Glory 24: Denver Fight Card

Glory 24 in Denver has had some major changes since it was initially announced. The main event was originally supposed to be the final bout in the trilogy between Joe Schilling and Artem Levin, but an elbow injury to Levin canceled those plans. Schilling will now face Jason Wilnis instead of Levin.

Wilnis was on a three fight win streak recently, that ended at Glory 20 when he lost a decision to Simon Marcus in the final of the Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament. Before his bout with Schiling he is scheduled to fight David Keclik on September 18 at FFC 19 in Austria.

Pat Barry was originally slated to fight as part of the co-main event on the card, but an injury has forced the former UFC fighter off as well. The bout would have been his second under Glory. Instead of Barry in action the co-main event will now feature Dustin Jacoby vs. Wayne Barrett. 

Jacoby is coming off a tournament win at Glory 23 in Las Vegas. Jacoby defeated Ariel Sepulveda and Casey Greene by KO on the night to win the tournament and end a four fight losing streak. Barrett will be looking to end a three fight skid when he meets Jacoby. He last competed in the middleweight contender tournament at Glory 20, where he lost in the tournament semi-finals to Simon Marcus by decision. Barrett found early success in his career going 5-0 with four of those wins coming by stoppage, but has not been able to break through against the top tier of the division when going the distance, all three of his recent losses have been by decision.

Glory 24 will also feature a Heavyweight Tournament. The semi-final match ups are Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Mladen Brestovac and Ben Edwards vs. Jahfarr Wilnis.

Glory 24 takes place on October 9th in Denver, Colorado.

Fight Card:

Joe Schilling vs. Jason Wilnis

Dustin Jacoby vs. Wayne Barrett

Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Finals

Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Mladen Brestovac

Ben Edwards vs. Jahfarr Wilnis

Artem Levin vs. Joe Schilling 3 set for Glory 24

Glory 24 is set for Denver, CO on October 9th. The night's main event will feature the rubber match between Glory Middleweight Champion Artem Levin and challenger Joe Schilling. 

The two fighters have split a pair of fights with both fights coming in tournament finals. Schilling won their first encounter in an extra round decision at Glory 10 in 2013. Levin won the second by unanimous decision in the Finals of the Glory 17 Last Man Standing Tournament in 2014.

Schilling has fought in Kickboxing only once since his last fight with Levin. He defeated Robert Thomas in a one sided unanimous decision at Glory 19 in February of this year. After his bout with Thomas, Schilling had two MMA bouts for Bellator. Schilling lost both bouts with his latest against Hisaki Kato ending in a highlight reel knockout that kept him from fighting in a Kickboxing bout at Bellator 142: Dynamite because of the medical suspension handed down to him.

Levin has had one fight since being crowned the Glory Middleweight Champion. He fought Simon Marcus at Glory 21 this past May. Levin was able to retain his middleweight title after the bout ended in a controversial draw. 

Their first two fights have been scheduled for three rounds, with the first going an extra round. The rubber match is scheduled for five rounds since it is for the Glory Middleweight Championship.

Fight Card:

Artem Levin vs. Joe Schilling for Glory Middleweight Championship

Fight of the Week: Steve Wakeling vs. Artem Levin

Steve Wakeling and Artem Levin's controversial fight at Xplosion Fight Series takes Fight of the Week honors this week. The bout between two of the world's best light heavyweights had fans buzzing a little over two years ago when it went down in England. The fight did not disappoint as the pair went toe to toe for five rounds. When it was over many thought that Wakeling had done enough to dethrone Levin from the top of the division as well as end his current 26 fight winning streak. 

When the judges announced their decision it was declared a draw and fans in attendance were upset. Many thought Wakeling that done more with his kick heavy attack to take the decision. Despite what the result may have been it was a very close fight and the best way to solve this highly disputed decision would be to have the pair rematch. We would expect a rematch to be just as good as the first fight between these two heavy hitters. In case you haven't seen their first fight sit back and enjoy it.

KO of the Week: Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Artem Levin

This week's KO of the Week features two power houses in the Muay Thai world meeting under Kickboxing rules. Yodsanklai and Artem Levin met at K-1 in Scandinavia in 2008 in what at the time was the biggest fight of Levin's career. Only 21 years of age, he was trying to score an upset over the Thai powerhouse that is Yodsanklai. In the first round the action was fast paced and Levin was holding his own with Yodsanklai, but in the second round the Thai veteran took over and ended up knocking out Levin. It was an exciting fight from start to finish and if you have never seen it or have been used to Levin's dominance in recent years it is definitely a fight to watch.

