Karl Roberson talks controversial loss to Jerome Le Banner

Karl Roberson was called on short notice to fight Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner at Fight Night Saint-Tropez 4 on August 4th in Saint-Tropez, France. Roberson was making his Kickboxing debut against one of the biggest legends in Kickboxing. The deck was definitely stacked in his favor, he was fighting Le Banner in his home country of France and he was taking the fight on short notice, and it was his pro Kickboxing debut against a fighter with over 100 fights to his name.

Roberson was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb for Le Banner to go out on top as his career was coming to and end, but Roberson did the unthinkable. He knocked the legend out in the second round, the only problem was that despite knocking him out he ended up losing a decision. How you might ask? Well after knocking down Le Banner in the second round the referee proceeded with a slow count that allowed Le Banner about 30 seconds to recover. What should have been a knockout victory for Roberson was snatched from him by horrendous refereeing.

We were able to catch up with Roberson after returning home from the trip and talk about the fight. You can also see the video of fight at this link.

MTA: You took this fight on short notice, how did it come to be?

Karl Roberson: I took the fight on short notice, my coach got a call from our friend Eddie Marini asking if I would take a fight with JLB in a week. 

MTA: What were your thoughts when you were told it was against Jerome Le Banner?

Karl Roberson: My first response is lets do it I get to fight some one I look up to and watched as I came up in the sport. Lets do it .

MTA: Did you have a specific game plan going into the fight since it was short notice?

Karl Roberson: Yea we watched a few of his most recent fights to see if we can find anything. There wasn't that much, I just came off a win in MMA at 185 pounds a week earlier so I was in shape so we came up with a move and heavy counter punches game plan. 

MTA: You went to France and fought a legend in Jerome Le Banner and pretty much got a raw deal. First off it seemed like you knocked him down in the second round but the ref did not give him a count. Do you think it was a knockdown?

Karl Roberson: The first time he dropped he didn't get a count which through me off a lil because I know I connected clean. So there I knew I had to really go for it.

MTA: When you actually knocked him out and the referee took the really long count what was going through your mind?

Karl Roberson: When I knocked him out, I'm just waiting for the count and waiting thinking what's taking him so long so now I'm just in a lets go mode.

MTA: After you saw that happen did that change your mind on how you had to approach the remainder of the fight?

Karl Roberson: So the bell rang and coach says keep the same game plan don't change keep moving and sticking. 

MTA: Despite you not getting the KO you deserved, did you think you did enough to win on the judges score cards?

Karl Roberson: At the end of the fight despite not getting the KO I still think I did enough to win connected more and had more and had more significant strikes.

MTA: Were you able to talk to the promoters about the bad refereeing after the fight and if so how did that go?

Karl Roberson: I wasn't able to talk to judges after the fight.

MTA: Fans probably weren't familiar with you before this fight but they should be now. Can you give us a little background on your fight history, how did you start, your current record, where you train etc?

Karl Roberson: I'm 24 and started training wen I was 13, I had a couple amateur boxing fights but didn't love it. Went looking for something different then found Brian Wright and from there it was history. I was undefeated in amateur MMA and got the light heavyweight belt. I went pro and now I'm undefeated as a pro and going hard. My kickboxing pro debut was against JLB so I guess I'm 0-1 in Kickboxing.

MTA: When can we expect to see you fight again?

Karl Roberson: I'll be stepping back in the cage in Atlantic City on September 25 for rROC and waiting on a call for my next Kickboxing fight. 

MTA: Any words for your supporters?

Karl Roberson: I want thank all my fans for the love and support you have no Idea how it feels to step in that ring/cage knowing you have so many people that have your back. Thank you n love you all.

Fight Night Saint-Tropez 4 Results: Jerome Le Banner takes controversial win over Karl Roberson

Fight Night Saint-Tropez 4 took place last night in France and featured a main event bout between Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner and American Karl Roberson. Le Banner was originally scheduled to fight Maurice Jackson, but Roberson stepped in on short notice.

