On Saturday, May 3, some of the world's best kickboxers will collide at 1st Bank Arena in Denver, CO, in the Glory World Series. The headline event will put the World Welterweight title up for grabs when Marc De Bonte squares off with Karapet Karapetyan.
The event will air on SPIKE TV at 9 p.m. ET and also includes a four-man Heavyweight Contender Tournament that will earn the winner a chance to chase the World Heavyweight title this year. And to top things off, fight fans will get to see the Glory debut of Pat "HD" Barry, who is making his return to kickboxing after a long stint in MMA.
The tournament will see Sergey Kharitonov square off with Anderson "Braddock" Silva, and experienced fighter Errol Zimmerman will take his 101 wins into the ring against "Banging" Ben Edwards. Zimmerman's tremendous power has made him a slight favorite in this tournament, but all four fighters have reputations for toughness and big power. Whoever wins here will go on to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament later this year. "It's a big prize so you can be sure there will be fierce competition in the Contender Tournament," said Cor Hemmers, Glory matchmaker and head of talent operations. "And it goes without saying, Glory heavyweight fights don't often go the distance. Don't blink when these fights are on."
The event headliner is any man's fight and could be a prelude for fierce battles to come in the heavyweight division. De Monte was ranked No. 2 in the Glory series before the Welterweight Championship Tournament at Glory 13 Tokyo but was forced out of the tournament because of an injury. He was originally matched up with tournament winner and top-ranked fighter Nieky Holzken, but a recurring shoulder injury sidelined Holzken.
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Eventually, the slot was offered to Karapetyan, who took third in the tournament and came off a strong win over Artur Kyshenko at Glory 14 Zagreb in March. There will be plenty of fighters interested in the outcome here, including Joe Valetellini, who was second in the tournament but had to pass on taking the title fight Saturday to nurse his own injuries.
Glory 16 Denver airs on SPIKE TV Saturday, May 3, at 9 p.m. ET. For more information, visit gloryworldseries.com.