Glory Last Man Standing Results

Glory "Last Man Standing" took place Saturday, June 21st. The event was Glory's first PPV event. The highlight of the event was the middleweight 8-man tournament to crown the division's champion. 

The tournament final featured a re-match between Artem Levin and Joe Schilling. Levin defeated Alex Pereira and Filip Verlinden by unanimous decision to punch his ticket to the final, while Schilling had a more controversial path to the finals. in his quarter final bout with Simon Marcus, Schilling was knocked down in the second round and when the fight went to the judges score cards it seemed Marcus had once again defeated Schilling. The judges, however, ruled the fight a controversial draw as many though Marcus had done what he needed to move on. In the extra round Marcus was deducted a point with 40 seconds remaining the round for spitting out his mouth piece. Knowing he needed a knockout to win Marcus rushed Schilling and with 20 seconds left walked into a Schilling right hand that put  his lights out and tournament hopes on the back burner.

In the semi-finals Wayne Barrett seemed to have done enough to win a decision over Schilling, but once again Schilling was awarded a decision that many up in arms. The judges declared Schilling the winner by split decision. In the final Artem Levin picked away at Schilling and scored a knockdown over him. In the third round of their bout Levin was oddly deducted a point for clinching, but fortunately for Levin he had built up such a huge lead on the judges score cards that it did not affect the final out come and Levin was declared the winner by unanimous decision

In the night's other title fights Rico Verhoeven was crowned the heavyweight champion after a decision with in which he outworked Daniel Ghita, and Joseph Valtellini defeated Marc De Bonte to claim the welterweight championship. Valtellini and De Bonte fought five hard rounds and both men tasted the canvas in the bout but neither refused to concede defeat until the judges rendered their verdict. It was a huge win for Valtellini who in the past two years has gone from an unknown talent to world champion.

Results: 

8-Man Tournament Quarterfinals

Filip Verlinden def. Melvin Manhoef via Majority Decision

Artem Levin def. Alex Pereira via Unanimous Decision

Joe Schilling def. Simon Marcus via KO in Extra Round

Wayne Barret def. Bogdan Stoica via KO in Round 3

8-Man Tournament Semi-Finals

Joe Schilling def. Wayne Barret via Split Decision

Artem Levin def. Filip Verlinden via Unanimous Decision

8-Man Tournament Final

Artem Levin def. Joe Schilling via Unanimous Decision

Super Fights

Joseph Valtellini def. Marc de Bonte via Unanimous Decision

Rico Verhoeven def. Daniel Ghita via Unanimous Decision

Glory 16 Results

Glory 16 took place last night in Denver, CO and featured a 4-man heavyweight contender tournament as well as the Glory Welterweight Championship title fight. Fighting for the welterweight title were Marc De Bonte and Karapet Karapetyan. Unlike most Glory fights the title bout was five rounds and when it was all over De Bonte was standing a top of the welterweight division as the new champion after taking home a close split decision. De Bonte was originally set to face Nieky Holzken for the title, but Holzken was forced to withdraw from the bout. We can most likely expect to see De Bonte’s first title defense be against Holzken.

In the 4-man heavyweight tournament Errol Zimmerman proved to be too much for the opposition as he scored (T)KO’s over both the men he faced on the night. In the tournament semi-finals he made quick work of Australian Ben Edwards and in the tournament final he stopped Anderson Silva. The tournament win is a nice way for Zimmerman to throw his name back in the mix for title contention after having suffered a KO loss to Daniel Ghita at Glory 13.

Pat Barry made his Glory debut on the night and boy was it exciting, although not in favor of Barry. Zack Mwekassa welcomed Barry to the Glory ring with heavy punches and scored a monstrous KO in the first round. First Mwekassa hurt Barry on the feet forcing the former UFC fighter to take a knee, when the fight resumed Mwekassa was on the attack and a vicious left uppercut flattened Barry out. It was a brutal knockout and nice win for Zack Mwekassa.

Some big fights also took place on the undercard, Raymond Daniels scored a highlight reel knockout of Francois Ambgang with a spinning heel kick and Artem Levin scored a decision victory over young Canadian Robert Thomas.

