GLORY 6

Glory World Series-news

 
 
 
 
 
 

HEAVYWEIGHT KICKBOXING SUPERSTARS
GOKHAN SAKI AND DANIEL GHITA TO COLLIDE IN
LONG-AWAITED REMATCH AND GLORY MAIN EVENT
IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 6
TICKETS FOR GLORY 6 ISTANBUL ON SALE NOW

 
 


 
 

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Feb. 7, 2013) – For the second time in their careers, heavyweight superstar rivals Gokhan Saki THE REBEL (79-16, 55 KOs) of the Netherlands and Daniel Ghita THE SAVAGE SAMURAI (46-8, 35 KOs) of Romania will collide in the ring, in the main event of GLORY 6 Istanbul on Saturday April 6, it was confirmed today by Glory Sports International (GSI).

Tickets for the event, which takes place at the Ülker Sports Arena, are priced from 28TL and are available for purchase online via Biletix/Ticketmaster Turkey.

Just over two years after their December 2010 fight, Saki and Ghita will reprise their roles as adversaries in a meeting that will have the attention of fight fans all over the world. Their first clash was an instant classic and this rematch has an added edge because a shot at the GLORY World Heavyweight Title is on the line for the winner.

Daniel Ghita is ranked No. 2 in the world and Gokhan Saki is ranked No. 3, so this fight will determine which of them is to go on and become the top contender for the GLORY World Heavyweight Title currently held by world No. 1  Semmy Schilt SEM,” says   Marcus Luer, Managing Director of GSI.

“Both of these fighters are absolutely at the peak of their games right now. You only have to look at their performances in the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Slam in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve. Saki scored two lightning-quick KOs before exiting in the semi-final stage and Ghita stopped two of his three opponents to earn a spot in the championship round of the event.”

“The GLORY Heavyweight Championship is the most prestigious belt in kickboxing today and they want it badly – they just have to go through each other to get it.”

”Saki was raised in the Netherlands but is of Turkish heritage and is very proud of his roots. He is a big name in his ancestral land and will quickly find himself being mobbed for pictures and autographs if he wanders the streets of a big city. Ghita is entering the lion’s den by agreeing to face Saki in the Turkish capital of Istanbul, but the former bodyguard to the Romanian president knows no fear.”

Both fighters saw the New Year in with a bang via their performances in the Grand Slam. Saki demolished Japanese contender Raoumaru in the opening stage and then flattened top Brazilian heavyweight Anderson Silva BRADDOCK. He was scoring well against Schilt, but the judges had Schilt winning the first two rounds, and so Schilt advanced to the final under the ‘Best of Three Rounds’ tournament rule.

Ghita’s New Year’s Eve tournament run started with a surprisingly vicious challenge from young Jhonata Diniz of Curitiba, Brazil, who established himself as one to watch but was ultimately beaten by the Romanian. Ghita then faced Mourad Bouzidi and dislocated the Tunisian’s shoulder with an uppercut before facing Moroccan prospect Jamal Ben Saddik and taking him out in 10 seconds with a liver kick.

 
 
 
About GLORY:

The GLORY World Series is the world’s premier martial arts 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 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, 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.

 
 
Source:  
Glory World Series
Mike Afromowitz
Website: Glory World Series / No:37
 
 
FIGHTER LEGION®   is on 
 
 

Report and Photos Weigh-in and Press Conference Glory 4 Tokyo

Glory World Series-news

 
 
Press conference photos from Ben Pontier  
BEN PONTIER PHOTOGRAPHY©
 
 


 
 

All sixteen of the world-class heavyweights taking part in GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM hit the scales at the official weigh-ins today.
The weigh-ins took place at the Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. The tournament fighters were joined by the eight fighters from the four superfights that are taking place on the card in between the group stages of the tournament.
 
The event is part of a double-header, with the GLORY kickboxing tournament being preceded by the DREAM 18 mixed martial arts event. Both shows are being presented by Glory Sports International, parent company of GLORY, which is committed to continuing the tradition of huge end-of-year shows in Japan. “Its going to be a very long show, nearly eight hours, but I don’t think anyone is going to fall asleep. There is going to be a lot of action,” smiled GLORY chairman Pierre Andurand as he presented the tournament fighters to a packed press conference. “The evening will start with the DREAM mixed martial arts show and then we have the GLORY Grand Slam. We want to revive large-scale shows in Japan.”
 
Heaviest of the tournament fighters was the GLORY Heavyweight Champion and top seed Semmy Schilt ”SEM”. He hit the scales at 130.2 kilos and will outweigh his opening-round opponent Brice Guidon considerably. Guidon, who already has one loss to Schilt from a fight in Moscow earlier this year, weighed in at 102 kilos.
 
