LOS ANGELES – The world’s premier stand-up combat league has booked its next New York date.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the historic Hammerstein Ballroom will host GLORY 61 New York and GLORY 61 SuperFight Series. The event marks the global promotion’s sixth fight night in the Big Apple and second event at the renowned venue, which previously hosted GLORY 9 New York on June 22, 2013.
GLORY lightweight champion and one of the world’s top strikers “Killer Kid” Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (121-30-5, 32 KO, fighting out of Bangkok, Thailand) showcases his skills in the GLORY 61 New York headline bout, taking on No. 3-ranked challenger Josh Jauncey (29-8, 15 KO, fighting out of Canada).
The main event match-up features two of the organization’s most dynamic fighters in a rematch over three years in the making. The pair met in the final round of a one-night lightweight contender tournament at GLORY 22 Lille in 2015. Jauncey entered the bout on a four-fight winning streak, while Sitthichai was making his GLORY debut. On that night, the future lightweight champion halted the winning ways of the Canadian upstart, earning a unanimous decision.
Since that first meeting, the 26-year-old Sitthichai has gone on to carve out one of the most dominant runs in promotional history. Suffering just one loss in 11 GLORY appearances, he has defended the lightweight title five times and defeated the likes of Robin van Roosmalen, Marat Grigorian (three times), Davit Kiria (twice) and Dylan Salvador along the way.
Jauncey, just 25 years old himself, has been signed to the GLORY roster since 2014, facing a laundry list of legends and former title challengers including Sitthichai, Giorgio Petrosyan and Christian Baya. The bout at GLORY 61 New York will be Jauncey’s first title shot, having defeated top contenders Stoyan Koprivlenski – ranked No. 3 at the time – and Baya – ranked No. 2 at the time – to earn the opportunity.
In the GLORY 61 New York co-headline bout, newly-crowned super bantamweight champion Jady Menezes (13-2, 5 KO, fighting out of Brazil) faces rival Anissa Meksen (96-3, 30 KO, fighting out of France) in an immediate rematch of their controversial clash that took place last month.
Menezes toppled the seemingly unbeatable Meksen at GLORY 56 Denver, handing the French former champion her first loss since 2015 and evening the score in their trilogy. The win was not without controversy, however, as Menezes took home a hotly contested split decision. At GLORY 61 New York, the Brazilian champion will look to retain her belt, move ahead in the series, and prove the result of their last bout was no fluke.
GLORY 61 New York will also feature the return of former interim featherweight champion Kevin Vannostrand (17-3, 12 KO, fighting out of the United States), who meets Moluccan-Dutch fighter Massaro “The Project” Glunder (32-12-4, 20 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands).
Vannostrand and Glunder, ranked No. 3 and No. 11 respectively in the featherweight division, were slated to square off at GLORY 55 New York in July before Vannostrand seized a short-notice title opportunity. They will once again prepare to do battle in the Big Apple.
The current fight card for GLORY 61 New York can be found below:
GLORY 61 New York
Lightweight Title Bout: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong (c) vs. Josh Jauncey
Super Bantamweight Title Bout: Jady Menezes (c) vs. Anissa Meksen
Featherweight Bout: Kevin Vannostrand vs. Massaro Glunder
GLORY 61 New York is immediately preceded by GLORY 61 SuperFight Series, headlined by a match-up that pits former middleweight champion Jason “Psycho” Wilnis (30-9-1, 8 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) up against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
Following a successful light heavyweight debut at GLORY 56 Denver, Chris “The Capo” Camozzi (1-1, 1 KO, fighting out of the United States) cracked the division’s top 10, securing the No. 9 ranking. At GLORY 61 SuperFight Series, the UFC veteran will attempt to climb even higher when he locks horns with the No. 5-ranked light heavyweight Myron “Light Skin Dynamite” Dennis (21-7, 10 KO, fighting out of the United States).
In a super bantamweight showcase, recently-signed 24-year-old prospect Chommanee Sor Taehiran (91-17-1, fighting out of Thailand) takes on experienced Muay Thai practitioner Ashley“AK-47” Nichols (12-5, fighting out of Canada), who also competes in MMA under the Invicta FC banner.
Lightweight Justin “J-Ho” Houghton (10-6, 3 KO, fighting out of the United States) just submitted the most impressive performance of his career, a unanimous decision over Troy Sheridan in August. His GLORY 61 SuperFight Series opponent, Vince McGuinness (1-1, fighting out of the United States) looks to get back on track after suffering the first loss of his professional career.
“American Ninja” Asa Ten Pow (7-1, 5 KO, fighting out of the United States) has very quickly earned a reputation as a knockout artist in the featherweight division. His GLORY 61 SuperFight Series opponent will be announced shortly.
The current fight card for GLORY 61 SuperFight Series can be found below:
GLORY 61 SuperFight Series
Middleweight Bout: Jason Wilnis vs. TBD
Light Heavyweight Bout: Chris Camozzi vs. Myron Dennis
Super Bantamweight Bout: Chommanee Sor Taehiran vs. Ashley Nichols
Lightweight Bout: Justin Houghton vs. Vince McGuinness
Featherweight Bout: Asa Ten Pow vs. TBD
Additional bouts for GLORY 61 New York and the complete GLORY 61 preliminary card will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for GLORY 61 New York – including access to GLORY 61 SuperFight Series and the GLORY 61 prelims – will be on sale next week via ticketmaster.com.
For more information about GLORY, visit glorykickboxing.com.