Glory (kickboxing)
| |
Private | |
Industry | Kickboxing promotion |
Founded | 2012 |
Founder | Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann, Total Sports Asia |
Headquarters | 30, Raffles Place, Level 17, Chevron House, Singapore |
Key people |
Pierre Andurand (Chairman) Scott Rudmann (Vice-Chairman) Marshall Zelaznik (CEO) Cor Hemmers, Remon Daalder (Matchmakers) Paul Karger (non-executive Director) |
Owner | Glory Sports International Pte Ltd. |
Website | http://www.glorykickboxing.com/ |
Glory, formerly Glory World Series, is an international kickboxing promotion company founded in 2012 by Glory Sports International Pte Ltd. partners Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann, and Total Sports Asia. The company has its headquarters in Singapore and international offices in Denver, United States, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
History
When K-1, historically the world's premier kickboxing organization, began suffering from extreme financial difficulties in 2011, Total Sports Asia, TSA CEO Marcus Luer, London-based French investor Pierre Andurand, and Scott Rudmann of Nectar Capital attempted to buy the brand. When K-1 was instead sold to Gunil "Mike" Kim and EMCOM Entertainment Inc., Pierre Andurand, TSA, and the other investors decided to start a brand new label and kickboxing organisation called Glory and bought United Glory, Golden Glory, and It's Showtime in order to secure a top event production team and to secure all the top fighters in the world. Pierre Andurand was named Chairman and Scott Rudmann was named vice-chairman.[1]
The name "Glory" has caused some confusion to arise as to Golden Glory's role with the new organization. Glory has made it clear that Golden Glory, like the It's Showtime organization, was bought and absorbed, and not the other way around.[2] A number of people formerly involved with It's Showtime, the Golden Glory team and the United Glory event became Glory consultants, though Simon Rutz, the founder and former owner of It's Showtime, has departed the company.[3]
GSI signed most of the world's top kickboxers such as Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki, Daniel Ghiţă, Albert Kraus, Giorgio Petrosyan, and Yoshihiro Sato.
Business
Glory Sports International has its offices in the Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, and the US. The company includes a mix of entrepreneurs and senior level executives from the worlds of finance, sports marketing, television, technology, and martial arts fighting.[4] The company’s investors include Yao Capital, the investment arm of former Chinese basketball player Yao Ming, cable TV company Liberty Global, and TwinFocus Capital Partners of Boston.[5]
In November 2012, Glory entered into a partnership with the ONE Championship mixed martial arts promotion to share fighters.[6] Currently, they are only signing ecclusive fighter contracts.
In February 2013, Glory announced that former WWE Executive VP Andrew Whitaker had been hired as the global CEO of Glory Sports International.[7] In August 2014, Glory announced that Jon J. Franklin had been appointed as new CEO of Glory Sports International. In January 2018, Glory announced that Franklin had moved to the role of Chief Development Officer, and former UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik had been hired as the new CEO.[8]
Media coverage
In June 2013, after having an inaugural first event in the US in New York (Glory 9: New York) on June 22, 2013, Spike TV signed a multi-year agreement to broadcast Glory kickboxing events. The broadcast deal with Spike TV was extended in May 2014 to cover 2015. In February 2016, Glory announced a new multi-year deal with ESPN.[9] In 2017, Glory initiated partnerships with the UFC for events on pay-per-view and on UFC Fight Pass.[10]
Events
Champions
Current champions
Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | +95 kg (209.4 lb) | June 21, 2014 | 8 | |
Light Heavyweight | 95 kg (209.4 lb) | March 12, 2016 | 4 | |
Middleweight | 84 kg (185.2 lb) | October 14, 2017 | 3 | |
Welterweight | 77 kg (169.8 lb) | February 17, 2018 | 1 | |