The first round was a feeling out process between the two, but Le Banner controlled the ring. The controversy came in the second round when with a little over a minute left in the second round Roberson landed a left hand that sent Le Banner to the canvas. Le Banner got up immediately and walked to the corner as if he was expecting an 8 count from the referee, but no count from the referee came and the fight continued. Le Banner went on the attack and was pressuring Roberson towards the ropes, but with less than 30 seconds left in the round another left hand from Roberson sent Le Banner to the canvas. The referee proceeded with a slow count, it took Le Banner 10 seconds just to get up off the canvas, then he walked to the ropes as the referee proceeded with his slow count and then had Le Banner raise his hands and let the fight continue. Over 20 seconds had passed by the time that Le Banner was ready to fight again. What should have been a knockout victory for Roberson didn't happen and the fight continued with the second round ending as soon as the fight was resumed.

The remainder of the fight was close with each man pressing the action at different points. Roberson came out aggressive to start the third round, likely sensing Le Banner was hurt, while Le Banner came out aggressive in the fifth round with the fourth round being pretty even between the two. In the end the judges awarded Le Banner the decision victory.

In other action it was not a good night for Glory veterans. Yohan Lidon scored a third round (T)KO over Jonathan Oliveira, Alexei Papin scored a decision over Danyo Ilunga, and Alexander Vezhevaov defeated Filip Verlinden by decision.

Results:

Jerome Le Banner def. Karl Roberson via Decision

Yohan Lidon def. Jonathan Oliveira via (T)KO in Rd. 3

Alexei Papin def. Danyo Ilunga via Decision

Lizzie Largilliere def. Petchoydying Mor via (T)KO in Rd. 4

Alexander Vezhevatov def. Filip Verlinden via Decision

Fabrice Aurieng def. Yuksel Ayaydin via Decision

Yodwicha Por Boonsit def. Jimmy Vienot via Decision

Frank Munoz def. Zinedine Hameur-Lain via Decision

Sharos Huyer def. Bakari Tounkara via Decision

Jerome Le Banner vs. Maurice Jackson set for Fight Night Saint-Tropez 3 August 4th in France

Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner is set to defend his WKN Heavyweight World Title against American Maurice Jackson at Fight Night Saint-Tropez 3 in Saint-Tropez, France on August 4th.

Le Banner will be looking to win his fourth consecutive fight, he has fought in the two previous installments of Fight Night Saint-Tropez with both of those fights ending in (T)KO victories for Le Banner. 

Also on the fight card will be Glory standouts Danyo Ilunga (@TheRealDibuba) and Filip Verlinden (@Filip_Verlinden). Ilunga will fight Alexei Papin. Ilunga was is coming off a loss against Zabit Samedov in the finals of the GFC Fight Series 3 tournament where he lost an extra round decision. Papin will be looking to win his third fight in row, after winning his previous two bouts by stoppage. Verlinden will fight Vladimir Mineev. Like Ilunga Verlinden will be looking to get back on the winning track while putting an end to Mineev's current 20 fight win streak.

Fight Card:

Jerome Le Banner vs. Maurice Jackson

Yodwicha Por. Boonsit vs. Jimmy Vienot

Yuksel Ayaydin vs. Fabrice Aurieng

Zinedine Hamuer-Lain vs. Frank Munoz

Bakari Tounkara vs. Sharos Huyer

Filip Verlinden vs. Vladimir Mineev

Yohan Lidon vs. Jonathan Oliveira

Danyo Ilunga vs. Alexei Papin

Lizzie Largilliere vs. Petchoyding Mor

Fight of the Week: Jerome Le Banner vs. Tyrone Spong

Jerome Le Banner and Tyrone Spong are two of the biggest names in Kickboxing. In 2010 the pair met under the K-1 banner and they delivered a great fight for fans. Spong survives some early trouble to battle back and make it an exciting fight againt Le Banner.

Fans should sit back and enjoy this one as it is exciting from start to finish. Great fight from both fighters.

KO of the Week: Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner 2

Kick of your Monday with this KO featuring Mark Hunt and Jerome Le Banner. The pair has fought four times with Le Banner taking home three wins, however, the one win that Hunt captured came by vicious knockout. Check out their second fight which took place in December of 2001. 

