Joe 'Stitch 'Em Up' Schilling is not a fighter who would usually be described as 'a man of few words', but that is the mode he is adopting ahead of this Friday's middleweight showdown with Mike Lemaire (17-2, 8 KO's) in the headline fight of the GLORY 27 CHICAGO Superfight Series card.
Schilling (20-6, 12 KO's) took the fight on two weeks' notice, stepping in to headline once it was announced that the card was to air live on UFC FIGHT PASS, the UFC's online broadcast platform. GLORY and the UFC recently signed a long-term deal for FIGHT PASS to air Superfight Series cards and host the GLORY video library.
âThe fight was offered on fifteen days' notice. I may not always be ready but I am always down [to fight],â he says. âMike Lemaire is a good opponent but I am the best in the world at this weight. Two weeks' notice is more than enough time to show that.â
The fight is a Californian derby, with Schilling fighting out of Los Angeles and Lemaire fighting out of San Diego.
With Schilling already ranked at #1 in the middleweight lists a win doesn't do anything for him in contender terms, but a win for Lemaire would catapult him up the rankings. On the line also are bragging rights: the winner will be the (unofficial) middleweight king of California.
There is no doubt that it is a tall order for Lemaire. But as he was originally set to take part in the evening's middleweight tournament he benefits from having had a full training camp versus Schilling's hasty two-week one.
And while Schilling has consistently faced and beaten the best in the division, including reigning champion Artem Levin, he has also occasionally wobbled, as when he dropped a decision to Wayne Barrett at GLORY 12 NEW YORK. Lemaire will be looking to cause a similar upset.
GLORY 27 CHICAGO takes place this Friday at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Chicago, Illinois. Schilling headlines the 'Superfight Series' card while Artem Levin headlines the numbered card later in the evening, defending his title against Simon 'Bad Bwoy' Marcus.