Results:

Glory Heavyweight 4-Man Tournament Semi-Finals
Errol Zimmerman def. Ben Edwards via (T)KO in Rd. 1
Anderson Silva def. Sergey Kharitonov via Unanimous Decision

Glory Heavyweight 4-Man Tournament Final
Errol Zimmerman def. Anderson Silva via (T)KO in Rd. 1

Glory Welterweight Title Fight
Marc De Bonte def. Karapet Karapetyan via Split Decision

Super Fights
Zack Mwekassa def. Pat Barry via KO in Rd. 1
Raymond Daniels def. Francois Ambang via KO in Rd. 1
Artem Levin def. Robert Thomas via Unanimous Decision
Benjamin Adegbuyi def. Daniel Sam via (T)KO in Rd. 2
Josh Jauncey def. Warren Stevelmans via Unanimous Decision
Artem Vakhitov def. Igor Jurkovic via Unanimous Decision
Jamal Ben Saddik def. Nicolas Wamba via (T)KO in Rd. 2

Monte-Carlo Fighting Masters Assembles Stacked Card

Monte-Carlo Fighting Masters, a Monaco based company, puts forward a stacked card for their June 14, 2014 in Monte Carlo. 7 WMC World Championship Title bouts are set for the date, which includes fighters Buakaw, Fabio Pinca, Saenchai, Damien Alamos, Simon Marcus, Thai Ekkarit, amongst others.

All bouts are set for full-rules Muay Thai.

Fight Card:
Buakaw vs. Fabio Pinca
Saenchai vs. Yetkin Ozkul
Damien Alamos vs. Thai Ekkarit
Abdallah Mabel vs. Berneung
Yohan Lidon vs. Alex Harris
Simon Marcus vs. Artem Levin
Artem Vakhitov vs. Dzianis Hancharonak

Artem Levin back in action this weekend at Diamond Fight in Russia

Artem Levin will return to action this weekend at Diamond Fight: Friendship in Chelyabinsk, Russia. He will meet Dutch fighter Hicham El Gaoui in a full rules Muay Thai bout. The event which takes place at the Traktor Sport Palace will featuer a mixture of MMA and Muay Thai. Also expected to fight on the card is Dmitry Valent, although his opponent is currently unknown. 

Levin was upset in the Glory middleweight tournament finals this past September by Joe Schilling. Since then he competed in the Sport Accord World Combat Games where he ran through his field to claim the gold medal. For those not familiar with the Sport Accord World Combat Games, it is an Olympic style event where fighters use full protective gear. This will be his first "professional" fight since his loss at Glory so it should be interesting how "The Lion" bounces back.

Fight Card:

Artem Levin vs. Hicham El Gaoui

Dmitry Valent vs. TBA

Khayal Dzhaniev vs. Thongchai Sitsongpeenong

Glory 10 Results and Recap: Schilling stuns Levin to win 4-man tournament

Glory 10 took place last night in Ontario, CA and the night’s story was Joe Schilling shocking the world by winning the 4-man middleweight tournament. There was a lot of attention surrounding the tournament since its announcement and with Schilling’s original opponent, Steve Wakeling, not able to secure a visa to fight in tournament many expected a Schilling vs. Artem Levin finale. That is exactly what they got, but many didn’t expect Schilling to defeat Levin, but he did just that. Before Levin and Schilling met in the final Levin defeated Jason Wilnis by unanimous decision and Schilling defeated Kengo Shimizu by unanimous decision.

In the final Levin looked good early in the fight but in the second round Levin was knocked by Schilling after a superman punch and a knee landed. The third round was close, and after three rounds the fight was ruled a majority draw and they proceeded to an extra round. In the extra round things started off right until Schilling scored a flash knockdown on Levin, which Levin protested. The tide of the fight shifted and when it was over Schilling was declared the winner.

Results:

Glory Middleweight Tournament Final

Joe Schilling def. Artem Levin via Extra Round Decision

Glory Middleweight Tournament Semi-Finals

Artem Levin def. Jason Wilnis via Unanimous Decision

Joe Schilling def. Kengo Shimizu via Unanimous Decision

Tournament Reserve Bout

Wayne Barrett def. Robby Plotkin via (T)KO at 2:26 of Rd. 1

Super Fights

Robin van Roosmalen def. Shemsi Beqiri via Unanimous Decision

David Kiria def. Murthel Groenhart via Unanimous Decision

Brian Collette def. Randy Blake via Unanimous Decision

Ky Hollenbeck def. Albert Kraus via Unanimous Decision

Hinata Watanabe def. Johann Fauveau via (T)KO at 0:48 of Rd. 3 

Karapet Karapetyan def. Aleksandr Stetcurenko via Unanimous Decision

Jahfarr Wilnis def. Brice Guidon via KO

Niclas Larsen def. Andy Ristie via Unanimous Decision

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 bouts confirmed for Glory 10 including Sanny Dahlbeck vs. Andy Ristie