Hunt has now made a home in MMA, but before he was fighting for a UFC title he was locking horns with some of the best Kickboxers in the world. Awesome knockout by Hunt, so sit back and enjoy.

GLORY 13 EVENT PAGE

Event Name: Glory 13

Date: December 21, 2013

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Venue: Ariake Coliseum

Main Event: Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven

Co-Main Event: Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman

Notable Fights: Glory welterweight tournament featuring Nieky Holzken, Joseph Valtellini, Karapet Karapetyan, and Raymond Daniels.

Glory 13 will take place December 21, 2013 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. Glory 13 will be the final event of 2013 for Glory Sports International. The event will feature another one of Glory's championship tournaments, this time with the welterweight division being at the helm. 

Three of Glory's top four ranked welterweight's will be competing in the night's tournament. Nieky Holzken (ranked number one), Joseph Valtellini (ranked number two, and Karapet Kareptyan (ranked number four) will all be hungry to capture the tournament crown and the $150,000 grand prize. American Raymond Daniels will look to follow in the foots steps of Joe Schilling, Rico Verhoeven, and Andy Ristie by having his Cinderella story come true and winning the tournament against the upper echelon of Glory's welterweight division.

The night's Main event will feature a bout between Kickboxing legend Peter Aerts and recent Glory heavyweight tournament champion Rico Verhoeven. Aerts will look to continue to defy father time with a win over the young and dynamic Verhoeven, who in return will try to add a victory over a legendary name such as Aerts to his list of accomplishments.

In the co-main event Romanian power house Daniel Ghita will look to rebound for his recent loss in the Glory heavyweight tournament finals against heavy hitting Errol Zimmerman. The pair previously met in 2010 under the K-1 banner when Ghita knocked out Zimmerman. You can bet Zimmerman has revenge on his mind and will try to return the favor this time around.

As expected the remainder of the Glory fight card will feature some of Kickboxing's most talented names including Yuta Kubo, Mosab Amrani, Karim Ghajji, Jerome Le Banner and Remy Bonjasky to name a few.

Fight Card: 

Welterweight Tournament

Nieky Holzken vs. Marc de Bonte

Joseph Valtellini vs. Karapet Karapetyan

Tournament Reserve Bout

Karim Ghajji vs. Alexander Stetsurenko

Super Fights

Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman

Dustin Jacoby vs. Makoto Uehara

Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven

Remy Bonjasky vs. Anderson Silva 

Ewerton Teixera vs. Hesdy Gerges

Jerome Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Yuta Kubo vs. Mosab Amrani

Videos:

 
Pictures: 
Coming Soon

Raymond Daniels replaces Marc de Bonte in Glory 13 welterweight tournament

There have been some changes to the December 21st Glory 13 welterweight tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Originally scheduled to compete in the tournament was Marc de Bonte, but he has been replaced by American Raymond Daniels who was last in action at Glory 11 where he scored a (T)KO over Brian Foster. With the addition of Daniels some of the match-ups for the semi-final round have been changed. The original semi-final match ups were Nieky Holzken vs. Marc de Bonte and Joseph Valtellini vs. Karapet Karapetyan, but now Holzken will be facing Karapetyan and Valtellini will be facing Daniels.

Some of the night’s super fights will feature some Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven, Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman and Remy Bonjasky vs. Anderson Silva.

Fight Card:

Welterweight Tournament

Nieky Holzken vs. Marc de Bonte

Joseph Valtellini vs. Karapet Karapetyan

Tournament Reserve Bout

Karim Ghajji vs. Alexander Stetsurenko

Super Fights

Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman

Dustin Jacoby vs. Makoto Uehara

Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven

Remy Bonjasky vs. Anderson Silva 

Ewerton Teixera vs. Hesdy Gerges

Jerome Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Yuta Kubo vs. Mosab Amrani

Fight Card for this Saturday's Nuit Des Champions in France

Nuit Des Champions will take place this Saturday in Marseille, France. The event will feature two 4-man tournaments as well as some super fights. The night's 151lb tournament will feature Abdellah Ezbiri, Charles Francois, Cedric Castagna, and Bruce Codron. The 136lb tournament will feature Karim Bennoui, Masahiro Yamamoto, Yetkin Ozkul, and Raz Sarkisjan.

