GLORY kickboxing’s Bulgarian debut proved to be a night filled with finishes, upsets, and wild action as GLORY 89 thrilled a packed Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Estonia’s Uku Jürjendal (20-8, 16 KO) provided the biggest moment of the night as he shocked the world and finished kickboxing legend Badr Hari (106-17, 92 KO) early in the second round. The bruising slugger sent Badr to the canvas several times throughout the bout as he punched his ticket into the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Featherweight champion ‘Petch’ (169-39-3, 27 KO) retained his title in the last fight of the night. It was a vintage performance from the Thai star as he recorded his seventh title defense with a decision victory over game Spaniard David Mejia (61-16, 18 KO). This victory puts him second only to Rico Verhoeven for the most title defenses in GLORY history.
Burgas’ very own Stoyan Koprivlenski (19-6, 6 KO) got revenge against old rival Sorin Caliniuc (11-2) with a unanimous decision victory. The top lightweight was cheered on by a deafening crowd throughout as he showed his class right until the end.
Elsewhere on main card, Levi Rigters (15-1, 7 KO) was also awarded a spot in the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix after defeating valiant late notice replacement Ion Taburceanu (2-2, 1 KO), Romania’s Bogdan Stoica (58-13, 40 KO) looked impressive against Luis Tavares (63-10, 21 KO) in his first GLORY fight in ten years, and Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Petrov (35-6, 17 KO) scored a unanimous decision over Austria’s Karim Mabrouk (36-6-2, 10 KO)
In the opening bout of the main card, top undefeated prospect, Mohamed Touchassie (15-0, 12 KO), lived up to the hype in his GLORY debut thanks to a second-round finish over Eduard Aleksanyan (18-5, 5 KO).
In the GLORY 89 prelims, it was a double win for Bulgaria as local heroes Teodor Hristov (15-3, 7 KO) and Dragomir Petrov (15-3, 7 KO) made winning starts to their GLORY careers with impressive wins over Eduard Gafencu (17-5, 11 KO) and Chris Wunn (35-6-1, 14 KO), respectively.
GLORY 89 Results
GLORY Featherweight Title
‘Petch’ (169-39-3, 27 KO) def. David Mejia (61-16, 18 KO) via split decision (50-45 x 2, 49-46, 48-47, 46-49).
Lightweight
Stoyan Koprivlenski (19-6, 6 KO) def. Sorin Caliniuc (11-2) via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27 x 4).
Heavyweight
Levi Rigters (15-1, 7 KO) def. Ion Taburceanu (2-2, 1 KO) via TKO, round 1, 1:55.
Heavyweight
GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix Qualifier
Uku Jürjendal (20-8, 16 KO) def. Badr Hari (106-17, 92 KO) via TKO, round 2, 0:47.
Catchweight 100kg/220lb
Bogdan Stoica (58-13, 40 KO) def. Luis Tavares (63-10, 21 KO) via unanimous decision (29-27 x 5).
Middleweight
Aleksandar Petrov (35-6, 17 KO) def. Karim Mabrouk (36-6-2, 10 KO) via unanimous decision (30-27 x 5).
Middleweight
Mohamed Touchassie (15-0, 12 KO) def. Eduard Aleksanyan (18-5, 5 KO) via TKO, round 2, 2:00.
Middleweight
Teodor Hristov (15-3, 7 KO) def. Eduard Gafencu (17-5, 11 KO) via unanimous decision (30-26 x 5).
Lightweight
Dragomir Petrov (15-3, 7 KO) def. Chris Wunn (35-6-1, 14 KO) via split decision (30-28, 29-28 x 2, 28-29 x 2).
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