Tyjani Beztati’s lighting fast reactions secured him a knockout win in the very first round at GLORY 51 ROTTERDAM. The young lightweight prospect was in the middle of a heavy exchange with Anil Cabri (28-3-1, 8 KO’s) in one corner of the ring. Punches were flying back and forth when in one fluid moment Beztati ducked one of Cabri’s blows, sidestepped a little to get the right angle and sent up a right head kick. Cabri ate the blow full force and toppled forward to the canvas. Referee Paul Nicholls frantically dived in between the two fighters and began to administer a count to Cabri. When he managed to regain his feet, there seemed some possibility he would beat the count and continue. Beztati’s corner were screaming at their man to go after Cabri mercilessly if he did. But referee Nicholls looked into Cabri’s eyes and felt he was too badly rocked to be able to intelligently defend himself if the fight continued. He waved the fight off; Beztati (16-2, 6 KO’s) ran to mount the corner ring ropes and stood there, arms folded, surveying the scene of his victory. It was the perfect way for him to get back in the win column after his disappointment in December. He had ridden a four-fight win streak into the GLORY 49 ROTTERDAM Lightweight Contender Tournament, extended that to five wins when he beat Niclas Larsen in the semi-finals, but then ran into Stoyan Koprivlenski and suffered a decision loss, ending his unbeaten run in GLORY and giving him a 5-1 record in the organization. Cabri has competed on GLORY undercards in the past and the matchmakers liked what they saw from him. He jumped at the chance to fight Beztati, seeing it as a chance to take a win over a bigger name and thereby jump-start his GLORY career. He had some initial success early in the round, landing some good shots and at one point sending Beztati flying off his feet with a spinning back kick to the body. But there was nothing he could have done to stop the head kick which ended the fight: Beztati’s catlike reflexes had the kick on the way to Cabri’s unprotected head before Cabri’s eyes even had a chance to register the movement. Tyjani Beztati def. Anil Cabri, TKO (Head Kick) R1, 2:11
