Superstars align for GLORY 8 Tokyo

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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 announced 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, E-Plus and Lawson Ticket.

“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 world 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 champions 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.

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

9. Februar 201312. Februar 2013

GLORY 3 ROM

5. Februar 201315. Februar 2013

Andrew Whitaker named new GLORY CEO

SINGAPORE (Feb. 5, 2013) – Glory Sports International, the parent company of the world’s new premiere kickboxing league, GLORY World Series, today announced the appointment of former WWE Executive VP Andrew Whitaker to the position of global CEO of Glory Sports International.

“We are excited that Andrew has agreed to assume the leadership mantel at GLORY in the pivotal role of CEO, on the front lines of our fast-growing organization,” said GLORY Sports International Chairman, co-founder, and award-winning hedge fund investor Pierre Andurand. “Andrew’s breadth of global experience in the media space is a tremendous asset to GLORY’s day-to-day business.”

“Andrew joining as CEO is an important milestone in the development of GLORY as a company and kickboxing as a sport. We’ve had an incredible first year – we have over 40 of the world’s top kickboxing athletes signed to us exclusively, we’ve staged four amazing events, achieved TV distribution in 200 countries and trended No. 1 globally on Twitter on New Year’s Eve 2012 – GLORY and kickboxing are for real. As we start a new season in 2013, we have a calendar of over 10 events on 3 continents, an active global standard for athlete rankings, and we are rolling out a successful global format for kickboxing tournaments with our Grand Slams, Slams and Road to GLORY events. In addition, we are fully committed to entering the US market, and we are delighted Andrew has joined GLORY to oversee all this growth.”

Marcus Luer, co-founder of Glory Sports International, who has spearheaded GLORY’s rapid global expansion as interim-CEO over the last year since its inception, will resume the title Managing Director, allowing him to drive many of GLORY’s initiatives in Asia where he continues as CEO and founder of Asia’s leading, full-service sports marketing agency, TSA.

“At the same time,” Andurand continued, “this move will free up Marcus to focus on building the GLORY brand in the territories where his experience and business relationships are greatest.”

Whitaker will be spearheading the opening of a new GLORY office in the tri-state region of the United States.

„I am looking forward to taking a hands-on approach to driving the growth of what I have believed, for months, is an incredible combat sports entertainment product with tremendous global appeal,” said Whitaker, who previously served on the GLORY Sports International Board of Directors as Non-Executive Director.

“Our kickboxing rules distinguish our sport by requiring elite athleticism, skill, and honor, from GLORY kickboxers, and produce some of the most exciting knockouts ever seen in combat sports. Our martial artists define the word ‘warrior,’, and our superb level of production makes our live events one of the most fan-friendly entertainment experiences in the world. GLORY has already redefined the standard for kickboxing, and has all the elements necessary to become a major player in the global sports industry,” continued Whitaker.

“I look forward to working with Andrew again and continuing our successful partnership which began over 10 years ago while he was with WWE. Together, we ushered the wrestling brand into Asia,” said Luer. “GLORY is truly a global product now, which operates on a 24/7 basis with events and offices across three different continents – the U.S., Europe, and Asia.”

Prior to joining GLORY Sports International, Whitaker was the Managing Partner of Kings Highway Media, a global brand and media distribution advisory that serves sports and entertainment IP rightsholders, private equity and venture capital.

Whitaker also served as the Executive Vice President of International for NYSE-listed WWE Inc. where he was responsible for establishing and growing the leading professional wrestling entertainment company’s business via sales, marketing, promotion and public and government relations across television, digital media, live events, licensing and PPV/VOD.

Last week, GLORY debuted its new ROAD TO GLORY development fight series uniquely designed to identify and develop future kickboxing champions and other superstars in the U.S. and elsewhere, with an eight-man light heavyweight tournament (209 pounds/95 kilograms) at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Okla. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the ROAD TO GLORY series heads to Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles, Calif. with an eight-man middleweight (187 pounds/85 kilograms) tournament.

The next stop for GLORY’s championship series, home to the world’s greatest kickboxers, will be Excel Arena in London, England, where a stacked fight card, headlined by a heavyweight showdown between superstar Tyrone KING OF THE RING Spong (68-6-1 42 KO’s) and decorated, all-time great Remy THE FLYING GENTLEMAN Bonjasky (77-15, 40 KO’s), will take place on Saturday, March 23.