Some of the night's more notable super fights will include Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner vs. Zinedine Hameur-Lain and Stephane Susperregui vs. Abderhamane Coulibaly.

Fight Card:

Jerome Le Banner vs. Zinedine Hameur-Lain

Stephane Susperregui vs. Abderhamane Coulibaly

Nicolas Wamba vs. Daniel Sam

Karim Benmansour vs. Yoann Kongolo 

Hichem Medoukali vs. Correntin Jallon

Jeremy Ragazzaci vs. Mickael Pignolo

151lb Tournament Fighters

Abdellah Ezbiri

Charles Francois

Cedric Castagna

Bruce Cordon

136lb Tournament Fighters

Karim Bennoui

Masahiro Yamamot

Yetkin Ozkul

Raz Sarkisjan

Jerome Le Banner out of Glory 10 with injury

Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner will not be fighting at Glory 10 after suffering a neck injury. Glory announced earlier today. Le Banner was set to face Sergei Kharitonov in the Glory 10 main event, but with the injury to Le Banner the entire fight has been removed from the fight card and Kharitonov will compete at a later event.

With the removal of Le Banner and Kharitonov the bout between Robin van Roosmalen and Shemsi Beqiri has been promoted to the main event. Filling in the co-main event slot will be Murthel Groenhart vs. Davit Kiria.  

Glory 10 takes place September 28th at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.

Full fight card for Glory 10

Glory has officially announced the full fight card for Glory 10. The event’s biggest buzz is around the 4-man middleweight tournament which includes Steve Wakeling, Artem Levin, Jason Wilnis, and Joe Schilling. The card, however, is stacked from top to bottom and will feature other big names in the world of kickboxing such as Jerome Le Banner, Sanny Dahlbeck, Albert Kraus, Robin van Roosmalen, Jordan Watson, and more.

The under card of the event will feature U.S. based talent including recent Road to Glory Heavyweight Tournament winner Xavier Vigney. You can read the full fight card below. Glory 10 will take place on September 28th at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.

Fight Card:

Main Card

Jérôme Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Robin van Roosmalen vs. Shemsi Beqiri

Wayne Barrett vs. Kengo Shimizu

Joe Schilling vs. Stephen Wakeling

Artem Levin vs. Jason Wilnis

Davit Kiria vs. Murthel Groenhart

Brian Collette vs. Randy Blake

Brice Guidon vs. Jahfarr Wilnis

Andy Ristie vs. Sanny Dahlbeck

Aleksandr Stetcurenko vs. Karapet Karapetyan

Albert Kraus vs. Jordan Watson

Johann Fauveau vs. Hinata

Under Card

Xavier Vigney vs. Hyunman Myung

Jacob Poss vs. Casey Greene

Jermaine Soto vs. Melisk Baghdasaryan

Ron Cruz vs. Francisco Garcia

Daniel Valdez vs. Brian Del Rosario

Charles Bisset vs. Matt Baker

3 more fights confirmed for Glory 10 including Watson vs. Kraus and Groenhart vs. Kiria

Glory 10 is turning into a stacked card with every additional fight announcement. The event which will take place in Ontario, CA recently added three more bouts featuring some of the best strikers in the world. Jordan Watson vs. Albert Kraus, Murthel Groenhart vs. Davit Kiria, and Brice Guidon vs. Jahfarr Wilnis are all confirmed to be taking place at Glory 10.

Watson is 2-0 under Glory and has looked impressive in his two outings for the promotion. A traditional Muay Thai practitioner, he has had no trouble adjusting to Kickboxing rules for Glory. Kraus will look to bounce back from his KO against Andy Ristie at Glory 8. Before losing to Risite, Kraus had won five straight bouts.

Murthel Groenhart will look to bounce back from his KO loss to Robin van Roosmalen at Glory 7. The heavy handed Dutch/Surinamese fighter had reeled off seven consecutive wins before his loss to van Roosmalen, including KO wins against Artur Kyshenko, Mike Zamibidis, and Marc de Bonte. Kiria most recently defeat Yuri Bessmertny at Glory 7, and will look to build on some impressive performances for Glory. Kiria has gone 3-1 since joining Glory, his only loss coming to Giorgio Petrosyan.

