GLORY is the premiere kickboxing organization in the world. And even if you aren’t familiar with it yet, Spike TV is betting it will take off. Similar to the way Spike popularized the UFC with an unprecedented TV deal in 2005, the network is betting on the crossover appeal of kickboxing, featuring GLORY kickboxing events on a monthly basis.
“We really like this sport,” said Jon Slusser, Spike’s senior Vice President of Sports. “If you talk to people who like MMA, they love kickboxing. With the growth of MMA and the growth of combat sports over the last decade, a reintroduction of the sport is what we think will give this sport the boost it needs to really climb into the spotlight,” says Slusser.
Middleweight Wayne Barrett finds himself in the perfect place at the perfect time. On the mat is where his opponents have found themselves since the former Golden Gloves boxing champ turned pro.
As an amateur, Barrett compiled a 19-1 kickboxing and Muay Thai record. Barrett’s GLORY debut came in a September when he knocked out Robby Plotkin in the first round. In his second GLORY fight, he toyed with and then knocked out previously undefeated Mike Lemaire in round two. In a total of 23 fights, he has amassed 18 knockouts.
Saturday November 23rd on Spike TV, Barrett faces Schilling at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the inaugural GLORY Middleweight Championship.
Anderson Silva has been getting away with this crap for years, and now he’s finally paid for it with his title.
Somebody other than Anderson Silva possesses the UFC middleweight belt for the first time since 2006.
And Silva has only himself to blame.
Chris Weidman took advantage of some of Silva’s usual showboating early in the second round to knock out the longtime champ. A left hook to the chin of a lackadaisical Silva dropped him and a few moments (and a few more Weidman punches later), the fight was halted.
“We expected him to do things like that,” Weidman said. “He’s done it plenty of times in a lot of fights. I don’t see him as being cocky. He’s trying to mentally defeat you in there. It got to the point when he was doing it, ‘You know what? Screw this. I’m hitting him.’”
Silva’s never shied away from showboating, especially as he ruled the middleweight division where he successfully defended the belt a UFC record 10 times.
You have to respect these MMA fighters, but you also have to wonder how much damage a real boxer could do to these guys if he could learn to handle the other fight aspects. Silva’s sloppiness is shocking and it was just a matter of time before someone clocked him good.
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Check out this new video from produced by Gridiron Grunts as NFL players like Torrey Smith, Ryan Kerrigan and Will Allen talk about the upcoming UFC 155 between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
Recently Chris Weidman spoke with our own Bullz-Eye.com about his quick rise in the UFC, Anderson Silva, and cutting 32 pounds in 10 days.
Here’s what Weidman had to say about “The Spider”, specifically:
“Since I got into the sport anytime I’d tell people I was doing MMA they’d ask what weight class and I’d say middle weight and they’d say “Isn’t that Anderson Silva’s weight class? Oh, you’re screwed. You better change weight classes, pal.” That motivated me and he deserves that type of respect ‘cause he’s earned it, but it motivated me to take risks like fighting on short notice and I’ve worked really hard to be the #1 contender and for him to just kind of downplay me, more his managers, it’s kind of frustrating. So I hope the UFC makes the fight happens but if not, I will fight someone else.”
Want to see a “Superman Punch?” Travis Browne knocks out Stefan Struve with a perfect “Superman Punch,” faking a right leg kick and landing a straight right hand.
