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Post by K1power on Aug 19, 2023 8:56:22 GMT 1
Quick tidbit I saw in a Dutch interview yesterday; Beztati confirmed he wants to box and said he may move up a weightclass, depending on who Glory brings him.
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Post by K1power on Aug 19, 2023 15:45:13 GMT 1
Prelims kick off in just over 2 hours:
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Post by Shadess on Aug 19, 2023 19:40:23 GMT 1
I don't rate Terpstra that high tbh. He is tall, that's about it. Think there's a non trivial chance Uku ends it relatively quickly Told ya  |
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Post by vampiro on Aug 19, 2023 19:55:31 GMT 1
Yeah, I didn't like Terpstra's chances either. I also expected Rajabzadeh to end the fight in round one, but I'll take the actual result. Glad he won.
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Post by vampiro on Aug 19, 2023 22:16:59 GMT 1
I love Bahram.
I didn't know if he would win or not, but I had faith he would do a good job. I am so happy right now.
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Post by Fox on Aug 19, 2023 23:59:13 GMT 1
I had to miss the tournament final, hopefully Glory posts the highlights.
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Post by K1power on Aug 20, 2023 8:36:48 GMT 1
ResultsGrand Prix Qualifier - 4 Man Heavyweight Tournament #2Bahram Rajabzadeh defeats Uku Jürjendal by Unanimous Decision --- Uku Jürjendal defeats Martin Terpstra by TKO R1 Bahram Rajabzadeh defeats Mohamed Amine by TKO R2. PrelimsMiddleweight UndercardImad Hadar defeats Bartosz Muszynski by Unanimous Decision Heavyweight Undercard - Tournament Reserve BoutNikola Filipovic defeats Cristian Ristea by Split Decision Lightweight Championship BoutTyjani Beztati defeats Kaito Ono by Unanimous Decision Middleweigh Featured FightMichael Boapeah defeats Sergej Braun by Unanimous Decision Welterweight Featured FightMurthel Groenhart defeats Cihad Akipa by Unanimous Decision Featherweight Featured FightJan Kaffa defeats Mohamed El Hammouti by Split Decision www.glorykickboxing.com/events/glory-87:e1fa35f5-b017-44f7-b104-d36acbfd47c1
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Post by K1power on Aug 20, 2023 9:20:39 GMT 1
I couldn't watch live, because I had a social engagement, but I did watch immediately after getting home at 2 AM which is where my bitching is going to start lol: - Videoland didn't immediately offer the option to watch the full event - only single fights - and the first thing they showed was a big fat thumbnail of Jürjendal fighting Rajabzadeh. Going to write them an email about their missteps in logic after this. - To add insult to injury, without thinking about it I started browsing the web on my phone and spoiled myself with the tournament result. Completely self-inflicted idiot move, I know. - Glory temporarily hid the prelims from their YouTube channel for whatever reason. Another bout of 'technical issues'? On to the fights themselves: Tyjani Beztati vs. Kaito Ono - Technical, if somewhat boring fight. Kaito didn't get the trashing some people were expecing, but didn't really try to do much either, even when he knew he couldn't possibly win on points anymore. Good, comfortable win for Tyjani, but it should have been Kehl in Kaito's spot. Michael Boapeah vs. Sergej Braun - A fun war of attrition, not too different from their first fight other than Boapeah taking it this time. Next in line for Boapeah will probably be a title shot. Murthel Groenhart vs. Cihad Akipa - As expected Akipa gave Groenhart some trouble early on, but as the fight progressed the tables turned and by the end Akipa was hanging by a thread. Good to see Groenhart win, but I definitely don't see him wining the belt anymore. Jan Kaffa vs. Mohamed El Hammouti - Good, high-paced fight. El Hammouti impressed early on with his speed and explosiveness. He couldn't keep it up though and Kaffa took over as the fight progressed. Another good win for Kaffa, but he shouldn't spam the backfist so much. Sooner or later, he'll get countered for it. Imad Hadar vs. Bartosz Muszynski - Good fight from Hadar against the unorthodox Muszynski. Thought it was weird Muszynski got counted for a groin shot, but he was well on his way to a loss regardless. Too bad the third round was a bit messy with groin shots and holding. Important win for Hadar though, who recently lost his mom and a grandparent. Nikola Filipovic vs. Cristian Ristea - Somewhat entertaining brawl that more or less went as expected. To Ristea's credit, this was probably the most decent I've seen him so far. Good second win in Glory for Filipovic. The tournament itself; obviously I completely messed up with my predictions here  . I still stand by my picks, though: Mohamed Amine vs. Bahram Rajabzadeh - I'll just say it. I didn't like this fight. It was wild and messy and I didn't like the reffing. Amine getting counted for a groin shot literally cost him the fight. Not that he was looking good out there; For all that talk Amine hasn't shown us much since defeating Duut. His stock has plummeted and rightfully so. It's frustrating, because he showed he was able to tag Rajabzadeh every time he stuck out his arm. He just didn't commit to