Lightweight | 70 kg (154.3 lb) | June 25, 2016 | 5 | |
Featherweight | 63 kg (138.9 lb) | September 29, 2018 | 0 | |
Women's Bantamweight | 56 kg (123.5 lb) | August 10, 2018 | 0 |
Glory Heavyweight Championship
+95 kg (+209.4 lb)
Glory Light Heavyweight Championship
-95 kg (-209.4 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current Interim | def. Saulo Cavalari |
Glory 43: New York |
July 14, 2017 | |
Current | Glory 28: Paris |
March 12, 2016 |
1. def. Zack Mwekassa at Glory 35: Nice on November 5, 2016 in Nice, France | |
2 | def. Zack Mwekassa |
Bellator/Glory: Dynamite 1 |
September 19, 2015 | |
Saki was stripped of the title due to inactivity on July 27, 2015.[13] | ||||
1 | def. Tyrone Spong |
Glory 15: Istanbul |
April 12, 2014 |
Glory Middleweight Championship
-84 kg (-185.2 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Glory 46: China |
October 14, 2017 |
1. def. Yousri Belgaroui at Glory 49: Rotterdam on December 9, 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
4 | Glory 40: Copenhagen |
April 29, 2017 | ||
3 | Glory 33: New Jersey |
September 9, 2016 |
1. def. Israel Adesanya at Glory 37: Los Angeles on January 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, USA | |
2 | Glory 27: Chicago |
February 26, 2016 |
1. def. Dustin Jacoby at Glory 30: Los Angeles on May 13, 2016 in Ontario, USA | |
1 | def. Joe Schilling |
Glory 17: Los Angeles |
June 21, 2014 |
1. draw with Simon Marcus at Glory 21: San Diego on May 8, 2015 in San Diego, USA |
Glory Welterweight Championship
-77 kg (-169.8 lb)
Glory Lightweight Championship
-70 kg (-154.3 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Glory 31: Amsterdam |
June 25, 2016 |
1. def. Marat Grigorian at Glory 36: Oberhausen on December 10, 2016 in Oberhausen, Germany | |
2 | Glory 18: Oklahoma |
November 7, 2014 |
1. def. Andy Ristie at Glory 20: Dubai on Apr 3, 2015 in Dubai, UAE | |
1 | def. Andy Ristie |
Glory 14: Zagreb |
March 8, 2014 |
Glory Featherweight Championship
-63 kg (-138.9 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Glory 59: Amsterdam |
September 29, 2018 | ||
5 | def. Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao |
Glory 41: Holland |
May 20, 2017 |
1. def. Serhiy Adamchuk at Glory 45: Amsterdam on September 30, 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands |
van Roosmalen was stripped of the title after failing to make weight for a scheduled title defense on January 19, 2017. | ||||
4 | Glory 34: Denver |
October 21, 2016 | ||
3 | Glory 32: Virginia |
July 22, 2016 | ||
2 | Glory 25: Milan |
November 6, 2015 |
1. def. Mosab Amrani at Glory 28: Paris on March 12, 2016 in Paris, France | |
1 | def. Mosab Amrani |
Glory 20: Dubai |
April 3, 2015 |
Glory Women's Bantamweight Championship
-56 kg (-123.5 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Glory 56: Denver |
August 10, 2018 | N/A | |
2 | Glory 48: New York |
December 1, 2017 | 1. def. Amel Dehby at Glory 53: Lille on May 12, 2018 in Lille, France | |
1 | def. Amel Dehby |
Glory 36: Oberhausen |
December 10, 2016 |
1. def. Meryem Uslu at Glory 44: Chicago on August 25, 2017 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA |
Tournament champions
Contender Tournament champions
Qualification Tournament winners
Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 21: San Diego | May 8, 2015 | 2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament bracket | ||
2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 23: Las Vegas | August 7, 2015 | 2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket | ||
2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 30: Los Angeles | May 13, 2016 | 2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament bracket | ||
2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 46: China | October 14, 2017 | 2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament bracket | ||
2017 Glory Midleweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 48: New York | December 1, 2017 | 2017 Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket | ||
2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament | Glory 57: Shenzhen | August 25, 2018 | 2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
