Collette: “I’m going to beat Mwekassa by KO”

Brian ‘The Lion’ Collette (21-2, 18 KO’s) will be center-stage at GLORY 18: RETURN TO GLORY on November 7, as he is one of four fighters who will be trying to earn a shot at the world title by winning the Light-Heavyweight Contender Tournament.

Collette faces South African power-puncher Zack Mwekassa (11-1, 10 KO’s) in one semi-final match while the other bracket has Danyo Ilunga (56-5, 44 KO’s), the former It’s Showtime champion at this weight, taking on the Brazilian brawler Saulo Cavalari (28-2, 18 KO’s).

Mwekassa debuted earlier this year with a show-stopping knockout of UFC veteran Pat ‘HD’ Barry at GLORY 16 DENVER. His background in professional boxing was clear to see as he upset the odds makers with a superb left uppercut.

“I’ve taken several things away from that fight, but I wont say what they are. It was an impressive victory. I have a lot of respect for Pat Barry but I don’t think he was the same person as back in his early K-1 days,” says Collette.

“I take nothing away from Zack Mwekassa - he is a good fighter, strong, aggressive. We will put on a good show and give the fans what they paid for. This won’t be an easy fight. This will be fireworks.”

Professional boxers generally hit accurately and extremely hard, but Collette isn’t overly worried about Mwekassa’s skills.

“All my friends are professional boxers and I spar with all of them. My friend is a 13-0 pro boxer and when we spar we bang,” he shrugs. “Zack isn’t going to throw anything at me that I haven’t seen or felt before, is what I’m saying.”

And will Collette throw anything that Mwekassa hasn’t seen or felt before? The standard tactic against a boxer is to punish his legs, kicking under his punches and taking advantage of his (presumed) lack of kick-defense knowledge.

“There’s going to be a chess-game element. Obviously I am going to try and kick his legs out, he knows that,” says Collette.

“I’m just going to follow the gameplan, I am not going to say what that is but it is going to be a KO victory for me, that is all I am saying. We both have hair-pin triggers so we’ll go in there and do what we are trained to do.”

In the tournament’s other semi-final, Collette thinks experience will be the deciding factor.

“Anything can happen in a tournament so I can’t really say, but my personal opinion has Ilunga taking it,” he says.

“Saulo is a great fighter, he’s had some great clashes and some great knockouts in only three or four GLORY fights, he’s very explosive. But I think that is something Ilunga is used to and it will be perfect for his style - he’s well trained, he returns fire on everything he is hit with.

“I can visualize a final between myself and Ilunga.”