Author: Michael Stets

Being a prize fighter isn’t always easy, but like in any profession, a payment is expected after services are rendered.

Apparently that is not the case for Tiffany van Soest (15-2-1).

The Lion Fight two-division titleholder took to the social media site Sqor on Thursday (March 17, 2016) to reveal she has yet to received payment from the muay thai promotion for her last bout at Lion Fight 27, which took place on January 29, 2016.

Van Soest defeated Ashely Nichols that night to win the super bantamweight title, her third straight victory.

Unfortunately it has come to this. It’s a shame, but I have more than one and will win … https://t.co/BCqDGSTmz6 pic.twitter.com/fXsbqXhG8A

— Tiffany Van Soest (@TiffanyTimeBomb) March 18, 2016

“Unfortunately it has come to this, van Soest said in the post. “It’s a shame, but I have more than one and will win more in the future.”

“Timebomb” is currently not under contract with Lion Fight and the California native has recently relocated to Bali, Indonesia, where she trains and teaches at Bali Muay Thai and MMA. Many experts believe she will soon look to begin a career in MMA, something she has mentioned several times in the last year.

Van Soest and her management, EPOK Agency, would not comment on the matter at this time. Lion Fight PR spokesman Scott Zerr informed MMAmania.com that the promotion would be issuing a statement on the matter later this afternoon.

MMAmania.com will update this story as more information becomes available.

The rematch between Tank Abbott and Dan Severn is not going to happen.

The fight was scheduled to take place this Sunday (March 20, 2016) on the UR Fight card in Phoenix, AZ, at Celebrity Theatre, but Abbott, 50, did not pass his pre-fight physical with the Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission.

The promotion is currently seeking a replacement. MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported the news on Thursday after speaking with a spokesman from UR Fight.

MMAmania.com reported the fight was in jeopardy on Wednesday evening.

Tried to set up Tank Abbot interview. His GF just informed me the fight may not happen now due to an issue with medicals that has arisen

— Michael Stets (@Michael_Stets) March 17, 2016

Severn, 57, was originally scheduled to face Ken Shamrock, but Shamrock is under 90-day suspension from the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration due to a failed drug test after his Bellator 149 loss to Royce Gracie, which took place back in February.

Abbott and Severn first met in the Octagon back in 1995 at The Ultimate Ultimate. Severn won that bout by unanimous decision and went on to defeat Oleg Taktarov in the final to win the night’s tournament. “The Beast” hasn’t competed since 2012, when he won a decision over Alex Rozman on a regional card in Iowa. Abbott last fought in 2013, losing by technical knockout to Ruben Villareal in King of the Cage.

UR Fight will also feature a grappling match between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping and a wrestling bout between Rey Mesterio and Kurt Angle (more on that here).

“The American Gangster” is quite confident ahead of his upcoming grappling match at UR Fight against Michael Bisping on March 20, 2016.

Chael Sonnen will return to action on March 20, 2016 when he faces Michael Bisping on the UR Fight card in a grappling match at City Centre in Phoenix, AZ,

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title contender is retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, but he did take part in grappling bouts at Metamoris 6 last year and Metamoris 4 in 2014.

Sonnen, 37, was a guest on SiriusXM Fight Club recently and spoke to hosts RJ Clifford and Michael Stets about the upcoming match against “The Count.”

“I’m in training for it and I’ll give you a spoiler now, Bisping has no chance,” Sonnen boasted.

When the two squared off in the Octagon back at UFC on FOX 2 in January of 2012, Sonnen won a unanimous decision in a very closely-contested fight. But now Bisping’s best attributes will be on the shelf, while Sonnen’s will all be readily at his disposal.

The current ESPN MMA analyst and host of the “You’re Welcome” podcast knows the matchup favors him, but he went out of his way to praise Bisping for taking the challenge and for being a tough competitor his whole career.

“So, Michael Bisping — in fairness — is a legit tough guy,” Sonnen raved. “And there are so many people in the UFC that pretend to be or claim to be and then pull out and they have all these excuses. Michael Bisping is a legitimate bad ass. He will take on anybody anywhere. You take this situation, which does favor me right? He is a kickboxer, his background and I come from a wrestling background. So he is coming into my turf. There is no weigh ins for this event so not only is he walking into my skill set, I’m also going to have a size advantage. That’s just a reality. There is no weight. Michael Bisping jumped at the chance.

“You wouldn’t believe how many fighters… There is a huge purse on this; they are paying a ton of money,” he continued. “You wouldn’t believe how many guys we couldn’t get to do it. I felt like I had this golden ticket of an opponent that I could give this to somebody and you’d be stunned at how many people said no. I asked Michael Bisping in a text message and he wrote me back instantly ‘hell yes’ with three exclamation points and that was it. I forwarded him the promoter’s number and he’s in. He then goes and beats Anderson Silva. He gets like 18 stitches and the promoter is calling the next day because they’re is sure he is going to pull out and he says, ‘no the stitches will be out in a week. I’ll see you on March 20th.’ I don’t know what the guy isn’t the most popular fighter in the world.”

So who exactly were the other potential opponents?

“We just offered the match out to a lot of guys who just had some trouble,” he explained. “It was supposed to be Rampage and Rampage was in. We signed the contract and about five hours after we signed Rampage called and goes, ‘man I got a problem. Bellator is going to step in front of this.’ So Rampage was out. We went to Randy Couture. Randy was in and once he checked the date he said, ‘Man, I got a movie going on I just simply can’t be in Arizona.’ I went to Forrest Griffin. Forrest liked it but, again, he had a dispute because he has a contract with UFC. I went to Rashad. Rashad had a fight with Shogun lined up, which has know changed to Glover as of 24 hours ago. So he couldn’t do it. I then went to Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz said yes, but he didn’t follow up and it was a major time crunch. I was just about to leave town to do a show and I had to have this done in three hours. We missed the boat on that. I sent it to Michael Bisping and he wrote me back and that was it.”

Did he rib the English veteran on being sixth on the list?

“Well he was the sixth choice because he was the toughest of the bunch,” Sonnen said. “I wasn’t looking to take on the number one contender. I was looking to go get some grappling in and get a paycheck, but Bisping threw a wrench in those plans. I’ve had enough of Bisping, if I never had to compete with that guy again it would be fine with me.”

UR Fight will also feature a wrestling match between Rey Mysterio Jr. and Kurt Angle, a boxing match between Roy Jones Jr. and contest winner Vyron Phillips, and an MMA bout between Dan Severn and Tank Abbott.

Bellator MMA’s newest heavyweight spoke to MMAmania.com about his six-figure contract, sponsorship opportunities, being a commentator for Bellator Kickboxing, and UFC homers who will knock his departure.

Matt Mitrione (9-5) became the latest fighter to sign on with Bellator MMA after competing for several years in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The 14-fight veteran, who fought exclusively in UFC since his promotional debut in 2009, made the news official on Monday’s episode of “The MMA Hour,” and said his new deal would earn him six-figures per each of his fights.

