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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 
 
 

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HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION SEMMY SCHILT WINS

Glory World Series-news

 
 
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION SEMMY SCHILT WINS
 
GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM
 
STAR-STUDDED, 16-MAN KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT
 
IN TOKYO
 
 


Picture from Ben Pontier  
BEN PONTIER PHOTOGRAPHY©
 

 
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
 
 

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GLORY 4 TOKYO – HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND SLAM KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

Glory World Series-news

 
 
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
 
 

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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
 
 

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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