GLORY 10 LOS ANGELES takes place at the Citizen Bank Arena in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, September 28.
The event hosts a keenly-anticipated middleweight tournament between Artem ‘The Lion’ Levin, Steve ‘The Surgeon’ Wakeling, Jason Wilnis and Joe ‘Stitch ‘Em Up’ Schilling.
We asked a panel of four experts - two fighters, two leading kickboxing reporters - to give their prediction on how the tournament is going to play out.
Robin Van Roosmalen, GLORY lightweight contender
“I hope that Wilnis is going to win because he is a Dutchman, he is a nice guy and he is young. But I think the tournament winner is going to be whoever wins the fight between Wilnis and Artem Levin.
“I think Levin is a really tough opponent, he has a really different style. He has good knees, his boxing is good, and he is very unorthodox.
“But Wilnis is prepared to win. He is always going forward, good boxing, good low-kick. He is a fighter. He isn’t technically perfect but he is young, strong and has good conditioning.”
Nathan Aripez, MuayThaiAuthority.com
At first glance you have to assume that either Steve Wakeling or Artem Levin will walk away with the tournament crown and prize money, but it’s a tournament and anything can happen.
Wakeling vs. Schilling should be very interesting and is going to be closer than people think. On paper you have to go with Wakeling to win this fight, possibly by knockout. He is big and strong, hits hard and is technically superb.
Schilling is tournament dark horse. He moves well, uses angles and packs a punch. If Schilling can get past Wakeling then the tournament is his in my opinion, even if he faces Levin in the finals. But he hasn’t fought since a KO loss to Eddie Walker almost a year ago so there’s some ring rust to factor in.
My brain says Wakeling but I have a gut feeling that Schilling is going to pull off an upset. I don’t feel the same way about Levin vs. Wilnis. Using his great movement and boxing, Levin should be able to pick Wilnis apart and win the one-sided fight that people are expecting.
I’m expecting a Wakeling vs. Levin final and if it is, it’s going to be a close affair like their last fight. But that was under Muay Thai rules. Under GLORY rules, Wakeling cannot spend extended periods in clinch and that removes one his better advantages.
I think Levin wins this match if it happens, but it will be close. I also think that if Schilling upsets Wakeling in the semi-finals he is going to carry that momentum into the final and shock the world by winning the tournament outright.
‘Bazooka’ Joe Valtellini, GLORY welterweight contender
“This middleweight tournament has got some really great guys. Wakeling and Levin are the favorites but you can’t count any of these four, they are all high level. But I think we’re going to see a Levin vs. Wakeling final.
“They fought once before but it wasn’t really a conclusive fight. That one ended in a draw, this time I think you’re gonna see them really go after it.
“I can’t pick a winner but I think they are definitely going to go after it because there’s a lot of money on the line. There’s going to be a lot of action in these four fights. We might see some early finishes because they all have plenty of power.”
Dave Walsh, Liverkick.com
“This is definitely one of the more interesting tournaments and draws that Glory will hold this year, as it is incredibly evenly-matched. Each fight, plus any of the possible combinations for the Final, is a fight that fans have been anticipating.
“Wilnis vs. Levin I'm going to have to give to Levin, just for the years of domination that we've seen from him across this weight division. Wilnis is a tough guy, though, so look for him to give Levin hell for all three rounds.
“Schilling vs. Wakeling is incredibly tough to pick, a fight that was supposed to go down earlier this year but never materialized and is evenly-matched.
“Joe has been ready for this fight for months now and makes for a good style matchup for Wakeling, so I could see him edging out Wakeling to make the finals.
“In a Finals of Schilling vs. Levin I see Levin's clinching giving Joe a hard time and it being an ugly fight. If the previous fights go down as I envision, both guys will be banged up going into the Finals.
“All that Joe needs is to connect a few times with some clean shots, but easier said than done. Levin is crafty and will keep to the inside, which I think will edge him towards a decision victory.”