With the rise of Bellator MMA under the direction of Scott Coker, fighters now have more than just UFC to land a solid payday. A new age of free agency has surfaced in recent months with fighters testing the waters like Gilbert Melendez before he re-signed with the UFC, while other’s left the Octagon behind like Phil Davis, Josh Thomson, and more recently Benson Henderson.

Mitrione, 37, is a former NFL player, so he fully understands free agency and athletes being able to move to a different team for a better contract. Bellator MMA has now become that other team, so to speak, and given athletes like the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) another option for their careers.

“Meathead” had mentioned on “The MMA Hour” in so many words that a man with options is a dangerous man. He elaborated on those thoughts when he spoke to MMAmania.com.

“There is no way without feeling a threat that you are ever going to be in a position of power,” he said. “You’re not. That is the reason why a man with options is the most dangerous thing because I can say, ‘you know what? To hell with it. I’m not going to do that anymore. I don’t like the options and I’m going to split and that’s what is going to be.’ That is where the change comes into play and that is where the danger is. The powers that be can lose whatever they have or whatever they hold dear or whatever they are trying to manipulate and everything can be totally different. That is the beauty of a free market: options.”

And when his contract with the UFC was up after his recent loss to Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 81 in January, Bellator wasted no time in seeking to get him on board.

“Bellator aggressively pursued me,’ Mitrione said. “I would say that comfortably. I had some talks with ONE FC a little bit, but I think Bellator knew I could put a stamp on their division and come in and shake it up immediately. I also have a very dedicated, very loyal fan base. Even if people don’t follow me on Instagram or Twitter, or whatever, people pay attention to my fights.”

After making $36,000 for his last fight, which had he won he would’ve pocketed an additional $36,000, he will now make a considerably higher amount than before. The UFC didn’t match Bellator MMA’s offer, but if it had, Mitrione would not have been able to land his other new gig: being a color commentator for Bellator Kickboxing, which kicks off in Italy on April 16, 2016. The Blackzilian-trained fighter said that was a “major consideration point” for him.

Mitrione went through an audition process in New York to land the gig and said it’s always something he wanted to do and he’s been working on his broadcasting chops with his friend and retired UFC welterweight, Chris Lytle, and also drew influence from a pair of UFC’s most articulate heavyweights Josh Barnett and Frank Mir.

He isn’t getting any younger and much like his former sport the NFL, fighters don’t have long careers either. So it was important to him to find something he can transition to once he is done fighting.

“The further you are away from your college degree or even your high school diploma, the further you are away from that the less valuable you are to the work force,” he explained. “So you need to make sure you are being compensated appropriately for being less valuable to the work force, or that you are developing skills that can carry you as long as it ends up the way you hope it does. So it’s crucial to have an option and a second job. It’s crucial. If everything goes bad and I lose some fights and I don’t get paid a certain amount of money I’m not hoping I can make it to my next job and wait till my next paycheck. I’ve been there and I don’t ever want to be there ever again. That is what I am trying to fix now.”

One of the biggest parts of his new deal is the ability to once again secure sponsorship opportunities. Mitrione has been an outspoken opponent of the UFC’s deal with Reebok and said he has already been contacted by several companies since announcing his deal with Bellator MMA, while a few others like WingStop and Rap Protien have stuck by him even though he could no longer support them inside the cage by wearing their logos on his shorts or donning a tee shirt.

Many pundits have said that fighters will be heading to Bellator MMA simply because of sponsorships. I’ve argued that ultimately it’s about the bottom line and what their fight purse is worth more than anything. Mitrione is now making six figures a fight, which is much greater than what he made in UFC competition.

So he was asked if the contract is the most important aspect as opposed to sponsorship opportunities.

“Yeah it is, but when I first started, your sponsorship dollars it would triple your fight purse and so sponsor dollars are no slouch,” he explained. “And on top of that you have to remember something, it’s not just what is inside the cage — it’s what comes afterward. It’s the seminars that come, the flights, the business hands that you shake when you are at the appearances from your sponsors that are inside the cage. It’s a number of things that are relevant when it comes down to sponsorships, not just the money at hand with the fight purse.”

So, Bellator’s newest heavyweight is saying by having an opportunity to wear logos inside the cage it essentially makes it easier to land other additional sponsorships.

“Of course it’s what I’m saying,” Mitrione affirmed. “I have the gift of gab. Anybody I meet I can have a great conversation with and see if there is a mutual interest there. So as long as I have sponsors that are like,’ Hey I find him a warm conversationalist’ then someone is going to be interested in bringing me out somewhere, I’m going to meet somebody, I’m going to shake a hand with somebody, I’m going to talk to somebody, some bond of similarity is going to come up and we are going to say,’wow, buh-buh-buh, hey here is my business card why don’t you reach out to me I have this opportunity coming up and I’d love for you to be involved in or I’d love your opinion on it.’ And then you start doing some stuff and making some deals. That is the way business works. That is all directly relative to your sponsorships, your dollars, your interest and the people you can bring on board.”

I argued that athletes aren’t securing the best representation to help them land other revenue streams outside of the cage and that there is a strong need for that. Mitrione’s response was that you can’t undervalue or downplay an athlete who can represent himself.

“There is, but you are also–and I’m not being confrontational at all–but you are kind of minimizing the athletes role in representing themselves,” he said, going into further detail. “Meeting me and interacting with me is much more valuable than having a good agent because I can have a mediocre agent introduce me to somebody and I am going to be able to show them who I am and how I work and that is going to win me more jobs and that is going to land me more positions than anything else that somebody else can do for me. It’s who I am and how I am as a person. So, maybe I have a skewed perspective on it, but I feel that I am directly in control of what lands in my plate to eat, not anybody else. They can make an introduction, but it’s up to me to secure it.”

And how about other sponsorship and endorsement opportunities that other fighters aren’t seeking? Many are just focused on wearing sponsored tee shirts and hats and company logos on their shorts. They aren’t exactly exhausting all measures to try and find other revenue streams outside of the cage that could be available to them. In regards to UFC fighters they are forced to search outside the cage under the Reebok deal, but others won’t pursue anything else if they can continue on with in-cage sponsors.

Mitrione agreed to a small extent, but elaborated on why he believes it is difficult for fighters to find those opportunities.

“I think it makes it very difficult to monetize the name and representation you built for yourself, so because of that you are probably right,” he said. “Most companies that are sponsoring MMA don’t have 75-80 thousand dollars, 100 thousand dollars to get a print add and it’s not even going to run a TV commercial or do whatever else. And post-media only works so far with the reach and if you are reaching you are only reaching a specific demographic versus all the demographics. I think you are right, but I think there is a different perspective on it as well.”

Mitrione says he is looking to get into the cage as soon as possible, “I only get paid to work and I’m looking to work,” he said. It’s safe to say that Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division could use a serious shot in the arm and Mitrione feels he is just the right guy to make some noise and provide some solid entertainment to shake things up a bit.