12. Januar 201324. März 2013

Tyrone Spong vs. Remy Bonjasky

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23.03.2013 SATURDAY
ENGLAND / LONDON

Eventmaker:  Glory World Series  No.37

Eventplace:   Exhibition Centre London
[wpspoiler name=“Klick-Eventadress:“]One Western Gateway Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL London, England  [mappress mapid=“29″][/wpspoiler]
Ticket

Press release:

22.03.2013  GLORY 5 London official weigh-in
20.03.2013  Miracle man Dustin Jacoby to face rising star Michael Dutt
26.02.2013  FOUR-TIME WORLD CHAMP STEPHEN WAKELING…
11.01.2013  Tickets on sale for GLORY 5 London

Matchmaking GLORY 5

(updated 24.03.2013)

MATCH				STYLE DISTANCE WEIGHT RESULT
1	Nicola Gallo Italy	by point	Jhonata Oliveira Brasil	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Lightheavyweight 78.0 KG 172.0 pounds 79.0 KG / 174.1 pounds
2	Reece McAllister England	by point	Tim Thomas England	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Catchweight 65.8KG 145.0 pounds 65.9KG / 145.2 pounds
3	Johann Fauveau France	by point	Pasniciuc Constantin Romania	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Lightweight 69.8KG 154.0 pounds –.-KG / –.- pounds
4	Daniel Sam England	by point	Jaideep Singh England / India	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Heavyweight 122.0 KG 268.9 pounds 109.0KG / 240.3 pounds
5	Liam Harrison England	KO 1.round	Mosab Armani Morocco	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Featherweight 64.2KG 141.5 pounds 64.7KG / 103.5 pounds
6	Dustin Jacoby USA	KO 1.reound	Michael Duut The Netherlands	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Light-Heavyweight 93.5KG 206.1 pounds 94.0KG / 207.2 pounds
7	Danyo Ilunga Congo	KO 2.round	Stephane Superrgui France	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Lightheavyweight 95.0 KG 209.0 pounds 95.0 KG / 209.0 pounds
8	Eddie Walker USA	KO 2.round	Stephen Wakeling England	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Middleweight 85.0KG 187.3 pounds 84.0KG / 185.1 pounds
9	Albert Kraus THE HURRICAN The Netherlands	by point	Warren Stevelmans South Afrika	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Lightweight 69.9KG 154.1 pounds 69.1KG / 152.3 pounds
10	Jordan Watson England	by point	Steve Moxon Australia	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Lightweight 69.9KG 154.1 pounds 70.5KG / 155.4 pounds
11	Tyrone Spong KING OF THE RING Suriname	KO 2.round	Remy Bonjasky THE FLYING GENTLEMAN The Netherlands	GLORY rules / 3×3 minute Heavyweight 102.0 KG 224.8 pounds 103.5 KG / 228.1 pounds

Source:
Glory World Series
Mike Afromowitz
Website: Glory World Series / No:37

FIGHTER LEGION^® is on

12. Januar 201312. März 2013

Tickets on sale for GLORY 5 London – Tyrone Spong vs. Remy Bonjasky

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23.03.2013 SATURDAY
ENGLAND / LONDON

Tickets on sale for GLORY 5 London – Tyrone Spong vs. Remy Bonjasky

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

Matchmaking

TICKET

Tyrone Spong vs. Remy Bonjasky

LONDON, England (Jan. 11, 2013) – Tickets, priced from £45, for the highly-anticipated GLORY 5 London: Spong vs. Bonjasky star-studded kickboxing event, taking place at ExCeL Arena on Saturday, March 23.

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.

Faces Harrison, Mosab Amrani “JAGUAR” (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 Steve Moxon “STONE COLD” (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

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.