Glory 10 is shaping up to be quite a stacked card. In addition a few super fights and the highly anticipated 4-man middleweight tournament featuring Artem Levin, Jason Wilnis, Joe Schilling, and Steve Wakeling; Glory has made three more fights official. Andy Risite vs. Sanny Dahlbeck, Brian Collette vs. Randy Blake, and Alexander Stetsurenko vs. Karapet Karapetyan. Wayne Barrett is also expected to compete in a tournament reserve bout against and to be announced opponent.

Ristie vs. Dahlbeck should be an exciting fight as both fighters have finishing power. Risite is coming off a huge knockout over Albert Kraus. Dahlbeck will be fighting for Glory for the first time since the 154lb tournament that saw him make it to the semi-finals before losing to Robin van Roosmalen. At only 22 years of age Dahlbeck is one of Kickboxing's biggest prospects.

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

 

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 

Sanny Dahlbeck vs. Andy Ristie

Brian Collette vs. Randy Blake

Alexander Stetsurenko vs. Karapet Karapetyan 

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

  

Tournament Reserve Bout 

Wayen Barrett vs. TBA

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

Match ups announced for Glory 10 middleweight tournament

When Glory announced the middleweight tournament for Glory 10 there was a lot of buzz. Now it seems we know who will be fighting who in the 4-man tournament. The semi-finals will feature Artem Levin vs. Jason Wilnis and Steve Wakeling vs. Joe Schilling.

Levin and Wakeling are considered by many to be the favorites to meet in the tournament finale and have a re-match of their 2012 fight which ended in a controversial draw. Wakeling vs. Schilling will be an interesting match up, the pair was rumored to be fighting at Glory 5 in London, but the fight never materialized.

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

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

Glory 7 Results: Giorgo Petrsoyan scores another dominant performance

Glory 7 took place today in Milan, Italy. In the night’s main event Giorgio Petrosyan returned to the Glory ring to fight Moroccan Hafid El Boustati, and it was typical Petrosyan performance. Great movement and accurate striking stifled El Boustati for all three rounds and Petrsoyan walked away with a unanimous decision win. It was another dominant performance from “The Doctor”.

In the co-main event heavy hitters Robin van Roosmalen and Murthel Groenhart went the distance. Groenhart drew first blood after landing some vicious knees and opened up a cut on van Roosmalen. Despite taking sustaining the early damage, van Roosmalen landed a right hand that dropped Groenhart after which van Roosmalen seemed to take control of the fight. Van Roosmalen continued to push forward and backed up Groenhart the remainder of the fight and walked away with a unanimous decision.

In other bouts Davit Kiria defeated Yury Bessmertny by unanimous decision, Rico Verhoeven took home a unanimous decision from Jhonata Diniz and Artem Levin defeated Sahak Parparyan in an extra round decision.

Results:
Giorgio Petrosyan def. Hafid El Boustati via Unanimous Decision
Robin van Roosmalen def. Murthel Groenhart via Unanimous Decision
Davit Kiria def. Yury Bessmertny via Unanimous Decision
Rico Verhoeven def. Jhonata Diniz via Unanimous Decision
Artem Levin def. Sahak Parparyan via Unanimous Decision
Chingiz Allazov and Marat Griogrian fight to a No Contest
Kaoponlek def. Sergio Wielzen via Unanimous Decision
Michael Duut def. Steve McKinnon via Unanimous Decision
Karapet Karapetyan def. Roberto Cocco via Unanimous Decision

Photo Credit: Ben Pointer/Glory

Chad and Nathan's Pick 3 - Glory 7 Predictions

With Glory 7 on the horizon, Chad Sanderson of Fight Sport Asia and Nathan Aripez of Muay Thai Authority have teamed up to bring you predictions for three fights at Glory 7 they feel are most interesting for fans. As usual the fight card is stacked with top tier talent, but these three stand out. Let us know if you agree or disagree with Chad and Nathan.

