Glory 26 set for December in The Netherlands with Verhoeven and Holzken title fights

 

Glory has a huge show planned for December. Glory 26 is set to take place on December 4th in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The event will feature two title fights and a featherweight contender tournament.

Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven will defend his Glory Heavyweight Title against the winner of the Glory 24 Heavyweight Tournament. Verhoeven will be looking to make his third successful title defense since capturing the title back in June of 2014. The four fighters vying for the shot at Verhoeven's belt in the Glory 24 tournament are Ben Edwards, Jahfarr Wilnis, Benjamin Adegbuyi, and Mladen Brestovac.

Welterweight Champion Nieky Holzken will defend his Glory Welterweight Title against the winner of the Glory 25 Welterweight Contender Tournament. Holzken won his title with a (T)KO win over Raymond Daniels at Glory 23. He has won his last eight fights with seven of those fights coming in the Glory ring. Since joining Glory in 2012 he has amassed a perfect 7-0 record for the promotion. The competitors in the Glory 25 Contender Tournament have not been announced so Holzken's potential challengers are not known yet.

The Glory Featherweight Contender Tournament will feature four of the best fighters with the winner earning a title shot against current champion Gabriel Varga. The only fighter confirmed for the tournament as of now is Mosab Amrani.

Fight Card:

Rico Verhoeven vs. TBA

Nieky Holzken vs. TBA

Featherweight Contender Tournament

Mosab Amrani vs. TBA

TBA vs. TBA

Glory 20 Announced

Glory Sports International announces their 20th event set for Dubai. The kickboxing giant will make its way back to using international arenas after 4 consecutive USA events in Virginia, Oklahoma, California, and Colorado. This marks the first event for Glory in the Middle East martial arts hub of Dubai.

The main event features Mosab Amrani and Gabriel Varga, set to fight for the vacant featherweight title, Varga having won his shot at the title by winning the 4-man featherweight contender tournament at Glory 17. 

Pat Berry and Morad Bouzidi make up the co-main event.  Berry last competed for Glory against Zack Mwekassa, suffering a KO loss to the heavy handed boxer.  Bouzidi's last Glory appearance was against Randy Blake, taking a decision win over Blake.

Also set for Glory 20 is a 4-man middleweight contender tournament.  Jason Wilnis will face Alex Pereira and Wayne Barrett, Simon Marcus.  Wilnis last fought for Glory at their 18th event with a decision win over Barrett.  Pereira returns after dropping a decision to Artem Levin in the first round of Glory 17's Last Man Standing 4-man tournament.  Barrett looks to bounce back with a win after losses to Joe Schilling at Glory 17 and Jason Wilnis at Glory 18.  Marcus once again steps away from from regular competition in Muay to return to the Glory stage, last losing to Joe Schilling via KO.

Fight Card:

Main Card:

Gabriel Varga vs. Mosab Amrani

Pat Barry vs. Morad Bouzidi

4-Man Middleweight Tournament:

Jason Wilnis vs. Alex Pereira

Wayne Barrett vs. Simon Marcus

Qabala Fight Series Results

Qabala Fight Series took place June 29th in Azerbaijan with a stacked card, including an 8-man middleweight tournament.  Juri Kehl bested the tournament lineup with a split decision victory over Ramal Aslanov. Superfights included Mosab vs. Lim Chi-Bin, Albert Kraus vs. Erkan Varol, and more.




Tournament:
Roman Mailov def. Mateusz Kopiec via Unanimous Decision
Ramal Aslanov def. Gui Xianfeng via TKO
Juri Kehl def. Telman Suleymanov via TKO
Teo Mikelic def. Tadas Jonkus via Unanimous Decision
Roman Mailov def. Ramal Aslanov via Unanimous Decision
Juri Kehl def. Teo Mikelic via TKO 

Tournament Final:
Juri Kehl def. Ramal Aslanov via Split Decision

Superfights:
Mosab Amrani def. Lim Chi-Bin via TKO
Perviz Abdullayev def. Jiao Fukai via TKO
Albert Kraus def. Erkan Varol via Unanimous Decision
Hesdy Gerges def. Jamal Ben Saddik via Disqualification of Jamal Ben Saddik
Dani Corbeanu def. Rahim Aliyev via Unanimous Decision

Matches to make after Glory 13

Glory 13 took place this past weekend and it lived up to expectations. The welterweight tournament finals delivered nothing but action packed fights and the finale between tournament winner Nieky Holzken and Joseph Valtellini was nothing but amazing. 

