Victor ‘Leo’ Pinto (74-27, 23 KO’s) cannot quite believe the temperatures he will be exposed to in the Netherlands next week when he arrives on site for his GLORY 51 ROTTERDAM fight with Massaro Glunder (30-11-4, 20 KO’s).
French-born but resident in Thailand for most of his life, the younger of the two Pinto brothers is used to daily temperatures of around 26C (79F). But in Holland it will be a somewhat nippier -4C (24F).
“Damn man, that’s like an icebox,” he says over the phone from his Thailand base. “I am not looking forward to that. I hate the cold!”
Fortunately for Pinto, most of his time will be spent cutting weight in the hotel sauna, working out in the gym and then under the bright arena lights on fight night as he moves around with Glunder.
“Glunder has a long reach with his hands and his knees, so that’s something to watch for. But he fights in an angry way and I think that anger could be my key to victory,” he muses
The two fighters find themselves in different circumstances going into this one. Pinto is coming off a win whereas Glunder is riding a three-fight losing streak, albeit his loss to Dylan Salvador was highly controversial and could have been a DQ win for Glunder.
“We both need this win,” states Pinto flatly.
“I won my last fight and want to climb up the ranks and he needs to win not to disappoint the people from his home town [of Amsterdam]. Theres always a different purpose in every fight we do.
“We are both top-level fighters, obviously, because GLORY is the #1 organization in the world. We are both good at what we do. I think that sometimes it just depends on how one style matches with an other.
“The traveling and weather will be a little bit tiring but once i'm in the ring it shouldn't affect me, it will only be him against me. He fights angry, he’s got that fire, but I’m like ice, so fighting in an icebox won’t do me any harm!”
Pinto faces Glunder in the opening fight of the GLORY 51 ROTTERDAM Superfight Series card on Saturday, March 1 next week.
The Superfight Series card streams live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Saturday, March, 3.
