On Saturday, May 3rd in Broomfield, Colorado GLORY will descend upon the 1stBank Arena for their first show in the United States in 2014 with GLORY 16 Denver. GLORY 16 Denver will feature a one-night, four-man tournament to determine the top contender for the still-uncrowned GLORY heavyweight championship. There will also be a GLORY welterweight champion crowned at GLORY 16, as well as the debut of former UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry. First, the heavyweight contender tournament will see Errol “Bonecrusher” Zimmerman (101-11-1) square off against Australian bruiser Ben Edwards (36-9-3). Zimmerman comes in as a slight -130 favorite (bet $130 to win $100) at Several Bookmakers heading into this bout due to his experience against top competition, but it’s difficult to discount the steady improvements that we’ve seen from Ben Edwards (-110) over the years. Edwards began as a brawler and has been able to pull it all together to make himself a formidable kickboxer with a ton of power. What’s clear is that both men will be looking for a knockout at GLORY 16. The second heavyweight contender tournament bout is between PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran Sergei Kharitonov (5-3-0) against Anderson “Braddock” Silva (37-10-1). Some would be surprised to see Anderson Silva (not that Anderson Silva) as the slight favorite (-135) heading into this bout, but Braddock’s recent win over Remy Bonjasky and his experience with fighting top competition makes him a dark horse for the entire tournament. Kharitonov (-105) can hit hard, but has had problems with more technical kickboxers in the past, and Braddock is most definitely a part of that group. It should be a classic bout between a technician and a brawler, showcasing how exciting the sport of kickboxing can be. The heavyweight contender tournament’s reserve bout features the GLORY debut of former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry (15-5-1) in a fight that fans are eagerly anticipating. GLORY has yet to need a reserve fighter in their four-man tournament setup, but never say never. Pat Barry’s competition will be Africa’s Zach Mwekassa (10-1-0), also making his GLORY debut. While no one is discounting Mwekassa, Pat Barry (-245) is the clear betting favorite heading into this bout due to his wealth of experience fighting in bigger shows where there are bigger stakes. In the main event, GLORY will crown a welterweight champion. Marc de Bonte (86-11-1) has been eagerly awaiting his chance at vying for GLORY gold, which was previously derailed by a Nieky Holzken injury. When Holzken was unable to compete at GLORY 16, as opposed to delaying the fight any further, top contender Karapet Karapetyan (43-9-2) has earned himself a right to contend for the championship, with Karapetyan (-130) coming into the fight as a slight favorite thanks to his more recent win at GLORY 14 against one of the world’s best fighters, Artur Kyshenko. GLORY 16 promises to be an interesting show, crowning a new champion at welterweight and clearly defining who is in line for the GLORY heavyweight championship (once it is crowned, most likely at GLORY 17). The debut of Pat Barry should be enough to entice newer fans into tuning in, knowing that Barry always brings his A-game to the ring with him, looking to entertain. Plus, it’s airing on Spike TV at 9pm Eastern time for free, so it’s something to watch while you are waiting for Floyd Mayweather to finally step into the ring again.