We also got to see the retirement of Peter Aerts as he put up a worthy effort against Rico Verhoeven, eventually dropping a split decision to the younger fighter. Daniel Ghita also gave fans a brutal knockout over Errol Zimmerman with a vicious left hook. 

It's time for us to play matchmaker again and here we list some fights we feel would be great bouts for some the winners at Glory 13 and some of the tournament competitors.

Nieky Holzken vs. Marc De Bonte

Holzken vs. De Bonte was originally set for the Glory 13 welterweight tournament before De Bonte had to withdraw from the tournament. There is no reason for this fight not to take place now, especially with De Bonte being ranked number three in Glory's welterweight rankings. Both fighters have knockout power and can end their fights in heartbeat, this fight could very well be just as exciting as the welterweight tournament final between Holzken and Joseph Valtellini.

Joseph Valtellini vs. Karapet Karapetyan

Valtellini suffered his first loss since joining Glory in the welterweight tournament finals against Nieky Holzken but "Bazooka" made sure to leave an impression. Going back and forth the entire fight rather than hang back Valtellini decided to go for it all in the final seconds and unfortunately it didn't work out. Although the result says (T)KO, that is somewhat questionable because there was no time remaining for them to fight and he had gotten back up to his feet. Seems like it was more of a bad call by the referee. So what should Valtellini do next, a fight against Karapet Karapetyan wouldn't be bad. Holzken out pointed Karapetyan who is currently ranked number four in Glory's welterweight rankings. Valtellini would get a chance to get back on track with a solid win and begin to climb that ladder again so he can earn his re-match with Holzken.

Daniel Ghita vs. Rico Verhoeven

Rico Verhoeven and Daniel Ghita met in the Glory heavyweight tournament final with Verhoeven out pointing Ghita. Both fighters have now fought and won since their first fight and a re-match is something fight fans are buzzing about. There really doesn't need to be much more of an explanation because the fans will get excited for this one.

Mosab Amrani vs. Masaaki Noiri

Amrani outpointed Glory featherweight tournament winner Yuta Kubo at Glory 13. The obvious fight for him is a rematch with Masaaki Noiri. Amrani was out pointed by Noiri in the featherweight tournament semi-finals and is also currently ranked number three in the Glory rankings one spot right behind Amrani. This seems like the next logical fight to make for Amrani.

Artur Kyshenko vs. Jordan Watson

Kyshenko is good enough that he could be put in against almost anyone and there are few rematches that we bet Kyshenko wouldn't mind getting, but throwing him against Watson would be perfect. Both fighters get a chance to add a good name to their win list and they haven't fought before which gives Glory the chance to capitalize on re-matches after getting some time to promote Kyshenko under the Glory banner.

Glory 13 Results and Recap

The Glory welterweight tournament took place today in Tokyo, Japan at Glory 13 and it did not disappoint. Going in many were expecting to see Nieky Holzken vs. Joseph Valtellini in the tournament final and that is exactly how things played out. Holzken won a unanimous decision over Karapet Karapetyan in the semi-finals, knocking Karapetyan down twice in the fight. Valtellini scored a third round knockout of Raymond Daniels to reserve his spot in the finals. After battering Daniels’s legs with low kicks throughout the fight a stiff leg kick in the third round had Daniels reeling and when Valtellini backed him into the ropes instead of going low he went high and scored the knockout.

In the tournament final it was all fireworks. Neither Holzken nor Valtellini wanted to give up an inch and both continuously delivered power packed punches and kicks all while still keeping great technique intact. Holzken seemed to take the lead in the first round of the fight being a bit more accurate and active but Valtellini came storming back in the second round. It could easily have been one round a piece on the judge’s score cards going into the third and final round. Both fighters came out letting their fist and feet fly in the third round. Holzken connected with a shot to body that had Valtellini hurt but he refused to go down. Valtellini continued to fire back at Holzken despite being in trouble. As the fight entered the final minute you could sense both men knew exactly everything that was on the line as they both continued to sling heavy leather. In a hectic exchange Holzken landed an overhand right that sent Valtellini crashing down to the canvas face first with only five seconds remaining in the fight. Valtellini was able to work his way back up to his feet before the ten count but the referee stopped the fight. It seemed that the referee could have let Valtellini try and make it to a decision, but in the end Holzken walked away the winner by (T)KO and with the $100,000 grand prize.

