Welcome back to Weekly Kicks, my new column detailing all the happenings in the world of kickboxing. This column remains a work in progress, so your feedback is always appreciated.
K-1 US Grand Prix in Los Angeles
The big news from this past week is, of course, the return of K-1 with their US Grand Prix Championship from Los Angeles. I’ve already covered results and post-fight analysis, so be sure to check those out:
K-1 Results: K-1 Delivers With Great Night Of Fights In Los Angeles
Not much else to say at this point, except well done to all the fighters on the show, and be sure to tune in October 14 for their Heavyweight Grand Prix Final 16 in Tokyo.
Tyrone Spong On MMA, K-1, More
In case you missed it, our own Steph Daniels recently conducted a great interview with top 5 Heavyweight Tyrone Spong. Spong talked about a lot that should be of interest to kickboxing fans, including his long-term goals with MMA (get into the UFC), if K-1 still owes him money (yep), Badr Hari’s current legal issues (“he blew it”) and lots more. Seriously, there are a ton of highlights – more than I can list. Read the whole thing now:
Blackzilian Series: One On One With Tyrone Spong
Fights Announced for Glory 3 Rome – Final 8
While K-1 stole the show this week, Glory made some news of their own, announcing the first batch of fights for their Glory 3 Rome show on November 3. The main attraction on that show will be the final 8 of the 70kg tournament they started in May, and will feature Giorgio Petrosyan and Robin van Roosmalen among others. Match-ups for the tournament are not yet announced, but they have named four non-tournament fights:
Superfights:
Mustapha Haida vs. Jordan Watson
Marco Re vs. Alka Matewa70 KG Tournament Reserve Fights:
Dzhabar Askerov vs. Yoshihiro Sato
Fabio Pinca vs. Alessandro Campagna
Watson is a very good talent from the UK Muay Thai world, and I’m glad he’s getting the call up. Askerov vs. Sato should be fun, and Pinca is another worthy addition. Good stuff so far for Glory 3 Rome.
Next up for Glory is Glory 2 Brussels on October 6. Check out that fight card here.
Results Recap
Two notable non-K-1 results from the weekend. In Germany, former It’s Showtime champion and Remy Bonjasky trainee Danyo Ilunga won an 8 man tournament, while on the same card, K-1 MAX veteran Gago Drago defeated Baker Barakat. Drago’s win snaps a disastrous 8 fight losing streak dating back to 2010. Full results from the card are at LiverKick.com.
And in a big Muay Thai fight, consensus #1 Muay Thai fighter Saenchai was defeated by Singdam in a Lumpinee Stadium fight in Thailand. Check out the fight video here.
Fight Video of the Week
Here’s this week’s featured fight video – Nieky Holzken vs. L’houcine “Aussie” Ouzgni from Muay Thai Mania V last weekend. This is a rematch from 2010; in their first bout, Aussie KO’d Holzken in under a minute with a flying knee. Holzken was 8-1 since that loss, and looking for revenge in this much more competitive bout.
Kickboxing Calendar
And finally, a list of all the upcoming shows to watch out for:
- Glory 2 Brussels – October 6 (Bonjasky vs. Silva, Saki vs. Bouzidi, Holzken vs. Direkci)
- Boonchu Cup 2 – October 13 (Caged Muay Thai with 4 oz gloves in Australia)
- K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 – October 14 (Cro Cop, Ghita, Gerges, more)
- Superkombat Grand Prix Qualification – October 20 (Lungu, Stoica, Ciobanu)
- Glory 3 Rome Final 8 – November 3 (70kg tournament finals)
- Superkombat Grand Prix Round of 8 – November 10 (Catinas, Lascenko, Londt, more)
- Glory Grand Slam – December (16 man Heavyweight tournament)
- K-1 World MAX GP Finals – December 8
- Superkombat Grand Prix Finals – December 8
- K-1 Grand Prix Finals in New York City – December 26
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