Set to directly follow Bellator DYNAMITE 2 on June 24, Bellator Kickboxing present their very own sequel, with BellatorKB 2 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO.
In his first fight for the promotion, Joe Schilling does battle with Hisaki Kato in a rematch of their 2015 mixed martial arts bout where Kato pulled off the “Knockout of the Year” to beat “Stitch ‘Em Up.”
Kato’s jumping Superman punch not only knocked Schilling out, but halted his hopes of quickly progressing his MMA career.
It was a prominent striking affair and despite the rematch being a kickboxing bout in St. Louis, the rule set will prove to be inconsequential with both men’s preference to stand and trade.
All of Kato’s six MMA wins have come by TKO or KO proving the French-Japanese fighter is well versed on his feet. As for Schilling, his striking credentials speak for themselves, a GLORY Middleweight tournament winner who can boast some of the biggest scalps in the sport, such as: Artem Levin Simon Marcus and Jason Wilnis.
32-year-old Schilling may be coming off a close decision loss to Wilnis in his home state of California – his final fight for GLORY – but that won’t deter him from a significant showing on Friday. In the first fight, Kato undoubtedly caught Schilling with a fantastic left hand and rightfully deserved the win but the realms of MMA and kickboxing are superlatively different.
In kickboxing, unless you want to find yourself on the wrong end of an attack, fighters generally don’t hold their guard as low – as they don’t have to fret about the impending probability of a takedown – and of course their is the factor of the glove size. In Schilling’s own playground, expect him to attain vengeance over Kato, but it doesn’t mean it will be an easy fight for him. Kato’s knockout-or-knocked out approach is dangerous but the Ohio born fighter holds pivotal experience when it comes to striking in its purest form.
In the co-headline, high flying, gravity defying, flashy kickboxing superstar Raymond Daniels does battle with Stefano Bruno in a fantastic Welterweight clash.
Daniels’s last competitive fight took place in April at Bellator Kickboxing: Torino where a spinning back kick to the body put opponent Francesco Moricca out of action in just 30 seconds.
Most recently, BellatorKB 2’s Daniels also played a key part in UFC Welterweight Rory MacDonald’s preparation for Stephen Thompson, with the Californian being brought to Montréal, Canada’s Tristar Gym to replicate the unorthodox style of “Wonderboy.”
Opponent Bruno is one of the most tested veterans on the kickboxing scene with ten years of experience and 23 wins under his belt. The gritty and tough Italian fighting style is ever present in Bruno who has 17 stoppages on his record but the Genoa fighter has yet to face anyone as unpredictable as Daniels inside the ring.
If Bruno gives Daniels the space to work his spinning back kicks the fight will likely end early. If Bruno wants to find some success, he needs to press Daniels and leave little room for the 36-year-old to land his rangy shots. This gameplan was executed very well by Dutch pound-for-pound kickboxer Nieky Holzken when the pair fought twice in 2015.
Also on the BellatorKB 2 card, Keri Melendez – spouse of UFC fighter Gilbert Melendez – looks to better her win over Hadley Griffith from DYNAMITE 1 when she faces kickboxing debutant Sarah Howell.
Prior to BellatorKB 2, both Muay Thai veteran Kevin Ross and Denise Kielholtz will feature on the DYNAMITE card.
Kickboxing bouts on Bellator: DYNAMITE 2 Card
Featherweight Bout: Kevin Ross vs. Justin Houghton
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Denise Kielholtz vs. Gloria Peritore
Complete “BellatorKB 2: St. Louis” Fight Card:
Middleweight Headline: Joe Schilling vs. Hisaki Kato
Welterweight Bout: Raymond Daniels vs. Stefano Bruno
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Keri Melendez vs. Sarah Howell
