Tag: Glory

So There Were Some Pretty Brutal Knockouts at Glory 17: Los Angeles This Past Weekend [w/GIFS]


(All gifs courtesy of Zombie Prophet.)

Last Saturday marked an increasingly rare occasion for the fight fan attempting to have an honest to God social life, with the UFC taking a much needed break ahead of this weekend’s Fight Night doubleheader. That is not to say there wasn’t plenty of fight action to be witnessed — both the World Series of Fighting and Glory kickboxing held events in California over the weekend — but were any of you honestly on pins and needles to watch the former’s middleweight title fight between David Branch and Jesse Taylor, or the latter’s rematch between Mirko Cro Cop and Jarrell Miller? Thought so.

Had you turned into Glory 17, however, you would have not only witnessed the former PRIDE killer and prankster extraordinaire score a unanimous decision victory over Miller, but a bevy of blistering knockouts as well. The quickest KO of the night went to Glory 12 lightweight tournament winner Andy Ristie in his preliminary tilt against Ky Hollenbeck, the man Ristie was supposed to face for the inaugural Glory lightweight belt at Glory 14 before an injury forced Davit Kiria to step in and eventually defeat Ristie via last second, come-from-behind KO.

It took Ristie just 35 seconds to flatten Hollenbeck with his trademark left hook, which you can check out in gif form above courtesy of Zombie Prophet. After the jump: Gifs of the night’s other, more violent finishes and complete Glory 17 results.


(All gifs courtesy of Zombie Prophet.)

Last Saturday marked an increasingly rare occasion for the fight fan attempting to have an honest to God social life, with the UFC taking a much needed break ahead of this weekend’s Fight Night doubleheader. That is not to say there wasn’t plenty of fight action to be witnessed — both the World Series of Fighting and Glory kickboxing held events in California over the weekend — but were any of you honestly on pins and needles to watch the former’s middleweight title fight between David Branch and Jesse Taylor, or the latter’s rematch between Mirko Cro Cop and Jarrell Miller? Thought so.

Had you turned into Glory 17, however, you would have not only witnessed the former PRIDE killer and prankster extraordinaire score a unanimous decision victory over Miller, but a bevy of blistering knockouts as well. The quickest KO of the night went to Glory 12 lightweight tournament winner Andy Ristie in his preliminary tilt against Ky Hollenbeck, the man Ristie was supposed to face for the inaugural Glory lightweight belt at Glory 14 before an injury forced Davit Kiria to step in and eventually defeat Ristie via last second, come-from-behind KO.

It took Ristie just 35 seconds to flatten Hollenbeck with his trademark left hook, which you can check out in gif form above courtesy of Zombie Prophet. After the jump: Gifs of the night’s other, more violent finishes and complete Glory 17 results.

The middleweight tournament quarterfinal bout between Joe Schilling and Simon Marcus was easily one the evening’s most entertaining bouts, both going to a sudden death fourth round and ending in a falling tree KO that was nearly a double KO when Schilling and Marcus landed simultaneous right hands. It was Schilling’s right hook that won the day over Marcus’ right straight, securing him a spot in semifinals against the man who would score a devastating counter punch KO of his own in the very next fight of the night…

Yep, that’s Romania’s Bogdan Stoica going full Arlovski vs. Fedor on American Wayne Barrett in their quarterfinal fight and achieving the exact same results. Yowza. I’m just saying, unless you possess the hops of Chris Beal, maybe set that flying knee up with something rather than leap into it from halfway across the ring. I’m not even here. (*backs slowly out of room*)

Aside from Saturday’s epic middleweight tournament, Glory 17 also saw the crowning of a new heavyweight and welterweight champion, as well as the return of Melvin Manhoef to the squared circle, so check out the complete Glory 17 results below.

Glory “Last man Standing” Middleweight Tournament Results:

-Tournament Final: Levin def Schilling via unanimous dec (29-26, 29-26, 29-26) new Middleweight champion
-Semi final: Levin def Verlinden via unanimous dec (30-27 x 3)
-Semi final: Schilling def Barrett via split dec (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
-Artem Levin def Alex Pereira via unanimous dec (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Joe Schilling def. Simon Marcus via KO in extra round 2:41
-Wayne Barrett def Bogdan Stoica via KO RD 3 0:58
Filip Verlinden def Melvin Manhoef via unanimous dec (30-27, 30-27, 28-28)

Other results:
-Heavyweight championship: Rico Verhoeven def Daniel Ghita via unanimous dec (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
-Welterweight championship: Joseph Valtellini def Marc de Bonte via unanimous dec (47-46 x 3)
-Mirko Filipovic def Jarrell MIller via unanimous dec (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
-Andy Ristie def Ky Hollenbeck via KO Rd 1 0:35
-Featherweight tournament final: Varga def Oblonsky via unanimous dec (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Gabriel Varga def Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai via unanimous dec (30-27 x 3)
-Shane Oblonsky def Marcus Vinicius via unanimous dec (29-26)

