GLORY Returns to China with 11 Thrilling Bouts

 

GLORY 57 Shenzhen and GLORY 57 SuperFight Series Live From Shenzeh Bay Sports Center on Saturday, Aug. 25. 

SHENZHEN, China – GLORY, the world's premier stand-up combat league, today announced the complete 11-fight lineup for GLORY 57 Shenzhen and GLORY 57 SuperFight Series, to be broadcast live from Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in China on Saturday, Aug. 25.

During a press conference last month, the promotion announced the GLORY 57 Shenzhen headline bout, a pivotal fourth meeting between lightweight champion "Killer Kid" Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (120-30-5, 32 KO, fighting out of Thailand) and challenger Marat Grigorian (59-10-2, 35 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands), and the participation of renowned Sanda fighter Kaiyin Zhang.

Today, three additional GLORY 57 Shenzhen bouts have been revealed, rounding out the fight card.

Muay Thai practitioners Khaial "HULK" Dzhaniev (38-4, 13 KO, fighting out of Russia) and Julio Lobo (41-11, 26 KO, fighting out of Thailand) will both make their GLORY debuts, squaring off at lightweight.

Still only 24 years old, Dzhaniev gained notoriety on the striking circuit for his win 2015 win over Buakaw Banchamek. In competition outside the organization, Brazil's Lobo has locked horns with several GLORY veterans including Saenchai, Victor Pinto and Anvar Boynazarov.

GLORY 46 Guangzhou Qualification Tournament winner Chenglong Zhang (46-7, 11 KO, fighting out of China) welcomes Nafi “Kalashnikov” Bilalovski (24-6, 17 KO, fighting out of Belgium) to China for a featherweight tilt.

Also at featherweight, 19-year-old prospect Yuhang Xie (11-2, 5 KO, fighting out of China) looks to halt the momentum of "American Ninja" Asa Ten Pow (6-1, 5 KO, fighting out of the United States), who enters the bout following a first-round stoppage against Justin Greskiewicz at GLORY 55 SuperFight Series last week.

The five-fight GLORY 57 Shenzhen card can be found below:

GLORY 57 Shenzhen
Lightweight Title Headline Bout: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (c) vs. Marat Grigorian
Featured Co-Headline Bout: Kaiyin Zhang vs. TBA
Lightweight Bout: Khaial Dzhaniev vs. Julio Lobo
Featherweight Bout: Chenglong Zhang vs. Nafi Bilalovski
Featherweight Bout: Yuhang Xie vs. Asa Ten Pow

GLORY 57 Shenzhen will be carried live on ESPNews at 8:30 a.m. ET / 5:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Before GLORY 57 Shenzhen kicks off, GLORY 57 SuperFight Series features the semifinal and final rounds of a one-night qualification tournament showcasing eight of China's top lightweights competing for a spot in the GLORY rankings. The tournament quarterfinal rounds will take place during the GLORY 57 prelims.

In addition to exciting tournament action, GLORY 57 SuperFight Series will also include three superfight bouts.

No. 3-ranked light heavyweight contender Zinedine "Good Boy" Hameur-Lain (60-15, 38 KO, fighting out of France) returns at GLORY 57 SuperFight Series against an opponent to be named at a later date.

Hameur-Lain has reeled off three wins in-a-row and five of his last seven, with each victory coming by way of knockout.

GLORY 57 SuperFight Series will feature two rematches, as the “Animal Tamer” Chenchen Li (28-6, 14 KO, fighting out of China) seeks revenge against Masaya Kubo (17-9, 5 KO, fighting out of Japan) at featherweight, while Zaza Sor "Queen of Muaythai" Aree (33-6 1 NC, 10 KO, fighting out of Thailand) and Jia “Lucky Star” Liu (2-0 1 NC, fighting out of China) run it back at super bantamweight.

Kubo earned Knockout of the Night honors at GLORY 46 Guangzhou, eliminating Li in the very first round. During the first meeting between Aree and Liu at GLORY 46 SuperFight Series, an accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Liu's forehead in the second round. The ringside doctor determined that the cut was too deep to continue, resulting in a no-contest.

The six-fight GLORY 57 SuperFight Series card can be found below:

GLORY 57 SuperFight Series
Lightweight Tournament Final Bout: Winner of Bout E vs. Winner of Bout F
Light Heavyweight Bout: Zinedine Hameur-Lain vs. TBA
Featherweight Bout: Chenchen Li vs. Masaya Kubo
Super Bantamweight Bout: Zaza Sor Aree vs. Jia Liu
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Bout F: Winner of Bout C* vs. Winner of Bout D*
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal Bout E: Winner of Bout A* vs. Winner of Bout B*

*Tournament quarterfinal bouts A, B, C and D will take place earlier in the evening, during the GLORY 57 prelims.

GLORY 57 SuperFight Series will stream live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS at 6 a.m. ET / 3 a.m. PT on Saturday, Aug. 25.

In June, GLORY announced the participants and quarterfinal match-ups of the one-night qualification tournament that will begin during the GLORY 57 prelims and wrap up during GLORY 57 SuperFight Series.

The four-fight GLORY 57 preliminary card can be found below:

GLORY 57 Prelims
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bout D:Lei Feng vs. Wensheng Zhang
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bout C: Li Deng vs. Alimu
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bout B: Tiehan Xu vs. Chao Wang
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bout A: Liu Xu vs. Junchen Zhao

The GLORY 57 prelims will stream live on the GLORY YouTube channel, as well as the GLORY Facebook page and Pluto TV channel 215 at 4:15 a.m. ET / 1:15 a.m. PT on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Tickets for GLORY 57 Shenzhen – including entry to GLORY 57 SuperFight Series and the GLORY 57 prelims – are on sale now, available for online purchase at damai.cn.

GLORY has assembled a "China Power Team" to be highlighted locally in the leadup to GLORY 57 Shenzhen. The team is comprised of Chinese fighters Kaiyin Zhang, Chenglong Zhang, Chenchen Li, Jia Liu and Yuhang Xie.  

GLORY 57 Shenzhen will be the promotion's third event during the Summer of GLORY 2018, a five-city campaign featuring can't-miss events in New York, Denver, Shenzhen, Chicago and Amsterdam.
For more information about GLORY, visit glorykickboxing.com and for more information about Summer of GLORY 2018, visit glorykickboxing.com/summerofglory2018.

For more information about GLORY, visit glorykickboxing.com.