DENVER – GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, today announced several additions to GLORY 48 New York and GLORY 48 SuperFight Series, finalizing both fight cards to take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Dec. 1.
Uzbekistan’s Anvar Boynazarov (91-23-2, 53 KO, fighting out of the United States) has seized an opportunity to fight for the GLORY interim featherweight championship, taking on New York native Kevin VanNostrand (16-1, 11 KO, fighting out of the United States) in the headline bout of GLORY 48 New York.
Boynazarov shook the kickboxing world during last month’s featherweight contender tournament, landing a devastating left hand against Fabio Pinca that earned ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors. He would go on to drop a decision to Abdellah Ezbiri in the tournament’s final round.
With the tournament winner Ezbiri unable to compete at GLORY 48 New York, Boynazarov quickly turns around and prepares to battle VanNostrand for GLORY gold.
VanNostrand is no stranger to tournament success himself, showcasing an arsenal at GLORY 43 New York in July. After knocking out Mo Abdurahman in the tournament’s opening round, VanNostrand went on to face Giga Chikadze in a rematch from 2016, this time toppling the tournament favorite and earning his spot in December’s title tilt.
In the GLORY 48 New York co-headline bout, six-year UFC veteran Thiago Silva makes his promotional debut against Texas-based light heavyweight John King (7-4-1, 3 KO, fighting out of the United States).
Silva earned a reputation during his MMA tenure for carrying massive power, with 13 of 19 career victories ending via knockout. King honed his athleticism and toughness on the gridiron, playing professionally in the Arena Football League before transitioning into combat sports, where he now competes in both the cage and the ring.
GLORY 48 New York will also feature a one-night, four-man middleweight qualifying tournament. The qualifying tournament winner will be granted entry into an upcoming middleweight contender tournament – a system in place to determine GLORY’s future title challengers.
Middleweight Matt “The Butcher” Baker (20-5, 10 KO, fighting out of the United States), a two-time IFMA World Championships bronze medalist, has been added to the qualifying tournament, with Muay Thai practitioner Mike “The French Rock” Lemaire (18-4, 8 KO, fighting out of the United States) serving as his opening-round match-up.
The complete five-fight card for GLORY 48 New York can be found below:
GLORY 48 New York
Interim Featherweight Title Headline Bout: Kevin VanNostrand vs. Anvar Boynazarov
Middleweight Tournament Final Bout: Winner of Bout A vs. Winner of Bout B
Light Heavyweight Co-Headline Bout: Thiago Silva vs. John King
Middleweight Tournament Semifinal Bout B: Robert Thomas vs. Wayne Barrett
Middleweight Tournament Semifinal Bout A: Mike Lemaire vs. Matt Baker
GLORY 48 New York will be carried live on ESPN3 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 1. The event will replay on ESPN2 at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT the following evening, Saturday, Dec 2.
GLORY 48 SuperFight Series, the five-fight card taking place ahead of GLORY 48 New York, is headlined by super bantamweight world champion and MMA fighter Tiffany “Time Bomb” Van Soest (18-2-1, 6 KO, fighting out of the United States), who looks to halt the rise of No. 2-ranked challenger Anissa Meksen (93-3, 30 KO, fighting out of France).
Van Soest has won eight in a row, including a flawless 4-0 record inside the GLORY ring. A highly decorated fighter with multiple French national, European and world titles to her name, Meksen most recently defeated Funda Alkayis in a No. 1 contender bout at GLORY 47 SuperFight Series.
A middleweight scrap between Ivan “El Terrible” Galaz (56-6, 15 KO, fighting out of Chile) and Ahmed “The Prince of Egypt” Samir has also been added to GLORY 48 SuperFight Series. Galaz’s resume includes a bout against GLORY middleweight world champion Alex Pereira, while Samir is an experienced boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist fighting out of New York.
The complete five-fight card for GLORY 48 SuperFight Series can be found below:
GLORY 48 SuperFight Series
Super Bantamweight Title Headline Bout: Tiffany van Soest vs. Anissa Meksen
Middleweight Bout: Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Weickhardt
Middleweight Bout: Ivan Galaz vs. Ahmed Samir
Lightweight Bout: Itay Gershon vs. Justin Houghton
Lightweight Bout: Elvis Gashi vs. Nate Richardson
GLORY 48 SuperFight Series will stream live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 1.
Floor seats for GLORY 48 New York and GLORY 48 SuperFight Series are sold out, but premium lower bowl tickets are still available for online purchase at MSG.com and at the Madison Square Garden box office.
VIP packages for GLORY 48 New York and GLORY 48 SuperFight Series available at glorykickboxing.com/glory-48-vip.
GLORY will be working locally with promoter Lou Neglia and with Justin Blair’s Friday Night Fights to bring New York this exciting evening of stand-up striking.
For more information about GLORY, visit glorykickboxing.com.