The second heaviest fighter was Jamal Ben Saddik, the young Moroccan heavyweight who has already been likened to Schilt thanks to being almost as tall as him. Ben Saddik, the second-youngest fighter in the tournament at 22 years old, weighed in at 128.8 kilos.
 
He faces the hard-hitting Errol Zimmerman “THE BONECRUSHER”, who hit the scales at 114.8 kilos. Zimmerman will be the lighter and shorter man in the fight but he has unbelievable power in his right hand and can KO anybody with one shot.
 
Gokhan Saki “THE REBEL”, the tournament’s number two seed, hit the scales at 103.4 kilos. Possibly the most explosive fighter in the tournament, he faces the Japanese Brawler Raoumaru, who weighed in at a slightly heavier 104.2 kilos.
 
Daniel Ghita is second-favorite to win the tournament according to the odds makers. He tipped the scales at 108 kilos for his opening round match with Brazilian opponent Jhonata Diniz. At 21 years old Diniz is the youngest and least experienced fighter in the tournament but has impressed his coaches at Golden Glory. He hit the scales at 107.8 kilos.
 
Aerial attack artist Remy Bonjasky „THE FLYING GENTLEMAN“ returned to the ring earlier this year after an absence of nearly three years and took a win over the very tough Anderson ’Braddock’ Silva to prove that he still has all his old magic. He weighed in at 110.2 kilos.
 
Facing him is Filip Verlinden, a Belgian heavyweight prospect who has generated a lot of excitement among seasoned observers. Verlinden, who hit the scales at 93.1 kilos, is extremely fast and has very good boxing ability, making for an interesting clash of styles with the high-kicking Bonjasky.
 
Veteran superstar Peter Aerts “THE DUTCH LUMBERJACK” weighed in at 105 kilos for his fight with Mourad Bouzidi, who touched down at 97.5 kilos. An added twist to this fight is that Aerts and Bouzidi are not only good friends but also long-time training partners who know each other’s styles intimately.
 
Russian bear Sergey Kharitonov wandered onto the scales with his customary expressionless calm and produced a readout of 120 kilos. He faces Rico Verhoeven, who weighed in at 115.8 kilos at 23 years old has already faced and beaten many more established and experienced names.
 
Anderson Silva “BRADDOCK”, Brazil’s top heavyweight kickboxer, weighed in at 110.2 kilos and looks to build on the respect he earned for performances against Badr Hari and Remy Bonjasky earlier this year. He faces Igor Jurkovic, 99.8 kilos, a young Croatian heavyweight and sparring partner of the famous Mirko Filipovic “CROCOP”.
 
GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM is a one night single-elimination kickboxing competition featuring 16 of the world’s hardest hitting KO artists. It represents an historic moment in the sport of kickboxing, being the first-ever 16-man tournament. The winner has to defeat four opponents in one night to be crowned GLORY World Champion and walk away with $400,000.
 
In the US it will be televised on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 at 10:00 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network. In Canada it will air on the Fight Network and in the UK on Premier Sports. In total the show will air in over 200 territories around the world. CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
 
About GLORY:
The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier martial arts 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 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.
 
 
FIGHTER LEGION®   is on 
 
 
Source:  
Glory World Series
Press relations officer: John O’Regan
Website: Glory World Series / No:37
 
 

GLORY INKS SEVEN NEW STARTS

Glory World Series-news

 
 
Kevin Ross, Stephane Susperregui, Roman Mailov, Max Baumert, Joseph Valtellini, Eddie Walker and Yong Soo Park join the ranks of the world’s top stand-up fighter.
 
 


 
 

Singapore (Dec. 20, 2012) – GLORY announced today that it has signed seven new athletes from six different countries to its ever-growing powerhouse roster of elite stand-up fighters.
 
Four-time Muay Thai champion and flyweight (143 pounds/65 kilograms) sensation Kevin Ross “EL PRESIDENTE” (36-9, 12 KOs) and rising middleweight (187 pounds/85 kilograms) star Eddie Walker “SHOWTIME” (9-1, 7 KOs) of The United States, light-heavyweight KO artist Stephane Susperregui (32-4-1, 27 KOs) of France, surging welterweight Joseph Valtellini “BAZOOKA” (6-1, 6 KOs) of Canada, heavyweight Tae Kwon Do phenom Yong Soo Park (14-7, 8 KOs) of South-Korea, lightweight champion (154 pounds/70 kilograms) Roman Mailov “THUNDER” (23-3, 12 KOs) of The Ukraine and former two-time amateur boxing champion turned lightweight kickboxing champion Max Baumert (17-1, 10 KOs) of Germany have all joined the ranks of the world’s premier martial arts stand-up fighting league.
 
