Contender Promotions announce partnership with Thai Boxing Store

Contender Promotions announce partnership with thai boxing store

by Andreas Georgiou - @AGeorgiouMMA

Contender Promotions UK have announced their newest partnership, teaming up with globally recognised fight equipment and clothing distributor thai boxing store.

As the official UK distributor of Yokkao, Thaiboxingstore.co.uk will provide Contender Promotions fighters with their elite level clothing.

Fighting champion such as: Buakaw Banchamek, Dzhabar Askerov, Saenchai as well as Glory World Series posterboy Neiky Holzken are some of the sponsored Yokkao talent.

All Contender Promotions fighters will wear Yokkao gloves on their July 19th kickboxing event at the Eston Sports Academy in Middlesbrough.

Contender Promotions President Garry Bell has shown his excitement towards the new deal: "The closure of this deal is fantastic for Contender Promotions and we will grow both brands together.

Hopefully if things go well Contender and Yokkao will partner side by side in our events with all pro fighters who fight on the promotion wearing their branded shorts and gloves."

For all your training supplies. Check out the guys online for the very best in fight equipment thaiboxingstore.co.uk

There are limited tickets still available for Contender Promotions' July 19th event headlined by a Super Middleweight championship bout between Fabrice Mason and Anas Mounir.

To purchase the last remaining tickets call 07825184659

The Good, the Bad and the GLORY: How well did Last Man Standing fare?

The Good, the Bad and the GLORY: How well did Last Man Standing fare?

by Andreas Georgiou - @AGeorgiouMMA

Artem Levin (left) punishing Joe Schilling - Copyright Glory Sports International

A historic night in kickboxing, capped off with memorable moments and mesmerising fights, Last Man Standing set the bench mark for all future GLORY events.

The Good: From top to bottom the card was stacked. Quite often, with UFC events, there are a few fights on the card that have the audience hooked, and a few more which do the opposite. GLORY seemed to avoid this and had action from start to finish, with the Last Man Standing tournament and two title matches. I think that having strong PPV cards can only benefit the sport, having fights that fans are disinterested in usually equals low PPV buys, but with the social media buzz I hope that GLORY do well in their PPV market so fans can see more nights like Saturday.

With the depth of the card, GLORY did a good job introducing a lot of fighters to a new audience. There is no doubt that last night’s super card was about bringing in new fans to the sport, and from the overnight reaction, it would seem they managed that. Introducing a lot of fighters was something important for GLORY going forward, a handful of middleweights, welterweights and heavyweights, with the majority of them being retained by the organisation. So it was very important for fans to start building their fighter recognition, it’s just a natural thing in sports.

The Bad: If there was anything that hindered the show, it would have to be its length. Although there were lots of good fights, it felt very gruelling watching a four hour PPV (on top of the two hour preliminary show) and especially as a UK viewer where the card started at 1am and ended at 7am, it was sometimes a struggle to stay focused and awake during the show.

Another negative point for me would be the commentary of Ron Kruck and Duke Roufus. At times Kruck made a few mistakes with his commentary, stumbling on his words. Roufus is very knowledgeable with his kickboxing knowledge however I feel that he and Kruck don’t mesh very well. I am a big supporter of Mauro Ranallo, and his experience from PRIDE, Strikeforce and boxing brings a seasoned, accomplished voice to GLORY, something missing at Last Man Standing.

This next point would definitely have to be the biggest gripe of the evening, yet again combat sports fall upon controversial judging scores. Firstly in the Melvin Manhoef vs Filip Verlinden fight, one judge scored the fight 28-28 despite the Belgium dominating most of the fight, and knocking down Manhoef. However the biggest judging call of the evening was the unanimous decision 47-46 win for Joseph Valtellini over Marc de Bonte. Both men scored knockdowns in the fight, but I felt that de Bonte took the last round definitively, thus winning the fight 47-46, but the judges didn’t see it that way. With Neiky Holzken back on the scene, obviously GLORY will be inclined to book a rematch with Bazooka Joe, but I feel a sense of injustice if de Bonte doesn’t get a return fight before the close of 2014.

The GLORY: One of the really enjoyable things from the pay-per-view was the brilliant presenting. I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Ron Kruck and Duke Roufus on commentary, so it was a breath of fresh air to see the panellist table of Michael Schiavello, Stephen Quadros and Remy Bojansky. I’ve always been a huge fan of “The Voice” Schiavello, the way he construes his language and pitch to create excitement is something un-paralleled in the sport. Quadros is a legend, and fans will remember him in the early days of the UFC. Bojansky needs no introduction, as one of the most decorated Dutch kickboxers ever. These three gelled together really well and I would love to see GLORY maintain their services.

Joe Schilling vs Simon Marcus was an excellent fight from a neutral perspective. Everyone wondered how Marcus would cope under K-1 rules without the use of his muay thai clinches and elbows. The fight itself was the clear best of the night, both men put it all on the line in a crazy quarter final match-up, seemingly without care for the fact that the winner would still have to go through two more opponents. The fight ended in a 28-28 draw, so a sudden death victory round was called. This is something I would love to see in MMA. A tired Marcus didn’t seem up to the challenge, and it was pretty much a formality when he was deducted a point for continually dropping his mouth piece, but moments later Schilling knocked him out, ironically sending his mouth piece flying one last time.   

Although we didn’t see many finishes on the GLORY card, a fantastic knockout by Wayne Barrett had fans screaming de ja vu after his looping hook knocked out an air borne Stoica in similar fashion to Fedor Emelianenko’s knockout of Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.

What did you think of GLORY: Last Man Standing? Leave a comment below or join in the debate on twitter with the handle @KingdomMMA.