1. Januar 201315. Februar 2013

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION SEMMY SCHILT WINS

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION SEMMY SCHILT WINS

GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM

STAR-STUDDED, 16-MAN KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

IN TOKYO

Robin van Roosmalen vs.Yuichiro Nagashima

Marcus Luer - Semmy Schilt - Pierre Andurand — Marcus Luer – Semmy Schilt – Pierre Andurand

Picture from Ben Pontier

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 31, 2012) – After four fights in one night, two of which he ended by KO, Karate black belt Semmy Schilt (43-6, 20 KOs) of the Netherlands, emerged as the winner of the highly-anticipated GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam. Schilt, a fan favorite of this star-studded, 16-man, one-night kickboxing tournament, claimed the $400,000 grand prize and secured his position as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer.

In addition to Schilt, the single-elimination tournament field consisted of numerous other superstars and rising stars, including the likes of legend Peter Aerts (104-31-1, 78 KOs), Remy Bonjasky (78-15, 40 KOs), Gökhan Saki (79-16, 55 KOs), Daniel Ghita (47-8, 36 KOs) and Jamal Ben Saddik (24-1, 19 KOs). Playing out over 15 fights, the tournament saw 8 bouts end by KO or TKO, resulting in a KO ratio of just under 55 percent.

“I’ve won many tournaments, but this is the best ever,” the towering (6-foot-11/2.12 meters) Schilt said afterwards. “It was a hard tournament with some very good fighters and some very hard fights for me and for everyone else. But, all the struggle is worth it to win a competition like this. GLORY is home to the best fighters in the world and I am very proud to be the winner of (the league’s) first-ever Grand Slam tournament.

“This was not just a great New Year’s Eve event, it was a great martial arts event,” said GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand. “I think that the skill and the courage that we saw in the ring tonight is really what the martial arts are all about. Perhaps it’s a bit of cliché seeing as we are in Tokyo, but I really do think we can say that the fighters tonight embodied the samurai spirit which all martial artists aspire to.”

The tournament’s ‘Best of Three’ rule, designed to eliminate needless injuries, mandated that any fighter who won the first two rounds of a bout would advance to the next stage without having to fight the third and final scheduled round of the bout.

Schilt’s run saw him stop Brice Guidon (28-8, 4 KOs) of France in the first round of the tournament’s first fight via a pair of heavy right hands. He then outclassed hot prospect Rico Verhoeven (37-7-1, 8 KOs) of the Netherlands to take a decision win under the ‘Best of Three’ rule before meeting Gökhan Saki (79-16, 55 KOs) of the Netherlands in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

Saki, who had KO’d his opponents in the first round of both his Final 16 and quarterfinal stage matches, respectively, tried to do the same to Schilt but couldn’t overcome Schilt’s significant reach advantage.

Saki landed some good shots, but couldn’t get the clean connection he needed in order to seal the deal. The judges declared Schilt the winner under the Best of Three rule and, although Saki bitterly disputed the decision, Schilt advanced to the championship round of the tournament.

In the championship matchup, Schilt met Ghita, who had finished his semifinal fight in just 10 seconds by stopping the giant Ben Saddik with a left kick to the solar plexus. As a result, Ghita was well-rested and less hurt that Schilt, who had persevered through a war with Saki. But near the end of a close first round, Schilt threw a perfectly-timed head kick and connected his shin cleanly across the side of Ghita’s head.

Ghita went down and struggled to beat the referee’s 10-count. He made it to his feet just in time, but the referee determined that he was unsteady on his feet and that the fight should be stopped for Ghita’s own safety, thereby sending Schilt to the winner’s circle.

In the evening’s Superfights, speed and technique reigned supreme. Robin van Roosmalen (38-14-3, 12 KOs), the runner-up in the GLORY 3 Rome ‘Final 8’ lightweight (154 pounds/70 kilograms) eight-man tournament on Nov. 3, was matched with the colorful Japanese character Yuichiro Nagashima (17-6, 12 KOs) and completely dominated him from start to finish.

Nagashima had no answer for Van Roosmalen’s forward pressure and awesome power. He showed a lot of heart in refusing to stay down after being knocked down several times and in some instances literally knocked off his feet with low kicks. Nagashima went the distance, but Van Roosmalen walked away the winner by unanimous decision.

Toshio Matsumoto (38-10-6, 30 KOs) gave Jason Wilnis “TYSON” (19-1-2) a stiff test in their middleweight (185 pounds/84 kilograms) match. The experienced Matsumoto is known as ‘The Knockout Artist’ and he did his moniker proud, demonstrating slick boxing skills and fluid combinations. The younger and more powerful Wilnis took a while to get into the fight but, once he did, his superior conditioning put him in front— and by the final bell he was dominating on his way to a unanimous decision win.

