Chenglong Zhang put the featherweight division on notice at GLORY 46 CHINA.
The stone-faced Sanda stylist emerged as an interesting new presence in the category by way of back-to-back wins in the Featherweight Qualification Tournament, the final of which was a possible ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.
Standing opposite him in the final was Masaya Yubo of Japan. He had booked his spot in the final by way of a devastating first-round knockout of Chenchen Li, who had entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win it.
Li earned his place in the tournament by scoring a first-round KO win at GLORY 43 NEW YORK in his debut for the organization, so there was no little irony in him falling victim to the same fate. The only substantial difference was that in New York he stopped his opponent with an uppercut and in Guangzhou he was stopped with a thundering left head kick which sailed around his guard.
Zhang’s semi-final bout was a cagey but high-paced three-round fight with newcomer Quade Taranaki of New Zealand. Zhang was generally quicker to the punch - or kick - and in control for most of the fight and that earned him a unanimous decision win.
And so to the final.
With Kubo having fought just under one round up to that point it seemed like the energy advantage would lie with him. Sure enough, it was him who brought the pressure in the first round and Zhang who fought on the defensive.
Whether Zhang was just taking a look at Kubo or was seeking to take a rest, the first round was relatively passive from him. But in the second he clicked things up several gears and suddenly it was Kubo who found himself under pressure.
Zhang’s output of punches and kicks increased massively in the second round and Kubo was forced to up his pace to match it. He decided he wanted the fight over and went hunting for the left head kick which had ended his semi-final bout, but Zhang’s energy and wider range of output thwarted him.
Things continued in this vein right until the end of the third round when suddenly a clash of heads opened up a cut over Zhang’s left eye. It was a bad one, pouring blood down into his eye and over his face.
A doctor’s inspection was called; the crowd made wary noises, fearful that the fight would be waved off and that Zhang would be denied a seemingly given victory. To their delight, the doctor let the fight continue.
There were only ten seconds left in the round; the fighter used that to throw everything but the kitchen sink at each other. They were midway through hammering away at each other when the bell sounded to end the round, at which point they seamlessly transitioned into an embrace.
Chenglong Zhang wins the GLORY 46 GUANGZHOU Featherweight Contender Tournament and books himself a slot in an upcoming Contender Tournament.
