GLORY 19: Verhoeven vs Zimmeman + Weltergewicht Contender toernooi

[Wheelie]

GLORY 19




GLORY Sports International, parent company of the GLORY World Series premier kickboxing league, today confirmed that GLORY 19: VERHOEVEN vs. ZIMMERMAN will take place Friday, February 6 at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, USA.

Rico Verhoeven (44-9-10, 23 KO’s) will defend the GLORY WORLD Heavyweight Championship against Errol Zimmerman (103-11-1, 44 KO’s) in the headline slot.

The card also features a four-man Welterweight Contender Tournament plus a co-headline event, details of which will be announced in the near future. All main card fights air live in the US on Spike TV.

Verhoeven will be defending the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, but his opponent is one he is familiar with - he and Zimmerman have faced off twice before and are 1-1 against each other.

Their first meeting in January 2012 ended in a Zimmerman win by knockout. Their rematch at GLORY 9 NEW YORK saw Verhoeven walk away with a one-sided unanimous decision victory which marked the start of his title run.

A bitter rivalry has simmered between the two over the past year. Those tensions will explode when they face on February 6 in what is both a title fight and a rubber match. The winner walks away with the bragging rights and the World Heavyweight Championship.

Verhoeven is the new breed of heavyweight kickboxer. At 24 years old he weighs 260lbs (117kgs) at 6‘5” (196cm), yet moves with the lightness and fluidity of a middleweight. Verhoeven has one of the most intelligent games in kickboxing today and is able to deconstruct his opponents and pick them apart with precision combinations.

In contrast, Zimmerman is an old-school brawler. With 43% of his 103 career victories ending by knockout, nearly half his wins leave opponents lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Zimmerman is pound-for-pound one of the hardest-hitting fighters in any discipline, packing frightening power into every blow.

Verhoeven won the GLORY 11 CHICAGO Heavyweight Championship Tournament by beating Daniel Ghita in a thrilling finale match. He then beat Ghita again in a rematch at GLORY 17 LOS ANGELES to take the vacant GLORY World Heavyweight Championship.

Zimmerman was one half of the first ever GLORY Heavyweight Championship fight, facing Semmy Schilt at GLORY 1 STOCKHOLM back in 2012. Schilt won the fight inside the distance to take the belt, but ill health kept him from competition and led to the belt being vacated in accordance with GLORY rules.

He finds himself in his second GLORY Heavyweight Championship title fight after winning the four-man Heavyweight Contender Tournament at GLORY 16 DENVER with back-to-back knockouts of Ben Edwards and Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva.

[Wheelie]

‘Real Deal’ Daniels faces Oliveira in GLORY 19 Welterweight Contender Tournament



Raymond ‘Real Deal’ Daniels (25-1, 15 KO’s) will return to the ring on Friday, February 6 when he takes on rising Brazilian prospect Jonathan Oliveira (20-3, 11 KO’s) in the GLORY 19 Welterweight Contender Tournament.

It will be the karate master’s first fight since stopping Francois Ambang with his ‘Knockout of the Century’ two-hit flying spin-kick at GLORY 16 DENVER earlier this year.

After the win, which went viral instantly via social media and has since racked up over half-a-million views, Daniels stated his commitment to challenging for the GLORY World Welterweight Championship.

“I’m here for the belt, you can quote me on that,” he said in a backstage interview. “I’m here to be the champion.”

Oliveira comes from Curitiba, Brazil, the home city of such fighting legends as Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, plus the GLORY light-heavyweight contender Saulo Cavalari.

He embodies the aggressive, forward-pressure style his Curitiba brethren have made famous, an approach complimented by the fact that since joining GLORY he has staged a large part of his training camp preparations in Holland.

Oliveira rides a two-fight win streak into what will be his third GLORY appearance and also his US debut. His training partners include Errol ‘Bonecrusher’ Zimmerman, who will challenge World Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven in GLORY 19’s headline fight.

In the other semi-final bout of the Welterweight Contender Tournament, Nieky ‘The Natural’ Holzken (84-11, 44 KO’s) will square off with Murthel ‘The Predator’ Groenhart (55-16-3, 31 KO’s).

