also bills him as Chairman of the Professional Grappling Federation, and says he "began judo at age nine in Hungary."
PRO JUDO in Las Vegas
PRO JUDO is an invitation-only tournament set for Las Vegas on November 10 at 4 PM PT, per the release, streaming free on PGF World platforms, including YouTube, with details at projudo.live. The ruleset was built with Mike Swain, Jason Morris, Joe Marchal, Chuck Jefferson and Tony Lettner, and the release spells out the key change: "Under PRO JUDO rules, an ippon does not end the match. Athletes get back up and keep throwing. The highest score wins."
The release says the IJF, USA Judo and the Kodokan are each sending delegates.
In his words
"Olympic judo is the standard and it always will be," Bathory said in a statement. "PRO JUDO is not a replacement, it is a different stage with a different intention. The trial runs told us everything. The ruleset changed the behavior. Once an ippon was no longer terminal, nobody played defense."
He added: "The room will be full of the people who built this sport. The broadcast is for the millions who are about to discover it."
My read
Plenty of rock bands attach a cause to a tour. Bathory is putting his own name and money on the mat, and the band's touring machine is what got the first check there. For more heavy music on KAZI, read our pieces on Crown The Empire's "violet" and Rev3rent's debut album She Let The World Run Rampant.
Dani Reyes, Behind the Boards.