Fight Card:
Jerome Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Robin van Roosmalen vs. Shemsi Bequiri
Jordan Watson vs. Albert Kraus
Murthel Groenhart vs. Davit Kiria
Brice Guidon vs. Jahfarr Wilnis

4-Man Middleweight Tournament
Artem Levin vs. Jason Wilnis
Steve Wakeling vs. Joe Schilling

Glory 10 set for Ontario, CA with 4-man middleweight tournament

Glory 10 has officially been announced by Glory. Although it is being dubbed as Glory 10: Los Angeles it will actually take place in Ontario, Calfiornia at Citizens Bank Arena on September 28th. The night's main event is expected to be a bout between Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner and Sergei Kharitonov.

The event will also feature a one night four man middleweight tournament with Artem Levin, Steve Wakeling, Joe Schilling, and Jason Wilnis. The semi-final match ups for the tournament have not been announced yet.

The only other super fight announced for the event thus far will feature Robin van Roosmalen vs. Shemsi Beqiri.

Fight Card:
Jerome Le Banner vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Robin van Roosmalen vs. Shemsi Bequiri

4-Man Middleweight Tournament
Artem Levin 
Jason Wilnis
Steve Wakeling 
Joe Schilling

Robin van Roosmalen and Jerome Le Banner set to compete at Glory 4/Dream 18 year end event

The Glory 4 Tokyo Grand Slam/Deam 18 event on December 31st has now added two more bouts to the line up. Robin van Roosmalen will be taking on Yuichiro Nagashima and Jerome Le Banner will face off against Koichi Pettas.

Le Banner is a legend in the sport and van Roosmalen has quickly become a fan favorite with his aggressive and exciting style. If a 16-man one night heavyweight tournament featuring the best heavyweight in the world wasn’t enough for you, then you should be satisfied with these two additional bouts. You can read the official press release from Glory below.

TWO SUPERFIGHTS ADDED TO

GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM

NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENT AT SAITAMA SUPER ARENA

ROBIN VAN ROOSMALEN VS. YUICHIRO NAGASHIMA

JEROME LE BANNER VS. KOICHI PETTAS

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 13, 2012) - World No. 2 ranked lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) Robin van Roosmalen (37-14-3, 12 KO’s) has been confirmed for a Superfight with colorful Japanese fighter Yuichiro Nagashima (17-5, 12 KO’s) at the GLORY 4 TOKYO – Heavyweight Grand Slam event at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan on New Year’s Eve.

Also confirmed is a heavyweight showdown between the legendary ‘Battle Cyborg’ Jerome Le Banner (72-21-2, 58 KO’s) and Japanese Kyokushin Karate stylist Koichi Pettas (26-7-1, 15 KO’s). The three-round battle pits the heavy hands and raw power of Le Banner against the hard-kicking technicality of Pettas and should provide for an exhilarating match.

“GLORY is home to the world’s top stand-up fighters and these two fights showcase that perfectly. In the first we have the world’s No. 2 lightweight fighter, who smashed his way through our ‘Final 8’ tournament earlier this year and fought the world’s No. 1 ranked lightweight Giorgio Petroysan in a thrilling final,” says Glory Sports International CEO Marcus Luer.

“Nagashima is known the world over for his flamboyant ring entrances. He likes to put on a show but he also has the fighting skills to match. He prefers the kicking game while van Roosmalen likes to use his hands, so it’s going to be an interesting clash of styles in this fight.

“As for the heavyweights, Le Banner is an icon to fight fans all around the world. He is up there with Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt and Remy Bonjasky as a legend of the sport. Some of the biggest KO’s in the history of the sport have been at Le Banner’s hands and he will be looking to stage another one for his fans on New Year’s Eve.

“He is facing a hometown hero, though and Koichi is not an easy man to put away. He made his GLORY debut earlier this year with a huge KO of American veteran Mark Miller and his Kyokushin style means he puts a lot of damage on his opponents. Fighting him is a painful experience for anybody.”

