Having arrived in GLORY with a first-round knockout of Pat Barry last year, Mwekassa then made it to the final of November’s Light-Heavyweight Contender Tournament via a big KO of Brian Collette. He looked on his way to repeat the feat before being stopped himself by a Saulo Cavalari head kick.
Today he faces karate and Tae Kwon Do stylist Carlos Brooks of New York city. Brooks, who trains with professional boxer and GLORY veteran Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller, is making his GLORY debut.
“I know he is a karate guy and I also know he has two hands, two legs and one head… He is a human being. I’ve beaten human beings before,” he says.
“[I had a] great preparation, very good. I went to Holland. I think it is a blessing to be among those guys, I learned some new things, some new tricks. I made a lot of improvements. I made changes in my stance because being a boxer and kickboxer are two different things.”
Now 2-1 in the organization with stoppages in both victories, Mwekassa sees himself right there in the title contention race. Gokhan Saki is the present champion and a frightening force, but Mwekassa sees himself in a similar light.
“I came straight from boxing, jumped into the kickboxing world and made a shockwave,” he says.
“To me its not because I am a special person, its because its a blessing from god. I believe in god and I am here for a reason. Perhaps the reason is that god wants to show the world he can take whatever he wants from nothing and make it into something.
“I never left the contender position. I am a dangerous fighter and I am here to stay.”
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