Action Pro Gear Fight of the Week: Joseph Valtellini vs. Murat Direkçi

This week's Action Pro Gear Fight of the Week features Joseph Valtellini vs. Murat Direkçi. Joseph Valtellini made his Glory debut on April of 2013 in Turkey at Glory 6. Many fight fans were not aware of Valtellini's skill, but they would soon be put on notice. Murat Direkçi was his opponent for his Glory debut and Valtellini showed his skills by scoring a (T)KO in the third round.

After the win Valtellini went on to eventually capture the Glory Welterweight Title. His combinations are flawless and his ability to finish fights has made him a fan favorite. Start your weekend of right enjoying this fight between Valtellini and Direkçi.

Glory 6 results and recap

Glory 6 took place last night in Istanbul, Turkey and the main event bout between Gokhan Saki and Daniel Ghita lived up to all the hype and more. Widely considered the second and third best heavyweights in the world, the winner would get a title shot against current champion Semmy Schilt. The first round was pretty even, and at one point Saki caught a kick from Ghita and threw him down to the canvas. It seemed Ghita injured his arm on the throw, but the bout continued. In the second round against the round seemed pretty even until Saki unloaded a 12 punch combination that ended with a right hand that floored Ghita. After Ghita was able to get back to his feet and the bout resumed, a left hook from Saki sent Ghita back to the canvas. Saki knew he had Ghita hurt and as soon as the referee restarted the action he rushed in and continued to unload shots on a visibly hurt Ghita until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight, awarding Saki the victory and earning him a title shot against Semmy Schilt.

In the night’s co main event Fabiano Cyclone and Mourad Bouzidi was expected to be full of fireworks, and although it was a solid bout it ended prematurely. Cyclone came in with his right knee wrapped, and it would end up playing a factor in the fight. Bouzidi looked sharp in his bout and he looked to have Cyclone hurt at one point in the opening round. In the second round Cyclone came out aggressive, but after the action slowing down Bouzidi landed a few body punches and as Cyclone backed away it looked as if his knee gave out and he fell to the canvas. He got back to his feet and immediately Bouzidi went for his leg and Cyclone’s corner threw in the towel.

Marc De Bonte scored an impressive knockout of L’houcine Ouzgni in the first round. De Bonte exploded with a perfectly timed jumping knee that floored Ouzgni and ended the fight about a minute in. Great win for De Bonte.

Nieky Holzken and Karim Ghajji fought for three hard rounds and it seemed that Ghajji might be on his way to victory as the time was ticking away in the third round, but a wild exchange with Holzken proved costly. Holzken landed a night one two combination and Ghajji went down to the canvas. He was able to recover and the judges called for an extra round. In the extra round Holzken landed a knee to the face of Ghajji which opened a huge gash over his eye. The ringside physician was brought in to look at the cut and the bout was stopped and Holzken was awarded the (T)KO victory.

North America’s Joseph Valtellini made his Glory debut and it was nothing short of impressive. Fighting the more experienced Murat Direkci things seemed a little hairy in the opening minute as Direkci came out aggressive and landed some clean shots on Valtellini, but Valtellini was able to weather the storm and drop Direkci with a right hand before the first round ended. In the second round Direkci once again came out aggressive, but Valtellini was more than happy to stand and trade with him as he put together some great combinations. Punches and leg kicks were flying from Valtellini, and then he began to find an opening with his uppercut. A head kick dropped Direkci and after beating the referee’s count, a leg kick followed by a punch dropped Direkci again. The round ended but it was clear that Direkci was in trouble and as soon as the third round started Valtellini went in for the kill landing a head kick and then a nice punch combination before Direkci’s corner threw in the towel. Valtellini has now won seven of his eight pro wins by stoppage. It will be interesting who he is matched up with for his next fight in Glory.

Results:
Gokhan Saki def. Daniel Ghita via (T)KO (Referee Stoppage) in Rd. 2
Mourad Bouzidi def. Fabiano Cyclone via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) in Rd. 2
Filip Verlinden def. Lucian Danilencu via Unanimous Decision
Marc De Bonte def. L’houcine Ouzgni via KO (Knee) in Rd. 1
Nieky Holzken def. Karim Ghajji via (T)KO (Cut) in Rd. 4
Andy Ristie def. Alessandro Campagna via Unanimous Decision
Joseph Valtellini def. Murat Direkci via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) in Rd. 3
Max Baumert def. Ismail Uzuner via KO (Head Kick) in Rd. 1
Dongsu Kim def. Naoki Yasuda via Unanimous Decision
Jahfarr Wilnis def. Oguz Ovguer via KO in Rd. 1
Orhan Karalioglu def. Cleber Algente Albes via KO in Rd. 2
Samet Keser def. Muzzafer Gemici via KO in Rd. 1
Kenyan Gunaydin def. Zurab Khistani via KO in Rd. 3

Glory 6 Live Play by Play and Results

If you can't be in Istanbul, Turkey or catch the online stream for Glory 6 make sure to tune in here to keep up to date with all the action going down on the main card. Gokhan Saki vs. Daniel Ghita will be the night's main event and it should be another great fight.