Micky Terrill to shine at SuperKombat World Grand Prix II this Saturday in Romania

Micky Terrill to shine at SuperKombat World Grand Prix II this Saturday in Romania

by Andreas Georgiou - @AGeorgiouMMA

  
SuperKombat tryout winner Micky “The Thrill” Terrill will return to Romania to take part in the four man Cruiserweight tournament where he will face Patrick van Reese in the opening round live on Eurosport. Fellow tryout winner Jamie Bates will be in the corner of Terrill, having won the light heavyweight tournament back in May.

Micky Terrill had an impressive performance at the World Grand Prix II in May, when he took on Danut Hurduc, dominating the Romania to win a unanimous decision. The victory has now earned the young Brit another chance to further himself in Europe, with SuperKombat president Eduard Irimia branding him a “new hero”.

The second semi-final bout features Cristian Ristea against Moises Baute.

Contender Promotions president Garry Bell took a big risk giving UK fighters the chance to shine on the world stage. With the high level of talent in SuperKombat such as Andrei Stoica, Bell knew he had to find some outstanding talent to represent him. Jamie and Micky both picked up wins in their first fights, proving them more than suitable to represent British kickboxing.

The Middlesbrough based promotion are fast proving themselves as legitimate talent builders, giving unknown fighters the chance to become real life contenders. It’s clear to see that they pride themselves at what they do and a possible long road of success lays ahead for Contender Promotions.
Bell has already revealed some of his plans for later this year, with his Fightstar Hunt rolling out from August, starting with a trip to the legendary VOS gym in Holland. However their next event will take place July 19th and will be dedicated to fallen British serviceman Nathan Cuthberson.

An MMA Fans Guide to Glory's Last Man Standing Tournament

An MMA Fans Guide to Glory's Last Man Standing Tournament

by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Saturday night will see Glory World Series descend on The Forum in Inglewood, California for one of the most stacked shows kickboxing has ever seen in Glory Last Man Standing. At the heart of the card is Glory's 8 man middleweight tournament featuring the best 187lb fighter on the planet.  

With no UFC card this weekend, and with such huge hype behind the Last Man Standing tournament on social media, it's likely MMA fans who have never seen Glory before will tune in to watch the show on BT Sports. Here, we break down the Glory Last Man Standing tournament for MMA fans who have limited knowledge of the 8 men taking part in this illustrious middleweight competition.

Artem Levin
Ranked at number 1 in the Glory Middleweight rankings, Artem Levin is one of the most highly decorated fighters taking part in the Last Man Standing tournament. Captain of the Russian National Muaythai Team, career highlight include WBC Muay Thai World Champion, It’s Showtime World Champion, and WMC European Champion titles, to go long side his 5 IFMA World Muaythai championship titles.

A slippery fighter who is tough to hit, Levin employs an evasive style which has seen him likened to Floyd Mayweather Jr. The most accurate striker in the 8 man tournament according to Compustrike with 42% of the his strikes landing, Levin enters the Glory tournament with 33 TKOs from 47 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw in his 53 fight career. Levin has fought 2 of the 8 contenders in the Last Man Standing tournament, losing to both Joe Schilling, and Simon Marcus.

Alex Pereira
The biggest underdog in the Last Man Standing tournament, 26 year old Brazilian Alex Pereira made a slash on the international kickboxing scene earlier in the year when when he defeated former UFC competitor Dustin Jacoby to win the 2014 Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament Champion.

A former professional boxer, Periera is known for his dangerous hands and big finishes which has seen him take 21 of 30 victories inside the distance. Ranked at 7 in the Glory Middleweight rankings, Periera is a rising star in kickboxing but will be taking a huge step up in competition when he faces Artem Levin in the opening round of the Last Man Standing tournament. 

Joe Schilling
A poster boy of American Kickboxing, Joe Shilling is current ranked no. 2 on the Glory Middleweight Rankings. A Muy Thai striker who has completed in professional boxing, and mixed martial arts where he went 1-3, before joining the Glory promotion, Schilling won the Glory Middleweight World Championship Tournament in 2013, a title which joins his list of accolades including WBC Intrim World Championship & MTAA United States Super Middleweight Championship title.

With a record of 16 wins with 10 TKOs and 5 losses, Shilling will be fighting Simon Marcus at Glory 17 who he has lost to on 2 previous occasions. Of the 7 other men fight as part of Glory Last Man Standing Tournament Schilling has fought 2 other men in the tournament on previous occasions - Artem Levin who he beat to win the Glory MW tournament, and Wayne Barrett who he lost to in his most recent bout. MMA fans will be interested to know Schilling was a sparing partner for Nick Diaz ahead of his UFC 143 bout with Carlos Condit, and has kickboxing victories over former UFC fighter Chris Sprang, and RFA contender Chidi Njokuani.

Simon Marcus
Undefeated in 39 pro bouts, Simon Marcus makes his Glory debut on Saturday against Joe Schilling who he has been already on two previous outings. Ranked at number 1 in the world by respected kickboxing outlet liverkick.com, Marcus’ only blemish on his illustrious career is a draw against RFA contender Chidi Njokuani where he lost a point for illegal blows.

Highly decorated, WBC Muaythai Light Heavyweight Title, WLF Kickboxing Light-Heavyweight World Champion Title, and Lion Fight Light-Heavyweight World Title, are just a few of the honours you will find in Marcus’ trophy cabinet. MuayThaiAuthority.com's North American Male Fighter of the Year 2012, and 2013, Marcus will will be one of, if not the favourite to win Glory Last Mad Standing having previous beaten 3 of the contestants he could face on route to the championship - Filip Verlinden, Joe Schilling, and Artem Levin. He enters the tournament with a professional record of 39 wins (24 KOs), 0 losses, 1 draw.