Peter Aerts and Glory heavyweight tournament winner Rico Verhoeven met in a super fight that would be Aerts last fight in Japan. It was a close fight as both men had their moments; the best way to describe this fight was a slugfest. In the end Verhoeven took home a split decision win over Aerts in a fight that could have gone either way.

In other action Daniel Ghita made quick work of Errol Zimmerman by knocking him out in just 35 seconds with a left hook and Makoko Uehara edged out Dustin Jacoby by split decision.

Results:

Glory Welterweight Tournament Semi-Finals
Nieky Holzken def. Karapet Karapetyan via Unanimous Decision
Joseph Valtellini def. Raymond Daniels via KO (Head Kick) at 1:20 of Rd. 3

Glory Welterweight Tournament Final
Nieky Holzken def. Joseph Valtellini via (T)KO at 2:55 of Rd. 3

Super Fights
Rico Verhoeven def. Peter Aerts via Split Decision
Daniel Ghita def. Errol Zimmerman via KO at 0:35 of Rd. 1
Makoko Uehara def. Dustin Jacoby via Split Decision
Mosab Amrani def. Yuta Kubo via Unanimous Decision
Artur Kyshenko def. Masayuki Kenmun via Unanimous Decision
Aleksandr Stetcurenko def. Karim Ghajji via Unanimous Decision
Anderson Silva def. Remy Bonjasky via Unanimous Decision
Hesdy Gerges def. Ewerton Teixeira via Unanimous Decision
Sergei Kharitonov def. Jerome LeBanner via Unanimous Decision

Glory 8 Results: Yuta Kubo wins featherweight tournament

Glory 8 took place in Tokyo last night and featured Glory’s featherweight 8-man tournament. When the night was over it was Yuta Kubo who was the last man standing. Kubo defeated Masaaki Noiri in the tournament finals by decision to win take home the tournament crown. To make it to the final’s Noiri took out Liam Harrison after defeating him in the quarterfinals via a cut, and then won a decision over Mosab Amrani. Kubo defeated Chin Bin Lim by (T)KO in quarterfinals and Canada’s Gabriel Varga by decision in the semi-finals.

In the night’s super fights two legends of the sport showed they still had the right stuff. Jerome Le Banner def. Koichi Watanabe by decision and Peter Aerts scored a (T)KO over young gun Jamal Ben Saddik in what was an action packed fight. Early on it looked like it was going to be Saddik’s fight as he came out aggressive and knocked Aerts down in the first round. In the second round it was a whole different story, Aerts came out swinging for the fences and knocked down Saddik early in the round and then twice more later in the round to take home the (T)KO victory. In one of the night’s other super fight Andy Risite stopped Albert Kraus in the second round with a knee. It’s an impressive return back to the ring after Ristie’s less than stellar Glory 6 performance in Istanbul.

Full Results:

Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal

Mosab Amrani def. Marcus Vinicius by Decision

Masaaki Noiri def. Liam Harrison via (T)KO (Cut) in Rd. 2

Gabriel Varga def. Abdellah Ezbiri via Decision

Yuta Kubo def. Chi Bin Lim via KO in Rd. 2

Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final

Masaaki Noiri def. Mosab Amrani via Decision

Yuta Kubo def. Gabriel Varga via Decision

Featherweight Tournament Final

Yuta Kubo def. Masaaki Noiri via Decision

Featherweight Tournament Reserve Fights

Andrej Bruhl def. Yukihiro Komiya via Decision

Chonlek Super Pro Samui def. Zen Fujita via Decision

Super Fights

Yoshihiro Sato def. Sung Hyun via Decision

Jerome Le Banner def. Koichi Watanabe via Decision

Andy Ristie def. Albert Kraus via KO (Knee) in Rd. 2

Peter Aerts def. Jamal Ben Saddik via (T)KO (3 Knockdowns) in Rd. 2

Match ups announced for Glory 8: Tokyo 143lb tournament

The draw for the Glory 143lb tournament taking place at Glory 8: Tokyo took place last week and the match ups are set. Most people are probably interested in the potential re-match between Mosab Amrani and Liam Harrison. Amrani knocked out Harrison with a body shot in the first round, and it seems the pair will meet again if they can both get past their quarterfinal bouts. Amrani will square off with Marcus Vinicius and Harrison with Masaaki Noiri. On the opposite side of the bracket Adellah Ezbiri will fight Gabriel Varga, and Yuta Kubo will fight Chi Bin Lim. Amrani and Harrison have to be considered the favorites going in, but as always in the tournament format anything can happen.

