If the stereotype is to be believed, combat sports are the preserve of a certain type of young male fan who attend events only to witness barely-disciplined violence and look at scantly-dressed ring girls as they strut around holding the round cards up. But put that image to GLORY’s Managing Director Marcus Luer and he frowns quizzically, before breaking out into laughter. “There might still be a certain stereotype attached to some fighting sports or certain events, but what we are delivering at GLORY is a show which is all about class and quality,” he smiles.
“With GLORY we want to be seen as the Formula One of Fight sports. We have the best fighters, the best technical structures, a great show and strong TV production values. GLORY stand-up fighting is a serious art form which is clearly seen in the ring, and there is a graceful elegance combined with athleticism, power and speed to it which to my mind sets it apart from anything else you can see in fighting sport.
“There is also a thrilling element of the unexpected being possible at any time – you never know when you see a spinning kick from nowhere suddenly finishing the fight,” he explains.
“I think that’s why we seem to resonate with female fans as much as with the male fans. Sure, the audience has a higher proportion of males but I think outside of the top boxing events in Las Vegas you will never see so many good-looking women as you will at a premier kickboxing event such as ours.
“Our shows are glamorous and it’s easy to see why - the lights, pyro, the action, the fighters are in tip top condition with finely-tuned physiques ready to battle it out . Even if they don’t have an interest in the tournament or in particular fighters, the combination of action, excitement and glamour usually wins them over. Its a chance to dress up and do something different for an evening.”
Luer also notices that there seems to be more of a family element to kickboxing, possibly because of the large amount of youngsters that train themselves. It is not uncommon to find children and both parents training at the same club and often just for fun or fitness rather than any competitive desire.
“Is it the case that kickboxing has a wider appeal than mixed martial arts? I think that’s probably true, yes. There’s a perception that it is more sport than spectacle whereas with MMA I think sometimes the opposite is true,” he reflects.
“And also there are many what could be termed ‘casual fans’ - sports fans who might buy a ticket to see something new on a Saturday night - who appreciate the skill and pace of kickboxing but find MMA unpalatable, particularly when someone is being barraged on the floor. MMA is not for everyone but has a developed a strong following around the world, we just believe that there is definitely more mainstream appeal in kickboxing.”
And where does that mainstream appeal stem from? Luer grins.
“Everyone has seen the movies of Van Damme and Bruce Lee and everyone finds their skill and athleticism amazing. But they are even more amazed when they discover kickboxing for the first time and they see these moves being pulled off in real life,” he says.
“You will rarely see a crowd react the way it does when Remy Bonjasky launches a flying knee or Gokhan Saki throws a spinning heel kick to the head, its just incredible. Everyone jumps to their feet, even me, and I’ve seen many great fights and other sporting events for years.
“There’s always at least one knockout on a GLORY event that comes via such a crazy move that people talk about for weeks, they cant believe it. Its the equivalent of someone scoring an overhead kick in the Champions League or a reverse slam dunk in the NBA, its absolutely show-stopping.