Also North American fans should be excited to see Canada's Joseph Valtellini make his Glory debut against Murat Direkci. So keep checking back here for the play by play and results.

Dongsu Kim vs. Naoki Yasuda

Round 1

Kim with a right to start things off. Kim the aggressor early. Low kicks by Kim. Left hook by Yasuda wobbles Kim. Action start to pick up but it is a close first round.

Round 2

These guys are swinging. It’s looking more like a brawl as they both are slinging leather. Mainly punches not kicks. Yasuda sneaks in a knee though. These guys are really going at it. Fast paced fight. Neither guy is budging and it is a pretty even round this far with both fighters landing solid punches. Solid punches by Yasuda as the round ends.

Round 3

Knee by Yasuda, These guys continue to sling the leather. Yasuda lands a few clean ones. This is an all out war. Yasuda seems to have more gas left in the tank as Kim seems to be slowing down. Knees from Yasuda. Kim seems to be in defensive mode but he is still letting the leather fly. 

Result: Dongsu Kim def. Naoki Yasuda via Unanimous Decision

Max Baumert vs. Ismail Uzuner 

Round 1
Baumert right away with a left hand, but Uzuner answers. High kick by Uzuner then they both throw leg kicks. Baumert goes to the body with punches. Uzuner pushing the pace now. Knee from Uzuner. Left by Baumert. These guys are not holding anything back. Right hand by Baumert. Nice uppercut sneaks in by Uzuner. Leg kick by Uzuner. Head kick by Baumert lands and sends Uzuner to the canvas and it’s over. Great knockout for Baumert.

Result: Max Baumert def. Ismail Uzuner via KO (Head Kick) in Rd. 1

Joseph Valtellini vs. Murat Direkci

Round 1
Valtellini with a low kick. Clinch and they both land knees. Right hook by Direkci lands. Direkci is fast and landing several shots. Has Valtellini moving backwards. Nice left from Direkci lands but Valtellini fires back. Right hand from Direkci lands. Leg kick from Valtellini. Direkci is pressing the action early. Right hand from Valtellini knocks Direkci down. Leg kick from Valtellini. Leg kick from Valtellini to end round.

Round 2
Big exchanges early and again Direkci comes out aggressive but Valtellini answering. Leg kick from Valtellini. Nice combinations from Valtellini ending in with low kicks. Body kick by Valtellini. Uppercut from Valtellini lands. Valtellini landing clean shots. Uppercut twice by Valtellini hurts Direkci. Head kick by Valtellini knocks Direkci down. Another knockdown by Valtellini from a leg kick and punch. Round ends.

Round 3
Uppercut and leg kick by Valtellini to start. Head kick by Valtellini. Direkci’s corner throws in the towel as Valtellini lands a nice combo. Huge win for Joseph Valtellini.

Result: Joseph Valtellini def. Murat Direkci via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) in Rd. 3 

Alessandro Campagna vs. Andy Ristie

Round 1
Ristie with a leg kick. Right hand by Campagna. Body kick by Campagna. Right hand by Ristie lands. Both throwing but nothing clean landing. Compared the two previous fights this one is very slow paced.

Round 2
Risite letting some winging punches fly, but nothing is landing. Leg kick by Campagna. Right hand by Campagna lands. Campagna pushing the pace a bit. Nice right hand by Campagna. Both fighters looking a little sloppy.

Round 3
Ristie come out aggressive in the third round landing some hard punches. Ristie is looking for the knock out but Campagna doing a good job defending. A hard left hand from Ristie connects. Very sloppy fight at this point. Knee from Campagna lands. Ristie lands a hard left. Campagna is bleeding from his right eye.