“I’m just going to be me brother and I’ve been a lighting rod my entire life just being me,” said Mitrione, who has already engaged in some trash talk with another fighter in his division. “I don’t know any other way. The first thing I did was send an aggressive tweet out to one of their guys that wanted to fight me. So I only know how to be me. If that helps sell them tickets then awesome I’m happy about it. That’s just who I am brother.”

Of course, the experts and more so the fans will be criticizing Mitrione’s move to Bellator MMA, saying he will no longer be competing against the best fighters in MMA. Mitrione could care less what they have to say. He is happy with his new deal, has a ton of respect for Bellator president Scott Coker, and said he won’t pay it any mind, let alone fully address it.

However, he did provide a few thoughts on it.

“I”m not going to say shit to them except them being uneducated and ignorant,” he said. “Look man, if you believe the UFC is the end all be all then you obviously never understood what Strikeforce was about, what the heavyweight grand prix was about, that Ronda came for there, that Rockhold came from Strikeforce. So if you are going to be a UFC homer than that is your fault for being ignorant. I don’t have to say anything to make you feel one way or the other.

“If you are a fan of the sport, a fan of athletes and a fan of competitors than you are probably going to be a fan of Scott Coker because the man that has a track record of improving the condition of things and he built Strikeforce from the ground up and it was an incredible success. I don’t feel I need to say anything to them.”

It’s certainly refreshing to hear an athlete address the “UFC homers.”

“It sucks that the UFC is bigger than the sport. It sucks. It’s great for them financially, but that is the running joke with anyone that fights: ‘you train UFC?’ It is what it is. If it wasn’t for them the sport wouldn’t be where it is. It’s a love hate relationship sometimes.”

The No.3-ranked GLORY middleweight is enjoying his GLORY 27 tournament victory and anxiously awaiting his title shot against current champion Simon Marcus, which could happen at GLORY 30 in Los Angeles. “The Hanyak” discussed his tournament victory and revealed he almost stepped out of the tourney to face Joe Schilling.

After another pair of knockouts at GLORY 27, Dustin Jacoby won the middleweight “Contender” tournament and earned himself another Ramon Dekkers memorial trophy and more importantly, a shot at the GLORY middleweight title.

Jacoby, who until last August was on a five-fight losing streak, has won five straight fights (all by knockout) and two four-man tournaments (GLORY 23 and 27). Whether or not he deserves a shot against GLORY middleweight champion, Simon Marcus is not up for debate. The Colorado-based fighter–who was once a college quarterback until he decided to punch and kick other men for a living–has unequivocally earned it. His second round knockout of Wayne Barrett in the tournament final was the emphatic stamp.

“I can see the hard work paying off,” Jacoby told MMAmania.com on his current success. He praised his gym Factory X, head coach Mark Montoya and most importantly the results from working hard on strength and conditioning at Landow Performance.

“I’m faster,” he continued. “I’m visibly faster right now then I was two years ago. I think that plays one of the biggest roles into my performances and what I’ve been able to do inside the ring. I feel if I stay on this path that no one can beat me. I feel like I am the biggest, strongest, fastest, athletic, hardest working guy in the division. I got my eyes on the prize and I can’t wait to challenge Simon Marcus for the title. I will be ready for it.”

About two years ago, just before the GLORY 14 middleweight “Contender” tournament, I sat down in the fighter hotel with Jacoby, who was the lone American on the entire fight card. For all intents and purposes, he was getting thrown to the wolves against competition that heavily outweighed him in the experience department. But “The Hanyak” as he is known was smiling and confident as ever. No one believed in him, but there he was waving the American flag for the promotion then featured on Spike TV. Jacoby would get his head taken off that night by a vicious left hook from Alex Pereira, who won the tournament, but that loss did nothing to halt the belief he had in himself.

The loss to Pereira was his third straight at the time and it followed a heartbreaking split decision loss to Makoto Uehara at GLORY 13 in Japan. Preceding that defeat was a majority decision loss to Danyo Ilunga in the second round of the GLORY 9 eight-man light heavyweight tournament in New York, which was won by Tyrone Spong.

The next time I saw Jacoby was in Denver, CO. for GLORY 16. He wasn’t fighting, but he was in attendance and in the middle of his camp for an upcoming fight against Mike Lemaire, which would be a tournament reserve bout for the GLORY “Last Man Standing” eight-man tournament in Los Angeles in June of 2014. Not only was he telling me he was confident he’d beat Lemaire, but he was hoping he’d get a chance in the tournament that was filled with the best middleweights on earth to prove that he belonged among the best despite his record.

Jacoby dropped a decision to Mike Lemaire in Los Angeles to bring his losing streak to four. He was visibly upset that evening after the non-televised bout, due to feeling like the judges got it wrong–and many thought they did– but he continued to press on. The Factory X-trained fighter went back to mixed martial arts that summer–where he began his combat sports career–going 1-2 before returning to GLORY competition almost a year after the loss to Lemaire to step in on short-notice for an injured Pat Barry against Mourad Bouzidi at GLORY 20 Dubai in April of 2015.

“In my mind I know I am much better than my 4-5 record and yeah, I am, I’m chomping at the bit to get in there and get a win, get a big win,” Jacoby told MMAmania.com prior to the loss to Bouzidi. “I want to show people that I’m not here to just get beat up, I’m here to win. And I go into every fight with the mindset that I’m going to win. When you are fighting at a top level like this, you have to bring your ‘A’ game every time.”

Jacoby would lose to Bouzidi–another decision–and at that point he was all but written off. The American experiment just wasn’t bearing fruit in a sport that had long been dominated by European talent. Yes, he had won the eight-man “Road to GLORY” tournament to earn his GLORY contract in 2013, and he had to face superior competition each time out, but the losses were piling up and it seemed like his days were numbered.

But at GLORY 23 everything changed.

Jacoby entered the four-man “Qualifier” tournament in Las Vegas carrying his paltry 4-6 record and bumps and bruises he accrued along his journey, but this time he was going to face competition that actually possessed the same level of experience as he did. All the lumps he took before that, all the time he put into training, finally paid dividends as he sat down Ariel Sepulveda in the semi-finals and crushed Casey Greene in the final to win the night’s tournament.

The tournament victory propelled him up the ladder in the rankings and when GLORY came to Colorado this past October for GLORY 24, but Jacoby was resoundingly counted out yet again when he was matched up with perennial top-five contender, Barrett. But when he knocked out the unorthodox New Yorker in the third round, the pundits and experts no longer needed to be convinced: Jacoby had arrived. He was indeed for real.

In case that wasn’t convincing enough, in the GLORY 27 middleweight “Contender” tournament, Jacoby–who was now favored by some to win it– laid out Karl Roberson in the semis and Barrett for a second time in the final to capture his second Ramon Dekkers memorial trophy in only about six months.

Now that two years has passed and he’s turned around his kickboxing career, earning a title shot in the process, Jacoby was asked if he had given some thought to all the rough times and losses that came before his recent hot streak.

