Former professional basketball player Chi Lewis-Parry (4-0) has signed with GLORY and will make his debut at the upcoming GLORY 20 DUBAI event on Friday, April 3.
Lewis-Parry, undefeated in Mixed Martial Arts and professional kickboxing competition, will face the rising Californian talent Xavier Vigney (6-1, 6 KO’s) on the GLORY Superfight Series 20 section of thecard.
Vigney, a sometime training partner of Nick Diaz, goes into the bout off the back of a stoppage win over Everett Sims on the GLORY Superfight Series 19 card which took place in Virginia, USA earlier this month.
Standing 6’10” (2.07m) and weighing 265lbs (120kgs), Britain’s Lewis-Parry was well suited to his role as a power-forward and his natural aggression and competitiveness only added to that. He transitioned into the fight game after he was unsuccessful in his 2010 attempts to gain a spot on the LA Lakers roster.
“I went down there [for a tryout] and literally tried to take everybody out. So I was just beasting on Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom is nowhere near as big as people made him out to be, so I was pushing him around. I was blocking Kobe Bryant],” he told MMA Fighting last year.
“And I was there for like two months, I was thinking, ‘man, I made it. I'm finally going to get into this sport.' Then they came back with this garbage offer… I had some great fun, made some great contacts. But the love was kind of killed when I realized that you could get to your dream, but your dream isn't actually what you imagined it to be.”
Since making the switch he has steadily climbed the ladder of competition and has thus far met with success each step of the way. In April he will have the toughest test of his career so far as he faces the hotly-tipped Vigney in Dubai.
Also on the GLORY Superfight Series 20 card is Lewis-Parry’s welterweight (170lbs/77kgs) British compatriot Chad Sugden (12-3), last seen at GLORY 5 LONDON in March 2015.
Sugden won that debut fight by decision after three rounds and now travels to the Middle East looking to go 2-0 in the organization when he faces Atakan Arslan (18-7, 14 KO’s), who debuted at GLORY 15 ISTANBUL last year.
Since his GLORY debut Sugden has been busy fighting around the world and at just 21 years old is one of the kickboxing world’s most promising young talents.
He holds the distinction of being the youngest fighter ever to hold an ISKA Professional World Title and in 2013 was presented with the ISKA ‘Fighter of the Year’ award by Peter Aerts.
GLORY 20 DUBAI and GLORY Superfight Series 20 take place on Friday, April 3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The former airs in the US on Spike TV at 10pm ET while the latter airs via tape-delay on the CBS Sports network on Friday April 10 at 11pm ET.