it, because he didn't want to get countered. Uku Jürjendal vs. Martin Terpstra - That said, sure, Uku could land something big early like he did on Rimdeika. That's what happened, but I still think Terpstra could have won that fight. He was way too eager to exchange with the shorter, stockier Uku and got caught with something big early on. Good win for Uku, but Terpstra should have done better. Perhaps the nerves got to him, he looked extremely twitchy. Bahram Rajabzadeh vs. Uku Jürjendal - After the first round I found it a bit boring. Jürjendal didn't want anything to do with Bahram's explosive counters and just waited for a chance to land a counter of his own. Waited for almost two entire rounds. Rajabzadeh wasn't really keen on getting caught either and mostly danced around. Seemed to have hurt his foot as well. Still he did more than enough to win the fight, take the tournament and place himself for the Grand Prix. While Rajabzadeh has a fun and explosive style to watch, I'm still not fully sold on him. Both Amine and Uku were able to tag him and the better fighters in the Grand Prix will - probably - take him out. I'm also not a fan of his antics and attitude. That said, he won the tournament and deservedly so. Overall I liked the event, but not watching live always hurts the experience. Couple of sidenotes: - Apparently James McSweeney was a co-commentator on the English stream for some of the fights. How did he do? - Levi Rigters will fight in the G89 qualifier against a TBA opponent. |
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Post by vampiro on Aug 20, 2023 10:42:09 GMT 1
I actually really liked the attitude and antics lol. I agree that Bahram is not winning the Grand Prix though. I didn't really like his performances, especially against Momine. I thought he would destroy him, but he got caught a little too much for me. Still happy with the win overall. I also think he is small.
I really don't rate Mohamed Amine. Has ever beaten anybody that was any good? All I really know of him is that he talks. It seems that on average that the talkers don't have the actual ability, and those with actual ability don't have much personality. I think thats why Bahram's attitude appealed to me so much. He has shown some ability and some genuine nastiness in his work. His overall demeanour outside the ring seems to be quite stoic and regular.
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Post by Fox on Aug 20, 2023 11:15:40 GMT 1
I'm curious to see if Kaffa can actually make his style work against the elite guys of the division. Ezbiri for example should surely be able to punish it, but we will see.
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Post by K1power on Aug 20, 2023 11:56:09 GMT 1
I actually really liked the attitude and antics lol. I agree that Bahram is not winning the Grand Prix though. I didn't really like his performances, especially against Momine. I thought he would destroy him, but he got caught a little too much for me. Still happy with the win overall. I also think he is small. I really don't rate Mohamed Amine. Has ever beaten anybody that was any good? All I really know of him is that he talks. It seems that on average that the talkers don't have the actual ability, and those with actual ability don't have much personality. I think thats why Bahram's attitude appealed to me so much. He has shown some ability and some genuine nastiness in his work. His overall demeanour outside the ring seems to be quite stoic and regular. Not knocking you for liking Rajabzadeh. I like quirky fighters who aren't very popular (Kido, Kyotaro). Certain characters are definitely an acquired taste and that's okay. Also I'm sure Bahram is a nice guy to family, friends and fans. As for Amine, his victory over Duut is probably his most notable win in kickboxing - at least that I know of. Of course Duut at this point is more of a gatekeeper and not really a title contender anymore, but still a good victory to have on your record. Not really sure where Amine goes from here. Perhaps the first move would be commit to a weightclass - like LHW - and get some wins. I'm curious to see if Kaffa can actually make his style work against the elite guys of the division. Ezbiri for example should surely be able to punish it, but we will see. A veteran with a keen eye will punish him when he starts spamming that backfist. It's a move used in moderation for a reason. Once it becomes predictable you put yourself more at risk than your opponent. |
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Post by K1power on Aug 20, 2023 14:32:54 GMT 1
Just watched some of Videoland's studio coverage of the event with Bonjasky and Manhoef.
Some tidbits:
- This was Beztati's last fight on his contract.
- Saw Rajabzadeh losing about a pint of blood from a very messed up looking foot. Not sure how he fought that second fight with an injury like that.
- Saw not just Manhoef, but now also Saki confirming they want to fight each other ASAP. Apparently Saki became a father recently and it was one of the reasons fighting was on the backburner for him after his previous fight.
- Saw a very angry Amine using a lot of profanities in a ringside post-fight interview, then came back later to apologize lol.
- Bonjasky referred to Rico as "Ricardo" lol.
