Ky Hollenbeck (46-3, 23 KO’s) is looking to put a show on when he faces Andy ‘The Machine’ Ristie (41-4-1, 21 KO’s) at GLORY 17 LOS ANGELES on Saturday, June 21.
The lightweight Muay Thai stylist is one of America’s top contenders in the world of kickboxing and if he can beat Ristie, he is right there in the mix for a title shot.
Possibly he could even be Davit Kiria’s first challenger, Kiria having won the belt by KO’ing Ristie in the fifth round of an epic fight at GLORY 14 ZAGREB in March.
Cor Hemmers, matchmaker and Head of Talent Operations for GLORY, has his eye on this fight. “If Hollenbeck wins then almost certainly he gets the title shot, it would be hard to say no,” he says.
Hollenbeck and Ristie are both notorious for having ‘awkward’ styles, which are very individual to them, and a nightmare for opponents to prepare against.
“Our styles are different and unique. We both developed styles that aren't the traditional kickboxing style. I think that is why we have both found success,” Hollenbeck muses.
“Our styles might not be the norm and people might have things to say about that, but they work for us.
While both are unorthodox, that doesn’t mean they are similar. They both vary from the traditional style, but in different ways.
“Ristie has good angles, he throws from angles that you don’t see and wouldn’t expect. That’s what makes him dangerous,” explains Hollenbeck.
“I like flashy moves that are high impact. If I can get my opponent to say ‘what the hell was that?’ then I know I’m doing something right.”
That explains why Hollenbeck’s highlight reel includes such spectacular things as spinning back-fist knockouts. We are likely to see at least one attempted in the fight with Ristie, but Hollenbeck doesn’t have any formal plans beyond his penchant for the flashy.
“I can’t worry about what he is going to do. I just have to trust in the game plan I have developed and keep doing what has been working for me,” he says.
“I’ve never been the fighter that sits back and waits for my opponent to dictate the fight. I always have a game plan for every person I fight and it almost always changes mid-fight. I just trust in my style and my skills because I know I have what it takes to win.”
Hollenbeck’s last two fights have seen him take out established European veterans, which is a hallmark of contender status in the this sport.
At GLORY 10 LOS ANGELES he shocked fans by coming back from a year-long injury layoff to take a short-notice fight with former world #1 Albert Kraus and dominate the fight.
Then at GLORY 12 NEW YORK in November he mauled Warren Stevelmans, though his clinch-heavy tactics in that particular fight brought criticism from the fans who wanted to see more bombs being thrown.
“I was probably my biggest critic from that [Stevelmans] fight. I pride myself on being an exciting fighter win lose or draw and i definitely had some less than exciting moments in that fight,” Hollenbeck says.
“That said, I did feel like I was able to impose my will in that fight, which is good. I just need to clean it up for this one and show the GLORY fans the skilled fighter I can be.”
As for the courageous decision to take Kraus on short notice as his return fight, Hollenbeck says “sometimes its better to jump straight into the deep end rather than wade your way back in.”
“My whole career has been a series of fights that I wasn’t supposed to win and I usually come out on top, so I figured why break the trend? My team and my coach believed in me so there was no reason to doubt my ability to beat him. It was just time to get back in the ring.”
On June 21 it will be time to get back in the ring again. Hollenbeck hasn’t fought since November as he took a brief hiatus to accept a place at a fire-fighter training academy in his native California.
Like many fans he was on the edge of his seat for the Ristie-Kiria thriller and he takes inspiration from it as he prepares for his own upcoming fight with Ristie.
“Ristie vs. Kiria is by far my favorite GLORY fight. It’s up there with any of my favorite fights of all time,” he says.
“You couldn’t write a better fight if you tried: the skill of the fighters, the eight-count, Kiria losing four rounds then the rally in the 5th, the finish with seconds left in the fight and the emotion from Kiria afterwards.
“That was truly a great fight. Fights like that are why people watch this sport.”
Ky Hollenbeck faces Andy ‘The Machine’ Ristie at GLORY 17 LOS ANGELES live on SPIKE TV on Saturday June 21.
After the SPIKE TV broadcast ends we switch immediately to pay-per-view for GLORY: LAST MAN STANDING, which features three world titles on the line via an eight-man middleweight tournament and title fights in the heavyweight and welterweight divisions.
