Press Release – Tokyo, Japan (Nov 9th, 2011) – Following the recent GLORY Sports International (GSI) announcement that it will be producing DREAM 18 at Saitama Super Arena on New Year’s Eve, the company has now announced it will merge GLORY 4: Tokyo Grand Slam with DREAM 18 to create one mega-night of martial arts on Dec 31st.
GLORY 4 Tokyo was originally scheduled to take place on Dec 2nd at the Makuhari Messe Complex. But after detailed study and consideration GSI felt it would be possible to combine the two shows, creating the largest possible impact for relaunching the Japanese Martial Arts scene with an event like no other that has gone before.
“As a company we want to create the most spectacular martial arts show Japan has ever seen. After taking over DREAM 18, it just made natural sense to look at the opportunity to revive the traditional New Year’s Eve date and create a mega-show,” Pierre Andurand, Chairman of GSI, commented.
“We looked at the pros and cons and it was clear that a combined show would be the way to go. We are extremely proud and excited to deliver this mega-show to the Japanese fans and to the world at large. I can’t wait to spend my New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Arena!”
Marcus Luer, Managing Director of GSI, remarked, “We are confident that the fans will see our good intentions to create the best possible show ever and once they see the details of the New Year’s Eve show, they will be blown away by the caliber of fighters and fights we have lined up that night.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the fans who have bought tickets for Dec 2nd but we are certain they will be happy with what we will create on Dec 31. We will provide fans who have bought tickets for GLORY 4: Tokyo with a full refund which can be easily obtained at the outlets where they bought the tickets. At the same time, those same outlets will also sell the new tickets for the Dec 31 show.”
The event – ‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4: Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’ – will commence at 4pm Tokyo time on Dec 31 and roll through to a midnight grand finale. DREAM 18 will see an amazing line up of top Japanese and international MMA superstars. Further details of the cards will be released next week.
As previously announced, GLORY 4: Tokyo will feature the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world in a 16-man single-elimination tournament. One man will be left standing at the end of the night and he will be crowned the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Slam Champion. He will also receive the winner’s check of US$ 400,000 – the biggest prize in the sport.
Among the superstar fighters that have accepted a place in the invitation-only line-up are Semmy Schilt, Daniel Ghita, Remy Bonjasky, Gokhan Saki, Peter Aerts and Errol Zimmerman. Sixteen world class fighters will enter, but only one can emerge victorious in what is the toughest tournament the fighting world has ever seen.
So come and join us on New Year’s Eve to witness the greatest collection of martial artists ever assembled on one night. Broadcast details of this once-in-a-lifetime event at Saitama Super Arena will be announced shortly.
About GLORY:
The GLORY World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world’s premier stand-up fighting league, staging events across the globe. It offers up to $1,000,000 in prize money to successful fighters via individual matches and participation in the 16- and 8-man tournaments, which are open to only the very best fighters in each weight class.
With television deals across over 145 countries plus a ground-breaking online video streaming system and the world’s largest online martial arts library, GLORY is one of the world’s most widely-broadcast sporting organizations already.
Owned and operated by Glory Sports International (GSI), the organization has offices in Holland, the UK, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its personnel include prominent hedge-fund investors, the pioneering sports marketing agency Total Sport Asia and several executives from the Golden Glory and It’s Showtime team.