Road to Glory Tournament champions
Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | February 2, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | February 9, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | March 10, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | March 22, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | May 3, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | 2013 Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | May 11, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | June 14, 2013 | |||
Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | March 11, 2017 |
Notable fighters
Featherweight
Lightweight
Chingiz Allazov Dzhabar Askerov Shemsi Beqiri Alessandro Campagna Sanny Dahlbeck Johann Fauveau Marat Grigorian Hinata Ky Hollenbeck Davit Kiria Albert Kraus Anatoly Moiseev Steve Moxon Giorgio Petrosyan Łukasz Pławecki Andy Ristie Robin van Roosmalen Dylan Salvador Simón Santana Yoshihiro Sato Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong Warren Stevelmans Jordan Watson
Welterweight
Marc de Bonte Roberto Cocco Raymond Daniels Murat Direkçi Cedric Doumbe Karim Ghajji Harut Grigorian Murthel Groenhart Nieky Holzken Paweł Jędrzejczyk Karapet Karapetyan Yoann Kongolo Artur Kyshenko Yohan Lidon Thiago Michel Alim Nabiev Antoine Pinto Thongchai Sitsongpeenong Alexander Stetsurenko Chad Sugden Alex Tobiasson Harris Joseph Valtellini
Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Randy Blake Mourad Bouzidi Saulo Cavalari Nathan Corbett Abdarhmane Coulibaly Michael Duut Zinedine Hameur-Lain Danyo Ilunga Igor Jurković Freddy Kemayo Steve McKinnon Zack Mwekassa Nenad Pagonis Koichi Pettas Gökhan Saki Thiago Silva Tyrone Spong Andrei Stoica Stéphane Susperregui Makoto Uehara Artem Vakhitov Pavel Zhuravlev
Heavyweight
Benjamin Adegbuyi Peter Aerts Jamal Ben Saddik Remy Bonjasky Mladen Brestovac Brian Douwes Ben Edwards Mirko Filipović Hesdy Gerges Daniel Ghiţă Badr Hari Guto Inocente Singh Jaideep Jérôme Le Banner Ismael Londt D'Angelo Marshall Cătălin Moroșanu Daniel Sam Semmy Schilt Anderson Braddock Antônio Silva Giannis Stoforidis Ewerton Teixeira Rico Verhoeven Nicolas Wamba Jahfarr Wilnis Errol Zimmerman
See also
References
- ↑ Dave Walsh. "Glory World Series Puts $1 Million USD on the Line in New Tournaments". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ John Joe O'Regan (2012-10-25). "GLORY takes over DREAM for NYE show - Fighters Only". Fightersonlymag.com. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "News - Â'ItÂ's ShowtimeÂ' promoter Simon Rutz retires from kickboxing business". Gloryworldseries.com. 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "About Us". Gloryworldseries.com. 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ Patrick Frater (13 September 2016). "Yao Ming, Liberty Global Invest in Kickboxing's Glory Sports". Variety.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ↑ Dave Walsh. "promotions to share fighters". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "News - Andrew Whitaker Named New Glory Ceo". Gloryworldseries.com. 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "GLORY Appoints Marshall Zelaznik as New CEO; Franklin Moves to Development Role". LiverKick. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- ↑ "Glory announces ESPN partnership and Glory 29 Copenhagen". © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ↑ "Glory Appoints New CEO, Extends Spike TV Broadcast Deal". Sherdog.com. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ Matthew Roth. "Glory 10 and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs Bryan Vera results: Soooo...about last night". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ Dave Walsh. "Sem Schilt Retires". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "GLORY Statement on Gokokhan Saki". gloryworldseries.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ↑ Dave Walsh. "GLORY Welterweight Champion Joseph Valtellini Vacates Championship". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Glory on Twitter
- Glory on Facebook
- Glory on Instagram
- Glory's channel on YouTube