Wayne Barrett
Ranked at 3 in the Glory Middleweight rankings, Wayne Barrett is a rising star in the world of kickboxing thanks to an impressive victory over fellow Last Man Standing tournament contender Joe Schilling, in a bout where he was a +200 underdog. At just 4-0 as a pro, Barratt is the least experience competitor in the tournament, however the orthodox striker paid his dues as an amateur, amassing a near-perfect 19-1 record with 15 knockouts, picking up a WKA Amateur United States Cruiserweight (-86 kg/189 lb) Muay Thai Championship along the way.

One of only 2 men in the tournament to enter with perfect professional records - the other being Simon Marcus 3 of Barrett's 4 victories have come by knockout, giving Barrett has the highest finishing percentage amongst the fighters taking part in the Last Man Standing tournament. He is the most accurate kicker amongst the challengers, landing 61% of his leg strikes according to CompuStrike.

A Golden Gloves Champion in his native Georgia, Barratt now lives in New York and trains at Renzo Gracie Fight Academy along side UFC fighters such as Costas Phillippou, and Gian Villante, as well as Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

Bogdan Stoica
The youngest of 8 Glory Last Man Standing Contenders at 24 years old, Romanian Bogdan Stoica makes his Glory debut when he takes on takes on Wayne Barrett in the opening round of the last man standing tournament.

Hailing from a Wushu background, winning the Romanian National Wushu Championsips in 2009, Stoica is known for using an arsenal of kicking techniques including flying kicks, knees, and axe-kicks. A former SuperKombat Cruiserweight Champion, the majority of Stoica’s fights have taken place in his native Romania, and he has yet to fight on US soil.

A deadly striker with a record of 38 wins (29 KOs), 5 losses, Stoica holds the record for fastest TKO for promotion Local Kombat, defeating Dženan Poturak in just 8 seconds. His power and kicking techniques make him a real threat in the tournament however Stoica will need to dig deep to bounce back for the unanimous decision losses he has suffered in his last 2 outings.

Filip Verlinden
With 54 fights on his record, Filip Verlinden has the most kickboxing experience of all the fighters taking part in the Glory Last Man Standing Tournament. A former IFMA World Champion Muay Thai, and WKA World Champion title holder, Verlinden has fought 7 time for Glory putting together a 4-3 record, although many of his losses have come at a higher weight.

Known as 'The Puncher' because of his preference for boxing, Verlinden counts Manny Pacquiao amongst his heroes. A product of Golden Glory in The Netherlands, a gym which can be credited for the success of Semmy Schilt, Marloes Coenen, the Overeem brothers, Sergei Kharitonov and more, Verlinden has previous lost to Simon Marcus who is also part of the Last Man Standing Tournament. Ranked at 4 in the Glory Middleweight Rankings, and 9th in the world by liverkick.com, Verlinden is know for his fast hands which has seen him take 42 victories in 54 outings, with 16 of his victories coming by TKO.

Melvin Manhoef
The oldest man in the competition at 38, Melvin Manhoef has had an illustrious career in both kickboxing and MMA.

A former Cage Rage Light-Heavyweight champion, Manhoef has fought for some of the finest MMA promotions in the world including Strikeforce, Dream and ONE FC where he has finishes some of the toughest fighters on the planet including Cyborg Santos (twice), Ian Freeman, Mark Hunt, Sakuraba, Kazuo Misaki, and Dennis Kang. In 28 victories, Manhoef has finished 26 of his opponents inside the distance.

Ranked at 8 in the Glory Middleweight rankings, and 7th in the world by liverkick.com, Manhoef career in kickboxing has been almost as impressive as his MMA career putting together a professional record of 37 Wins (27 (T)KO's, 10 decisions), 11 Losses, however he has struggled when he has come up against world class opposition, losing his last 4 kickboxing bout, all be it to kickboxing legends Zabit Samedov, Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki, and Remy Bonjasky.

Contender Promotions Dedicates July Show to Fallen Soldier Nathan Cuthberson

Contender Promotions Dedicates July Show to Fallen Soldier Nathan Cuthberson

by Andreas Georgiou - @AGeorgiouMMA

In the past Contender Promotions have prided themselves on putting on a show for the fans in their North East base of Middlesbrough, now they again show their class by dedicating their highly touted July 19th event to fallen British hero Nathan Cuthberson.

Nathan, who was serving his country under 4 platoon, B company 2PARA in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when he was tragically killed by a suicide device. On the July show, all Pegasus Muay Thai fighters including head coach; former PARA and armed forces, Dave Corrigan will pay special tribute to Nathan in their bouts. They will all be wearing custom t-shirts dedicated to Nathan, and believe it will strongly bond them all.

Dave Corrigan is incredibly passionate about raising awareness regarding what our serving troops go through on a daily basis. Pegasus Muay Thai actively donate and help to raise money in Nathan's name to support his family and others that have suffered the loss of loved ones.

On July 19th Contender Promotions promoter Garry Bell will be holding a minute silence to show respect for all our countries servicemen and women worldwide and to remember those real life warriors who have gave their life serving to protect our country.

For Contender Promotions to show their support to our countries troops is detrimental to the integrity and heart behind the promotion, showing the passion and love given to all of the fighters and fans involved. It is truly the Contender Promotions family.

“All fighters that step through the ropes to compete are warriors 100% but the men and women that choose to dedicate theirs life and who work hard to protect our country are the True un-sung heroes.”

“Contender Promotions are honoured to be a part of this and would really like to invite every fan attending the Event to join us in a show of respect.”

For more information on Contender Promotions head to their website www.contenderpromotions.co.uk

Mirko Cro Cop vs Sergei Kharitonov to Main Event Glory 17

Mirko Cro Cop vs Sergei Kharitonov to Main Event Glory 17
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Two former Pride superstars have verbally agreed to face each other in a kickboxing match at Glory 17.

Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic will take on fellow Eastern European Sergei Kharitonov in the main event at GLORY 17: 'Los Angeles'.

Glory 17 takes place June 21st at The Forum, Inglewood, California. Previous Glory events have been made available to UK viewers through BT Sports, however broadcast information for this event has yet to be confirmed.

Fighting for the second under the Glory banner, Mirko Cro Cop enters the bout looking to bounce back from a decision losses to Remy Bonjasky at Glory 14 in his home nation of Croatia.

A legend in combat sports, Mirko Cro Cop, is the only fighter in combat sports history to win and K-1 and Pride FC Grand Prix; he also hold the Pride record for most finishes with 16.

Having fought MMA rules under the Pride, Dream, and the UFC banner, Cro Cop returned to kickboxing in 2012, where he originally made his name, to defeat Ray Sefo in his return bout, before putting together a series of victories on route to winning K1 World Grand Prix 2012. Cro Cop entered the bout with a 22-8 kickboxing record; the bout with Kharitonov will mark the first time Cro Cop has fought in the US in a kickboxing fight.

Ranked at 8 in the Glory Heavyweight rankings, Kharitonov makes a quick return to the ring having recently lost by unanimous decision to Anderson "Braddock" Silva in the heavyweight "contender" tournament at  last weeks GLORY 16: "Denver."

A 25 fight professional mixed martial arts fighter, Kharitonov who holds notable MMA wins over Fabricio Wedum, Alistair Overeem, and Andrei Arlovski, made the switch to kicking boxing when he joined Glory in 2012. Since joining the promotion the Russian has put together a 2-2 record with wins over Daniel Sam and Jerome Le Banner, and losses coming to number 2 ranked heavyweight Ricco Verhoeven and the aforementioned Anderson Silva.

Also on the card is a 4 man featherweight tournament featuring former WEC champion Miguel Torres, making his promotional debut.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Glory 17

Video: Paul Daley Stops Shaun Lomas to Earn Contender Promotions Title

Video: Paul Daley Stops Shaun Lomas to Earn Contender Promotion Title
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Paul Daley made and emphatic return to kickboxing this weekend to defeat a game Shaun Lomas by 3rd round stoppage. Check out the video of the finish below, which Daley shared earlier today on his official facebook page.

Post by Paul Semtex Daley.

Cris Cyborg Meets Jorina Baars for Lion Fight Welterweight Title March 28

Cris Cyborg Meets Jorina Baars for Lion Fight Welterweight Title March 28

Lion Fight will make an immediate return to action at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas Friday, March 28 and as CEO Scott Kent announced tonight on AXS TV’s Inside MMA, he has already signed the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, Cyborg for a women’s welterweight championship fight on the card.

Kent stated to Inside MMA that LION FIGHT 14’s main event will be a fight between WBC Muay Thai Champion Gregory Choplin and European Champion Marco Pique in the main event, and that on tap for the co-main event is the first-ever women’s welterweight title fight between Cyborg and Hollander Jorina Baars, who holds rank as a European Muay Thai Champion.

LION FIGHT 14 will be broadcast live on AXS TV in The UFC starting at 10 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT) with play-by-play and commentary by Pat Miletich and “The Voice” Michael Schiavello. This will be the seventh LION FIGHT event on AXS TV, who renewed their broadcast licensing deal with the Muay Thai promotion earlier this year.

“We are excited to have ‘Cyborg’ back with us March 28 for LION FIGHT 14 in Las Vegas,” said Kent. “In her last fight, Cyborg absolutely dominated French Muay Thai Champion Jennifer Colomb, leaving no question that she is a legitimate two-sport athlete who can win impressively in both MMA and Muay Thai. She also showed she is an aggressive fighter who has the power and pace to finish fights. I think she won over a lot of new fight fans in our ring, and they can’t wait to see her in action again.”

“I am excited to be fighting for LION FIGHT again, and I am grateful for the chance to fight for the belt,” said Cyborg. “I had a great experience last time I fought for Scott Kent and I promise to bring it to my opponent again this time. Jorina Baars has a lot of experience but I am training very hard for the win and another knockout. I promise the fans this will be another exciting fight!”

“I’ve heard and seen a lot of good things about Cris Cyborg,” said Baars. “I’m very happy to be offered the opportunity to fight her with Lion Fight. I only know one way to fight and that’s to win.”

LION FIGHT 14 also features the return of Thai fighting legend Malaipet who will be facing American Shane Oblonsky. More bouts for LION FIGHT 14 will be announced soon.
- See more at: http://www.lionfight.com/news/2014/02/cris-cyborg-signs-with-lion-fight-set-to-fight-for-first-womens-welterweight-title-at-lion-fight-14/#sthash.74aNb4Xp.dpuf

Mirko Cro Cop vs Remy Bonjasky Official for Glory 14

Mirko Cro Cop vs Remy Bonjasky Official for Glory 14
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Glory officials today confirmed that Mirko Cro Cop will take on Remy Bojasky at Glory 14, March 8th in Zegreb, Croatia. The bout will serve as the main event of the evening, and is a rematch of a 2002 bout which Cro Cop won by TKO in the 2nd round.


Hometown hero Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic (22-7, 12 KOs) fights for the first time under the Glory banner having most recently won the K-1 Heavyweight Grand Prix in March.

Having fought MMA for Pride and The UFC, Cro Cop returned to kickboxing in March 2012, a sport where he began his professional fighting career with K-1. Since returning to kickboxing Cro Cop has since rattled off 6 straight victories.