–J. Jones

GLORY 16 Highlights: Raymond Daniels’ Incredible Spinning Kick, Pat Barry Gets KTFO’d by Zack Mwekassa

(Props: GloryWorldSeries)

The kickboxing event GLORY 16 went down Saturday night at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado, and has been making headlines for two reasons. First, spin-kick artist Raymond Daniels added another spectacular knockout to his highlight reel when he nailed Francois Ambang with the “two touch” jumping back kick shown above. This one might be tough to beat in the Best Knockout of 2014 Potato Award category.

And in sadder news, UFC heavyweight veteran Pat Barry — whose return to kickboxing was supposed to rejuvenate his fight career — was brutally knocked out cold by Zack Mwekassa in the first round of their match. After the fight, there were reports floating around that Pat Barry vs. Mirko Cro Cop was booked as the headliner of GLORY’s next show on June 21st, which would be kind of insane considering that Pat has been knocked out three times in his last four fights and could probably use a little time off. Luckily, the booking appears to be an unfounded rumor at this point; we’ll update you when we know more.

An extended GIF of the Mwekassa/Barry finishing sequence is after the jump via ZombieProphet, along with full results from the event via MMAMania.


(Props: GloryWorldSeries)

The kickboxing event GLORY 16 went down Saturday night at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado, and has been making headlines for two reasons. First, spin-kick artist Raymond Daniels added another spectacular knockout to his highlight reel when he nailed Francois Ambang with the “two touch” jumping back kick shown above. This one might be tough to beat in the Best Knockout of 2014 Potato Award category.

And in sadder news, UFC heavyweight veteran Pat Barry — whose return to kickboxing was supposed to rejuvenate his fight career — was brutally knocked out cold by Zack Mwekassa in the first round of their match. After the fight, there were reports floating around that Pat Barry vs. Mirko Cro Cop was booked as the headliner of GLORY’s next show on June 21st, which would be kind of insane considering that Pat has been knocked out three times in his last four fights and could probably use a little time off. Luckily, the booking appears to be an unfounded rumor at this point; we’ll update you when we know more.

An extended GIF of the Mwekassa/Barry finishing sequence is after the jump via ZombieProphet, along with full results from the event via MMAMania.

GLORY 16 RESULTS

– Marc De Bonte def Karapet Karapetyan via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

Heavyweight Tournament Final
Errol Zimmerman def Anderson Silva (not that one, the other one) via TKO RD 1 2:30

– Zack Mwekassa def Pat Barry via KO RD 1 2:33

Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Finals
– Anderson Silva def Sergei Kharitonov via unanimous decision (29-27,29-27,29-27)
– Errol Zimmerman def. Ben Edwards via TKO RD 1 2:50

– Benjamin Adegbuyi def Daniel Sam via KO RD 2 2:59
– Artem Levin def Robert Thomas via unanimous decision (29-27,29-27,29-27)
– Jamal Ben Saddik def Nicolas Wamba via TKO RD 1 1:24
– Artem Vakhitov def Igor Jurkovic via unanimous decision (30-26,29-27,29-27)
– Raymond Daniels def Francois Ambang via KO Rd 1 1:47
– Josh Jauncey def Warren Stevelmans via unanimous decision in sudden victory RD (10-8, 10-8, 10-8)

Watch Tyrone Spong’s Leg Break Like Anderson Silva’s at GLORY 15 [GIF/Video]

To be honest, we’re not huge kickboxing fans here at CagePotato. In fact, we used to sacrifice kickboxers to high school wrestlers and BJJ blue belts in illegal challenge matches in the basement of CagePotato HQ until Johnny Law put a stop to it.

But we’re writing about this awful injury now because Tyrone Spong is still an MMA fighter (he’s 2-0 and fights for WSOF, in case you forgot) and this so closely mirrors Anderson Silva‘s (in)famous leg break that we had no choice but to post it (either that or it’s a slow news day, pick one).

On Saturday, Spong was fighting at GLORY 15 in Istanbul in a one night tournament. He bested Saulo Cavalari in the semifinals and faced Gokhan Saki in the finals. The leg break occurred only 97 seconds into the fight, when Saki checked one of Spong’s kicks. Here’s a GIF (via Zombie Prophet) in case you can’t watch the video:

To be honest, we’re not huge kickboxing fans here at CagePotato. In fact, we used to sacrifice kickboxers to high school wrestlers and BJJ blue belts in illegal challenge matches in the basement of CagePotato HQ until Johnny Law put a stop to it.