In Japan, Le Banner is known as ‘The Battle Cyborg,’ thanks to a relentless ferocity and unbelievable toughness that at times makes him seem to be half-machine. Born in the tough docklands city of Le Havre, he has battled his way into the sport’s history books with huge KO’s and awe-inspiring displays of courage. He has wins over top names such as legend Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong, Mark Hunt and Bonjasky.

Pettas, known simply as ‘Koichi,’ is one of the top heavyweight karate fighters on the planet and can trace his lineage directly to the founder of KyokushinKarate, sensei Mas Oyama. The style was developed from traditional karate as an answer to Muay Thai, and it is considered to be one of the hardest fighting styles in the world today. Koichi proves that claim via 15 KO’s from his 26 wins.

Van Roosmalen comes from a family of boxers and one look at his fighting style is enough to see that the blood runs true. Packing fearsome power into his 154 pound/70 kilogram frame, van Roosmalen has a well-deserved reputation as a KO artist, and has a growing army of fans. His performance in the GLORY ‘Final 8’ tournament on Nov. 3 was spectacular and included a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate against Dzhabar Askerov.

Nagashima was a high-school student when he first saw a kickboxing tournament. He was immediately entranced, particularly by the superb technique of the Swiss karate fighter Andy Hug. Already a judo black belt, Nagashima at that point directed all his energies into the striking arts and determined to emulate his hero. He swore that he would always be an entertainer as well as a fighter, prompting the development of the flamboyant ring entrances which have graced television screens worldwide.

The GLORY 4 Tokyo - Heavyweight Grand Slam event will be headlined by a one-night, 16-man, single-elimination tournament featuring the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including Schilt (39-6, 18 KO’s), Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s), Aerts (104-30-1, 78 KO’s), Gokhan Saki (77-15, 53 KO’s), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KO’s), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KO’s), Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1, 22 KO’s) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KO’s).

The winner of the heavyweight tournament will take home a Grand Prize of $400,000, and a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to tournament participants.

The GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event represents one-half of the ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo - New Year's Eve Special’ double-header fight card, which will begin at 4 p.m. JST with the DREAM 18 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world's premier kickboxing, or stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000 in prize money to the winners of 16-man ‘Grand Prix’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes 8-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, plus a groundbreaking online video streaming system and the world's largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world's most widely-broadcast sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel includes a diverse mix of award-winning hedge-fund and private equity investors; principals from pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia; and senior level executives from several leading sports franchises, including WWE, FIFA, Golden Glory, Champions League and It's Showtime.

Glory announces 13 fighters for upcoming Glory Grand Slam 16-man Heavyweight Tournament in Japan

Glory World Series has announced 13 of the 16 participants for their Glory Grand Slam 16-man Heavyweight Tournament. The event will take place in Tokyo, Japan this December. Some of the biggest names in Kickboxing have agreed to compete in the tournament and they include Semmy Schilt, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner, Gokhan Saki, Errol Zimmerman, Anderson “Braddock” Silva, Sergei Kharitonov, Filip Verlinden, Ismael Londt, Brice Guidon, Jamal Ben Saddik and Igor Jurkovic.

The event is a one night single elimination tournament; the remaining three spots should be announced soon. At least one Japanese representative is expected to take up one of the three remaining spots.

Results and Recap: United Glory "Zimmerman vs. Le Banner"

The Glory World Series held its event this weekend (3/23/2012) in Moscow, Russia. The event featured some top of the line fighters such as Nieky Holzken, Dzhabar Askerov, Semmy Schilt, Errol Zimmerman and Jerome Le Banner to name a few.

In the night’s main event Errol Zimmerman proved have to much fire power for Jerome Le Banner. Zimmerman knocked Le Banner three times in the first round, prompting the referee to stop the fight. A left hook from Zimmerman planted Le Banner the first time, with about a minute left in the fight a right snuck in after Zimmerman came in with a knee and knocked Le Banner down for a second time, the third and final time came with 40 seconds left in the fight when a right, followed by a left sent Le Banner stumbling back. Zimmerman was in control the entire time as he remained patient and picked his shots.