A professional kickboxer since 1995, Kickboxing Hall of Famer, Remy Bonjasky (98-12-0, 36 KOs) has beaten a who's who of fighters including Ernesto Hoost, Melvin Manhoef, Gokhan Saki, Alistair Overeem, and Anderson Silva.

A three time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, Bonjasky originally retired from Kickboxing in 2009, only to returned to the sport in 2012. Nicknamed the flying gentleman which pays homage to Bonjasky's array of flying kicks and knee attacks, Bonjasky is 2-3 in since returning to kickboxing, losing his most recent fight by controversial unanimous decision to Anderson Silva at Glory 13. 

No other fights have been official announced for Glory 14, however a 4-Man Middleweight Contenders Tournament is expected, with Jason Wilmis, Sahak Parparyan, and Dustin Jacoby expected to feature.

5 MMA Fighters Who May Be Better Off Kickboxing in 2014

5 MMA Fighters Who May Be Better Off Kickboxing in 2014
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Alistair Overeem

If Overeem loses his upcoming fight against Frank Mir it's safe to say he's done, he's through, he's out.... peace.
3 losses in a row in the UFC is not good for anyone, especially not someone who is ridiculous paid, has lost his fights due to arrogant mistakes, and has recently been popped for juicing.

If Overeem were to get cut I can't see Bellator or WSOF interested in him, and I can't see any other MMA promotion in the world being able to afford to offer him regular fights. This for me if where Glory would step in.

On the rise Glory have some of the best Light-heavyweight and heavyweight fights in the world including Schilt, Saki, and Tyrone Spong. Armed with deals with Spike and BT sports, Glory have put on event after event of quality kickboxing which are threaten to take away some of the UFCs steam in the near future.

Should Overeem lose to Frank Mir, who is no easy fight, I feel the opportunity to sign a known MMA fighter, with legitimate kickboxing credential would be too good for Glory to pass up on.

Paul Daley

Paul Daleys inclusion on this list differs from most of the other fighters in that he may be too good for the level of competition he is fighting in MMA at this point.

A former top 10 welterweight, Paul Daley deserves to be fighting at the highest level. Having fought all over the world, Daley has knocked out some of the best welterweights to ever enter into a cage. However 2013 sees Daley fighting cans like Romario Manoel da Silva, Lukasz Chlewicki, and Patrick Vallee.

Having been cut from the UFCs roster for punching Josh Koscheck after the bell, and having been released from Bellator due to a legal issue outside of the cage, there's aren't many fights available to Daley where his opponent will have enough in his arsine to make the fight semi-competitive. This is where kickboxing comes into play.

Having already agreed to compete in kickboxing as well as MMA in 2014, Daley has an avenue to rise back to his former glory in 2014, establishing himself as a kickboxer worthy of competing for promotions such as Glory, K-1, and Legends, all which can offer Daley a bigger platform than the one he is currently on.

Pat Barry

As exciting as Pat Barry's fight are (while they last), Barry is simply not cut out for the level at which he is competing, and it's starting to feel like it might getting a little bit bad for his health at this point.

Barry is one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division - his kicks are some of the hardest in MMA, but unfortunately for Barry he is not physical enough, nor does he have the ground game to compete with most of the fighters in his weight division.

At 235lb Barry is not a massive heavyweight, and could probably make the cut to 205lb, however I genuinely don't see this making a difference for him. I still see him being man handled at light-heavyweight, possibly even more so than he is at heavyweight.

With a record of 5-7 in the UFC on paper Barry looks like he has what it takes to pick up a few wins here and there, however upon further inspection, you will see all the guys he's beat have since been deemed as not good enough for the UFC either and have all been handed their release papers.

When I say Barry isn't good enough for the level of competition he's facing, I don't just mean the UFC, I mean national MMA in general as I don't envision Barry performing too well in Bellator or WSOF either. Both promotions have several fights that would have no problem beating Barry: Kongo, Lavar Johnson, Arlovski, Mike Russow, and that's just a few off the top of my head.

What's keeping Barry around at this point is his fights are exciting, but getting knocked out is no good for anyone especially when it's 230lb plus guys knocking you out. It also feels that Pat Barry is easier to put away with each outing - example being Barrry's most recent fight against Soa Palelei where it looked as if Barry's chin had deserted him.

With all this being said Pat Barry is a great fighter, just not the well rounded fighter required to compete at the top level in MMA. Having competed to one the the highest levels in Kickboxing while with K1, Barry may find that not only may he have more success fighting under kickboxing rules in 2014, it will be a whole lot safer for him.

Thiago Alves

Alves' inclusion is very similar to Overeems in the fact that he can't afford to lose in 2014. Unfortunately though for Alves by the time he steps in the octagon he will have been out of action for over 2 years.

2-4 in his last 6 fights, Alves will be in desperate need of a win his next outing, or face the likely chop from the UFC.

Fighting for a health purse of $60,000 a fight, Alves does not come cheap, especially when you consider the UFC have been footing his medical bills for the last 2 years.

Should Alves ultimately be cut in 2014 it's hard to see any promotion paying anywhere near this kind of money especially when you consider the only 2 leagues (WSOF and Bellator) on the planet who may be willing to dig deep enough to cough up that kinda change, have divisions chocked up of guys that would beat Alves.The likes of Fitch, Palharis, Lima, Burrell etc. shouldn't have a problem despatching an apprehensive Thiago Alves who is worried about being taken down, and therefore hesitant to strike.

That being said, when he is trading Alves Is a formidable striker capable of finishing just about anyone on Gods green earth with a variety of strikes. He is still a marketable name too thanks to his 2008/09 title run, so much so he actually headlined the last UFC event he fought at before his injury.

With a catalogue of brutal knocks, and a marketable name, signing Alves would be an attractive proposition for almost any kickboxing promotion out there. Should Alves be released from the UFC, he may actually be better off leaving MMA for kickboxing, a sport that may suit Alves' fighting style a little more at this point.