Result: Andy Ristie def. Alessandro Campagna via Unanimous Decision
 
Karim Ghajji vs. Nieky Holzken

Round 1
Kick from each fighter to start things off. Holzken slips on a kick attempt. Low kick and left hook from Holzken. Leg kicks from Ghajji. Punch followed by leg kicks from Ghajji. Spinning heel kick blocked by Holzken. Ghajji is pressing the action and throwing a lot but Holzken doing a good job defending. Flying knee from Ghajji. Leg kick by Holzken lands. Knee to the body by Holzken. Left hook by Holzken. Uppercut sneak through the guard of Holzken. Pace is starting to be picked up by both fighters as the round ends.

Round 2
Ghajji starts the round with a one two. Body shot by Ghajji. Right hand by Ghajji. Both guys letting the leather fly. Left hook from Ghajji lands. Body shot by Holzken. Leg kicks by Ghajji. Uppercut by Holzken lands clean. Holzken working the body. This is a close round as both fighters and landing clean shots. Knees by Holzken. Some light punches by Ghajji.

Round 3
Ghajji with kicks to the boyd. Ghajji pressing the action early and Holzken lands a nice body shot followed by a one two to the head. Ghajji more active in this round. Body shot by Holzken. Right hand by Holzken lands followed a by an uppercut. Left hook to the body by Holzken. These guys are slugging it out right now and Ghajji gets knocked down with a nice one two from Holzken. Knee from Holzken and two left hooks from Holzken. Fight ends with a short left from Holzken. Fight will go to an extra round.

Round 4
Leg kicks from both fighters to start the round. Right straight from Holzken lands. Leg kick by Ghajji. Left straight by Ghajji. Knee to the body by Holzken. Ghajji the more active fighter in this round. Left from Holzken lands. Leg kick from Holzken. Right by Holzken. Left hook to the body and then to the head by Holzken. More body shots by Holzken. Leg kicks exchanged. Fight is over after a knee from Holzken opens a cut over Ghajji’s eye.

Result: Nieky Holzken def. Karim Ghajji via (T)KO (Cut) in Rd. 4  

Marc De Bonte vs. L'houcine Ouzgni

Round 1
Ouzgni starts with a leg kick. Right hand lands from Ouzgni. Uppercut from De Bonte. Both land jabs. Right hand by De Bonte. A knee from De Bonte send Ouzgni down and it is over. Perfectly timed knee.

Result: Marc De Bonte def. L’houcine Ouzgni via KO (Knee) in Rd. 1

Filip Verlinden vs. Lucian Danilencu

Round 1
Danilencu a lot smaller. Verlinden with a jab and low kick. Low kick by Danilencu. Right hand by Verlinden. Body kick by Verlinden. Leg kick followed by a punch lands from Verlinden. Right hand by Danilencu. Knee from Verlinden lands and looks like it wobbled Danilencu. Leg kick by Verlinden again. Jab by Verlinden. Nice combinations from Verlinden, he is in control this round.

Round 2
Leg kicks exchanged by both fighters. Danilencu getting out boxed by Verlinden. Nice right hand by Danilencu lands. Liver punch and high kick land for Verlinden. Leg kick by Verlinden. Leg kick and knee land for Verlinden. This fight is all Verlinden up to this point. Jab by Verlinden and he seems to slow down a bit.

Round 3
Danilencu need to do something because this fight is all Verlinden up to this point. Body kick by Verlinden. Right hand by Verlinden lands. Right hand by Danilencu lands. Leg kick by Verlinden. Jab by Verlinden. Jab by Danilencu. Knee to the body by Verlinden lands. Nice combination ended with a leg kick lands by Verlinden. Body shot and leg kick by Verlinden land and he follows it up with a knee to the face of Danilencu. All Verlinden this fight as it ends.

Result: Filip Verlinden def. Lucian Danilencu via Unanimous Decision 

Fabiano Cyclone vs. Mourad Bouzidi 

Round 1
Fast paced start by Bouzidi. Cyclone has his right knee wrapped. Could be something to look at in this fight. Bouzidi going to the body. Leg kick by Bouzidi. Right hand by Cyclone, but low kick by Bouzidi lands. Nice punch and low kick combination by Bouzidi. Nice left hook by Bouzidi then he goes to the body and it seems like Cyclone is in trouble. Another left look lands and Cyclone is hurt. Jab by Bouzidi and Cyclone answers with a straight.

Round 2
Cyclone comes out firing and he is looking more aggressive this round. Nice jab and low kick by Bouzidi. Body kick by Bouzidi. Cyclone slowing down know. Leg kick by Bouzidi. Knee by Cyclone. Nice body shots by Bouzidi. Cyclone falls to the canvas and it looks like his knee gave out. He is back up and Bouzidi goes for a leg kick and Cyclone’s corner throws in the towel.

