If you caught GLORY 10—kickboxing’s middleweight world championship tournament—on September 28, chances are it got you amped up for a few more rounds of professional ass-kicking. This time, the heavyweights will go at each other’s throats in GLORY 11 Chicago. Four top-tier competitors will take to the ring on Saturday, October 12 at the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, hoping to be crowned number one.
The event will air live on SPIKE TV in the U.S., and get this: It will also be broadcast in more than 170 countries around the world. In one night, you’ll be able to catch 13 fights, including the world heavyweight championship tournament.
For the very first time in the U.S., the world’s top four kickboxers will come to blows. So, who’s who in this four-man showdown? The tournament is stacked with one serious rivalry between Gokhan Saki and Daniel Ghita. If the two men take down their semi-final opponents, they’ll meet in the final match. When this happens, you won’t want to miss it. This would be the third time they’ve faced off in an ever-growing rivalry. The two competitors have already started shooting off some fighting words in anticipation of the brawl.
Just to give you a taste of the struggle between them, here’s what Saki had to say about Ghita after a previous match in Turkey: “Either you’re a fighter or you’re not a fighter, and he’s not a good fighter. When you lose, you lose. You say ‘I’ll do better next time’. But he is [unable to] say that.”
There is a chance however that Saki will not face his nemesis in the ring. Regardless, he claims he will leave his audience in awe. Saki brags, “[This is] not like MMA, hugging and kissing. [GLORY is] just stand-up, three rounds of three minutes at high tempo. I’m going to show American what real fighting is. They are going to love me after Chicago.”
The tournament also features young prospects Rico Verhoeven and Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva, and while they’ve stayed out of the verbal line of fire, these two won’t hesitate to throw out their best shots for a chance at the title of heavyweight champ.
So, are you ready for GLORY? Catch GLORY 11 live at the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, or tune into SPIKE TV. Check local listings. But first, catch Daniel Ghita’s pre-fight interview:
