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.

Steve Wakeling out of Glory 10 middleweight tournament, Kengo Shimizu now set to face Joe Schilling

Late last week visa issues forced the UK's Jordan Watson out of his Glory 10 fight with Albert Kraus and now another one of the the UK's top names has fallen victim to visa issues. Steve Wakeling has been forced out of his fight against Joe Schilling in the semi-finals of the Glory middleweight four man tournament. Stepping in to replace Wakeling is Japan's Kengo Shimizu.

Shimizu was originally set to face Wayne Barrett in the tournament reserve bout, but now has the chance shock the world by officially being entered into the four man tournament. He will have his work cut out for him against Schilling, and a win over the Los Angeles based fighter should be considered an upset. 

With Shimizu now in the tournament, Barrett will face Rob Plotkin in the tournament reserve bout. Plotkin was last in action on the Glory 9 under card when he defeated Casey Greene by first round (T)KO.

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

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

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

Matches to make after Lion Fight 9

Lion Fight continues to grow and is heading the North American Muay Thai movement. Billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban recently went on record in a USA Today interview.

"We have always been Muay Thai fans," Cuban said. "We just hadn't had the right partner. Lion Fights put together the best of the best, and we were excited to expose fans to a different side of MMA."

Things are looking good for Lion Fight and this pat Friday at Lion Fight 9 they delivered some great Muay Thai action at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In the night's main event Canada’s Simon Marcus kept his undefeated record in tact while capturing the Lion Fight Light Heavyweight Title with his win over Artem Levin. Tiffany Van Soest also kept her undefeated record in tact with a win over Natalie Yip, and Kevin Ross won his second consecutive fight since returning from ACL surgery. Ognjen Topic put everyone on notice when he knocked out Thai champion Paowarit Sasiprapa in the third round and Jason Andrada is 2-0 as a pro now with both wins coming by stoppage.

Below are a few match-ups we think would make sense as the next possible fight for the winners at Lion Fight 9, whether it’s on Lion Fight or a different fight card.

Simon Marcus vs. Steve Wakeling

Coming into the bout with Levin, Marcus was considered the number two light heavyweight in the world with Levin being number one. Now that Marcus is the number one line heavyweight Wakeling and Levin are easily considered two and three. Levin and Wakeling fought to a draw last July. Marcus vs. Wakeling would make perfect sense and Wakeling is the next suitor in line. Not to mention that both are known for being assassins in the clinch, and it would be interesting to see who can out maneuver who.

Tiffany Van Soest vs. Lucy Payne

Before Van Soest’s bout at Lion Fight 9 against Alexis Rufus it was rumored that Lion Fight tried to put together the bout between Van Soest and Payne, but for some reason or another it did not happen. That did not sit well with Lucy Payne’s coach Nathan Kitchen and he hit the social media sites claiming Van Soest was ducking Payne. After Van Soest’s knockout of Alexis Rufus, she stated in her post fight interview that she would be more than willing to get in the ring with Payne. For whatever reason we got Van Soest vs. Yip, but there is no reason that Van Soest vs. Payne shouldn’t be next.

Kevin Ross vs. Matt Embree

With Ross now having collected two wins since returning from his ACL surgery, a fight with Embree makes sense. They are considered by many to bet the top two super lightweights in North America. This would definitely answer questions regarding as to who the number one is.

Ognjen Topic vs. Coke Chunhawat

If Topic and Coke could meet in the mid 130’s it would be a great fight. Both have technical styles and if Topic could beat Coke, it would be another great name for him to add to his resume. For Chunhawat it gives him a chance to slow down the Topic train and steal some of this thunder for himself.

Jason Andrada vs. Anthony Castrejon

The pair previously met as amateurs and the bout ended in less than a minute when Castrejon landed a perfectly timed head kick. Now that Andrada has gone pro and has two wins by (T)KO in as many tries it would be nice to see this re-match. Castrejon has put together a 3-1 record as a pro since the bout.

Eddie Walker talks upcoming fight with Steve Wakeling at Glory 5

Eddie Walker (@EddieShowtime) will be fighting his toughest opponent to date at Glory 5 this weekend when he faces Steve Wakeling from the UK. Known as one of the top 3 light heavyweights in the world Wakeling is considered a heavy favorite going into the bout with Walker. Despite most thinking Walker has no chance; confidence is something Walker doesn’t lack. Muay Thai Authority caught up with Eddie to talk about the upcoming fight against Wakeling.

MTA: Big fight against Steve Wakeling coming up. How does it feel to be called upon to fight one of the best fighters in the world at this weight class?

Eddie: It feels great! Fighting the best is the only way to truly test yourself.

MTA: You just competed in the Road to Glory tournament and now you are fighting at Glory 5, any new improvements made to training camp?

Eddie: No not at all. My coach has been in Tokyo with Brian Stan for his UFC fight, so I've just been staying in shape until he came back and now that he is back, we just picked up where we left off.

MTA: Wakeling is considered a heavy favorite, how do you like the under dog roll?

Eddie: It doesn't bother me. Stats are stats, but you still have to get in the ring and fight. I'm very confident in my training and my coach, so I just go and fight and try to perform at my best.

MTA: You are going to be fighting in his backyard, is there any mental preparation that you do when getting ready to fight someone on their territory?

Eddie: When fighting in someone's hometown you have to tell yourself that there is no way you will win if the fight goes to the judges. For me to win this fight, I will have to knock him out or win by TKO. There is no other choice.

MTA: You are known for putting your opponents to sleep. Are you going into this fight with the intentions of knocking Wakeling out or is simply getting the win your goal?

Eddie: Getting the win is my goal, but the only way that is going to happen is if I finish the fight before the judges get to turn in their score cards.

MTA: This fight is Kickboxing rules, so no elbows or clinches. Do you think that plays more towards your style of fighting since Wakeling is known for his Muay Thai?

Eddie: I would say that it's going to make the fight very interesting. He has very powerful kicks and I'm sure he has been working his hands for this fight, so we will see what happens.

MTA: What is your biggest advantage going into this fight?

Eddie: I have nothing to lose. He has a ton of pressure on him and he is in his hometown. He has to perform at 100% no matter what.

MTA: Any words for your supporters Eddie?

Eddie: I just want to thank everyone for there support. It has been a crazy year and I appreciate all the kind words and the opportunities that have been presented to me. No matter what happens in this fight, you will not be disappointed.