All GLORY fighters want to knock their opponents out to show that they are, without doubt, the better fighter.
If you want to get a result nobody can dispute, knock your opponent out. “Don't leave it in the hands of the judges,” is a common saying in the fight game. If you go to the judges, you open up the possibility of them making a decision you don’t agree with.
At GLORY 12 NEW YORK on November 23, Andy Ristie faced Giorgio Petrosyan, the pound for pound best kickboxer in the world. The bookmakers expected the fight to go to a decision and they expected Petrosyan to win it. Not only had he never been knocked out, he had never even been knocked down.
Ristie took matters into his own hands. He knocked Petrosyan out in the second round of the fight - you have never seen a more shocked crowd in your life - and then did the same to Robin Van Roosmalen in the final. Nobody could argue with Ristie afterwards - he stopped the world #1and #2 in one night. Could anyone dispute his right to take the #1 spot after that?
The interesting thing is how Ristie scored the knockouts. Before the event he had said that his style meant he could knock out any fighter in the tournament. People thought it was hype-talk, but Ristie believed in himself. And because he believed in himself, he went in there and did his job without emotion, anger or arrogance.
This is really the key to scoring a knockout. A fighter needs to keep his composure and control his emotions. He needs to go in there with a clear mind and the determination to win. He needs no distractions, and among the things which can distract you are anger, fear and emotion. Ristie didn’t take it personally when people said he couldn’t beat Petrosyan.
It is also important not to rush. If you manage to score a knockdown on your opponent, you know a finish is possibly close.
But stay calm while he takes his count. If he beats it and comes back to the fight, move in patiently. Do not start swinging for the fences or you might get caught yourself. If you keep your mind clear, the knockout will come.
The same counts if you are the one under pressure. Relax, control your emotions and be patient. You only need a small opening to turn the tables. A knockout comes when no one is expecting it.
Study the fight between living legend Peter Aerts and Jamal Ben Saddik at GLORY 8 in Tokyo. Ben Saddik rushed in with a barrage immediately and put a lot of pressure on. The experienced Aerts had a hard first round but weathered the storm as best he could, then came back in the second round and took Ben Saddik out with three knockdowns, the final one being a spectacular knee strike to the head.
A similar scenario happened at GLORY 9 in New York where Tyrone Spong battled Michael Duut in the first round of the -95kg GLORY Slam. Duut came out unexpectedly knocking down Spong with a crisp left hook, right straight combination. Spong took the eight-count and got back to his feet.
Duut rushed in to finish him off - instead he walked straight into a right cross which knocked him out. In interviews since, Duut has admitted he made a mistake. “I need to be more patient - he hit me with his eyes closed!” he recalls.
In the upcoming GLORY 13 TOKYO Welterweight Championship Tournament we will see someone who became a specialist in keeping his mind clear and waiting for the right moment.
After suffering a KO by way of a left hook back in 2008, the world #1-ranked welterweight Nieky Holzken went back to the drawing board and reconstructed his approach. He reduced his overly aggressive approach and introduced patience. He carried on knocking people out, but at much less risk to himself.
Three other contenders are ready to test him at GLORY 13: the tournament features Karapet Karapetyan, ‘Bazooka’ Joe Valtellini and Raymond ‘The Read Deal’ Daniels.
Will Karapetyan pull a big upset and defeat Holzken in their rematch? Valtellini has been on a roll lately with his 90% knockout rate, but will he be able to figure out the unique style which Daniels brings to the ring?
We have seen many upsets in the last couple of GLORY events. Will the year close out with Holzken bucking the trend and retaining his number one spot, or will 2013 end with a bang and a new top dog for the welterweight division?
Anything can happen on December 21 but one thing is certain: the winner will have controlled his emotions to take two victories in one night and earn the right to be called the best welterweight striker on the planet.
