If you love combat sports, Spike probably has you covered on Friday. Glory Kickboxing will share the SAP Center with Bellator MMA for a combat sports extravaganza. It’s called Bellator MMA Dynamite 1, but the Glory fighters will factor prominently in the broadcast.
Saulo “Cassius Clay” Cavalari will rematch Zack “The Black Warrior” Mwekassa for the vacant Glory light heavyweight title. Cavalari defeated Mwekassa via TKO in November 2014 at Glory 18.
If Cavalari can duplicate that performance, he’ll be the next Glory light heavyweight champion. Bellator welterweight contender Paul Daley will also be in action—only he’ll be kickboxing.
Here’s a look at the Glory card for the evening, viewing information and predictions for each bout. Prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. The feature card starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Paul Daley Will Wreck Another Opponent
Ever the KO artist—no matter the combat sport—Daley climbs into the Glory ring looking to claim another victim. The unlucky foe this time will be Fernando Gonzalez.
Daley has some weaknesses in his game as a kickboxer and mixed martial artist, but matchmakers have seemingly been reluctant to put him in with anyone who can expose those shortcomings.
Gonzalez doesn’t have the work rate or power to trouble Daley. Thus, this one will be over as the powerful Daley will have flattened Gonzalez by the second round.
Mrs. Melendez Will Continue the Showcase
Keri Melendez, the wife of UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez, will make her Glory debut against unknown featherweight opponent Hadley Griffith.
Bellator, Glory and Spike seem to have plans for Melendez. She’s a talented fighter looking to ultimately make the move to MMA exclusively, per a press release from Spike.com. This bout is hers to lose as she weens her way off kickboxing into a world of full-time MMA.
Mwekassa‘s Revenge
In the first fight between Cavalari and Mwekassa, the latter came out very aggressive in the first round. He landed some solid shots, but Cavalari stood his ground and kept the hard-punching Mwekassa off balance with hard leg kicks.
Ultimately, the lower-body strikes and the pace slowed Mwekassa down.
Sensing a decrease in aggression, Cavalari landed a perfectly placed head kick on Mwekassa‘s temple and knocked him out.
This time, Mwekassa will be smarter. From the sound of the tweets he’s been sending lately, Mwekassa doesn’t really want to talk about how he’ll get his revenge; he just seems confident he’ll get it.
Look for Mwekassa to use his deadly jab to set the pace and beat Cavalari to the punch or kick. This strategy will also allow him to slow the pace and keep his stamina up for the latter rounds. The tables will be turned as Cavalari will be the one winded in the latter part of the second round.
That’s when Mwekassa will pounce and finish his opponent to win the Glory light heavyweight title. If you dig kickboxing and KOs, you won’t want to miss the Glory portion of this card.
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