Chad and Nathan’s Pick 3: Glory 8

With Glory 8 just a few days away, Chad Sanderson of Fight Sport Asia
and Nathan Aripez of Muay Thai Authority have teamed up once again to
bring you predictions for three fights at this weekend’s Glory 8 event.
With Glory 8 featuring the featherweight tournament, Chad and Nathan
will give you their picks on two of the night’s fights as well as who
they think will be the last man standing in the 8-man 65 kilo
tournament. Let us know if you agree or disagree with our dashing hosts.


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Peter Aerts vs. Jamal Ben Saddik


Chad’s Pick – Jamal Ben Saddick
I’m a little torn on this fight. Jamal Ben Saddick is a big, strong,
behemoth of a man. But there’s no doubt in my mind that his recent wins
over Errol Zimmerman were due in part to the unusual tournament ruleset.
His stamina is an issue, and once he tires out it could be over. That
being said, I think Peter Aerts’ time is up. He was showing his age
against Tyrone Spong, and has been more susceptible to injuries over
years past. While he did beat Semmy Schilt in one of the most
intelligent performances of his life back in 2010, I don’t think he has
the athleticism to deal with the 23 year old Saddick. I’m picking Jamal
by TKO in round 2.


Nathan’s Pick – Jamal Ben Saddik
This is a match up of youth vs. age, and youth is going to win. The 42
year old Aerts is a legend and tough as nails, but the 23 year old
Saddik is a heavy hitter. This fight will start evenly in the first
round, but in the second Saddik will begin to pull away as he begins to
unload on Aerts. 80% of Saddik’s wins have come by stoppage, and he
continues his trend of finishing fights in this one. Saddik wins by
(T)KO.


Albert Kraus vs. Andy Ristie


Chad’s Pick – Albert Kraus
Albert Kraus is a bad matchup for Andy Ristie. Ristie is a very wide
puncher- his strength is overwhelming his opponents with sheer volume
and power, but if that doesn’t work the fight usually turns into an ugly
mess. Not only that, but Ristie has a tendency to ignore his defense
when he begins to turn up the pressure- something that is dangerous
against a strong counter puncher like Kraus. Another issue his cardio.
Andy has a real problem with setting a pace, and if he doesn’t get a
quick finish he usually looks exhausted by the end of the fight.
Basically, Kraus is strong in every area Ristie is not. He has patience,
extreme endurance, and nasty boxing. I could see this one ending before
the final bell. I’ll take Albert Kraus by TKO in Round 3.


Nathan’s Pick – Albert Kraus
Ristie did not look like his usual self in his last fight at Glory 6
against Alessandro Campagna. If he shows up to fight Albert Kraus
looking like that he is in for a long night. Kraus is currently on a
five fight win streak which includes three wins in one night as part of
the WLF-World 8 Man Tournament. Despite some moments in the fight for
Ristie, Kraus will impose his will as he presses the action in the fight
and earns a hard fought decision victory over Ristie.


Glory Featherweight 8-Man Grand Slam


Chad’s Pick – Yuta Kubo
This such a good tournament. Really. It’s awesome. And while I’m pretty
confident about my pick to win, it could just as easily swing back in
another direction. Kubo is going to be coming into this tournament
physically larger than most of the others after his attempt to steadily
work his way into the 70 kilo division. He’s been undefeated for nnearly
the last three years and is the undisputed kingboxing king of Japan.
I’m relatively certain he’ll get past his first fight of the tournament,
Korea’s Chi Bin Lim, which will then open a path to either Gabriel
Varga or Abdallah Ezbiri. Kubo has beaten Ezbiri twice before, and I
believe Varga is comparatively inexperienced. The other side of the
bracket is full of monsters. Liam Harrison, Masaaki Noiri, and Mosab
Amrani will be destroying each other. There’s almost no way they’ll
enter the finals unscathed, whereas there’s a strong chance Kubo could
be in relatively healthy condition. I’m going with Kubo to win the whole
tournament, capping off the finals with a decision victory.


Nathan’s Pick – Liam Harrison
Mosab Amrani knocked out Liam Harrison in the first round of their
recent encounter at Glory 5 with a body shot. You can bet the house that
Harrison is chomping at the bit to even the score. If they both win
their quarterfinal match-ups they will meet in the tournament
semi-finals. In the eyes of many this tournament is Harrison or
Amrani’s. Harrison will out point Amrani en route to a decision win when
they re-match and Harrison then cruises to victory in the tournament
finals.