For the latest news on combat sports in Asia make sure to visit our friends at FightSportAsia.com, for the latest on the North American Striking scene stay locked on here at MuayThaiAuthority.com.

Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Hafid El Boustati:

Chad’s pick – Giorgio Petrosyan
A lot of people aren't giving Hafid el Boustati much chance in this fight. It's understandable, Petrosyan has only looked mortal when he's been either injured or sick, so anyone outside of the very top of the 70kg probably won't pose much of a threat to him. That being said Boustati is a technician, and as we saw in his fight against Fabio Pinca, Petrosyan typically has to work a little harder to impose his dominance against the technically gifted. Don't get me wrong, he still wins pretty easily but it's not an obliteration of epic proportions. I have to go with Petro by decision.

Nathan’s pick – Giorgio Petrosyan
Petrosyan is arguably the best striker in the world. Boustati is a solid striker in his own right, but he's not Giorgio Petrosyan. This should be another routine fight for Petrosyan as he uses his accurate striking and great movement to pick apart Boustati en route to a decision victory.

Murthel Groenhart vs. Robin van Roosmalen:

Chad’s pick – Murthel Groenhart
This is an interesting fight, because it will reveal if there's anyone in the 70kg division that can still challenge Petrosyan for the MAX crown. Roosmalen likes pushing guys to the ropes, cornering them and unloading when they have nowhere to run. But Groenhart is a big, big dude. He usually fights at 77kg and has the power and strength behind to back it up. I don't think Roosemalen will be able to bully him like he does to his smaller opponents, and when that doesn't work it'll come down to a brawl. Roosmalen is built like a brick stove, but Groenhart is such a giant in his weight class that I imagine he'll put 'Pokerface" on his back foot. I'm picking Murthel by decision.

Nathan’s pick – Murthel Groenhart
It's probably a safe bet that Groenhart vs. van Roosmalen will steal the show at Glory 7. Both are aggressive fighters with a penchant for finishing their opponents before the final bell. This is going to be a barn burner as both fighters land some powerful shots, but size is going to be the X factor. Groenhart is the larger fighter and it will be evident as he scores a stoppage in the final round.

Artem Levin vs. Sahak Parparyan:

Chad’s pick – Sahak Parparyan
Until very recently, both Sahak and Levin stood at the heads of their respective divisions. Sahak was recently uprooted by Franci Grasj, and Levin lost his #1 spot to Simon Marcus. Levin will be coming up in weight from 80kg to 85kg in this match and Parparyan is a tough, tough opponent to have for the transition. Both guys love to punch, so I definitely see this being a firefight. That being said, I think Parparyan is a little more comfortable at this weight, and has fought more frequently under kickboxing rules. I'm going with Parparyan by decision in this one.

Nathan’s pick – Artem Levin
Levin will be looking to get back to his winning ways against Parparyan and his boxing will be the key. Levin should be able to use his boxing skills to out strike Parparyan, however, he can't get cocky as he does at times and drop his hands because Parparyan is a heavy hitter. As long as Levin works his boxing and mixes in a few kicks he should take home the decision victory.

Photo Credit: Ben Pointer/GLORY

Glory 7 fight card

Glory isn’t waiting long for their next event, on April 20th the promotion returns with Glory 7 in Milan, Italy. The nights’ main event will feature the return of Giorgio Petrosyan to the Glory ring as he meets Hafid El Boustati. Petrosyan won the Glory 154lb eight man tournament last year and has fought once since then, a knockout victory over Ole Larsen under the Gotti Promotions banner.

As usual rest of the card is rounded out of some of the biggest names in the striking world. Artem Levin will look to bounce back after his defeat to Simon Marcus when he takes on Sahak Parparyan, Steve McKinnon will take on Nenad Pagonis, Rico Verhoeven will fight Jhonata Dinz, and in a fight that has fireworks written all over it Robin van Roosmalen and Murthel Groenhart will tangle.

Fight Card:
Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Hafid El Boustati
Rico Verhoeven vs. Jhonata Diniz
Artem Levin vs. Sahak Parparyan
Karapet Karapetyan vs. Roberto Cocco
Steve McKinnon vs. Nenad Pagonis
Murthel Groenhart vs. Robin van Roosmalen
Yury Bessmertny vs. Davit Kiria
Chingiz Allazov vs. Marat Grigorian
Sergio Wielzen vs. Kaopon Lek

Pictures: Lion Fight 9

Scott Hirano was on hand at Lion Fight 9 to shoot all the night's action for Muay Thai Authority. The event which featured the main event bout between Simon Marcus and Artem Levin aired live on AXS TV. Check out some of Scott's photos below and visit the Muay Thai Authority facebook page to see the entire gallery.