Also on the fight card Kickboxing legend Jerome Le Banner will fight against Koichi Pettas. Other match up on the event include Peter Aerts vs. Jamal Ben Saddik, Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie, and Anderson Silva vs. Jaideep Singh. Another stacked fight card from Glory that should produce fire works.

Fight Card:
Jerome Le Banner vs. Koichi Pettas
Peter Aerts vs. Jamal Ben Saddik
Anderson Silva vs. Jaideep Singh
Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie

143lb Tournament Quarterfinals
Mosab Amrani vs. Marcus Vinicius
Masaaki Noiri vs. Liam Harrison
Abdellah Ezbiri vs. Gabriel Varga
Yuta Kubo vs. Abdellah Ezbiri

Tournament Reserve Bouts
Chonglek Super Pro Samui vs. Zen Fujita
Andre Bruhl vs. Yukihiro Komiya

Results and Recap: Glory 5

Glory 5 took place yesterday in London, England and it did not disappoint. In the night’s main event Tyrone Spong took on Kickboxing legend Remy Bonjasky. In the second round of their bout a right hook from Spong floored Bonjasky and ended the bout. It was a spectacular knockout for the hard hitting Spong who expressed interest in fighting Daniel Ghita, Gokhan Saki or Semmy Schilt next.

In the night’s co-main event Jordan Watson out pointed Steve Moxon to take home a unanimous decision victory. Watson was a step ahead of Moxon the entire fight and won his second fight under Glory.

UK super star Liam Harrison was surprisingly knocked out with a body shot by Mosab Amrani. Harrison and Amrani are two of the top fighters in their weight class word wide. It seemed like typical Harrison when the bout started as he began to work his patented leg kicks, but as Amrani closed the distance with some punches a left hook connected and ended Harrison’s night.

Road to Glory tournament winner Dustin Jacoby was stopped in his bout with Michael Duut. Jacoby was knocked down three times in the first round and under the Glory three knockdown rule the bout was stopped.

American Eddie Walker was defeated by Steve Wakeling in the second round. Wakeling from the start off the fight began to attack Walker’s leg with kicks. He scored a knocked down due to leg kicks in the opening round and ended the bout in the second round with leg kicks.

 

Photo Credit: Ben Pontier/GLORY

Full Results:
Tyrone Spong def. Remy Bonjasky via KO (Right Hook) at 2:02 of Rd. 2
Jordan Watson def. Steve Moxon via Unanimous Decision
Albert Kraus def. Warren Stevelmans via Unanimous Decision
Steve Wakeling def. Eddie Walker via KO (Leg Kicks) at 1:38 of Rd. 2
Danyo Ilunga def. Stephane Susperregui via KO (knee) at 0:21 of Rd. 2
Michael Duut def. Dustin Jacoby via (T)KO (3 Knockdowns) at 2:25 of Rd. 1
Mosab Amrani def. Liam Harrison via KO (Body Punch) at 1:20 of Rd. 1
Daniel Sam def. Jaideep Singh via Unanimous Decision.
Johann Fauveau def. Constantin Pasniciuc via Unanimous Decision
Reece McAllister def. Tim Thomas via Unanimous Decision
Jonatan Oliveira def. Nicola Gallo via Unanimous Decision
Marlon Hunt def. Andrei Manzolo via Decision
Chad Sugden def. Sam Wilson via Decision
Kerrith Bhella def. Sam Omomogbe via Decision
Boris Uhlik def. Fraser Weightman via Decision

Kevin Ross set to make Glory debut in Japan "Slam" tournament; Mosab Amrani among tournament competitors

Kevin Ross will officially make his Glory debut on May 3 in Tokyo, Japan at Glory 8. Ross will be competing in a one-night, eight-man tournament. The “Slam” tournament will also feature Mosab Amrani, Abdellah Ezbiri, and Marcos Vinicius. The remaining four slots have yet to be filled. The winner of the Road to Glory Japan tournament on March 10 is expected to be one of the remaining four participants.

Before Ross heads over to Glory he will be fighting against Bernie Mendieta at Lion Fight 9 in Las Vegas on March 15^th.

You can read the full press release for Glory 8 below.

