“Time-Bomb” Tiffany ready to defend belt against Turkish standout at GLO...

Two of the top female fighters in the world will collide in the GLORY 44 CHICAGO SUPERFIGHT SERIES main event as women’s super-bantamweight champion Tiffany “Time Bomb” van Soest (17-2-1, 5 KO’s) faces Turkish standout Funda “Findik” Alkayiş (29-2, 12 KO’s).    Van Soest won the belt in December, becoming the inaugural champion when she defeated the previously unbeaten Amel Dehby in the final of the Women’s Super-Bantamweight Grand Prix which had played out across 2016.   Alkayis, who became one of the faces of Nike in her homeland last year via a popular television commercial, was supposed to take part in the Grand Prix but was forced to pull out because of an injury.   Had she taken part she would have been one of the tournament favorites, along with Dehby and Van Soest, hence it is fitting to find her as Van Soest’s first challenger.    Both fighters bring a high level of technical ability to the fight and both are proven at the top level of competition. Such fights can come down to small factors, so Van Soest being on home soil in the US may provide her with an advantage over her far-traveled opponent.   Whoever emerges victorious, this division looks set to be one of GLORY’s most competitive over the coming months. Dehby wants revenge and the arrival of Annisa Meksen has introduced yet another top-tier contender into the mix.   GLORY 44 SuperFight Series streams live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Friday, Aug. 25.

Tickets for GLORY 44 Chicago and GLORY 44 SuperFight Series are on sale now, available for online purchase at searscentre.com and at the Sears Centre Arena box office.