But we’re writing about this awful injury now because Tyrone Spong is still an MMA fighter (he’s 2-0 and fights for WSOF, in case you forgot) and this so closely mirrors Anderson Silva‘s (in)famous leg break that we had no choice but to post it (either that or it’s a slow news day, pick one).

On Saturday, Spong was fighting at GLORY 15 in Istanbul in a one night tournament. He bested Saulo Cavalari in the semifinals and faced Gokhan Saki in the finals. The leg break occurred only 97 seconds into the fight, when Saki checked one of Spong’s kicks. Here’s a GIF (via Zombie Prophet) in case you can’t watch the video:

This horrific leg break will actually have implications on MMA. Spong wanted to fight again in WSOF this summer. Obviously, that can’t happen now.

Glory 14 Results: Bonjasky Edges Cro Cop in Swan Song, Kiria Shocks Ristie With Come-From-Behind KO

(Cro Cop vs. Bonjasky highlights via Youtube user ElGunner Bosnia.)

In a weekend that had already featured relatively solid fight cards from both Bellator and the UFC, Glory kickboxing returned with Glory 14: Zagreb and arguably stole the show.

Don’t get us wrong, the main event “legends” fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Remy Bonjasky — who was fighting his final bout — was a thoroughly underwhelming affair. Cro Cop looked sluggish and uninterested throughout the three round scrap, and the closest Bonjasky ever came to showing flashes of his old “Flying Gentleman” self was when Cro Cop would occasionally send him toppling to the canvas via a push or an outright takedown attempt.

At this point, my decision to watch and/or cover Cro Cop’s never-ending trudge to true retirement is veering into masochistic territory. The PRIDE legend has looked “worn out” since at least 2009, and as is the case with many fighters of his status, I am repeatedly left wondering why he can’t simply hang up the gloves with his legacy somewhat intact already. But I’ll say it again: Retire, Mirko. Retire for good and stop breaking my heart.

But a subpar main event could do little to tarnish what was an incredibly strong night of fights on Glory’s part. The inaugural lightweight championship fight between Andy Ristie — who captured the tournament championship with stunning back-to-back KO’s of Giorgio Petrosyan and Robin Van Roosmalen at Glory 12 — and David Kiria, for instance, featured one of the most improbable come-from-behind victories of all time, so join us after the jump for a full video of Ristie-Kiria and the full list of Glory 14 results.


(Cro Cop vs. Bonjasky highlights via Youtube user ElGunner Bosnia.)

In a weekend that had already featured relatively solid fight cards from both Bellator and the UFC, Glory kickboxing returned with Glory 14: Zagreb and arguably stole the show.

Don’t get us wrong, the main event “legends” fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Remy Bonjasky — who was fighting his final bout — was a thoroughly underwhelming affair. Cro Cop looked sluggish and uninterested throughout the three round scrap, and the closest Bonjasky ever came to showing flashes of his old “Flying Gentleman” self was when Cro Cop would occasionally send him toppling to the canvas via a push or an outright takedown attempt.

At this point, my decision to watch and/or cover Cro Cop’s never-ending trudge to true retirement is veering into masochistic territory. The PRIDE legend has looked “worn out” since at least 2009, and as is the case with many fighters of his status, I am repeatedly left wondering why he can’t simply hang up the gloves with his legacy somewhat intact already. But I’ll say it again: Retire, Mirko. Retire for good and stop breaking my heart.

But a subpar main event could do little to tarnish what was an incredibly strong night of fights on Glory’s part. The inaugural lightweight championship fight between Andy Ristie — who captured the tournament championship with stunning back-to-back KO’s of Giorgio Petrosyan and Robin Van Roosmalen at Glory 12 — and David Kiria, for instance, featured one of the most improbable come-from-behind victories of all time, so join us after the jump for a full video of Ristie-Kiria and the full list of Glory 14 results.

Filling in as a late replacement opponent for the injured Ky Hollenbeck, Kiria was outgunned from the start against Ristie and was nearly finished by a vicious knee in the second round. It was a rather one-sided affair, but Kiria would simply not go away. Midway through the fifth and final round, the Georgian’s right hand finally managed to find a home, wobbling Ristie and forcing a standing eight count. Although Ristie was clearly out on his feet following the first knockdown that came moments, the ref allowed him to try and survive the round.

Unfortunately for Ristie, the last minute of the fight might as well have been an eternity, as Kiria swarmed Risitie with power punches, dropping and finishing him via a left uppercut with just 38 seconds left in the round.

It was a ridiculous comeback victory to say the least, made all the more memorable in the moments afterward, during which Kiria broke down with joy at his improbable title win.

And in slightly less inspiring news, former UFC fighter turned improbable Road to Glory tournament winner Dustin Jacoby was steamrolled by Alex Pereira in two minutes. It was…tough to watch.