SUPERSTARS ALIGN FOR GLORY 8 TOKYO

FEATHERWEIGHT ‘SLAM’ KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT FRIDAY, MAY 3

Kevin Ross, Abdellah Ezbiri, Mosab Amrani, Marcos Vinicius and Road To GLORY Japan winner slated for action in

eight-man, single-elimination tournament

Tickets on sale Friday, March 1

SINGAPORE (Feb. 28, 2013) – GLORY, the world’s new premier kickboxing league, will return to Tokyo, Japan with a one-night, eight-man, single-elimination ‘Slam’ tournament featuring a collection of the brightest stars in the featherweight (65 kilograms/143 pounds) division, at Ariake Coliseum on Friday, May 3.

American superstar Kevin “El Presidente” Ross (37-9, 12 KOs) of Dublin, Calif. will make his highly-anticipated GLORY debut in the tournament field where he will be faced with an assembly of cutthroat competition in three-time French kickboxing champion Abdellah Ezbiri (32-6, 11 KOs) of Morocco via France, world Muay Thai champion Mosab “The Jaguar” Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KOs) of Holland and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil reality series contestant and KO artist Marcos Vinicius (MMA Record: 20-4-1, 7 KOs) of Curitiba, Brazil.

Joining the first four elite fighters thus far confirmed for the tournament that will award its competitors with a total of $180,000 in prize money, including $100,000 to the winner, will be the victor of the inaugural, eight-man, development series ROAD TO GLORY Japan tournament at Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Sunday, March 10, as well as three additional competitors to be announce! d soon.

Tickets for GLORY 8 Tokyo on Friday, May 3, beginning at 16:00 at Ariake Coliseum, will be priced from ¥5,000, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. JST tomorrow, Friday, March 1, online at Pia (http://pia.jp/t/), E-Plus (http://eplus.jp) and Lawson Ticket (http:l-tike.com).

“With the fighter selection process for the GLORY 8 Tokyo featherweight Slam tournament underway, we are assembling what could very well be the most competitive tournament field in the history of kickboxing’s featherweight division,” said GLORY Sports International Managing Director Marcus Luer.  “We are bringing together the best possible group of talent from all parts of the wo! rld in order to determine who the reigning king of this division is.”

Ross, the 2010 Muay Thai North American Fighter of the Year, is widely recognized as the face of kickboxing in the U.S.  During his stellar career, the 32-year-old technician has faced and defeated a host of top-ranked rivals, including decorated Thai champions Malaipet “The Diamond” Sasiprapa and “Coke”  Chunhawat.

The 25-year-old Ezbiri has made  waves both in his native Europe as well as in Japan where he was the winner of another eight-man tournament in 2011 and finished as runner-up after a controversial decision loss in the championship stage of a 67 kilogram/148 pound tournament at the hands of Japanese phenom Yuta Kubo on Jan. 14.

Amrani, a 25-year-old, former intercontinental Muay Thai champion, rose to power after stopping Thai champ! ions Anuwat Kaewsamrit and Bovy Sor Udomson in 2008 and 2009, respectively.  Amrani also boasts a victory over Moroccan southpaw phenom Ibrahim Chiahou.  His tournament start marks a drop in weight after a stint at 70 kilograms/154 pounds.

Vinicius has gained widespread acclaim for his power since earning ‘KO of the Night’ honors at UFC 147 where he decimated Wagner Campos with a barrage of punches and knee strikes in the third round of their matchup on June 23, 2012.  During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Vinicius trained under legend Wanderlei Silva.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

About GLORY:

GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world's new premiere kickboxing league, producing live events across the globe and offering up to $2 million in prize money to the winner! s of one-night, 16-man ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each of six different weight classes. The fight series also includes 8-man ‘Slam’ tournaments and events with traditional single bouts.

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world's largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world's most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the US. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

In 2013, GLORY launched the ROAD TO GLORY tournament fight series to identify and develop new kickboxing talent in the United States, Japan and elsewh! ere around the globe into future champions and superstars of the sport.

Steve Wakeling vs. Simon Marcus, Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie and six other bouts added to Glory 5

Glory has announced their full fight card for Glory 5. The event which is set for March 23rd in London, England had three bouts already confirmed. Remy Bonjasky vs. Tyrone Spong, Liam Harrison vs. Mosab Amrani, and Jordan Watson vs. Steve Moxon were already official and had fans buzzing. Eight additional high level fights have been added including Steven Wakeling vs. Simon Marcus, Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie, and Reece McAllister vs. Tim Thomas to name a few.

The 11 bout fight card will definitely have fans buzzing, below you can read the full press release from Glory.

