Next week, Friday November 6, we are in Milan, Italy for GLORY 25 MILAN.
The card features one of the strongest line-ups of 2015, with a World Lightweight Title clash in the main event and the return of Giorgio Petrosyan in the co-headline fight, as he takes on the rising star Josh Jauncey.
The main event is a real classic piece of matchmaking. This is one of the best ever Dutch-style kickboxers fighting against a really top-level Thai fighter. We had a few Thai fighters in GLORY in the last few years but I was not so impressed with any of them. Sitthichai is the real deal. As soon as I saw his first few minutes in the GLORY 22 FRANCE tournament I knew he was the right Thai for GLORY.
I have a close history with Thailand. I was there many times with my stepson Ramon Dekkers at Lumpini Stadium, 25 years ago, in the days when Ramon was making his name and showing that European fighters could compete with Thais at the top level. Myself and Ramon were also key players in the development of Dutch-style kickboxing and Robin van Roosmalen used to train with Ramon, so for me I see Ramonâs spirit hanging over this fight.
We are going to see a fight between two masters of their art, two fighters at the top of their game. Both their teams have a lot of experienced guys around them so they will both be well prepared. Actually Robin has been working with Ramonâs brother for part of this camp so his influence continues in that way.
The Thai style emphasizes hard body kicks and because Sitthichai is a southpaw that makes him even trickier. The Dutch style emphasizes aggressive forward-pressure with punching combinations that end on a low kick.
That could be an advantage for Sitthichai; if he can time his middle kicks and knees to go under Robinâs punches he can do some damage. But Robin will be well prepared for this. I think he will start strong and put the pressure on Sitthichai, donât let him get settled, donât let him dictate the range. Then I think Robin can be effective with his punches and maybe find a knockout.
There has been some discussion of the best way to block the middle kick - Sitthichai crashed through the arm-block defense that Davit Kiria and Josh Jauncey used. The best way to defend it is to use the âwall of boneâ defense that Thais use, bringing the shin up high to meet the elbow and hopefully catching the kick on your knee or the top of your shin where it is thickest and hardest. Robinâs team know this and I expect they will have practiced it.
Robin is the defending champion and I see a slight advantage for him but he has to avoid letting Sitthichai dictate the range and pace of the fight.
Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Josh Jauncey
Co-Headline Fight
Josh Jauncey is an upcoming fighter and I have really liked his progression and improvement from fight to fight. I think he is ready to start fighting the upper-level guys at the top of the division, and obviously Giorgio Petrosyan is one of those. He is also in the neighborhood now of fighting top lightweight guys like Davit Kiria.
Petrosyan is a technical master with a very precise style, people say he has an almost perfect defense, so that is going to be a huge test for Jauncey but also a really valuable experience in terms of developing himself as a fighter and stepping up to that next level. At the same time, while people talk about Petrosyanâs defensive skill, it must also be remembered that Andy Ristie was able to knock him out with an uppercut at GLORY 12.
This is Petrosyanâs first fight for GLORY since then. He is on a three-fight win streak but Jauncey, for me, is tougher than any of the three guys he beat recently. Before Petrosyan fought Ristie nobody felt there was a chance of Petrosyan losing. I think it would be a mistake for people to think like that again. Jauncey also has great uppercuts and is also very good with his knee.
Obviously Petrosyanâs achievements and talents speak for themselves but every career has a turning point. Was New York his? Does he have home-field advantage or does it add to the pressure for him, being in Italy? This is really a win-win for Jauncey and probably there is no pressure. He is the underdog but one with a good chance. Even if he loses, he loses to Petrosyan, there is no shame in that and it does not harm his career in any way.
Petrosyan has said that he is chasing the GLORY World Lightweight Championship, which is being contested in the main event of GLORY 25 MILAN. Either Robin van Roosmalen will retain the belt or Thailandâs Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong will take it. Either way, if Petrosyan wins here then he is immediately back in the title picture.
