On Friday, Feb. 16, GLORY Kickboxing returned to the Windy City for its 50th event. The event took place from the UICĀ Pavillion located onĀ theĀ University of Illinois at ChicagoĀ campus.
In the night’s main event, welterweight championĀ Murthel Groenhart looked to make the first defense of his title against a familiar foe, Harut Grigorian. The pair had met twice previously, with Groenhart scoring second-round knockouts in both contests. However, the pair’s meeting at GLORY 42 was filled with controversy after a dazedĀ Grigorian turned his back toĀ Groenhart along the ropes and the Dutchman violently sentĀ Grigorian to the canvas. The ensuing melee included fans entering the ring and assaultingĀ Groenhart before order could be restored. Both fighters picked up wins at GLORY 44Ā ā also in ChicagoĀ ā to set up the title contest.
Also on the main card, the promotion hosted a one-night, four-man heavyweight tournament. Former title challenger Benjamin Adegbuyi took on DāAngelo Marshall in one side of the ladder, while BrazilianĀ Guto Inocente met Junior Tafa in the other half of the bracket.
The night’sĀ SuperFight Series card was headlined by a lightweight title tilt featuring the sport’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter,Ā Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, who defended his belt against tournament winner Christian Baya.
The GLORY 50 SuperFight Series aired live at 8:30 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass. The main card streamed live at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN3, with the replay airing on ESPN2 on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. ET.
Benjamin Adegbuyi def. Junior Tafa by TKO (leg kicks). Round 2, 0:34 – heavyweight tournament final (Inocente declared medically unfit due to a cut)
Richard Abraham def. Malik Watson-Smith by unanimous decision (30-25, 29-26, 29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
Benjamin Adegbuyi def. D’Angelo Marshall by knockout (punch). Round 1, 0:30 – heavyweight tournament semifinal
Guto Inocente def. Junior Tafa by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – heavyweight tournament semifinal
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong def. Christian Baya by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – for lightweight title
Haze Wilson vs. Anthony McDonald cancelled due to health concerns (McDonald had high blood pressure)
Omar Moreno def. Casey Greene by unanimous decision in the extra round (10-9 x5)
Omari Boyd def. Daniel Morales by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Diego Llamas def. Justin Houghton by TKO (punches). Round 1, 1:40