Highly-anticipated first meeting of heavyweight icons headlines GLORY’s star-studded, 11-bout UK debut with UK’s best Kickboxers on hand

Plus:

Jordan Watson vs. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon

Liam Harrison vs. Mosab Amrani

Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie

LONDON, England (Jan. 9, 2013) - Tickets for the highly-anticipated GLORY 5 London: Spong vs. Bonjasky star-studded kickboxing event, taking place at Excel Arena on Saturday, March 23, go on sale Friday, January 11 via Ticketmaster.

Tickets, priced from £45, can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by telephone at 0844 847 2543.

Headlined by a heavyweight showdown between superstars Remy Bonjasky (77-15, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s), the first-ever GLORY show in the UK brings together a host of additional icons for the most stacked kickboxing card ever to grace a British venue.

“When GLORY decided to stage a show in London, we knew we would have to put together a special card for the British capital. Fans have wanted to see a fight between Remy Bonjasky and Tyrone Spong for some time, but the two have never met in the ring - until now,” says Marcus Luer, GLORY CEO.

“Bonjasky is an idol to fight fans around the world and Spong has been on a steady rise to the top - he’s a fighter that everybody is talking about right now. They are both incredible athletes with explosive power. Bonjasky’s flying knees and Spong’s hands are capable of stopping a fight in an instant. Don’t blink.”

Known as ‘The Flying Gentleman’, the 1.93 meter/6-foot-3, 108 kilogram/238 pound Bonjasky is a household name among kickboxing fans. His illustrious career has seen him win numerous top honors, including three K-1 Grand Prix championships, but this will be the first time that British fans have the opportunity to see him fight live.

One of the most athletic fighters ever to step into the ring, Bonjasky has provided some of the most enduring images of the sport with his flying knee attacks and wide range of dynamic kicks. Among his career achievements are wins over superstar rivals Badr Hari, Peter Aerts, Alistair Overeem and Jerome LeBanner.

Like Bonjasky, Spong, a native of Amsterdam who recently relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. to train with the famed ‘Blackzilians’ fight squad, is a stellar athlete. The 1.88 meter/6-foot-2, 103.5 kilogram/228 pound Spong started his career as a middleweight and has retained his speed and fluidity while gradually moving up to heavyweight.

With explosive power in his hands, nearly two-thirds of Spong’s wins have been by stoppage, including his June KO of the legendary Aerts, also a three-time winner of the old K-1 Grand Prix tournament series. Prior to moving up to heavyweight, Spong held the light-heavyweight (95 kilograms/210 pounds) title in top European organization It’s Showtime, which GLORY purchased in October 2012.

Jordan Watson (29-5-1, 14 KO's) and Liam Harrison (67-13-2, 38 KO’s), two of the best kickboxers the UK has ever produced, will both see action on the card. Hailing from the Bad Company gym in Leeds, England, they have fought all over the world and have been among the few foreigners to find success in the fighting rings of Thailand.

Harrison faces Mosab ‘Jaguar’ Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KO’s), a Dutch-Moroccan fighter who combines ferocity with exceptional technicality, in a featherweight bout (65 kilograms/143 pounds). Amrani’s skills will provide the toughest test of Harrison’s career to date. Watson faces an equally tough test in the shape of Australia’s ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon (29-4-1, 16 KO's), a KO machine with a sky-high finishing ratio, in a lightweight contest

In other action on the star-studded, 11-bout GLORY 5 London kickboxing card, all-time great

Albert Kraus (66-16-3, 39 KO’s), winner of the first ever K-1 MAX tournament, will face the sensational Andy Ristie (43-2, 16 KO’s) in a bout that will help determine a top lightweight (70 kilograms/154 pounds) contender.

Light-heavyweight (95 kilograms/209 pounds) Bonjasky protégé Danyo Ilunga (41-4, 34 KOs) will make his UK debut against top French talent and fellow power striker Stephane Susperregui (32-4-1, 27 KOs) in a fight that is very unlikely to go the distance.

All GLORY 5 London bouts are comprised of three, three-minute rounds. The complete fight card is as follows:

Heavyweight

Tyrone Spong (Suriname) vs. Remy Bonjasky (Netherlands)

Lightweight

Andy Ristie (Suriname) vs. Albert Kraus (Netherlands)

Light-Heavyweight

Stephane Susperregui (France) vs. Danyo Ilunga (Congo)

Featherweight

Liam Harrison (UK) vs. Mosab Armani (Morocco)

Lightweight

Jordan Watson (UK) vs. Steve Moxon (Australia)

Light-Heavyweight

Raymond Daniels (USA) vs. TBC

Heavyweight

Singh Jaideep (UK/India) vs. Yong Soo Park (South Korea)

Middleweight

Steve Wakeling (UK) vs. Simon Marcus (Canada)

Welterweight

Maxim Vyrovski (Russia) vs. Duoli Chen (China)

Lightweight

Johann Fauveau (France) vs. Warren Stevelmans (South Africa)

Catchweight

Reece McAllister (UK) vs. Tim Thomas (UK)

About GLORY:

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

With television deals spanning every continent, online live video streaming of all shows and the world's largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world's most widely distributed sporting organizations.

Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in the UK, Holland, Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore and soon in the USA. Its personnel include an unprecedented mix of accomplished entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the diverse worlds of finance, sports marketing, television and martial arts fighting.

Glory 5 adds Harrison vs. Amrani and Watson vs. Moxon

Glory 5 is already set to feature a main event bout between Kickboxing legend Remy Bonjasky and hard hitting Tyrone Spong. The event will take place in London, England anb will also feature two of the UK’s best fighters. Liam Harrison will be in action against Mosab Amrani and Jordan Watson will be taking on Steve Moxon.

Harrison vs. Amrani should be an exciting fight from start to finish as both fighters are fairly aggressive. Both fighters have been competing against top tier competition as of late and this fight is no different for either fighters.

Watson vs. Moxon will feature two up and coming talents. Watson has made his name fighting some of the best in the Muay Thai world, while Moxon has fought some great fighters mainly in his home country of Australia.

Bonjasky, Spong, Harrison, Watson, Moxon, and Amrani all in action at Glory 5 in February

Glory (@Glory_WS) will head to England in February and it has a stacked card planned for Glory 5. With only three bouts confirmed it’s already considered stacked and any additional bouts would seem like a bonus. The night’s main event will feature Kickboxing legend Remy Bonjasky (@RKBonjasky) vs. the hard hitting Tyrone Spong (@Tyrone_Spong). Also on the card will be Liam Harrison (@LiamBadco) vs. Mosab Amrani and Jordan Watson vs. Steve Moxon.

Glory continues to put on some of the best if not the best cards in the international fight scene when it comes to Kickboxing. Read the full press release from Glory below.

HEAVYWEIGHT KICKBOXING SUPERSTARS
TYRONE SPONG AND REMY BONJASKY COLLIDE IN
GLORY 5 LONDON MAIN EVENT
FEBRUARY 16, 2013

HISTORIC FIRST MEETING HEADLINES BIGGEST KICKBOXING CARD EVER STAGED IN THE UK

UK LIGHTWEIGHT STANDOUTS
JORDAN WATSON AND LIAM HARRISON TO SEE ACTION
ON THE CARD

London, England (Nov. 19, 2012) – Heavyweight superstars Remy Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s) will collide in the main event of GLORY 5  London at the British capital’s Excel Arena on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013.

Also confirmed for the kickboxing mega-card are lightweight (70 kilograms/154 pounds) British standouts Jordan Watson (29-5-1, 14 KO's) and Liam Harrison (67-13-2, 38 KO’s). Both have tough tests ahead of them - Watson faces the hard-hitting ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Moxon of Australia (29-4-1, 16 KO’s) while Harrison faces the aggressive Moroccan lightweight Mosab ‘Jaguar’ Amrani (48-7-4, 14 KO’s).

Tickets for the event go on sale in December. Pricing and vendors will be announced in the coming weeks.

‘The Flying Gentleman’ Bonjasky is a household name among kickboxing fans and this will be the first time that British fight fans have the opportunity to see him fight live. One of the most athletic fighters ever to step into the ring, Bonjasky’s flying knees and kicks have provided some of the most thrilling images of the sport and helped propel him to victory in three Grand Prix tournaments in the old K-1 fight series.

An eye ailment forced a temporary retirement on him for nearly three years but, after undergoing surgery, the 1.93 meter (6-foot-4), 108 kilogram (240 pound) fighter was ready to put the gloves back on.

At GLORY 2 Brussels on Oct. 6, he made a triumphant return with a decision win over No. 1 ranked Brazilian heavyweight Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva. Bonjasky demonstrated superior conditioning and reflexes in the fight, showing his rivals that all the old magic is still there.

Like Bonjasky, Amsterdam native Spong, who recently relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. to train with the famed ‘Blackzilians’ fight squad, is a world-class athlete. Standing 1.88 meters (6-foot-2) and weighing 103.5 kilograms (228 pounds), he started his career as a middleweight and has retained that speed and fluidity as he has moved up through the weight classes to heavyweight.