“I thought about it so much,” Jacoby admitted. “Even when I was losing I knew deep down who I was. I believed in who I am, the athlete I am and what I bring to the sport. Everybody slips and falls and gets knocked off their high horse. People slip and fall, but not everybody gets back up and not everybody keeps trucking along. That is what I did. I couldn’t listen to the people who were talking negative and I said it before I couldn’t listen to the people that were talking positive. You have to take each with a grain of salt. I had people that were saying I was the best ever and obviously that’s not true. And I have the same people saying I suck and I’m not going to go anywhere in kickboxing and I’ve proven that’s not true. You just have to stay focused.

“Going into fights I stopped worrying about what my opponent does well or what my opponent brings to the ring and I focus on what I do well and what I bring to the ring. I feel like when I focus on that it’s more dangerous than focusing on this guy. I never even watched anything on Karl Roberson. I looked at him as another opponent and looked at me as being better. The guys I fought that night were good I just look at myself as being better. Every guy I lost to in GLORY, I said this before, I truly believe that I can go and avenge every single loss I had in GLORY and I would come out on top. I’m eager to maybe one day prove that. I hope I get the chance at these guys who beat me early on. I’d love to fight them again. I’d love to take back what I gave them, get a piece of me back.”

(Photo credit: James Law/GLORY Sports International”

Tournaments are often tricky for fighters because they have to carry over their bumps and bruises from the first fight into the second, and depending on what they are, parts of their game can be hindered. Jacoby looked great against Roberson–who replaced his original opponent, Lemaire–but he wouldn’t be 100 percent for the final. Roberson had “crazy power,” he said, and the high kicks he had blocked banged up his forearms quite a bit. Had he been caught with him he said, “my night was over.”

“That kid was good,” he continued, praising Roberson. “I was a little banged up after the fight. My forearms, I kicked him a few times and my feet and shins were sore. There was not much time at all to recover from that fight to Wayne Barrett. They were telling us we got into the back, finally after getting checked by the doctors and getting cleared to go into the next round, we got into the locker room they told us you got about 10 to 15 minutes. I said, ‘shit I got to get this ice off because I was getting cold.’ They said five more minutes. So we kept the ice on and the next thing you know I’m getting up and I’m stiff as a board. I had to start getting loose and getting ready because we were going back out there. Right before we were going out there I started getting loose again with coach and started feeling better.”

But early on in the final after he had a kick checked by Barrett an old injury reared its ugly head, and it scared him quite a bit.

“It’s a past injury, nothing too serious,” he explained. “But once I bruised it up against Roberson, I did it again against Wayne Barrett and when I put my leg down I could feel my face instantly go pale white and kind of bead up because I thought that I broke something in my leg. You can tell in that first round I wasn’t moving quite as well from it. It was really bothering me.”

Barrett has a frustrating style, and Jacoby was giving chase to him several times early on, but once he knocked him down in the first round, his confidence was soaring.

“Absolutely,” he said. “When I dropped him that first time in the first round I was real comfortable. There was never a point in the fight… I thought I was winning the entire time, the entire night. I thought I won every round. I just had to settle down a little bit and not chase him so much. But it was a relief to get that drop at the end of the first round and then I knew it was just a matter of time I was up with the drop. I know in a championship fight you have to drop him three times. I was confident, even with my leg being injured. Not making any excuse. That is 100 percent the truth. It was really bothering me. I really thought I did something serious. I’m really glad I was able to capitalize on that. I hit him with a good shot in the second round that made him not want to come out. It was awesome. It was a big sense of relief at that moment.”

In the third round, Jacoby dropped Barrett for a final time, and similar to his knockout over the top-five contender at GLORY 24, it once again looked like he’d be able to beat the count, but he simply did not want to continue anymore.

Jacoby agrees wholeheartedly with that assessment.

“That is what it looked like,” he concurred. “Honestly I think that’s what it was. I have a lot of respect for Wayne. I just think he felt my power in Denver. I came into the night with a 86 percent knockout rate. There is not a guy in the world I feel I can’t knock out. I just have that natural power. Now you add that strength and conditioning to it and the proper technique and those knockouts are going to continue to come. I think with Wayne that he felt that power a couple of times and after that second one I don’t think he wanted any more.”

Once all was said and done and Jacoby had hoisted his second Ramon Dekkers memorial trophy, he headed to the back for obligatory post-fight medicals and received even more praise, this time the message was delivered to him by his brother, who had a private conversation with Barrett after the tournament final ended.

“My brother told me—I didn’t hear this—but he said Wayne said to him and he was as serious as can be he said, ‘I fought all the top five guys in the world,” Jacoby said. “I fought the best there is and nobody is going to beat your brother at 187 pounds. Please ask him if he will move back up to 209.’ My brother got a little chuckle from it, but he said when he was talking to Wayne there was no joking from Wayne. He was 100 percent serious. I truly believe that. If I stay on the right path I don’t believe there is anybody in the world that can beat me at 187 pounds. I’m going to be setting out to prove that with each fight.”

GLORY 30 has been announced for May 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, but Jacoby has not yet been confirmed for the fight card, but the No.3-ranked GLORY middleweight suspects he will matched up against the champion when the lineup is made official.

“There has been a little bit of talk, but nothing guaranteed,” he said. “I can’t wait to get confirmation. You know how the fight game is. It changes at the drop of a dime. I never know who I”m going to fight on fight night.”

Jacoby isn’t exaggerating either. He went from fighting Lemaire to facing Roberson just under two weeks before GLORY 27 because Lemaire was pulled from the tournament to face Joe Schilling in the Superfight Series. It turns out, Jacoby was offered the Schilling fight first and gladly accepted.

“They offered me to fight Schilling that night and I accepted and he turned it down,” Jacoby revealed. “I don’t know. It pisses me off because I accepted and he rejected, which is fine, you know. GLORY told me to keep that off social media.That’s fine. I don’t have to tell anybody. I don’t have to tell the world that this guy is scared to fight me. Then I caught wind that he is on social media saying that I turned down a fight with him and they came back to me and offered me Matt Baker for the opening round and that I said no. That is when my blood started boiling because I was never… I was offered Joe Schilling almost two, two and a half, almost three weeks before the fight. We accepted. I didn’t hear anything for a couple days.

“They came back and said Schilling refused to fight you you’re knew opponent is Karl Roberson. They never said one thing about Matt Baker, not one thing at all. That was never mentioned. It’s obvious, I’ve never turned down a fight. I’ve never… I fought Mourad Bouzidi on two weeks notice. I fought the top guys. I don’t want to disrespect Matt Baker in any way because I don’t know the guy. I fought on the same card as him in Vegas and I’m not going to sit here and say I’m not scared of him and blah, blah, blah. He was never offered to me and then when I find out Joe Schilling was talking crap and saying I turned him down and Matt Baker down that really pissed me off.”

Jacoby won the tournament and earned a title shot against Marcus, but said he was 100 percent fine with stepping out of that to face Schilling instead. GLORY would’ve sweetened the pot, he would’ve had one fight that evening instead of two, and he thinks he can end “Stitch ’em Up’s” night inside the distance.