Result: Mourad Bouzidi def. Fabiano Cyclone via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) in Rd. 2

Gokhan Saki vs. Daniel Ghita

Round 1
Leg kick by Saki to start it off. Right by Saki lands. Leg kick by Saki but he misses with punches. Body kick by Ghita answered with a body kick from Saki. The crowd is alive for this fight. Saki catches a kick and throws Ghita to the canvas and he looks injured like he hurt his arm. The referee starts a count and Ghita says he can continue. Body kicks by Ghita. Saki with a nice punch combination. Left hook by Saki lands. Leg kick by Saki. Body kick from Ghita lands. Both fighters picking their shots. Left hook by Saki high kick by Ghita. Close first round. 

Round 2
Leg kick by Saki. Body kick by Ghita. Leg kick by Ghita. Body kick by Ghita. Nice punch combination by Saki. Leg kick exchanged. Jab by Saki. Neither fighter is giving an inch and they exchange several kicks. Nice left hook by Saki lands. Ghita with a left hook of his own. They are starting to let the leather fly. Nice left hook from Saki and he is unloading and Ghita goes down after a right hook lands. Left hook sends Ghita down again and he gets back up. Right hand by Saki rocks Ghita and he unloads on him before the referee steps in to stop the fight. Huge win for Saki.

Result: Gokhan Saki def. Daniel Ghita via (T)KO (Referee Stoppage) in Rd. 2 

3 fights to make sure you don't miss at Glory 6 in Istanbul this weekend

Glory 6 takes place this weekend in Istanbul, Turkey and as usual Glory is bringing some serious talent to the card. There are several interesting bouts on Glory 6, but were going to focus on the three fights that we feel are cannot miss fights. You can purchase a stream for Glory 6 this weekend on the official Glory website.

Gokhan Saki vs. Daniel Ghita
This is a re-match of their 2010 bout which Saki won in an extra round decision. The winner of this bout takes a big step up the Glory Heavyweight ladder and there are some interesting possibilities. Tyrone Spong has expressed interest in fighting both fighters, it would be even more interesting if Saki wins and he fights Spong. He knocked out Spong in 2009. Both fighters throw heavy leather and nothing less than an exciting bout featuring two of the elite heavyweights in the world should be expected, and as always when dealing with heavyweights the changes of a knockout happening are significantly higher.

Joseph Valtellini vs. Murat Direkci
North American fans should be excited to see Valtellini’s Glory debut. Known as a heavy hitter that pieces together great combinations, Valtellini definitely has his work cut out for him. Direkci has ten times the amount of fights Valtellini has and he has been in the ring with some of the best. Direkci has been in the ring with some of the best including Nieky Holzken, Artur Kyshenko, and Robin van Roosmalen. Coming off of four consecutive losses, Direkci will definitely be looking to welcome Valtellini to the big show and add knockout number 58 to his resume. If Valtellini can pull out the win it will be a huge arrival for him on the international stage, not only because he beat a legitimate more experienced fighter, but because the international kickboxing scene will get to witness his exciting fighting style.

Nieky Holzken vs. Karim Ghajji
Holzken is always and exciting and dangerous fighter and he will be looking to stop the surging Ghajji who is currently riding a seven fight win streak. He scored an exciting and huge knockout over Thai powerhouse Aikpracha Meenayothin this past February and adding a name like Holzken’s to his resume would only continue to move Ghajji up the kickboxing ladder. Both guys have knockout out power and both like to let their limbs fly in the ring. This could end up easily being the fight of the night.

Joseph Valtellini set to face Murat Direkci at Glory 6 in Turkey

Canada’s Joseph Valtellini (@BazookaJoeV) will make his promotional debut for Glory on April 6th at Glory 6 in Istanbul, Turkey. Valtellini will face Murat Direkci, a former It’s Showtime Champion, and K-1 World Max competitor. The event will be headlined by with Daniel Ghita vs. Gokhan Saki.

Valtellini, who sports a professional record of 7-1, will be putting his skills to the test when he steps into fight Direkci. As a professional Direkci holds a record of 68-15 with 85% of those victories coming by (T)KO. Valtellini, however, should be used to the experience gap. In most of his fights his opponents have had more fights than him, on three occasions the gap has been 20 plus fights.

Valtellini was successful in his last outing when he defeated Mehdi Baghdad at Muay Thai in America “In Honor of the King” this past December in Los Angeles, CA. Known for his power and great combinations, Valtellini could cement himself on the international scene with a victory over Direkci.