Flyweights Sang Jae Kim of Korea and Mutsuki Ebata (17-1-1) of Japan stole the show with a three-round battle that was non-stop from start to finish. The Japanese fighter was by far the better man but his Korean opponent could not be stopped and refused to lie down. Kim lost a one-sided decision but impressed onlookers with his heart and got a big round of applause from the Japanese arena.

Complete GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam’ result:

FINAL
Semmy Schilt def. Daniel Ghita, TKO, R1 (Head Kick)

SEMI FINAL
Semmy Schilt def. Gokhan Saki, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule
Daniel Ghita def. Jamal Ben Saddik, KO, R1 (Body Kick)

QUARTER FINAL
Semmy Schilt def. Rico Verhoeven, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule
Gokhan Saki vs. Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva, KO, R1
Jamal Ben Saddik def. Remy Bonjasky, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule
Daniel Ghita def. Mourad Bouzidi by TKO, R2 (Bouzidi dislocated right elbow)

Tournament Final 16 Bouts:
Semmy Schilt def. Brice Guidon by KO, R1
Rico Verhoeven def. Sergei Kharitonov, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule
Gokhan Saki def. Roaumaru by KO, R1 1:00
Anderson Silva vs. Igor Jurkovic by KO, R1
Remy Bonjasky def. Filip Verlinden by unanimous decision after three rounds
Jamal Ben Saddik def. Errol Zimmerman, Dec. R2, ‘Best of Three’ rule
Mourad Bouzidi def. Peter Aerts by TKO, R1 (Aerts retired before R2 with broken right hand)
Daniel Ghita def. Jhonata Diniz by unanimous decision after three rounds

Superfights
Lightweight bout (154 pounds/70 kilograms)
Robin van Roosmalen def. Yuichiro Nagashima by unanimous decision.

Flyweight bout
Mutsuki Ebata def. Sang Jae Kim by unanimous decision.

Middleweight bout (185 pounds/84 kilograms)
Jason Wilnis def. Toshio Matsumoto by unanimous decision.

About DREAM:
Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

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:

Contact Glory World Series
Press relations officer: Contact: Mike Afromowitz
Website: Glory World Series / No:37

31. Dezember 201215. Februar 2013

GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

OVER 200 COUNTRIES TO TELEVISE HISTORIC

GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM’ KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

$600,000 IN PRIZE MONEY AT STAKE IN ONE-NIGHT, 16-MAN

SINGLE-ELIMINATION CONTEST IN TOKYO ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

Press conference photos from Ben Pontier
BEN PONTIER PHOTOGRAPHY^©

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 30, 2012) – Over 200 countries across five different continents around the globe will showcase the highly-anticipated ‘GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam,’ one-night, 16-man tournament at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’! s Eve, featuring an unprecedented assembly of world-class kickboxing superstars that collectively boast over 400 professional career KO victories.

CBS Sports Network (U.S) , The Fight Network (Canada), SkyPerfect (Japan) , NicoNico (Japan), Premier Sports (U.K.) Sony Six (India), Setanta Africa (Africa), Canal+ (France), BandSports (Brazil), SkyMEX (Mexico and Central America) and EuroSport (Europe) are amongst the television networks that have signed on to showcase the historic event that will award a total of $600,000 in prize money to its tournament competitors.

“We are thrilled to be able to deliver this monumental night of GLORY championship kickboxing to millions of fight fans all over the world, so that they can be a part of the single biggest event in the history of ! our great sport,” said GLORY CEO Marcus Luer. “Any of the 16 tournament fighters could headline an event anywhere in the world and, to be able to have them all battling it out in one tournament is truly an amazing thing that every fight fan should have the opportunity to witness.”

Additional TV partners for the GLORY 4 Tokyo – Heavyweight Grand Slam event include Russia 2 (Russia), Marca TV (Spain), Sport TV (Portugal), Combat Channel (Russia and CIS territories), Ma Chaine Sport (Israel, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sub Saharan Africa), PCCW (Hong Kong), Veronica SBS (Netherlands), Orange Sport (Poland) , Sky NZ (New Zealand), Fight Channel (Croatia), ProTV Sport (Romania), Sport1 (Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia), Hang Meas TV (Cambodia), SportCast (Taiwan! ), Astro (Malaysia and Brunei) and SkyNet (Myanmar).