With explosive power in his hands, nearly two-thirds of Spong’s wins have been by stoppage, including his June KO of legend Peter Aerts.  Spong was the last reigning 95 kilogram (210 pound) champion in world championship kickboxing league It’s Showtime which GLORY purchased in October.

“This is a dream fight that kickboxing fans around the world have been wanting to see for some time. Bonjasky is one of the sport’s all-time greats and anybody who watched him fight in Brussels could see immediately that he was as sharp as ever. He had the same dynamic fighting style that earned him tremendous success and acclaim in the sport before he went on hiatus three years ago,” said GLORY Managing Director Marcus Luer.

“As for Spong, his speed and technicality are just amazing. He is unbelievably agile for a heavyweight and he makes fighting look like ballet. He also has plenty of power and a real killer instinct, which we saw in his win over Peter Aerts earlier this year. Bonjasky and Spong are two of the most natural athletes the sport of kickboxing has ever seen. They are going to thrill the London fight fans in February.”

GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand remarked, “I live in London and I am very proud to be bringing these two world-class fighters to the British capital. Bonjasky and Spong are at the top of their games right now and the winner will take a step closer to a shot at the GLORY heavyweight title.”

Both fighting out of the Bad Company gym in Leeds, England, Watson and Harrison have carved out solid reputations on the international Muay Thai circuit and have a legion of fans in their native northern city. Watson made his GLORY debut in November with a win over Mustapha Haida of Belgium.

Harrison is a four-time world champion in kickboxing and Muay Thai. He has faced elite Thai champions such as Saenchai Sor Kingstar and Anuwat Kaewsamrit and has competed extensively in Thailand with some of the nation’s top fighters. Among the titles Harrison has held are the prestigious WAKO and WMC belts, the latter being arguably the top honor in the Muay Thai world.

Additional matchups for GLORY 5 London will be announced soon. Visit www.gloryworldseries.com for more information.

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.

Contact:
Mike Afromowitz and Gala Klyuchkina - press@gloryworldseries.com

Thai Fight 2011 semi-finals and finals re-scheduled due to flooding in Thailand

The Thai Fight 2011 147lb (67kg) and 154lb (70kg) tournament semi-finals and finals have been rescheduled once again. The current flooding that has occurred in Thailand is once again behind the re-scheduling. The semi-finals will now take place on November 27th and the finals on December 18th. Below is the official statement released by Thai Fight.

"At present, floods have inundated Bangkok outer suburbs. The majority of the capital, including the business and shopping districts, remains dry. But a mass of runoff water continues to creep into inner

Thai Fight 2011 semi-finals set for October 24th

The Thai Fight 147lb (67kg) and 154lb (70kg) tournament semi-finals have been set. They will take place on October 24th at Thammasart Rangsit in Bangkok, Thailand. The opening round for both tournaments took place on September 25th and there were some surprises, but for the most part most of the fighters that were expected to advance did so.

The main draw of the opening round was the fact that Buakaw was fighting in Thailand for the first time in eight years. A huge crowd filled the 4,500 seat arena and showed their support in what was an electrifying evening. Buakaw easily won his opening round fight in the 154lb tournament as he picked apart Abdallah Mable from the opening bell to the end of the fight. The crowed was also their to support the Thai representative in the 147lb tournament, Kem Sitsongpeenong who made short work of Alessio Angelo after he opened a cut on the crown of his head with an elbow just as soon as the fight started forcing a doctor stoppage.

Results and recap: Thai Fight 2011

Bangkok, Thailand -- The Thai Fight 2011 tournament kicked off on Sunday, September 25th. The 154lb (70kg) and the 147lb (67kg) tournaments featured some world class fighters in the opening round such as Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Kem Sitsongpeenong, Vuyisile Colossa and Fabio Pinca.

Fighting in Thailand for the first time in eight years, Buakaw was the night's main attraction. He took on Cameroon's Abdallah Mabel. From the start of the fight it Buakaw controlled the fight and landed his strikes with power. Mabel mocked Buakaw a bit midway through the fight, but it had no effect on him as he continued to press the action and deliver punishment. In the third round Buakaw knocked Mabel down with a counter right, and after Mabel was able to answer the referee's count Buakaw went on an aggressive attack looking to finish. The third and final round ended with Buakaw still attacking, he took home a very dominant decision victory.