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Post by Shadess on Aug 20, 2023 23:47:38 GMT 1
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Post by Shadess on Aug 21, 2023 0:24:25 GMT 1
- Videoland didn't immediately offer the option to watch the full event - only single fights Hate this. I much prefer full event VODs to single fights as well. Murthel Groenhart vs. Cihad Akipa - As expected Akipa gave Groenhart some trouble early on, but as the fight progressed the tables turned and by the end Akipa was hanging by a thread. Good to see Groenhart win, but I definitely don't see him wining the belt anymore. Groenhart looks like he's still in regional MMA mode. Or really just not at his peak anymore. He can still do some good fights but yea no title for him. Imad Hadar vs. Bartosz Muszynski - Good fight from Hadar against the unorthodox Muszynski. Thought it was weird Muszynski got counted for a groin shot, but he was well on his way to a loss regardless. Too bad the third round was a bit messy with groin shots and holding. Important win for Hadar though, who recently lost his mom and a grandparent. Must disagree a little here. Hadar has some Dutch hype behind but looked very meh against a short notice random Pole. Taking the circumstances into consideration, yea...tough time for him definitely. He did get a win in Glory now at least, hopefully does better in his next fights. On the Jaraya to Hamicha Glory Moroccan wunderkind scale, so far he's leaning more towards the Jaraya end of it. Nikola Filipovic vs. Cristian Ristea - Somewhat entertaining brawl that more or less went as expected. To Ristea's credit, this was probably the most decent I've seen him so far. Good second win in Glory for Filipovic. IMO Filipovic hasn't quite shown his best in Glory yet. Ristea was pretty good, wouldn't mind seeing him in Glory again. Much prefer him over someone like Catinas for example. Bahram Rajabzadeh vs. Uku Jürjendal - After the first round I found it a bit boring. Jürjendal didn't want anything to do with Bahram's explosive counters and just waited for a chance to land a counter of his own. Waited for almost two entire rounds. Rajabzadeh wasn't really keen on getting caught either and mostly danced around. Seemed to have hurt his foot as well. Still he did more than enough to win the fight, take the tournament and place himself for the Grand Prix. While Rajabzadeh has a fun and explosive style to watch, I'm still not fully sold on him. Both Amine and Uku were able to tag him and the better fighters in the Grand Prix will - probably - take him out. I'm also not a fan of his antics and attitude. That said, he won the tournament and deservedly so. I'm fairly sold on Rajabzadeh. I watched his fight against Maslobojev from few years ago again and he was good then too, just got tagged pretty bad and never fully recovered from it in that fight. That said, he should drop to LHW immediately after this tournament. Hopefully Glory signs him to a lasting contract, I'd like to see him stick around. Uku was pretty aimless in the final sadly. Should have taken this opportunity and go all out. How chances at a half a mil are you likely to get? Overall I liked the event, but not watching live always hurts the experience. Agreed. Couple of sidenotes: - Apparently James McSweeney was a co-commentator on the English stream for some of the fights. How did he do? Just the final I think. He honestly did pretty great, I liked him a lot. He doesn't have a great sounding voice for commentary, but the content he added was good. If he sounded a bit better he should get a commentary gig somewhere ASAP. Grisham and Valtellini gave him what seemed to me honest compliments at the end too. Don't think Glory will pay for a 3-man commentary team, nor should they, but if they ever need an extra guy for some reason McSweeney wouldn't be a bad call. |
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Post by K1power on Aug 21, 2023 7:23:42 GMT 1
Yeah, I can imagine McSweeney's voice and mannerisms not really working for commentary where you need to be LOUD AND CLEAR lol. I'm sure he has good analytical skills though. I've watched some short interviews with McSweeney these past few days and the way he talks and his expressions are exactly like Overeem's. You can see why they're good friends.
As for Hadar I think it's always a bit difficult to look 'good' against unorthodox, unpredictable fighters. Hadar said in a Dutch post-fight interview he much prefers to fight more traditional kickboxers. In his interview with Valtellini he also mentioned something along the lines of his performance sucking and that he should have 'knocked this guy out in the first round' with Muszynski seen laughing in the background lol. All that being said I thought he looked dominant enough, at least. His next fight should give us a better idea on where he stands within the division.
Interesting tidbit; If I understood correctly Hadar and one his sponsors bought 500 tickets for the show and gave them away. That's pretty cool. The venue certainly needed some filling up as I spotted lots of empty seats even at this small-ish configuration. G88 seems to be sold-out at least, but that has Badr in it.
As for Manhoef vs. Saki: The BK article isn't news at all. Manhoef revealed months ago that he signed a contract. He heavily implied it was to fight Saki at some point, but said he didn't exactly know what the hold-up was from Saki's end. Pretty sure I've shared all of that in one of the threads at the time. Manhoef was hesitant to get into details as he felt it really wasn't his news to share, but it was more or less pried out of him. The article also fails to mention Saki's ringside interview where he said he's ready to fight Manhoef ASAP. He said something along the lines of 'it has to happen soon or it's never happening', the implication being they've been putting it off for a while already. Not that I mind BK getting an article out of this, but it's late and incomplete.
I don't think Saki or Manhoef will be part of the Grand Prix. If their fight turns out to be good, sure, they might be considered. I'm not sure they can get in fighting shape quick enough, though. Not sure what shape Saki is in, but Manhoef weighs 108kgs and it shows; he recently opened a sushi restaurant lol.
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