Cris Justino

Justino is an absolute beast. Facts are Justino could carry on fight MMA and beating the worlds best 145lb women in the world as she has done her whole career, but what's the point? Justino insists on fighting at 145lb, a weight category 10lbs heavier than anyone actually cares about.

Being one of the most feared strikers in all MMA - men and women, Justino has made of career of battering high level strikers such as Gina Carano and most recent French Muay Thai champion Jenifier Colomb at all kickboxing event Lion Fights.

If it is genuinely true and Justino can't go down to 135lbs, I really don't see the point in her sticking around fighting 145ers who can't / won't bring their weight down for a shot at the UFC either. Having recently competed in a kickboxing event to great success, maybe Justino should consider hanging up her 4 ounce groves and commit full time to a growing sport which can provide her with a greater level of competition, and the opportunity to fight more often.

Press Release: UK Airing Time Changed for Glory 13 Tokyo

Press Release: UK Airing Time Changed for Glory 13 Tokyo

The event was originally due to air live from 10:00am this Saturday 21 December, but fan feedback suggested that a night-time airing was preferred.

“A sizeable number of UK fans complained to us that they would miss the morning broadcast due to Saturday being their last chance to do some Christmas shopping,” explained a GLORY spokesman.

“So we spoke with BT Sports and when we learned that a late-night slot was available, we requested the switch.

“Fans can now do what they need to do in the day, then have a few friends round at night for GLORY 13 TOKYO to start their Christmas holiday with a bang.”

A live stream of the Tokyo SuperFight Series is available to UK fans (airing 7:30am GMT on Saturday) and worldwide via the GloryWorldSeries.com stream - and as a Christmas gift from GLORY, you can also get a 25% ($5 USD) discount on the purchase of the Tokyo SuperFight Series, using the code GlorySuperFightsUK5.

Additionally, with purchase the Tokyo SuperFight Series, you will receive a second discount code via email valid for 50% ($10 USD) off the purchase of GLORY 13 Tokyo, airing at 10:00am GMT.

GLORY 13 TOKYO is headlined by kickboxing legend Peter Aerts 103-30-1 (78 KO's) in his retirement fight against the GLORY Heavyweight Championship Tournament winner Rico Verhoeven 42-9-0 (10 KO's).

In the co-main event, Daniel Ghita 49-10-0 (38 KO's) looks to position himself as a heavyweight contender for 2014 by taking out ‘The Bonecrusher’ Errol Zimmerman 101-10-1 (42 KO's).

The event’s centerpiece is a four-man Welterweight Championship Tournament with a $150,000 prize on the line.

World-ranked #1 Nieky ‘The Natural’ Holzken 82-11-0 (43 KO's) lines up alongside Canadian prodigy ‘Bazooka Joe’ Valtellini 10-1-0 (9 KO's), undefeated karate master Raymond Daniels 24-0-0 (14 KO's) and the relentless Karapet Karapetyan 42-8-2 (4 KO's) in one of the year’s most action-packed events.

More information on Glory 13 Tokyo available from GloryWorldSeries.com

Paul Daley on the Verge of Major Kickboxing Deal

Paul Daley on the Verge of Major Kickboxing Deal
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Paul 'Semtex' Daley took to Facebook earlier today to announce he is on the verge of signing with a major European kickboxing promotion:

Close to signing a 3 fight deal with a Major, European KICKBOXING PROMOTION, starting 2014.

Our focus is on BAMMA 14 right now, but 2014 will see Team Semtex/Spirit Dojo, competing in KICKBOXING AND MMA rules fights. 

One of the finest knockout artist in all of MMA, Nottingham's Daley has fought for MMA promotions all over the world including, The UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Cage Warriors, and Elite XC earning an impressive 33-13-2 record with 24 of his victories coming by TKO including notable victories over highly decorated kickboxers Martin Kampmann and Duane Ludwig.

Currently signed to a 3 fight UK exclusive deal with Bamma, Paul Daley with take on Romario Manoel Da Silva in the main event at Bamma 14 December 14 at the LG Arena in Birmingham.  

Earlier in the year Daley was rumoured to have been offer a fight on Glory 5 which took place in London, however nothing came to fruition. Daley is now expected to fight for both Bamma and the as yet unnamed promotion in 2014, however it is unknown if Daley, a former King of The Ring European Muay Thai Champion will continue to fight both MMA and kickboxing once his 3 fight deal with Bamma is up, or if he will have a change of career paths and concentrate just on kickboxing.

Cris Cyborg Takes Muay Thai Fight Meets Martina Jindrova at Lion Fight 11

Cris Cyborg Take Muay Thai Fight Meets Martina Jindrova at Lion Fight 11

Lion Fight Promotions and the D Las Vegas today added a blockbuster women’s matchup to the September 20th LION FIGHT 11 event in announcing that two-time MMA world champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will take on multiple standup world champion Martina Jindrova.

Scott Kent, CEO of Lion Fight Promotions said, “As one of the best female fighters in the world, we are thrilled that Cris Cyborg is going to fight full rules Muay Thai and take on World Champion Martina Jindrova on September 20. Both of these fighters are fierce, aggressive strikers who like to end fights. With Cosmo Alexandre vs. Nampon and Kevin Ross vs. Tetsuya Yamato already set for Lion Fight 11, Cyborg vs. Jindrova now fully stacks this card.”

Fighting out of San Diego, California, Cris Cyborg Justino is one of the top-ranked female mixed martial artists in the world. With a pro MMA record of 12-1-0-1, she is the former Strikeforce Featherweight Champion and current Invicta FC Featherweight Champion. She has fought in numerous Muay Thai competitions in her native Brazil and is considered one of the most dangerous strikers in the world.

