Wilnis puzzled by crowd reaction at GLORY 37, directs critics towards ru...

Jason 'Psycho' Wilnis (30-6-1, 8 KO's) found himself in a unusual situation at GLORY 37 LOS ANGELES. When he was announced as winner of the middleweight title fight with Israel Adesanya (65-4, 27 KO's) he found himself, for the first time in his career, subjected to boos from the audience.

Wilnis has never been in a boring fight and has never had to contend with such a response before. A large contingent of the audience had apparently sided with the flashier Adesanya over five rounds of fighting, but a nonplussed Wilnis referred them to the rulebook to see how a fight is scored.

“I was the one making the fight, moving forward, looking for the fight. This is GLORY, you know, the hard shots count, not just making points and then turning and running. In five rounds I didn't take a single step back and that's why I got the unanimous decision,” he explains.

“He is unorthodox, moving a lot and with his right foot forward. Difficult to fight. But I am still the champ. Unanimous decision. What do they count – making points and running away or making a real fight of it?

“How can I not win the fight when I got unanimous decision? I was the one making the fight, putting pressure on, never stepping back. That's what GLORY rules count... The plan as usual was hard punches and hard kicks and it worked. The pressure was a little harder than normal because I am the champion but it was alright.”

According to eyewitnesses backstage there was some arguing afterwards between the two fighters' corner teams, but Wilnis says that Adesanya did not make any protestation to him personally about the decision.

“I don't know what he's said to other people. To me he said 'good fight' and I said 'good fight' to him and that's it. It's respect, he's a fighter, I'm a fighter. I don't know what other things got said but if people want to say things that's their problem. I've got this [belt],” he shrugs.

The fight was Wilnis' first defense of the middleweight title he took from Simon Marcus by way of a TKO win at GLORY 33 NEW JERSEY late last year. The attention now turns to who his next opponent will be.

“I don't know who is next. Everyone wants to fight the champion but they need to understand that they need to prove [that they are worthy of] it,” he says.

“[Adesanya] will come around again. I will be here a few more years so we will do it again I am sure. Simon Marcus can come too. I don't know about him though. If you saw his last fight against me, it says good things about me and not so much about him.

“He can talk big if he wants, he will also get it. [But he needs a win before he gets a rematch] Let him prove he has got a strong chin.”

GLORY's next event takes place Friday, February 24 at the Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates in Chicago, Illinois.

GLORY 38 CHICAGO is headlined by a light-heavyweight championship rubber match between current champion Artem Vakhitov and former champion Saulo Cavalari. In the Superfight Series headliner, Benjamin Adegbuyi faces off with Anderson 'Braddock' Silva in a heavyweight battle.