“We are excited about bringing this outstanding collection of highly-accomplished world champions and emerging young stars from diverse martial arts backgrounds and nationalities into the GLORY fold and we are looking forward to seeing them compete on the big stage where they will have the opportunity to take their budding careers to all-new, unprecedented levels,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer.
 
The 32-year-old Ross, who fights out of Dublin, Calif. was named Muay Thai North American Fighter of the Year in 2010 and has since been recognized as the face of the sport in The United States. He holds notable victories over decorated Thai champions Malaipet Sasiprapa “THE DIAMOND” and Chunhawat “COKE” as well as American stars Justin Greskiewicz and Chike Lindsay .
 
Despite an advanced skill set and a handful of highlight reel worthy performances in the ring, Walker of Atlanta, Ga., was relatively unknown amongst martial arts fight fans until Oct. 13 when the protégé of six-time world champion Manu N’toh staged an incredible comeback KO victory against hard-hitting fellow American Joe Schilling “STICH EM UP” in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
Walker survived a knockdown at the hands of Schilling in the first round and, another in the second stanza, but weathered the storm and suddenly unleashed a monstrous right hook in close quarters that dropped Schilling for the 10-count at the 2:13 mark of the second round.
 
Mailov is a ferocious 21-year-old battler who is in the midst of a 15-fight win streak after going unbeaten in both 2011 and 2012 while competing mostly in Russia and his native Ukraine. A five-time title holder, Mailov’s last win came on Nov. 8 when he scored a crushing fourth round KO on Armin Pumpanmuang Windy Sport of Thailand with a knee strike to the body during a matchup in Moscow.
 
Susperregui, a 26-year-old, four-time national champion in his native France, made a big mark in the sport in April, winning a one-night, four-man tournament in Geneva, Switzerland. Despite his relatively young career, the heavy-handed Susperregui has had considerable exposure to the international fight scene, facing rivals Steve McKinnon in China and Nathan Corbett in Australia.
 
Universally regarded as the hottest prospect out of Canada, the hard-hitting 27-year-old Valtellini stormed onto the professional fight scene after amassing a perfect 11-0 record as an amateur and has since claimed all six of his wins on the professional circuit by way of KO. A high school teacher by day, Valtellini is a lifelong martial artist who began his training in Tae Kwon Do at age seven, eventually earning his second degree black belt in the discipline before transitioning to Muay Thai.
 
Just 20 years old, Baumert has already made a mark in the martial arts fight world. A veteran of 35 boxing bouts, Baumert has captured stand-up fighting championships on national and continental levels and has competed four times in the last four months, winning each of his bouts by way of unanimous decision.
 
Known for his dangerous, yet graceful kicking skills, the 31-year-old Soo Park is a veteran of the national Korean Tae Kwon Do team who has claimed the Korea National Invitation Tae Kwon Do Championship at heavyweight. Soo Park established his presence on the international fight scene in his professional debut, scoring a first round KO with a low kick on former Japanese sumo wrestler turned professional boxer, Rikijyo, and then taking out Japanese Karate fighter Daisuke Watanabe, also in the first round of their matchup, with a front kick to the face.
 
GLORY matchups for each of the newly-signed competitors will be announced soon. In the meantime, GLORY will hit Saitama Super Arena on Saturday, Dec. 31 with its highly-anticipated ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ double-header event that will begin at 4 p.m. JST with a stacked DREAM Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card and continue with the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam that will be headlined by a one-night, 16-man heavyweight tournament
 
The single-elimination tournament field is loaded with the world’s top heavyweight stand-up fighters, including world No. 1 ranked Semmy Schilt “SEM” (39-6, 18 KOs), Remy Bonjasky “THE FLYING GENTLEMAN“ (77-14, 40 KOs), Peter Aerts “THE DUTCH LUMBERJACK” (104-30-1, 78 KOs), Gokhan Saki “THE REBEL” (77-15, 53 KOs), Daniel Ghita (44-7, 34 KOs), Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1, 41 KOs), Anderson Silva “BRADDOCK” (32-8-1, 22 KOs) and Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KOs).
 
 
About GLORY:
The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier martial arts 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 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, 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.
 
 
FIGHTER LEGION®   is on 
 
 
Quelle:  
Glory World Series
Press relations officer: Mike Afromowitz  press@gloryworldseries.com
Website:Glory World Series / No:37