A Look Back: Glory 12 NYC
Welp.. this sucks. You can't get any of the Glory events for free for the Glory website, and fuck paying for events that were free on TV. That said, SOMEHOW...we managed to find the Glory 12-16 (in parts), and will be breaking those down.
Glory 12 was held in NYC at the World Famous Theatre at Madison Square Garden. A four man tournament to settle who the man in the Lightweight division was and an encounter in the Middleweight and Heavyweight ranks made up the card, respectively.
Opening Fight: Robin Van Roosmalen vs Davit Kiria
Alex: Honestly, it was the sort of fight where you watch and you quickly realize that a) Spike Tv had no idea how to produce a kickboxing show, and B) if the fighter looks active and lands a few clean shots, he's going to look like a clear winner. Robin stalked him, walked him down and was very technical in his strikes. It wasn't the most earth-shattering of performances, but Van Roosmalean looked efficient and a threat while Kiria was backpedaling. It cost Kiria the fight.
NOX: I make no bones that kickboxing isn't my thing but I'm heading into this one with an open mind. The first thing you notice is that the atmosphere is different. It's like a hybrid between a Japanese MMA crowd and a bloodthirsty boxing crowd. Lulls in noise are frequent but when it's time to get loud, they get loud. Once you remove that from the equation, it's about the fights, right? This one was just okay. For the most part it was competitive but nothing that really stood out. There's no question that Roosmalaen won the fight and he looked pretty good during it. It wasn't filled with hot excitement or drama but sometimes it's about getting the job done. Roosmalaen got the job done.
Semi-Final 1: Petrosyan vs Ristie
NOX: Petrosyan vs Riste was spoiled for me going in. And by spoiled I mean, I watched this live so I know what was going to happen. Still shouldn't completely kill the excitement. If you were watching this live and were a casual kickboxing fan, you'd have a total "THIS guy is supposed to be good?" vibe about Petrosyan. He looks very lax compared to Riste whoi has bounce, pep and all those key words for aggression. Riste is able to beat him to the punch a ton and while I don't doubt the greatness of Petrosyan, he had really nothing to speak for early on. In the second it felt lik ehe was beginning to turn it on prior to Riste landing some blistering knees to the body. The third round is when "it" happens and Riste emerges with the big upset win. Again if you're watching this for the first time, you'll come away feeling let down on the Petrosyan hype---but it was real. Riste was just better on this night.
Alex: And this was the beginning of one of the biggest star-making performances we've seen in a while. All it took was one show and Ristie became a star in the kickboxing world after being a relative unknown. The first round was a relative feel-out round, and the second was the deservedly-hyped Petrosyan starting to put it together before he ate a shot or two. Third round though? Clubbing blow that absolutely obliterates "il Dottore" and suddenly a star is born. Amazing.
Warren Stevelmans vs Ky Hollenbeck
NOX: Warren Stevelmans has like 80 pro fights at age 30. That scares me a little even though I'm sure that's more the norm than anything else. Hollenbeck has 50 or so at 26. I've always wondered if the fast turnarounds for these fighters are a gift or a curse. It becomes pretty obvious that Hollenbeck is better than a game Stevelmans and so seeing him get pummeled early on is one of those things where you just hope for a quick finish. Hollenbeck breaks out everything but the kitchen sink and everyone except a spinning backfist seems to land. Stevelmans is tough but is completely incapable of landing something significant. Hollenbeck earns a rare (from my limited viewings) warning for roughhouse tactics. Both fighters are taking the other down at random points. Eventually Hollenbeck gets tired of fooling around and pummels Stevelmans. It's a standing 8 count in the second followed up by a one sided 3rd round en route to a decision win. Hollenbeck may be a great fighter (I legit have no idea) but man does he seem unlikeable. More takedowns than a Clay Guida fight in this one.
Alex: Dear god was this a boring fight. I went to the bathroom, took my laptop, groaned a bit as I watched this, and I felt almost as bad as what I was doing in the bathroom for having watched this fight. Hollenbeck dominated but it was nor impressive nor anything to write home about because Stevelmans was overmatched. Not only that, but roughhousing a dude you're obviously better than? That's Will "The Thrill" Clark-level of douchebaggery.
Ben Edwards vs Jamaal ben Saddik
NOX: Ah! Another fight I remember! This one sticks out by way of having two gargantuan men fighting and one of which having a unique name. That and the fight was a total shitshow as well but in a good way! Fights like these have their place on cards and this one is placed just right. One of the few benefits the ring has over the cage is that it sells the size of the fighters better. Outside of really good camera angles, everybody 185+ looks the same size in a cage. It's not pretty by any stretch but both guys are trying hard. I'm all about effort. Honestly Jamal ben Saddik looked good for two plus rounds before his gas tank seemingly exploded and Ben Edwards, a tough Aussie with no regard for human life, starched him really late in the third. That's what life's all about: doughy filled comebacks and drama.
Alex: I really can't disagree with my brother here. Doughy fat guys have their use on all cards and this fight was a hilarious shit-show. In and of itself, the fight wasn't pretty but it was fun to watch a few dudes lumber around and try to starch each other. Eventually, Edwards nailed him over the shoulder and like that Kesha song, Edwards was screaming "Timber! You better move!", but Saddik certainly didn't dance. It was fun, it was silly and ...it was quintessentially Glory.
Joe Schilling vs Wayne Barrett
NOX: Well this was a great little back and forth fight. Joe Schilling, if I remember corrently, was a big underdog at a previous Glory tournament in which he ran the table en route to winning. It was a big deal even if it wasn't on Spike. Here he duked it out with Wayne Barrett, someone I knew little about going into the card. In the end, I left the show thinking both guys were stars. It was one of the few fights in which I remembered the names of both guys involved. Barrett takes a decision in a nifty fight I'd definitely watch again. Maybe my standards are just too low though
Alex: Oh what I'd give to be a fan who was just starting to watch kickboxing again. See, then? I could have actually enjoyed this fight. You guys wanna know what Joe Schilling is? Joe Schilling is one of those Metal Mulisha "Bros" with a shitload of tattoos, a lifted F150, murdered out rims, and a shtick that gets old real fast. This fight was an unstoppable force versus an immovable douchebag and just like those Metal Mulisha clowns, it got proven that shtick doesn't equate results. Schilling overlooked an opponent he should have beaten and he got tagged because he was reckless and he underestimated his opponents strength. Flurry notwithstanding, Schilling got his ass kicked because he didn't take his opponent seriously. Fuck 'em.
Lightweight Finals: Robin Van Roosmalen vs Andy Ristie
NOX: So going into this one, it's hard not to side with Ristie. Not only did he upset the favorite but his fight was WAY more impressive. One ofthe first things that stood out was how small Van Roosmalen looked compared to Ristie; not just in height but in build. Also Glory CUT that light show shit out. You're killing me. Holy hell on second viewing, Ristie looks like a 185-er. It's apparent from the onset that Ristie has more power and probably more speed. Roosmalen doesn't embarrass himself but it's obvious who the better fighter is. Ristie scores the finish, the fans go wild and in theory, a star is born. A damn fine way to cap off the evening.
Alex: You know, what astounds me about this fight is that Robin Van Roosmalen was supposed to be the top dog in the whole division and Andy Ristie just destroyed him. Ristie was an unknown before this show and in one show, he became the biggest star that Glory has created in the Spike Era. He's their stud going forward now, and he's such a dynamic fighter that it'd be insane not to showcase him on these Spike cards more often. Just an incredible, fluid and just complete performance in a tournament that will go down as one of the better, if not the best "one-night performances" that Glory has ever had. He was that good.
