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May 8 (May 9, 6:30 AM IST), GLORY returns to U.S.A to host GLORY 21 from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. In the night’s main event, middleweight champion Artem Levin will face GLORY 20 MW Tournament Winner Simon Marcus. The main card will also feature a Heavyweight Tournament, which pits Chi Lewis-Parry against Demoreo Dennis and Xavier Vigney against Maurice Jackson.Here is my Preview of the Main Card & predictions for the entire GLORY 21: SUPERFIGHT SERIES :Mike Lemaire Defeats Sean Choice via via DecisionKen Tran Defeats Luis Castaneda via KO/TKO.Andre Walker Defeats Manny Mancha via KO/TKO. Omari Boyd Defeats James Steelsmith via Decision. Main CARD (Spike TV, 8:30 AM IST):
#1 HW Tournament Semifinal: Chi Lewis-Parry (5-0) vs. Demoreo Dennis (10-3)
To kick off this four-man heavyweight tournament England’s rising star Chi Lewis-Parry will take on America’s Demoreo Dennis in the first half of the semifinal.
Chi Lewis-Parry At 6-foot-9, the former pro basketball player, with undefeated record in both kickboxing and MMA has an Imposing presence in the ring. His 25-second brutal Knockout of Yong-Soo Park at GLORY 20 in Dubai punched his ticket to GLORY 21 HW Tournament. His opponent this week, Demoreo Dennis will be making his GLORY debut as a late replacement. Dennis has both kickboxing and MMA experience, he fought UFC veteran Pat Barry in January and lost a close split decision.
As far as I m concerned this is going to be a mismatch as Parry will overwhelm Dennis whith barrage of punches and kicks early on putting the American straight into survival mode. It will surprise me if this fight even goes past first round.
Prediction: Parry wins via KO.
#2 HW Tournament Semifinal: Xavier Vigney (6-1) vs. Maurice Jackson (31-0)
The second half of the semifinal bracket features Xavier Vigney who welcomes Maurice Jackson to GLORY. Vigney earned his spot on the GLORY roster by a capturing a one-night Road to Glory tournament. Since then, he has scored two Knockouts, including a TKO win over Everett Sims at GLORY 19. Vigney has shown outstanding cardio solid boxing technique and ability to finish the fights.
Despite this being Jackson’s GLORY debut he is not a novice fighter, at 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds Jackson has yet to be defeated as a kickboxer as he is very imposing fighter. He has some MMA experience experience as well. However, He has yet to face someone like Vigney who isn’t the flashiest of fighters, but very well rounded. This is a serious step up in competition for Jackson & it could be evident in this fight.
Prediction: Vigney wins via TKO.
#3 Raymond Daniels (26-2) vs. Justin Baesman (17-6-1)
Welterweight Raymond Daniels will look to bounce back from his last Glory appearance against Debutant Justin Baesman. The karate stylist Daniels fell short in the GLORY 19 tournament final, suffering a TKO against Nieky Holzken. 33-year-old Baesman is a MMA fighter who will be making his GLORY debut. In his MMA career he has fought for organizations like Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting. Baesman was knocked out in a MMA bout just six weeks ago by Randall Wallace.
I have to be honest here as this is just a showcase fight for Daniels who is a stand-up fighter who goes for high-flying, highlight-reel flash Knockouts. Baesman has plenty of combat-sports experience, but he has a weak chin and will simply be outclassed on feet in this fight.
Prediction: Daniels wins via KO.
#4 HW Tournament Final (Predicted): Chi Lewis-Parry vs. Xavier Vigney
If my predictions proves to be accurate, the tournament final may also look similar to both opening-round bouts. Lewis-Parry will look to swarm with punches and overwhelm Vigney, while Vigney will once again look to use his technique to take this fight into later rounds. The interesting thing could be whether Parry needs more than a round to get past Dennis in the semifinals, if so will his explosiveness carry over to the finals. If it doesn’t, he may be exhausted against someone like Vigney who possesses strong cardio and knows when to go for the finish, later in the rounds but I think Vigney will be on defense most of the time during this fight. If Parry could keep his aggression and power till the final round he’ll get the better of Vigney and could become the next heavyweight superstar.
Prediction: Parry wins via TKO.
#5 MW Championship: Artem Levin (50-4-1) vs. Simon Marcus (42-2-1)
No. 1-ranked fighter, Russia’s Artem Levin will be in action as he will defend his title Glory MW against the rejuvenated Canadian Simon Marcus. Levin “The Lion” has been out of action since Glory 17, last summer when he captured the middleweight title by winning the one-night, eight-man Last Man Standing tournament with victories over Joe Schilling, Filip Verlinden and Alex Pereira in Los Angeles.
One of his two losses in the last four years came against Marcus under Muay Thai rules in a closely contested fight. Levin is the perfect balance of technique and violence, who utilizes movement and angles to put a beating on his opponents and thsi fight will be added motivation for him as, he’ll have the opportunity to take revenge under Glory rules that favor his style more than the style of Marcus. His Opponent of the Night, Marcus is arguably one of the best muay-thai artist who thrives under muay-thai rules that allow clinching but he has struggled under Glory rules. He suffered the first loss of his career in Glory 17 Last Man Standing tournament, falling via knockout to eventual finalist Schilling. In January 2015, Marcus suffered a TKO loss to China’s Fang Bian in World Championship’s. However, he bounced back in a big way last month in Dubai at GLORY 20, where He edged Wayne Barrett and Jason Wilnis on the scorecards and proved he could find success under GLORY rules as well.
I don’t think this matchup will go similar to their first encounter as Under Glory rules clinching is limited which was Marcus’s biggest weapon in defeating Levin last time. Marcus is known for coming forward and pushing the pace, but look for Levin to use his footwork and angles to get the better of the exchanges.
Prediction: Levin wins via TKO.
