Here at Inside Fights HQ Chicago we’re bracing for a blizzard that’s supposed to be coming in and dumping at least a foot of snow into the area starting right about now. At least that’s what supposed to be happening right now and I blame it on mother nature wanting the Midwest to watch either Glory 13 or a dual meet between Penn State and Iowa in wrestling.
Me, I’ll settle for kickboxing now and the Big Ten dual meet on DVR. It’s a sacrifice I make for you, our awesome readership, as we close out 2013 with what looks to be on paper one of the best combat sports cards of the year.
Nieky Holzken vs. Karapet Karapetyan is up first. First fight of the welterweight tourney, too.
Round 1: Both guys are throwing down to start. Holzken is getting the better of the exchanges and he drops Karapetyan midway through the round. He’s still a little wobbly and Holzken is pressing the fight. He’s lighting him up at the end of the round. 10-8 Holzken
Round 2: Holzken presses the pace again as he’s landing en masse. Left hook drops Karapetran again and he gets an 8. Holzken is really punishing the body right now. He’s landing at will and Karapetyan is eating a ton of punishment. 10-8 Holzken, 20-16
Round 3: Holzken starts working a low leg kick game as he’s making Karpetyan eat a ton of him. Karpetyan is plodding when he should be pushing the fight. He’s down profoundly right now but he’s just trying to eek by. If there ever was a time to just go for broke it’d be now. Holzken is landing nice low kicks and following it up to the head. Karpetyan turns it on in the final 30 seconds somewhat, as Holzman takes his foot off the gas pedal and takes what should be a lop sided decision. 10-9 Holzken, 30-25
Official decision: 30-25×2, 29-26
Joseph Valtellini vs. Raymond Daniels is next. Interviewed the Canadian (Valtellini) backstage at Glory 11 in Chicago as part of a scrum and spoke with Daniels for a couple minutes during a break in the action. Both are incredibly nice guys. In an ideal world both these guys could become poster boys for the North American Glory audience.
Daniels has an awesome style, Valtellini is a banger with some real power. Super psyched for this one.
Round 1: Daniels comes out waiting for Valtellini to come to him. He won’t bite and and eventually he has to come to him. Daniels is trying to maintain space to throw his flashy style of offense and Valtellini s doing a great job at maintaining his distance and getting in close to prevent the spectacular kicking game. He’s working the lower body and Joe’s boxing is the factor right now. He’s not throwing a lot but I think he’s using this round to figure out distance. He’s not very active, as Daniels is really throwing hard. Valtellini is swept but isn’t credited with being knocked down. Daniels 10-9
Round 2: Valtellini is starting to get more active but he needs to fight him in a phone booth. He’s giving him too much space for the first minute or so, allowing Daniels to use that wild kicking game. He’s starting to get more active as he’s figured out his footwork game and is starting to turn it on. He’s cutting off the ring from him and doing a good job and trapping him against the ropes. Nice head kick from the Canadian and ge unloads a nice combination against the corner. Daniels is eating a lot of leg kicks because of his style. He’s trying to get some space but Valtellini is doing a great job keeping him from using the ring. 10-9 Valtellini, 19-19
Round 3: Daniels eats a nut shot early and he gets a quick break. Valtellini is pressing the action now and he’s using great footwork to keep Daniels from getting the space to throw his wild kicks. Valtellini with a body kick and Daniels goes down. He’s done and Valtellini gets the KO at 1:20 of the 3rd round.
Official decision: Joseph Valtellini wins via KO at 1:20 of the 3rd round
Dustin Jacoby vs. Makoto Uehara is next. Jacoby had a cup of coffee in the UFC a couple years ago.
Round 1: Jacoby isn’t throwing a lot but what he’s landing has some pop to it. Uehara is throwing more but Jacoby is walking through a lot of what he’s throwing. Jacoby’s doing a great job at using his height to keep Uehara from being in range. He has to wander in to land something but he’s eating a bunch of punishment. Jacoby 10-9
Round 2: Jacoby comes out again using his height and range to dictate the fight. Uehara is throwing in volume but he’s not landing anything with tons of power. Uehara is changing up his style by countering more. Jacoby is trying to get inside to throw knees and Uehara is keeping him from getting inside with nice counters. Jacoby has adjusted and is now starting to use his jab more often. 10-9 Jacoby, 20-18
Round 3: Jacoby is now starting to throw more but Uehara is throwing a lot more punches now. Anytime Jacoby comes in close he’s throwing multiple punches to counter instead of one power shot. Jacoby is looking for a big shot, a one shot KO, and Uehara is landing a ton because Jacoby is being selective with what he’s throwing. Uehara gets warned for passivity. Uehara with a slip. He’s starting to get more aggressive as the fight gets closer to ending. Jacoby is willing to ride out the round and Uehara is starting to fight like someone down on the cards. 10–9 Jacoby, 30-27
Official decision: Uehara wins via split decision (30-27 Uehara, 29-28 Jacoby, 30-27 Uehara)
Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman is next. Both welterweights are good to go and will be in the final.