In the First 16, or opening round of the tournament, world No. 1 ranked heavyweight and No. 1 tournament seed Semmy Schilt “SEM” (39-6, 18 KOs), an enormous, 2.12 meters/6-foot-11 Karate black belt who won the GLORY heavyweight title earlier this year, will face world Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-7, 4 KOs) of France.

No. 2 seed, hard-hitting Gokhan Saki “THE REBEL” (77-15, 53 KOs) of The Netherlands will square off with power puncher Raomoru of Japan.

No. 3 seed Daniel Ghita “THE SAVAGE SAMURAI” (44-7, 34 KOs) of Romania will battle Jhonata Diniz (7-2) of Brazil.

No. 4 seed, the dynamic, high-flying Remy Bonjasky “THE FLYING GENTLEMAN“ (77-14, 40 KOs) of The Netherlands will collide with Muay Thai technician Filip Verlinden (38-6, 17 KOs) ! of Belgium.

No. 5 seed, decorated, all-time sensation Peter Aerts “THE DUTCH LUMBERJACK” (104-30-1, 78 KOs) of The Netherlands will be tasked with fighting his friend and training partner Mourad Bouzidi (73-19, 33 KOs).

No. 6 seed Errol Zimmerman “THE BONECRUSHER” (76-16-1, 41 KOs) of Suriname will take on 22-year-old phenom Jamal Ben Saddik (22-0, 19 KOs) of Morocco.

No. 7 seed Anderson Silva “BRADDOCK” (32-8-1, 22 KOs), the top heavyweight kickboxer out of Brazil, will meet surging force Igor Jurkovic (44-5, 29 KOs) of Croatia.

No. 8 seed and former paratrooper Sergei Kharitonov (22-7, 12 KOs) of Russia will lock up with 23-year-old rising star Rico Verhoeven (37-6-1, 8 KOs) of The Netherlands.

The draw to determine the First 16 matchups was held on Nov. 20. GLORY tournaments use a seeding system similar to that used in tennis and other tournament format! sports.
To ensure that tournament fighters are not exposed to unnecessary risk of injury, a ‘Best of Three’ rule mandates that any fighter who wins the first two rounds of a First 16, Quarterfinal or Semifinal bout is declared the winner of the bout and advances to the next stage of the tournament.

About DREAM:
Japan’s premier MMA organisation, DREAM has staged 23 top-class events in the course of its four-year history. Fighters that have stepped into the DREAM ring include Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Todd Duffee, Gesias Calvancante, Marius Zaromskis.

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:
Contact Glory World Series
Press relations officer: Contact: Mike Afromowitz
Website: Glory World Series / No:37

Matchmaking GLORY 5

1

Nicola Gallo

Jhonata Oliveira

2

ReeceMcAllister

TimThomas

3

JohannFauveau

Pasniciuc Constantin

4

Daniel Sam

JaideepSingh

5

LiamHarrison

MosabArmani

6

Dustin Jacoby

Michael Duut

7

Danyo Ilunga

StephaneSuperrgui

8

Eddie Walker

StephenWakeling

9

AlbertKrausTHE HURRICAN

Warren Stevelmans

10

JordanWatson

SteveMoxon

11

TyroneSpongKING OF THE RING

RemyBonjaskyTHE FLYING GENTLEMAN

Nicola
Gallo

Jhonata
Oliveira

Reece
McAllister

Tim
Thomas

Johann
Fauveau

Pasniciuc
Constantin

Daniel
Sam

Jaideep
Singh

Liam
Harrison

Mosab
Armani

Dustin
Jacoby

Michael
Duut

Danyo
Ilunga

Stephane
Superrgui

Eddie
Walker

Stephen
Wakeling

Albert
Kraus
THE HURRICAN

Warren
Stevelmans

Jordan
Watson

Steve
Moxon

Tyrone
Spong
KING OF THE RING

Remy
Bonjasky
THE FLYING GENTLEMAN