Make sure to like the official Scott Hirano Fight Photography facebook page as well.

 

Video: Simon Marcus talks win over Artem Levin

Simon Marcus vs. Artem Levin was one of the most anticipated fights for over a year, and at Lion Fight 9 fans were able to see who the best light heavyweight in the world. After five hard fought rounds Simon Marcus walked away with a unanimous decision victory. Muay Thai Authority caught up with the newly minted Lion Fight Light Heavyweight Champion after the fight to discuss the bout and who might be on his radar next. Simon also delivers on a little promise he made to MTA friend Anish Kapur.

Results and Recap: Lion Fight 9

Lion Fight 9 took place in Las Vegas this Friday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Simon Marcus and Artem Levin were set tangle in the night’s main event in their highly anticipated fight and they did not disappoint. With the Lion Fight Light Heavyweight Championship on the line it was not stop action. From the ring of the first bell to the ring of the final bell both fighters battled like to goliaths in the ring. To the surprise of many Levin was very willing to engage in the clinch with Marcus where both fighters jockeyed for position.

In the second round a punch from Marcus knocked out Levin’s mouthpiece and his killer instinct was obvious because as soon as he noticed it had fallen out Simon pounced. Despite the flurry from Marcus Levin was able to slow the attack down in the clinch until the referee called a break for the mouthpiece to be put back in.

When the fighters weren’t in the clinch both fighter landed clean punches and kicks, but with most of this fight being fought in the clinch it came down to who was more active. Despite both fighters constantly fighting for position Marcus continued to work knees from the clinch the entire time with an occasional elbow thrown in. In the end all three judges awarded the fight to Marcus. With the win Marcus is undoubtedly the world’s number one light heavyweight fighter and the first ever Lion Fight Light Heavyweight Champion.

In the co-main event Tiffany Van Soest was clearly the more skilled fighter against Natalie Yip. Despite Yip’s toughness and efforts, Van Soest was just a step ahead the entire fight. Yip’s best success came in the clinch early in the fight where she seemed to be stronger than Van Soest, but some quick adjustments by Van Soest mitigated any advantage that Yip might have had in the clinch. In the end the judges awarded Van Soest a unanimous decision victory.

Many people considered Kevin Ross the favorite to defeat Bernie Mendieta, but apparently Mendieta didn’t get the memo. After a first round that seemed like vintage Ross things changed. Mendieta began to push the pace as Ross seemed to slow down. Through the final four rounds it seemed Mendieta had pulled off the upset by out striking Ross and looking like the stronger fighter in the ring. When the fight went to the judges it seemed Mendieta was going to walk away with a unanimous decision, until Ross was announced the winner by split decision. Despite the very controversial decision, it was a great showing by the UK’s Mendieta, who is only 22 year old. With performances like that he has a bright future in the sport. Ross has now won two in a row since returning from his ACL surgery that had kept him out of action for a year.

Ognjen Topic put everyone on notice when he knocked out Paowarit Sasiprapa in the third round. Despite there being a huge gap in experience, a few hundred fights, Topic came out swinging. In the opening round Topic scored knockdown after landing a head kick in a flurry, but Paowarit was able to beat the count. In the second round Topic once again landed another head kick that sent Paowarit to the canvas, but once again he recovered. As the third round started another kick sent Paowarit down and the referee had seen enough and called the fight. Huge win for Topic and in decisive fashion.

In the night’s opening bout Jason Andrada and Erik Ruiz started off slowly until a right hand from Andrada connected as the round came to an end. Ruiz dropped in the corner and was not able to beat the referees count and the bout ended with one second left in the first round. That’s 2 (T)KO victories in Andrada’s first two pro fights. Great start to his professional career.

 

Results:
Simon Marcus def. Artem Levin via Unanimous Decision

Tiffany Van Soest def. Natalie Yip via Unanimous Decision

Kevin Ross def. Bernie Mendieta via Split Decision

Ognjen Topic def. Paowarit Sasiprapa via KO (Head Kick) at 0:07 of Rd. 3

Jason Andrada def. Erik Ruiz via KO (Punch) at 2:59 of Rd. 1