“They offered me more show money and I gladly accepted,” Jacoby admitted. “Everything was working out fine, not to mention it is only one fight on the night as opposed to two and it’s the number one guy in the world and I was thrilled to take him out. I would love nothing more than to knock out Joe Schilling because I guarantee you I would. Obviously, he doesn’t want any of it. I’m not going to sit here and talk smack on the guy. I respect Joe’s fighting style. He is a good fighter and from what I’ve seen he’s not scared to fight people, but for whatever reason he turned that fight down. So don’t go out and say I turned anything down.”

That fight never materialized and between Schilling having only one fight left with GLORY and Jacoby likely to fight Marcus for the title next, “The Hanyak” gave his assessment on his upcoming title bout against “Bad Bwoy,” who is now 43-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 in GLORY competition.

“I think first and foremost Simon is an aggressive fighter,” Jacoby explained. “My two things with Simon is I think that he is aggressive and he is durable. If you watch the way I’ve been fighting lately I’m much bigger and much longer than Simon is. And I believe the game plan is to keep him at the end of my punches and kicks. I use my range very well. It’s something we work on every day. Same with those fights this weekend, those guys… I do a good job of blocking the punches and I do a good job of keeping them at the end of my punches. I think I match up really well with him. I think that I just stay long and I keep him at the end of my stuff and I have enough power, I don’t care who it is I can knock out a heavyweight. Obviously when I go in a fight and you ask me how I think I’m going to win I think I’m going to win by knockout and my record states that, my past experience states that and I see this fight as being no different.”

Jacoby credits his relentless hard work and believe in his abilities, as well as his coaching staff at Factory X for all the success in his kickboxing career, but as the saying goes: behind every strong man is a stronger woman and for him that is his wife Kahla.

“She has believed in me since day one. She is a 40-fight veteran herself. I’ve had 10 amateur fights and I’ve had 30 pro fights now. We started dating March 2nd eight years ago. I had my first amateur fight just a few months later. I was still in college playing football. She had never seen me fight before. That night she was a nervous wreck, almost in tears she didn’t know what to expect. Here we are 40 fights later and I couldn’t have done any of them without her or the belief that she has in me and the support and everything that she does. I told her ‘I want you there with me for the entire ride.’ To be able to make a career out of it and travel to these other countries and places that I would never be able to go to if it wasn’t for fighting and what it has done for me and to be able to bring my wife along with me and let her enjoy the ride too and build these memories together it’s priceless man, it means a lot to me, more than anything.”

GLORY kickboxing returns to Europe with GLORY 28 this afternoon (Sat., March 12, 2016) inside Accor Hotels Arena in Paris, France.

The five-fight main card kicks off at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT on ESPN3, with a replay on ESPN2 in primetime on Sunday (March 27) at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

GLORY 28 will be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between current champion, Rico Verhoeven (47-10) and No. 4-ranked contender Mladen Brestovac (49-10-1).

There will also be a four-man, one-night “Contender” tournament in the lightweight division. In the semifinals, No. 1-ranked Sittichai Sitsongpeenong (106-29-5) takes on former lightweight champion Davit Kiria (23-11), and Marat Grigorian (41-7-2) will face undefeated Anatoly Moiseev (16-0).

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE coverage of the ESPN3 (ESPN3.com) main card, which begins at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. In addition, MMAmania.com will also deliver LIVE fight coverage of GLORY 28’s “Superfight Series” that begins online at 1 p.m ET.

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GLORY 28 Quick Results

Rico Verhoeven (c) vs. Mladen Brestovac — Verhoeven def. Brestovac by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45 x2)

Tournament Final: Sittichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Marat Grigorian — Sitsongpeenong def. Grigorian by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Murthel Groenhart vs. Cedric Doumbe — Doumbe def. Groenhart by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26 x2)

Tournament Semi: Marat Grigorian vs. Anatoly Moiseev — Grigorian def. Moiseev by unanimous decision (30-25 x3)

Tournament Semi: Sittichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Davit Kiria — Sitsongpeenong def. Kiria by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

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GLORY 28 Superfight Series Quick Results

Saulo Cavalari (c) vs. Artem Vakhitov — Vakhitov def. Cavalari by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45 x2)

Freddy Kemayo vs. Xavier Vigney — Vigney def. Kemayo by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Serhiy Adamchuk (c) vs. Mosab Amrani — Adamchuk def. Amrani by unanimous decision (49-44 x3)

Jason Wilnis vs. Filip Verlinden — Wilnis def. Verlinden by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Josh Jauncey vs. Johan Tkac– Jauncey def. Tkac by TKO (broken nose) at 3:00 of Round Two

Maykol Yurk vs. Eddy Nait-Slimani — Nait-Slimani def. Yurk by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

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GLORY 28 live ESPN3 play-by-play results:

Rico Verhoeven (c) vs. Mladen Brestovac

RD1: Kicks early from Brestovac. One minute in. Verhoeven with some kicks of his own; slow start overall. Brestovac tries to go high, Verhoeven comes back with a knee. Clinch.  Hard right hand by Verhoeven. 2-3 lands for Brestovac. 10-9 Brestovac, who lands a straight left and eats a right hook before the bell.

RD2: Verhoeven on the advance, does some work in the corner. Clinch. 2-3 from Brestovac. Clinch, knees from Verhoeven. One minute in. Low kicks from Rico. Brestovac tries to go high, lands a couple counters and eats a knee. Knees from Rico, clinch. One minute to go. Brestovac kicking with his back on the ropes. Clinch. Rico doing good work inside. Body shot from the Croat. Right hook and they trade low kicks. 10-9 Verhoeven.

RD3: Leg kick exchange, right hook from Verhoeven. Front kick to the body, low kick and knee. Knees from Verhoeven. Rico muscles him to the corner and goes to work with combinations. One minute in. They exchange near the corner. Clinch, knees to the thigh from Rico. Uppercut by the Croat. Low kick again from Verhoeven. One minute to go. Rico keeping up the pressure, chipping away at Brestovac inside. Clinch. Rico pops him with a left hook in the waning seconds before they clinch. 10-9 Verhoeven.

RD4: Brestovac looking to put together punches early. Verhoeven continues to pressure. Solid body shot and low kicks. Leg kick exchange. Teeps from Brestovac, who eats a pair of right hands. One minute in. Brestovac just can’t seem to really budge the champion. Right hand, low kick from Rico. Uppercut by Brestovac on the ropes. Three punches from Brestovac as Rico kicks. One minute to go. Verhoeven comes back with a right hook. Brestovac pops him with a few punches as he circles. Clinch. The exchange in the corner and clinch before the bell. 10-9 Verhoeven.

RD5: Verhoeven continues to advance. Brestovac eats a hard low kick that seems to shake him a bit. Brestovac’s shots are connecting but not with the impact he needs to keep Verhoeven off of him. Low kicks by the champ, body kick by Brestovac. One minute in. Verhoeven connects with a front kick and low kick afterwards. Right hand and teeps. Clinch in the corner. Swatting right by Verhoeven as he corners Brestovac. Brestovac with a pair of punches. Verhoeven continues to cut off the ring and force Brestsovac into the corner. One minute to go. Good knee up top from Rico as they clinch. Low kick. Brestovac just struggling not to give up ground. Uppercut from Verhoeven and a blocked high kick. Rico pursues until the bell. 10-9 Verhoeven.

