In the GLORY 20 Dubai main event, Robin van Roosmalen put on one of the most clinical performances of his career, out pointing Andy Ristie over five rounds to become the first lightweight champion to successfully defend the gold.
Prior to the fight, RVR had received criticism that his “too technical” style may cost him against a punisher like Ristie, however the Dutch kickboxer disproved any critics with such a enigmatic showing.
“The Machine” started the fight looking stronger, using his push kick to great success in the first round to stay out of van Roosmalen’s guard. Although, “Pokeface” had other plans, as he slowly worked his way on the inside as the fight progressed, which was pivotal in his victory.
Once the champion got up close, he landed a severe amount of strikes which observably started to wear down his Surinamese opponent. It was the fourth round which capped off a great showcase from RVR, dropping Ristie twice, both with wicked left hooks; forcing two eight counts from the referee.
Yet again Ristie falls at the final hurdle, so close to the championship but unable to grasp it. For van Roosmalen, one of the lightweight king’s greatest ever performances leaves the open question on who he faces next. Giorgio Petrosyan? Yes please.
Simon Marcus will face Artem Levin for the GLORY middleweight title at GLORY 21: San Diego after winning the middleweight contender tournament in Dubai, defeating Jason Wilnis on points in the final.
Marcus advanced to the final through a very close, but unanimous decision over Wayne Barrett, who slipped to his third defeat in a row inside the GLORY ring. Neither man showed much exuberance, but it was Marcus’s aggression, and leg kicks which saw him move on to the final.
Wilnis had a much tougher route to the final, despite picking up the unanimous decision win over Alex Pereira. Wilnis scored a left over hand knockdown in round one, but faded in rounds two and three. Pereira dropped the Dutchman in the third but it wasn’t enough to stop Wilnis going through.
The final was a very technical affair, with Marcus using his leg kicks, pressuring Wilnis for the majority of the fight to score a split decision win. One judge scored the fight 30-28 to Wilnis, a bad judging call, with Wilnis unable to get away many of his shots in the fight, especially towards the end when “Bad Bwoy” blasted Wilnis by teeing off against the corner.
Now Marcus turns his attention to GLORY 21, in a rematch with pound-for-pound kickboxer Levin, whom the Canadian defeated under muay thai rules at Lion Fight 9 in 2013.
Canada’s Gabriel Varga was crowned the first GLORY featherweight champion after defeating hard Moroccan Mosab Amrani. It was a back and forth fight from the start, with Amrani the stronger from the start, with his quick and powerful combinations, which Varga was unable to answer.
Despite this, as the rounds progressed and Amrani tired, Varga started to find his flow, avoiding too much damage and letting go with slick strikes, using his lengthy legs to keep his opponent at bay.
One judge gave the fight 50-46 which was a dis-justice to Amrani’s ability. You could argue either way, with the Moroccan landing the higher volume of power strikes. Varga didn’t have as much visible damage compared to Amrani who had a cut open up over his left eyebrow thanks to a clash of heads.
Despite the scorecards, a rematch between the pair would not come as a shock, with both men proving they deserve to be in the title slot. Overall, Varga’s control in the later rounds and close guard strikes helped him become the inaugural 65kg world champion.