Full Glory 14 Results

Main card
Remy Bonjasky def. Mirko Cro Cop via majority decision
Alex Pereira def. Sahak Parparyan via majority decision (MW tourney final)
Davit Kiria def. Andy Ristie via fifth-round KO (2:22) (Lightweight championship)
Sahak Parparyan def. Jason Wilnis via split decision
Alex Pereira def. Dustin Jacoby via first-round KO (2:00)

Superfight series
Igor Jurkovic def. Michael Duut via first-round TKO (1:14)
Murthel Groenhart def. Teo Mikelic via first-round TKO (3:00)
Karapet Karapetyan def. Artur Kyshenko via unanimous decision
Mladen Brestovac def. Jahfarr Wilnis via first-round TKO (1:19)
Benjamin Adegbuyi def. Dmytro Bezus via second-round TKO (1:53)
Aikpracha Meenayothin def. Albert Kraus via split decision

Undercard
Tomas Hron def. Kirk Krouba via unanimous decision
Mladen Kujundzic def. Elmir Mehic via second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage, 3;00)
Samo Petje def. Lirim Ahmeti via second-round TKO

–J. Jones

Thiago Silva’s Life Outside the Cage Keeps Him from Absolute Glory

UFC fighter Thiago Silva has been known for his savage-like brutality in the cage and roadblocks outside of the cage that have stymied momentum in his fight career. Another one of those roadblocks has come up. On Thursday evening, Silva was arrested in Florida on multiple charges for threatening people at a jiu-jitsu gym and […]

UFC fighter Thiago Silva has been known for his savage-like brutality in the cage and roadblocks outside of the cage that have stymied momentum in his fight career. Another one of those roadblocks has come up. On Thursday evening, Silva was arrested in Florida on multiple charges for threatening people at a jiu-jitsu gym and […]

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Pat Barry Returns to Kickboxing, Slated to Make GLORY Debut in May [UPDATED]

(Pat Barry vs. Gary Goodridge at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Quarterfinals in Hawaii, just because.)

Less than a week after announcing his indefinite hiatus from MMA, former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry has revealed his next move — he’ll be competing as a kickboxer again, beginning next month. Barry, who confirmed the news with Ariel Helwani on today’s installment of The MMA Hour, explained that something was missing in his last UFC fights, specifically a love for the ground game. And so, he wants to return to his standup roots, and (I quote) “let’s see who has the biggest nuts in the ring.”

Barry’s return to kickboxing officially begins March 22nd, where he’ll be competing at the WKA North American Championships in Richmond, Virginia, against an opponent to be named later. (Update: MiddleEasy reports that it’s a dude named Ed Burris.) Barry has also signed a two-fight deal with the GLORY kickboxing league, and will likely make his debut in May (date/venue/opponent all TBD). Though GLORY is arguably the highest-profile kickboxing promotion that runs shows in the U.S., Barry would automatically become the most famous American star on its roster — a mutually fortuitous situation, you could say.

Since GLORY’s heavyweight division has become a bullpen for old K-1 stars — with Semmy Schilt, Jerome Le Banner, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Ewerton Teixeira, and even Mirko Cro Cop among them — there’s no shortage of headlining matchups that Barry could find himself in this year and beyond. He’s excited, we’re excited, and we’ll update you when we hear more details.


(Pat Barry vs. Gary Goodridge at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Quarterfinals in Hawaii, just because.)

Less than a week after announcing his indefinite hiatus from MMA, former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry has revealed his next move — he’ll be competing as a kickboxer again, beginning next month. Barry, who confirmed the news with Ariel Helwani on today’s installment of The MMA Hour, explained that something was missing in his last UFC fights, specifically a love for the ground game. And so, he wants to return to his standup roots, and (I quote) “let’s see who has the biggest nuts in the ring.”

Barry’s return to kickboxing officially begins March 22nd, where he’ll be competing at the WKA North American Championships in Richmond, Virginia, against an opponent to be named later. (Update: MiddleEasy reports that it’s a dude named Ed Burris.) Barry has also signed a two-fight deal with the GLORY kickboxing league, and will likely make his debut in May (date/venue/opponent all TBD). Though GLORY is arguably the highest-profile kickboxing promotion that runs shows in the U.S., Barry would automatically become the most famous American star on its roster — a mutually fortuitous situation, you could say.

Since GLORY’s heavyweight division has become a bullpen for old K-1 stars — with Semmy Schilt, Jerome Le Banner, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Ewerton Teixeira, and even Mirko Cro Cop among them — there’s no shortage of headlining matchups that Barry could find himself in this year and beyond. He’s excited, we’re excited, and we’ll update you when we hear more details.