Final Result: Verhoeven def. Brestovac by unanimous decision

Tournament Final: Sittichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Marat Grigorian

RD1: Grigorian on the advance as usual, lands a right hand. Sittichai boxing off the back foot. Knee by Grigorian. Body kick from Sittichai, combination from Grigorian. They exchange kicks. Knees from Sittichai. Straight left connects. Body kick by Sittichai. One minute in. Knee connects, clinch. Uppercut and knee by Sittichai met by short punches. Clinch. They exchange kicks. Left from Sittichai, body kick and Girigorian puts together a combo. One minute to go. Nice combo by Sittichai. Sittichai picking up steam. Clinch. Knee from Sittichai, clinch. Grigorian rattles him with a punching combo and the two exchange in the corner. 10-9 Sitsongpeenong.

RD2: Grigorian putting together combinations early, landing knees. clinch. Body kick fro, Sittichai, knee upstairs. Uppercut and knee by Sittichai. Body shot, clinch. Straight left on the counter, knees to the body. Body kick by Grigorian. Clinch. One minute in. Lots of clinching going on. Grigorian lands a hook inside, eats a hard uppercut. Leg kick exchange. Straight lefts by Sittichai and a body kick, Grigorian answers with hard punches of his own. Good trades in the center. One minute to go. Clinch. Right hand by Grigorian, knee by Sittichai. Grigorian wading in, cornering Sittichai. Solid punches from Grigorian met by a straight left. 10-9 Grigorian.

RD3: Grigorian keeps up the aggression and the two trade kicks near the ropes. Low kick from Sittichai, clinch. Clinch. Hopping knee from Sittichai, clinch. 1-2 from the Thai. Kicks inside from both men. Sittichai finding his mark a little more often. Grigorian staying active with low kicks. Clinch. Body kick from Sittichai, clinch. One minute to go. Knee by Sittichai. Straight left from Sittichai, low kick from Grigorian. Grigorian slinging punches inside. Solid exchanges near the corner. Straight left and knee by Sittichai. Clinch. Knee, straight left, body kick. Grigorian with a left hook near the end. 10-9 Sitsongpeenong.

Final Result: Sitsongpeenong def. Grigorian by unanimous decision

Murthel Groenhart vs. Cedric Doumbe

RD1: Aggressive start to the fight, wild shots on both sides. Jumping knee attempt by Doumbe. Both try high kicks and the two of them roughhouse inside. Body kick by Groenhart. One minute in. Groenhart to the body. With a kick this time. Once again. Doumbe with some leg kicks, tries to go high. One minute to go. Doumbe slips as they trade. Doumbe goes to the body and eats a left hook before the bell. 10-9 Groenhart.

RD2: Groenhart lands a check hook early and the two again roughhouse, even after the ref tells them to stop. Flying knee from Doumbe and a looping right connects afterwards. Clinch. Body kick by Doumbe, haymakers whiff. One minute in. Clinch. Groenhart with low kicks. Doumbe winging big punches as they trade in the corner. One minute to go. Cut kick from Doumbe. Doumbe’s leaving openings, Groenhart just isn’t doing enough to punish him. Fight slows back down in the last minute. Doumbe lands a cross and trips. Groenhart warned for catching a kick after landing a left hook. 10-9 Doumbe.

RD3: Groenhart connects with a hook while Doumbe flings haymakers. Crazy exchanges in the early going. Groenhart gets a point taken for catching a kick. That’s a very dumb rule. Groenhart clips him with some wild swings as they resume. One minute to go. Things slow back down. Doumbe with a couple of kicks, punch exchange. Groenhart whiffs on a flying knee. One minute to go. Counter right lands for Doumbe. Cut kick by Doumbe. Doumbe showboating with twenty seconds to go. Clinch. I don’t even know. 9-9.

Final Result: Doumbe def. Groenhart by unanimous decision

Tournament Semi: Marat Grigorian vs. Anatoly Moiseev

RD1: Moiseev staying active on the back foot, tries a wheel kick as he first off combinations Marat cracks him with some leg kicks. Spinning back kick by Moiseev. Both men bounce punches off the guard. One minute in. Quick punching exchanges in center ring. Marat trips him up with a low kick, then a teep. Body shot lands, Moiseev wheel kick does not. Marat putting together combinations and now he is beating Moiseev up. A knee to the body folds Moiseev and he takes a count. Grigorian continues to press forward with punches and knees as Moiseev tries to counter. Moiseev trips him up. 10-8 Grigorian.

RD2: Grigorian continues his advance, hopping in with punches and knees. Moiseev fires off combinations and lands a body kick. Grigorian rips into him with a combo of his own and folds him with a liver shot, prompting a count. Grigorian swarms all over him on the reset. Moiseev throwing desperately, flinging power punches and a wheel kick. One minute in. Grigorian still looking to bulldoze him, but Moiseev manages to slow things down a bit. Left hook by Moiseev. Another one upstairs. Low kick connects. Another body shot hurts Moiseev, but Grigorian thinks it’s over and walks away. Moiseev manages to recover somewhat by the time Grigorian catches on, but Grigorian takes him to the corner and goes to work. Moiseev with a solid knee. Overhand right lands for him and a cracking left hook at the bell. 10-8 Grigorian.

RD3: Moiseev comes out throwing. Spinning attempts. Solid shots by Grigorian in the center. They exchange low kicks. Grigorian gets him to the corner, gets shoved away. One minute in. Moiseev catches a knee to the groin and takes time to recover. Right hand and body shot from Grigorian, hook and uppercut by Moiseev. Grigorian with a low kick. Combinations by Grigorian and a hard knee upstairs. One minute to go. Clinch. Grigorian to the body on the ropes. They trade knees. Moieev goes to the body. 10-9 Grigorian.

Final Result: Grigorian def. Moiseev by unanimous decision

Tournament Semi: Sittichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Davit Kiria

RD1: Both men looking to kick early. Leg kick from Sittichai, then a knee to the body. Body kick. Kiria with a 1-3 after landing a leg kick. Knee from Sittichai. One minute in. Low kick from Sittichai, body shot and high kick attempt. Both land low kicks. Sittichai targeting the body. Right hand by Kiria, combo from Sittichai. One minute to go. Both land low kicks. Knees from Sittichai, clinch. Teep from Kiria, who whiffs on a rolling thunder. Knees from Sittichai once again. Kiria comes up short with another rolling thunder at the bell. 10-9 Sitsongpeenong.

RD2: Sittichai continues to land the inside low kick and bounce his shin off Kiria’s forearms. Kiria landing low kicks, but getting checked more often than not. Uppercut from Kiria, body kick and 1-2 and knee by Sittichai. One minute in. Another combo from the Thai. Low kick exchange. Once again. Knees to the body from Sittichai. Kiria’s mouthpiece falls out and he tries and fails to pick it up with hi gloves on. Good left by Sittichai after avoiding Kiria’s punches. One minute to go. Knee by Sittichai, clinch. Head kick attempt, combinations land. Kiria with a few knees as well. Sittichai responds in kind. 10-9 Sitsongpeenong.

