Glory 27 fight card preview: Superfight Series featuring Joe Schilling

Preview all the action at the Glory 27 Superfight Series here. The card, headlined by Joe Schilling vs. Mike Lemaire, airs live on UFC Fight Pass this Friday, February 26.

This Friday night is Glory 27 Chicago. Glory 27 airs live Friday, February 26 with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN3. Before that, the Glory Superfight Series will make its UFC Fight Pass debut with a nice card headlined by Joe Schilling. The Glory Superfight Series has a fight time of 7:30 p.m. ET live on Fight Pass. Here, we break down the complete Superfight card – check back later this week for the main card.

#1 JOE SCHILLING (20-6 Overall; 6-2 Glory) vs. #9 MIKE LEMAIRE (14-2 Overall; 2-2 Glory) – Middleweight

This Superfight headliner is a late addition to the card and an interesting fight, partly for what’s going on behind the scenes. Originally, Lemaire was in the Glory 27 tournament, however when the Superfight Series was added to UFC Fight Pass, they added the popular Schilling as a headliner, and brought Lemaire over as his opponent. Interestingly, Schilling is both a Bellator fighter and one of the marquee fighters for Bellator Kickboxing. He’s been a major figure for Glory throughout their past few years, and indications are that he is currently working through the last fights on his Glory contract before moving over to Bellator.

In the ring, this is a battle between two American Muay Thai fighters. Both men have extensive Muay Thai experience, with Lemaire having competed primarily in Lion Fight recently. That likely means this will be a very technical encounter, though one that has the potential to be a bit clinch heavy. #1 Middleweight contender Schilling is a true pressure fighter – he succeeds by pouring the offense on and stifling his opponents, not allowing them to get off. For Lemaire to win here, he’ll need to use his power and counters to stop that Schilling attack and push him back, allowing him to do his own work. It’s a tough task, and while I think Lemaire will have some success, I don’t see him being able to slow down Schilling enough to stop Stitch Em Up from outpointing him every round.

Prediction: Joe Schilling, decision

#5 ANDERSON SILVA (38-13-1 Overall; 4-5 Glory) vs. #12 MAURICE GREENE (4-1 Overall; 1-0 Glory) – Heavyweight

Brazil’s Anderson “Braddock” Silva is a veteran road warrior type of fighter who has competed against anyone and everyone throughout the international kickboxing scene. He’s had good wins over opponents like Sergei Kharitonov, Remy Bonjasky, and Hesdy Gerges, but has never quite crossed that threshold into top contender status. Silva has trained out of the famed Chakuriki Gym with Thom Harinck, and is the kind of all around technically skilled veteran that will be a tough challenge for any opponent.

Greene (who sports the incredible nickname “Moe the Pirate”) takes a massive step up in competition here. He’s just a 4 year pro with a 2-1 MMA record and limited time in kickboxing. He looked good in his Glory debut last year, knocking out Ashley Epps at Glory 21. Greene is a big fighter at 6’9″, and will need to use his reach masterfully if he wants to score the biggest win of his career here. Greene currently lives in Chicago, so expect a vocal crowd for him.

Prediction: Anderson Silva, decision

#10 GUTO INOCENTE (28-7 Overall; Glory debut) vs. #17 DEMOREO DENNIS (9-5 Overall; 0-1 Glory) – Heavyweight

This Heavyweight fight features a name that may be familiar to casual fans. Guto Inocente is an MMA fighter with a combined 1-2 record in Strikeforce and the UFC. It’s hard to know his exact kickboxing record, but he has a fair amount of experience, including winning regional titles primarily in Brazil. Inocente trains with the Blackzilians, and continues to spend time in both kickboxing and MMA. Dennis lost his Glory debut to Chi Lewis Parry via KO at Glory 21. He also had a high profile kickboxing loss to Pat Barry at Legacy Kickboxing 1 last year. Dennis is 5-3 in MMA, and trains out of Oklahoma City. This is a close fight between two men who know their way around a kickboxing ring, but the experience edge has to go to the Brazilian.

Prediction: Guto Inocente, KO

RICHARD ABRAHAM (7-3 Overall, Glory Debut) vs. PAWEL JEDRZEJCZYK (19-6-1 Overall; Glory Debut) – Welterweight

Two debuting Glory fighters here. Abraham is a more traditional Muay Thai fighter coming out of Chicago. He has faced some tough competition, including Lion Fight losses to Ky Hollenbeck and Jo Nattawut. Jedrzejczyk is a Polish fighter who also brings that traditional Muay Thai style. He’s competed in the big arenas in Thailand and has held a number of Muay Thai titles. Though neither man is well known, this is a sleeper candidate for fight of the night, as it is two talented Muay Thai fighters who will be bringing their all to impress in their debut. Watch out for this one.

Prediction: Pawel Jedrzejczyk, Decision

#7 CASEY GREENE (4-5 Overall, 3-2 Glory) vs. DANIEL MORALES (Glory Debut) – Welterweight

Greene is an entertaining fighter who went 2-2 in Glory last year, making it to the finals of the Glory 23 tournament at Middleweight (he also went 3-0 in MMA last year, bringing his record there up to 4-1). He dropped down to Welterweight after that and scored an impressive KO win over veteran Francois Ambang. Morales is a local fighter out of the Evolution MMA gym. He’s 4-1 in MMA and 1-0 in Boxing, though his kickboxing record is unknown. He also was on the Combate Americas MMA show. It’s hard to get a read on him as a kickboxer, so I have to go with the more seasoned Greene here.

Prediction: Casey Greene, KO

Join us here at Bloody Elbow Friday night for live Glory 27 coverage.