“This is a great fight for me at Lion Fight 11, I fought Muay Thai in Brazil and I love competing in this sport,” said Cyborg. “I’m really excited for this fight. I love to fight. I can’t wait to go to Vegas and get in that ring on September 20.” 

Kent and Lion Fight matchmaker Christine Toledo worked with former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, Cyborg’s manager, to secure this fight. Ortiz expressed confidence and enthusiasm in her return to the Muay Thai ring.

 “We are excited about the baddest woman on the earth fighting Muay Thai at Lion Fight 11 live on AXS TV in Las Vegas,” said Cyborg’s manager Tito Ortiz, former UFC Champion. “Cris is not only the best, but the most exciting fighter to watch and I’m sure September 20 will be full of excitement.”

Fighting out of TKBC Prague in Holland, the 22-year old 5’8” Jindrova has a pro Muay Thai record of 17-5 with three knockouts. Originally, from Kaznejov, Plzensky Kraj, Czech Republic, she is a world champion across four standup fighting organizations. She was a two-time boxing champion in her native Czech Republic. She went undefeated in standup fighting for four years before moving to Holland to train among the world’s best coaches and kickboxers. On September 20 she will fight in the United States against her most accomplished opponent to date.

“I know Cyborg is a huge MMA star and this is a big challenge for me to fight an opponent like her,” said Jindrova. “She is very strong with hard punches, kicks and knees. But this is not an MMA, this is Muay Thai and she will be fighting me against my rules. I’m very proud to be on this historic Lion Fight 11 card and am ready to make a great knockout win for the fans.” 

In Lion Fight 11’s main event Brazilian superstar Cosmo Alexandre takes on two-time WMC Champion and Rajadamnern Stadium Champion Nampon. In the co-main event, American Muay Thai star Kevin Ross will square off against former WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion Tetsuya Yamato.

Video: WSOF - 4 Tyrone Spong vs Angel DeAnda (Full Fight)

Video: WSOF 4 Tyrone Spong vs Angel DeAnda (Full Fight)

World Series of Fighting 4 went down last night from The Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California and was headlined by decorated kickboxer 'King of the Ring' Tyrone Spong taking on MMA brawler Angel DeAnda who entered the fight with an 11-2 record and 10 wins in his previous 11 fights.

This one goes longer than you'd think

Glory World Series Signs TV Deal with Spike TV

Glory World Series Signs TV Deal with Spike TV

Spike TV will expand its sports line-up with the addition of GLORY Sports International's (GSI) brand of kickboxing premiering in Fall, 2013.  The action-packed LIVE sports programming, part of an overall GSI content initiative, will air 2-hour events in primetime on select Saturday nights from around the world as part of a multi-year partnership was announced today by Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports and Multiplatform Programming, Spike TV, and Andrew Whitaker, Chief Executive GLORY Sports International, Pte Ltd.

“We are thrilled to partner with GSI in bringing Spike TV's audience the incredible action and intensity of GLORY’s fight league, which feature the best kickboxers in the world,” said Slusser. “Viewers will quickly see this as the perfect complement to our coverage of Bellator, the world’s leading tournament-based MMA promotion.”

"Spike has established itself as the home of combat sports in a way that is unique. Its audience will expect the most exciting ring action and we promise to deliver it," said Whitaker. "Glory kickboxing is the next big thing and Spike clearly knows something about spotting aces in the sports programming space."

GLORY Sports International is the world's premier stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe. The fight series includes multi-man tournaments, along with traditional, single bouts.  The most elite kickboxers in the world fight for GLORY including Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki, Semmy Schilt, Nieky Holzken, Yuta Kubo, Giorgio Petrosyan, Daniel Ghita, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky and Albert Kraus.

Spike TV has a long tradition of telecasting the best in action sports, and is currently the home of the emerging mixed martial arts league, Bellator MMA.  

Interview: Paul Daley Talks DFC, Ribeiro, Kickboxing, Michael Page, &More

Paul 'Semtex' Daley Talks to Kingdom MMA
By Chris Houten - @houts4thewin

Paul 'Semtex' Daley is one of the finest MMA fighters to come out of the UK. A former Cage Rage, and King of The Ring World Muay Thai Champion, Daley hold highlight reel victories over Martin Kampmann, Duane Ludwig, & Scott Smith just to name a few.

On Tuesday I caught up to with Daley to chat about his upcoming fight against Rodrigo 'Ximbica' Ribeiro for Dubai Fighting Championships, as well as his Bellator return. 

Chris: Firstly Paul, congratulations on becoming a dad, hows fatherhood treating you?
Daley: Yeah great, its a special experience.

I've read in other interviews you are hoping to return to Bellator around September, has there been any recent progress on getting you back, and are you still targeting the fall?
Yes, I will be back at Bellator this year 100%

Its great that Bellator are allowing you to fight for other promotions in the meantime, not only for yourself as we all know you like to stay active, and for the fans, but do you find it a little frustrating fighting on the 'local' scene? I mean your completely running through your opponents in these fights, does some one of your caliber want more?
Yes of course, but I can only deal with whats in front of me, I have no choice. When I return to Bellator its going to be great.

Your next fight will be for Dubai Fighting Championships against Rodrigo 'Ximbica' Ribeiro, what do you think of Ribeiro?
I think he is a BJJ Blackbelt, but has not been so successful in MMA. 

Going into the fight its likely Ribeiro will want to try and take you down and work for a submission, will you look to work on wrestling defense and your ju-jitsu for this training camp more than you normally would? 
No, not really, I always train to prepare for everything, I dont think his wrestling is of a high enough calibre to warrant specific training, but like I said I always prepare for everything.