RD3: Kiria continues to advance but he’s just losing these exchanges. Sittichai’s defense and volume are on point today. More knees by Sittichai. Clinch. 1-2 by Kiria. Clinch. One minute in. Sittichai catches a kick and backs away from a rolling thunder. Sittichai to the body. Straight left connects, clinch. Head kick lands as Kiria throws a right. One minute to go. Straight left and knee by Sittichai. Uppercuts in the clinch from both. Kiria looking to kick with him, walks into some knees. 10-9 Sitsongpeenong.

Final Result: Sitsongpeenong def. Kiria by unanimous decision

GLORY 28 Superfight Series play-by-play results:

Saulo Cavalari (c) vs. Artem Vakhitov

RD1: Both men kick to start, then clinch. Kick exchanges, combinations from Cavalari. Low kick exchange. Cavalari to the body. Volume favors the champ in a big way early on. Both men connect with low kicks. One minute in. Very solid combinations early by the champion. Vakhitov sneaks in a straight right. Clinch. Another right by Cavalari. Low kick exchange. Vakhitov mostly hitting the guard. Right hand exchange. Vakhitov to the body. Hard punches by Vakhitov. Vakhitov walking him down, eats a front kick and they tie up. 10-9 Cavalari.

RD2: Early kicks, clinch. Low kick exchanges. Body shot by Vakhitov, Cavalari answers in kind. The two continue to trade kicks. 1-2 by the champ. Clinch. Overhand right by Vakhitov, clinch. One minute in. Body kick by Vakhitov. Cavalari runs in with some body kicks himself, clinch. Vakhitov corners him and lands a few before getting clinched. One minute to go. Clinch. Vakhitov with a body kick and some nasty right hands. Cavalari opens up with a combination in return. 1-2 knocks Vakhitov back. Both men attack the body before the bell. 10-9 Vakhitov.

RD3: They immediately exchange in the center. More good body work by Vakhitov. Straight right by the champion slips through. Vakhitov again downstairs, then goes to work with combination punching. Clinch. One minute in. Vakhitov with solid punches and a front kick. Clinch. Cavalari seems to be slowing down. Vakhitov whiffs on a spinning back fist after landing a right downstairs. Cavalari wading forward, landing low kicks. Vakhitov connects with some left hands. One minute to go. Body kick exchanges. Cavalari forces him to the ropes and tries to flurry. Nice exchange in the waning seconds. 10-9 Vakhitov.

RD4: Vakhitov definitely seems like the fresher fighter. Vakhitov staying patient, walking Cavalari down. One minute in. Nice punching exchange. Vakhitov lands a body kick, eats a knee in return. Counter left by Vakhitov. Cavlari picking away at his legs, lands a solid right hand. Spinning back kick from the Russian. Not enough coming from Vakhitov at the moment. One minute to go. They trade low kicks and Vakhitov rips him with some heavy punches. Now Vakhitov on the attack, rips to the body and lands a knee in the corner. 10-9 Vakhitov.

RD5: Cavalari still pressing forward. Low kick from Vakhitov. They exchange low kicks. Vakhitov with a combination downstairs and spinning back kick. Body kick lands. One minute in. 1-2 from the champion. Low kicks by Vakhitov and a wheel kick attempt. Hug Tornado lands. Leg kick exchange. Overhand left by the challenger. Clinch. Right hand by Cavalari. One minute to go. Both slam home right hands inside. Low kick from Vakhitov. Vakhitov with a right downstairs and spinning back kick. Cavalari’s mouth is wide open as he avoids a spinning back fist. 10-9 Vakhitov.

Final Result: Vakhitov def. Cavalari by unanimous decision

Freddy Kemayo vs. Xavier Vigney

RD1: Kemayo comes out throwing heat, prompting Vigney to back him off with short shots. Vigney forces Kemayo to the ropes and uncorks a flurry, mixing in clinch knees to the head. The ref separates them. Hard 1-2s and jabs by Vigney. Two good hooks by Kemayo connect. One minute in. Low kick from Vigney, right hand by Kemayo. Kemayo finding his mark with hooks. Low kick and jabs from Vigney, lead right by Kemayo. One minute to go. More right hands by Kemayo. Solid counters from Vigney. Another overhand right from Kemayo, who runs into a left hook. 2-3 by Vigney. Flurry from Vigney to end the round. 10-9 Vigney.

RD2: Vigney again opens with a flurry. Kemayo looking to take out his legs. Clinch. Kemayo lands a right hand as Vigney continues throwing jabs and straights. The referee calls pause to retrieve Kemayo’s mouthpiece and Vigney throws a blatant late shot. Vigney keeps up the volume when they resume. Low kick from Kemayo. One minute to go. Hard overhand right; Kemayo’s cutting off the ring well and landing hard shots. Vigney flurrying off the back foot. Kemayo plodding forward, walking through Vigney’s shots to rip the body and head. 10-9 Kemayo.

RD3: They both come out throwing this time. Vigney still throwing loads of punches. Kemayo to the legs. Good right hand by Vigney, Kemayo answers back. Kemayo slinging big punches to the head, slips on a knee. One minute in. Another right hand by Kemayo. Vigney keeping his jab in Kemayo’s face but can’t keep distance. Big right hands by both men. They’re dinging some massive punches off of each other’s heads. Clinch. 1-2 from Vigney. Kemayo to the body on the ropes. Vigney cracks Kemayo with a left hook as the Frenchman fires a high kick. Close round. 10-9 Vigney.

Final Result: Vigney def. Kemayo by unanimous decision

Serhiy Adamchuk (c) vs. Mosab Amrani

RD1: Amrani looking to kick early. Adamchuk on the back foot. Amrani keeping him at a distance. Quick punching exchange. One minute in. Body kick from Amrani, then a low kick. Wild rush. Adamchuk catches a kick and knocks Amrani over with a straight left; no knockdown. Clinch. One minute to go. Counter 1-2 from the champ after taking a low kick. Knee to the body. Amrani with a right downstairs, eats a knee. 3-2 and body knee from Adamchuk. Amrani corners him and gets clinched. Knee by Adamchuck before the bell. 10-9 Adamchuk.

RD2: Adamchuk to the body. He catches another kick and trips Amrani up. Amrani swinging a bit wild, gets clinched. Overhand right connects. Amrani falls through the ropes after a clinch, rolls back in. One minute in. Knee exchange in the clinch. Knee by the champion, then a spinning back fist that Amrani takes well. Clinch. Adamchuck warned for holding. One minute to go. Knees by Adamchuk and Amrani does a blatant takedown when they clinch. Both land right hands. Amrani throws him again. Adamchuk catches him with a spinning back kick at the bell. 10-9 Adamchuk.

