Cavalari Vs Mwekassa: Explosive GLORY Light-Heavyweight World Championsh...

Two of the hardest-hitting strikers in the fight game will collide in September as South Africa’s Zack ‘The Black Warrior’ Mwekassa (13-2, 12 KO’s) and Brazil’s Saulo ‘Cassius Clay’ Cavalari (31-2, 19 KO’s) fight for the GLORY Light-Heavyweight World Championship.
The fight is one of three GLORY bouts taking place on the “Bellator MMA: Dynamite” card in San Jose, California on Saturday September 19. Mwekassa and Cavalari were finalists in the GLORY 18 Light-Heavyweight Contender Tournament in November last year. Mwekassa won his semi-final bout by way of a trademark crushing left hook knockout but was then stopped by a Cavalari head kick in the final. The win earned Cavalari a shot at the title, but GLORY and Gokhan ‘The Rebel’ Saki were unable to agree terms on a new deal. With Saki not having defended the belt since winning it at GLORY 15 ISTANBUL in April 2014, GLORY has now declared the World Light-Heavyweight Championship vacant. “We invited Saki to defend the belt but for various reasons the offers were not acceptable to him. GLORY rules require a title belt to be defended within one year, but it is already 18 months since Saki won the belt,” says Cor Hemmers, GLORY matchmaker and Head of Talent Operations. “We made some allowance to extend the time period because we had cancelled some events and not operated our planned schedule, but even so we are now well overdue on a light-heavyweight title fight. “Saulo Cavalari won the Light-Heavyweight Contender Tournament in November. That was nine months ago already. He needs his title shot and so we have chosen to add this title fight to the Dynamite card. An astonishing 92% of Mwekassa’s victories have come by way of knockout. Having held a minor world title belt as a heavyweight professional boxer, he has some of the most dangerous hands in kickboxing, combining skill and power. Mwekassa debuted at GLORY 16 DENVER against the UFC and K-1 veteran Pat ‘HD’ Barry. He came in as the major underdog but upset all the odds by overpowering Barry and finishing him in the first round with one of the most brutal stoppages ever seen in the GLORY ring. Cavalari comes from Curitiba, Brazil, a city with a famous pedigree in fight sports. Curitiba produced Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and others and now Cavalari is seeking to add his own name to his city’s honor roll. With 19 of his 31 professional wins inside the distance, Cavalari’s knockout ratio runs at an impressive 61% and includes his win over Mwekassa last year. Cavalari is a product of la favela, one of Brazil’s infamous slum districts, and is literally fighting to change his life. He brings a determination and focus to the ring that few can match. Their first fight took place at the end of a tournament but this time both will be fresh as they go into this rematch. The fight is set for five rounds but, with two proven knockout artists in the ring, is highly unlikely to go the distance. “Bellator MMA: Dynamite” takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on Saturday, September 19 and airs live and free on Spike at 9/8c. The headline fight features Tito Ortiz challenging Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion Liam McGeary for his title.