Preview all the action at the Glory 27 Superfight Series here. The card, headlined by Joe Schilling vs. Mike Lemaire, airs live on UFC Fight Pass this Friday, February 26.

This Friday night is Glory 27 Chicago. Glory 27 airs live Friday, February 26 with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN3. Before that, the Glory Superfight Series will make its UFC Fight Pass debut with a nice card headlined by Joe Schilling. The Glory Superfight Series has a fight time of 7:30 p.m. ET live on Fight Pass. Here, we break down the complete Superfight card – check back later this week for the main card.

#1 JOE SCHILLING (20-6 Overall; 6-2 Glory) vs. #9 MIKE LEMAIRE (14-2 Overall; 2-2 Glory) – Middleweight

This Superfight headliner is a late addition to the card and an interesting fight, partly for what’s going on behind the scenes. Originally, Lemaire was in the Glory 27 tournament, however when the Superfight Series was added to UFC Fight Pass, they added the popular Schilling as a headliner, and brought Lemaire over as his opponent. Interestingly, Schilling is both a Bellator fighter and one of the marquee fighters for Bellator Kickboxing. He’s been a major figure for Glory throughout their past few years, and indications are that he is currently working through the last fights on his Glory contract before moving over to Bellator.

In the ring, this is a battle between two American Muay Thai fighters. Both men have extensive Muay Thai experience, with Lemaire having competed primarily in Lion Fight recently. That likely means this will be a very technical encounter, though one that has the potential to be a bit clinch heavy. #1 Middleweight contender Schilling is a true pressure fighter – he succeeds by pouring the offense on and stifling his opponents, not allowing them to get off. For Lemaire to win here, he’ll need to use his power and counters to stop that Schilling attack and push him back, allowing him to do his own work. It’s a tough task, and while I think Lemaire will have some success, I don’t see him being able to slow down Schilling enough to stop Stitch Em Up from outpointing him every round.

Prediction: Joe Schilling, decision

#5 ANDERSON SILVA (38-13-1 Overall; 4-5 Glory) vs. #12 MAURICE GREENE (4-1 Overall; 1-0 Glory) – Heavyweight

Brazil’s Anderson “Braddock” Silva is a veteran road warrior type of fighter who has competed against anyone and everyone throughout the international kickboxing scene. He’s had good wins over opponents like Sergei Kharitonov, Remy Bonjasky, and Hesdy Gerges, but has never quite crossed that threshold into top contender status. Silva has trained out of the famed Chakuriki Gym with Thom Harinck, and is the kind of all around technically skilled veteran that will be a tough challenge for any opponent.

Greene (who sports the incredible nickname “Moe the Pirate”) takes a massive step up in competition here. He’s just a 4 year pro with a 2-1 MMA record and limited time in kickboxing. He looked good in his Glory debut last year, knocking out Ashley Epps at Glory 21. Greene is a big fighter at 6’9″, and will need to use his reach masterfully if he wants to score the biggest win of his career here. Greene currently lives in Chicago, so expect a vocal crowd for him.

Prediction: Anderson Silva, decision

#10 GUTO INOCENTE (28-7 Overall; Glory debut) vs. #17 DEMOREO DENNIS (9-5 Overall; 0-1 Glory) – Heavyweight

This Heavyweight fight features a name that may be familiar to casual fans. Guto Inocente is an MMA fighter with a combined 1-2 record in Strikeforce and the UFC. It’s hard to know his exact kickboxing record, but he has a fair amount of experience, including winning regional titles primarily in Brazil. Inocente trains with the Blackzilians, and continues to spend time in both kickboxing and MMA. Dennis lost his Glory debut to Chi Lewis Parry via KO at Glory 21. He also had a high profile kickboxing loss to Pat Barry at Legacy Kickboxing 1 last year. Dennis is 5-3 in MMA, and trains out of Oklahoma City. This is a close fight between two men who know their way around a kickboxing ring, but the experience edge has to go to the Brazilian.

Prediction: Guto Inocente, KO

RICHARD ABRAHAM (7-3 Overall, Glory Debut) vs. PAWEL JEDRZEJCZYK (19-6-1 Overall; Glory Debut) – Welterweight

Two debuting Glory fighters here. Abraham is a more traditional Muay Thai fighter coming out of Chicago. He has faced some tough competition, including Lion Fight losses to Ky Hollenbeck and Jo Nattawut. Jedrzejczyk is a Polish fighter who also brings that traditional Muay Thai style. He’s competed in the big arenas in Thailand and has held a number of Muay Thai titles. Though neither man is well known, this is a sleeper candidate for fight of the night, as it is two talented Muay Thai fighters who will be bringing their all to impress in their debut. Watch out for this one.

Prediction: Pawel Jedrzejczyk, Decision

#7 CASEY GREENE (4-5 Overall, 3-2 Glory) vs. DANIEL MORALES (Glory Debut) – Welterweight

Greene is an entertaining fighter who went 2-2 in Glory last year, making it to the finals of the Glory 23 tournament at Middleweight (he also went 3-0 in MMA last year, bringing his record there up to 4-1). He dropped down to Welterweight after that and scored an impressive KO win over veteran Francois Ambang. Morales is a local fighter out of the Evolution MMA gym. He’s 4-1 in MMA and 1-0 in Boxing, though his kickboxing record is unknown. He also was on the Combate Americas MMA show. It’s hard to get a read on him as a kickboxer, so I have to go with the more seasoned Greene here.

Prediction: Casey Greene, KO

Join us here at Bloody Elbow Friday night for live Glory 27 coverage.