RD3: Adamchuk looking for combinations early. Amrani does another throw. Body kick from Adamchuk, then a check hook. Body kick, clinch. Adamchuk to the body. Knees by Adamchuk in the clinch. Another knee from Adamchuk and another throw by Amrani. One minute in. Clinch; ref warns them for nonsense. Right hook and a big knee by Adamchuk. One minute to go. Amrani’s losing almost all of these exchanges at this point. Another spinning back fist and right hook. Another right hook, then a combination. Knees by Adamchuk. BIG overhand left sends Amrani to the canvas right before the bell. Amrani makes it up and through the round. 10-8 Adamchuk

RD4: Adamchuk starts strong with a combination and wheel kick. Clinch. Punching combo, step-in knee. Knee upstairs as Amrani pursues with tired-looking punches. Adamchuk rips to the body, then rattles Amrani with an uppercut and straight to the head. One minute in. Low kick from the champ, clinch. Clinch. Clinch. Amrani looks spent. Low kicks from the champion. Adamchuk to the body, then up high with power punches. Hard knee to the head. Amrani just clinching at this point. One minute to go. Adamchuk going to work with power punches and knees. Hug Tornado by Adamchuk and some more punches. 10-9 Adamchuk.

RD5: Body kick from Adamchuk. Amrani flops a bit after getting shoved; he really has nothing left, just clinching to survive. Nice cut kick from the champ. Combinations, Amrani clinches. One minute in. Rolling thunder attempt by Adamchuk. Straight left connects. Utter domination at this point by Adamchuk as brutal knees and punches connect. Uppercut by Adamchuk. One minute to go. Nasty punches and a massive knee seems to turn off the lights for a moment. Amrani takes a standing count and gets back in there. Adamchuk tears into him with power punches and tries a somersault kick at the bell. 10-8 Adamchuk.

Final Result: Adamchuk def. Amrani by unanimous decision

Jason Wilnis vs. Filip Verlinden

RD1: Verlinden opens with body kicks. Wilnis sneaks a right around the guard. Verlinden on the back foot, maintaining distance and firing body kicks. Wilnis looking to cut off the ring and power punch. Verlinden moving well thus far. One minute in. 1-2-3 by Wilnis. Knee from Verlinden, body blow and low kick from Wilnis. Overhand right connects. Verlinden keeping him at bay with straight punches. One minute to go. Combination by Wilnis. Hard series of punches lands. Verlinden starting to trade punches with him and not getting the better of it. Kick exchanges. Verlinden eats a combo, comes back with a right. Uppercut by Wilnis before the bell. 10-9 Wilnis.

RD2: Verlinden opens with knees, eats body shots. Wilnis continues to work the body. Verlinden with a combination and knee attempt. He’s showing more volume now. Wilnis rips the body and they trade low kicks. One minute in. Solid right by Verlinden after a knee. Wilnis with hooks downstairs. Verlinden working behind a constant series of knees. One minute to go. Wilnis to the body, low kick from Verlinden. Wilnis with a punching combo, Verlinden grazes him with a left hook. Straight right forces Verlinden back. Solid left hook from Verlinden as they exchange. Wilnis fires a flurry at the bell. 10-9 Wilnis.

RD3: Wilnis still walking Verlinden down while the latter keeps up the volume. Wilnis landing the bigger punches early in the round. One minute in. Verlinden with a body kick, tries to go high, lands a knee. Counter right from Verlinden connects. Wilnis with hooks low and high. Verlinden with a low kick, Wilnis with power punches. Hard 1-2 connects. Body blows continue to pile up. One minute to go. Verlinden lands a combo off the back foot. Big 1-2 from Wilnis, who has Verlinden with his back to the ropes. Verlinden circles off, but he can’t keep Wilnis off of him. Wilnis going hard and landing some brutal punches as Verlinden slugs it out with him until the bell. 10-9 Wilnis.

Final Result: Wilnis def. Verlinden by unanimous decision

Josh Jauncey vs. Johan Tkac

RD1: Tkac tossing out low kicks to start. Jauncey with a knee and leg kick. Step-in knee. Tkac still looking for kicks. One minute in. Tkac with more volume thus far. Jauncey with a low kick and body work. 1-2 lands. Jauncey starting to ramp up a little more. Tkac getting knocked around by the low kicks now. Check hook by Jauncey. Body shot and knee. One minute to go. Tkac continues to advance but he’s taking some punishment. Body shots connect for Jauncey. Overhand right from Tkac, then a solid combination. Punching exchange to end the round. 10-9 Jauncey.

RD2: Tkac staying aggressive but taking more than he’s dishing out right now. Lovely combinations from Chauncey, high and low. Jauncey targeting a nasty left hook to the liver and right hands up top. Knee, low kick, punches; everything’s working for Jauncey right now. Tkac fires a body kick, eats a right cross. Tkac knee, body shot meets it. Body shot and uppercut by Jauncey. One minute to go. Jauncy continuing to do work with combinations while Tkac looks for one big strike. A right hand seems to rattle Tkac and Jauncey works him over on the ropes. The Frenchman comes back with strikes at the bell. 10-9 Jauncey.

RD3: Tkac’s face is a mess; the doctor confirms that Tkac’s nose is broken and the referee calls it.

Final Result: Jauncey def. Tkac by TKO (broken nose)

Maykol Yurk vs. Eddy Nait-Slimani

RD1: The Fight Pass feed cuts in once the first round’s already started. Very active round early on, both men flinging out heavy kicks. Good body blows by Yurk. One minute in. Yurk with knees inside. Clinching. Slimani jumps in for a knee, lands a right hand and goes for low kicks. Stiff jabs. Yurk with a low kick of his own. Low kick exchange. One minute to go. Hard teep to the face by Slimani and Yurk comes back with kicks. Clinch. Another teep from Slimani and a stiff jab. Yurk to the body, blocks a spinning kick and eats front kicks. Clinch. 2-1 by Slimani. 10-9 Slimani.

RD2: They go right back to slinging leather early. Yurk with body blows, gets tripped up. Slimani attempts another spinning back kick, eats some counters. Yurk continues to advance, gets clinched. One minute in. Yurk finding more success this round with hard body blows. Slimani circling and landing kicks behind a hard jab. Combination lands. Clinch. More combos and a knee by Yurk. Slimani with leg kicks. One minute to go. Clinch. Jumping knee from Slimani, clinch. Yurk slips oddly. Knee exchange. Slimani forces him back at the bell. 10-9 Yurk.

RD3: Yurk continuing to advance. Aggression early by the Brazilian. Slimani lands a spinning back kick to the body, clinch. Nice combination; Yurk clinches as he eats strikes and gets warned for it. One minute in. Low kick exchange. Clinch. Yurk slips on a wheel kick. Slimani coming on stronger while Yurk seems like he’s fading, looking for clinches. One minute to go. Yurk fires off a combo, met by a 1-2. Slimani cracks him with a low kick behind some punches. Yurk clinches. Brief exchange on the ropes before the bell. 10-9 Slimani.

Final Result: Nait-Slimani def. Yurk by unanimous decision