Before the Ribeiro fight was announced your were looking for a fight on this past weekends Glory card, and was looking at a fight with Luke Sines for UCMMA at one stage. Is Kickboxing something you would like to go back to?
I would love to do some high level kickboxing, before I step away from the fight scene. I would love to win a Kickboxing tournament, Like K1 or GLORY.

Do you think you will likely take another fight before your return to Bellator, or do you expect DFC 4 to be your last?
I think this fight at DFC will be my last before returning to  Bellator. Yes, things seem to be working out nicely.

Last Thursday, fellow Brit Michael Page made his Bellator debut knocking out Ryan Sanders, in just 10 seconds. Have you had chance to see his fight yet, and if so what do you think of the Page's prospects? 
I have seen the fight, and I think Page is very talented, he can do alot in the sport. 

In between rounds at UFC 158, Nick Diaz can be seen deliberately throwing punches at GSP, and its appears he is going to escape punishment. What are your thoughts on this? 
It is what it is, I cant really comment, there is no governing to the UFC, its as business, and bosses always have their favorites. 

Finally is there any training partners, or sponsors out there that you would like to thank?  
Spirit Dojo and my coaching staff Team Semtex, Sponsors: banned fightwear, fearless fightwear, maximuscle, JACO baseball caps, my management/wad allamadine, and all my fans/supporters/ family and friends.
 
Thank you for your time Paul!

Don't forget to check out Semtex.tv and like Paul Daley on Facebook

Ramon Dekkers Passes Away at 43 - Pro's Reactions

A black cloud hits the fighting world today with news surfacing that Kickboxing legend Ramon Dekkers has passed away at age 43. Kickboxing website Liver Kick reports:

 Reports are coming out of his home town of Breda today that Dekkers was riding his bike when he collapsed in a tunnel after feeling light-headed. A few bystanders attempted to assist him before emergency services arrived and attempted to revive him to no avail.

Dekkers is a former 8-time world champion and one of the first Dutch Kickboxers to really make an impact in Thailand. He was instrumental in helping the sport of Kickboxing to evolve to what it is today and will always be remembered for his accomplishments in and out of the ring.

In an event that will no doubt cause Kickboxing and MMA fighters and journalists alike morn many have taken to twitter to pay there respects:

I read Ramon Dekkers, legend of Muay Thai has passed away. He was a real crusher in the ring. To the halls of battle. bit.ly/YFqqXq
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) February 27, 2013

Sad Day. All-time Legend of the ring Ramon Dekkers passed away. All my Condolences to his family. #ShineLikeaDiamond #2Young2Die
— King Mo (@KingMoFH) February 27, 2013

Tuff Times Kru Yodtong & Ramon Dekkers RIP They're 2 of why I started & training #MuayThai when my family was at the Top of FC Kickboxing!
— Duke Roufus (@dukeroufus) February 27, 2013

Rest in peace Ramon Dekkers. Very sad day for the combat sports world. One of my biggest inspirations. twitter.com/danhardymma/st…
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) February 27, 2013

Just heard the news about Ramon Dekkers. Tragic. Will go down as one of the greats. What an absolute warrior he was
— Tom Kong Watson (@TomKongWatson) February 27, 2013

So very sad to hear of the passing of an all-time legend of the ring.RIP Ramon Dekkers, always a warrior, you will never be forgotten.
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) February 27, 2013

Very sad to hear Ramon Dekkers has passed away suddenly. What a pleasure it was to watch him battle in Muay Thai. R.I.P. champ.
— Pat Miletich (@patmiletich) February 27, 2013

Just heared that the legendary Ramon Dekkers has died.My condolences go out to his family.
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) February 27, 2013

Ramon Dekkers taught the martial arts world so much about heart, courage. Today was the final lesson: life is short, so chase your dreams.
— john o'regan (@johnjoeoregan) February 27, 2013

Sad to hear about the passing of Ramon Dekkers today. Our hearts and condolences go out to his family and friends. bloodyelbow.com/2013/2/27/4036…
— AKA HQ (@AKA_HQ) February 27, 2013

Today Ramon Dekkers a legend in Muay Thai kickboxing passed away My condolances go out to his family.
— Semmy Schilt (@semmyschilt) February 27, 2013

Today a legend in the sport passed away! My condolances go out to his family! Thanks for al the great memory's motivation! RIP Ramon Dekkers
— TyroneSpong (@Tyrone_spong) February 27, 2013

RIP Ramon Dekkers. A true legend in the fight sports. Condolences to his family and his dear friends. You are in my thoughts and my prayers.
— Shannon Knapp (@shanknapp) February 27, 2013

“@michaelgelinas: @joerogan Muay Thai champion Ramon Dekkers passes away at age 43 sbn.to/Va6EUb” RIP to an all time great.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) February 27, 2013

RIP RAMON DEKKERS! 

K-1 Rising 2012 Grand Prix Final (fightcard)

K-1 Rising 2012 Grand Prix Final
Date:  March 15, 2013 14.00 GMT
Arena Zegreb, Zagreb, Croatia


For the first time in the promotions history, K-1 will hold its prestigious World Grand Prix tournament outside of Japan, and featuring MMA Legend Mirko Cro Cop, fighting in his home country of Croatia.

Fightcard
Toni Milanovic vs Jason Wilnis
Emil Zoraj vs Miran Fabjan
Mladen Brestovac vs Freddy Kemayo
Dzevad Poturak vs Alexey Ignashov
Benjamin Adegbuyi vs TBA - Reserve Fight
Quarter finals
Catalin Morosanu vs Pavel Zhuravlev
Mirko Cro Cop vs Jarrell Miller
Badr Hari vs Zabit Samedov
Ismael Londt vs Hesdy Gerges