Round 1: Both guys come out throwing down and Ghita’s landing some big shots. Left hook and Zimmerman is out. Ghita wins via KO early in the first.
Official decision: Ghita wins via KO at :35 of the first round.
Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven is our main and now the welterweight final is up.
Valtellini vs. Holzken
Round 1: Lots of leg kicks flying early as both guys are working the legs early and often. Not a lot of punches getting through but both guys are working the legs regularly. Holzken is throwing more but Valtellini has no problem returning fire. Both guys are throwing DOWN right now and it;s glorious. Both guys are throwing en masse. Holzken with some nice work against the ropes towards the end of the round. 10-9 Holzken
Round 2: They meet in the middle and both guys are throwing again. This is a matchup that has lived up to the expectations. Holzken eats a straight right and is staggered. Valtellini is eating a lot of shots right now. He’s got the firepower to throw down with Holzken but not the experience. Hozlken is calm and Valtellini is pressing a little bit. Holzken is landing some nice straights on occasion. Valtellini is throwing more but the better shots are from his opponents. Final minute and Valtellini is starting to turn it up a bit. Holzken is eating a lot but nothing major right now. Valtellini 10-9, 19-19
Round 3: Valtellini eats a big left early and he’s rocked. He fires back but Holzken lands some big shots. Liver shot and he’s rocked. Holzken is pouring it on right now as Valtellini is eating a ton of punishment right now. Valtellini is coming back with a nice combination but Holzken is landing some big shots on him. Nice combination from Valtellini and Holzken is a bit gassed at this point. He doesn’t have a ton of power on his shots as Valtellini is coming back. Valtellini gets a sweep with a 10 seconds left and both guys are throwing bombs right now. Holzken drops him with a massive right. Valtellini stumbles to his feet but he can’t answer the ten count.
Official decision: Holzken wins via TKO at 2:59 of the 3rd round
Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven is up now
Round 1: Aerts comes out looking for a brawl and is super aggressive to start. He wants to make this ugly and Verhoeven wants a technical kickboxing match. Slip from Aerts early as he’s throwing a ton of bombs. He’s a bit sloppy though as Verhoecen is eating a punishment. He’s trying to feel him out and looks a little intimidated. Verhoeven is having his style neutralized as Aerts is brawling and getting close to go for the clinch. He wanted this as a street fight and he’s getting it. Rico is off his game right now. Aerts 10-9
Round 2: Aerts is coming out more aggressive this round and Rico is starting to adjust. Aerts is slowing down a ltitle bit as Verhoeven is starting to fight the man and not the myth. This is very similar to the Ghita fight in Chicago; he was intimidated in that first round and is now starting to believe. Aerts is moving forward and Verhoeven is adjusting his footwork. He’s landing some nice leg kicks that are causing Aerts to slip. Verhoeven is starting to throw more combination as the round ends as Aerts is slowing down. Rico’s pushing a hard pace and the Dutch Lumberjack is starting to feel it. Rico 10-9, 19-19
Round 3: They hug to start the last round of Aerts career. Verhoeven is pushing the pace as Aerts is wilting. Verhoeven is dominating the fight but Aerts is throwing everything he has left. If this is the last fight of his career, and I doubt he comes out of retirement, he’s leaving everything he has in the ring. Verhoeven’s leg kicks are doing tons of damage as Aerts is not moving well. We get a warning for excessive holding for both men. Verhoeven finishes the final 30 seconds with leg kicks. Rico pours it on in the final 10 seconds and we end in a clinch. 10-9 Rico, 29-28
Official decision: Verhoeven wins via split decision (Verhoeven 30-27 and 29-28, Aerts 29-28)
Main Card and Welterweight Tournament:
Glory heavyweight title:
Peter Aerts vs. Rico Verhoeven
Glory heavyweight bout:
Daniel Ghita vs. Errol Zimmerman
Glory welterweight torunament:
Joseph Valtellini vs. Raymond Daniels
Nieky Holzken vs. Karapet Karapetyan
Tournament final: Valtellini vs. Holzken
Glory light heavyweight bout
Dustin Jacoby vs. Makoto Uehara
