GLORY 31 AMSTERDAM takes place this Saturday and is packed with top talent. It is one of the strongest GLORY cards ever, in fact. The main event in is a lightweight title rematch between champion Robin van Roosmalen and challenger Sittichai Sitsongpeenong and there is a four-man Welterweight Contender Tournament which any participant can win. Rounding it out is a heavyweight clash between Ismael Londt and Hesdy Gerges, sure to be an explosive encounter.
Robin van Roosmalen vs. Sittichai Sitsongpeenong (Lightweight Title Fight)
There was a lot of controversy about the result in Milan, a lot of criticism aimed at the judges. I think the solution here is for both fighters to try and completely make themselves the clear winner of the fight, by points or by finish.
They have very different styles; Robin is the better boxer and Sittichai prefers kicks and knees. But they are both widely capable in all areas. Robin also needs to remember that it is kickboxing, so if he relies only on his hands while Sittichai is landing kicks and knees then under the scoring he will probably lose on points. So he needs to make sure he is fighting a complete game.
There is a lot on the line here for both of them. Van Roosmalen wants to prove a point and silence the doubters, he was really annoyed by the comments made about the decision. Sittichai feels the decision should have gone his way and he was angry at the judges. So both of them are coming in here to make a statement and this should be a really heated fight between the two best lightweights in the world.
Hesdy Gerges vs. Ismael Londt (Heavyweight Bout)Â
Hesdy had some legal issues which kept him away from the GLORY ring for all of 2015 but still he got busy overseas in other promotions, going 4-1. He has now been completely cleared, the case was dismissed, and so he can fight in GLORY again now. He is coming right back in at the top level. We were never disappointed in his performances ever, it was only that GLORY policy is to drop or suspend fighters in certain circumstances such as the one he found himself in.
Gerges is popular, a strong fighter who has faced all the top names over the years, so it's good to see him back. He is from Amsterdam and he's charismatic and popular, it's good to have him on this card. Ismael Londt is a Rotterdam guy and that's a really long-running rivalry here in the Netherlands, the soccer teams of Ajax (Amsterdam) and Feyenoord (Rotterdam) is one of the strongest sporting rivalries in the Netherlands.
Londt did a great job in the Heavyweight Contender Tournament, he has some really surprising tricks up his sleeve, flying knees and stuff like that. It's unusual for a heavyweight fighter to be able to pull something off like that. He can produce a knockout at any time, he has a lot of knockout power. Gerges also has knockout power but in his approach he is more machine-like, he has a diesel engine. He starts working his combinations and doesn't stop. This should be a really good fight.
The Welterweight Contender Tournament
I think this is one of our strongest ever tournaments. This weight class is stacked with talent. Groenhart and Kongolo have both fought for the title and showed what they are capable of. Karim Benmansour is new but he has shown great quality in France, he has a very kicking-based game and is tricky. He moves a lot and throws a lot of kicks which disrupt the opponent. Harut Grigorian who starts and just doesn't stop. He clicks into top gear straight away and doesn't stop unless he stops you or you stops him. I think for sure that this fight with Kongolo ends in a knockout; one of them will go down.
Groenhart and Kongolo both fight out of Mike's Gym so it's good they aren't matched in the semi-finals, but they could meet in the final and that would be interesting. They are team mates but there is a rivalry there and it would come out in the fight. I know from my own experience as a trainer, when I would have several fighters in the K-1 tournaments, that there is often a real rivalry between them which makes for a really intense fight, even if they seem to be friends. The final could also offer a rematch with Groenhart and Grigorian, which would be another full-power match.
Benmansour has a background in full-contact karate; those guys kick constantly and it can be really dangerous and irritating for the opponent. They throw kicks all the time and from different angles and Groenhart has to be careful of that. It is not an easy fight for him; it will be interesting to see how he can handle that. It is also always a question to see which Groenhart turns up â sometimes he is on perfect form and other times it is like he hasn't even turned up. Look at the difference between his performance against Nieky Holzken and his performance against Cedric DoumbĂ© a few months later.