The two victorious semi-finalists will then square off in the final match of the evening, with the tournament winner going forward to face GLORY World Welterweight Champion ‘Bazooka’ Joe Valtellini in late Spring.

[Wheelie]

Stetcurenko replaces Groenhart in Welterweight Contender Tournament



Russia’s Alexander Stetsurenko (49-8, 24 KO’s) has been added to the lineup for the four-man Welterweight Contender Tournament taking place at GLORY 19 on Friday, February 6.
He replaces Murthel ‘The Predator’ Groenhart in a semi-final bout against Nieky ‘The Natural’ Holzken (84-11, 44 KO’s) after Groenhart was forced to withdraw from the fight for medical reasons.
“We were sorry to lose Groenhart from the tournament but he was not able to take part on this date, so we look forward to seeing him again in the future when he is ready to return. In the meantime we have an excellent replacement with Stetcurenko,” said Cor Hemmers, GLORY matchmaker and CEO.
“He is probably best known for his three fights with countryman Artem Levin, now the GLORY middleweight champion. He is 1-1 in the GLORY welterweight division so far and is looking to make a statement in this fight with Holzken.”
It will be Holzken’s first fight for GLORY since winning the welterweight tournament at GLORY 13 TOKYO in December 2013. After the tournament he suffered shoulder problems from an injury sustained in a car accident and had to take the first half of 2014 off.
In the second half of the year he came back with two professional boxing matches, winning both by stoppage, and a ‘tune up’ kickboxing match which took place in Turkey on Christmas Day and ended with a first round win.
The other semi-final of the GLORY 19 Welterweight Contender tournament has Raymond ‘Real Deal’ Daniels - coming off his ‘Knockout of the Century’ win over Francois Ambang - facing the aggressive Brazilian prospect Jonathan Oliveira.
The two winners of the semi-final matches will then square off in the tournament final, with the winner of that fight going forward to challenge welterweight champion ‘Bazooka’ Joe Valtellini for his title later this year.
GLORY 19 takes place Friday, February 6 and airs live in the US on Spike TV and in Canada on The Fight Network. The show airs in 140 territories worldwide, either live or on tape-delay; check local listings for details.

[Kemal]

Ik kijk wel uit naar dit evenement. Ben benieuwd naar de partij van Zimmerman en Verhoeven en de partij van Holzken.

[Vince]

Rico op punten of zimmerman op KO, iig leuke partij denk ik.

Holzken die het toernooi pakt en dan weer een top partij tegen valtellini.

Ik kijk er in ieder geval naar uit

[Anderson]

Ik niet

[e-type]

Kijk je toch niet.

Altijd mooi om Holzken en Zimmerman te zien vechten. En, ik ben benieuwd hoe Verhoeven zich houdt na zn schandalige verlies.

[Richelieu]

Ben benieuwd of GLORY in 2015 definitief gaat doorbreken, zal wel een belangrijk jaar gaan worden.

[Nosferatu187]

I hope you are kidding.

[Turboknecht]

Eerder afbreken inderdaad.

[Anderson]

Kijk je toch niet.

Altijd mooi om Holzken en Zimmerman te zien vechten. En, ik ben benieuwd hoe Verhoeven zich houdt na zn schandalige verlies.

Wat is er nou leuk aan een partij als je winnaar al weet ik kijk liever Holzken - Chabari, Holzken - Aussi, Holzken - Cosmo Alexandre dan is het te minste nog spannend.

[Turboknecht]

[e-type]

Wat is er nou leuk aan een partij als je winnaar al weet ik kijk liever Holzken - Chabari, Holzken - Aussi, Holzken - Cosmo Alexandre dan is het te minste nog spannend.

je krijgt nu eenmaal niet altijd wat je wilt.
Tegen Herasimchuk was ook een verrassende uitslag, dit soort partijen kunnen voorspelbaar zijn, maar wie verwachtte dat Ristie zowel Petrosyan als Van Roosmalen op 1 avond zou KO'en.

[tarantula]

Ik hoop dat errol rico naar dromenland stuurt.