The Glory World Series invades Las Vegas with a card that promises martial arts fans plenty of striking. Nieky Holzken and Raymond Daniels will tangle in a rematch for the vacant Glory welterweight title in the main event.
The card will also feature a four-man middleweight contender tournament and a heavyweight co-feature pitting Xavier Vigney against Daniel Sam. Here's the full card, per Glory World Series on Twitter:
THREE WEEKS... Who's ready? #GLORY23 Las Vegas at the @HardRockHotelLV, tickets from http://t.co/ucuFfdroCj pic.twitter.com/nMOrhXkWmg
— GLORY World Series (@GLORY_WS) July 18, 2015
When: Friday, Aug. 7, at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
TV: Spike TV (coverage begins at 11 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: Eversport.TV
Here's a look at the full fight card with predictions:
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Xavier Vigney vs. Daniel Sam | Heavyweight | Vigney by TKO |
| Matchup | Middleweight Tournament | Prediction |
| Dustin Jacoby vs. Ariel Sepulveda | Sepulveda by KO | Sepulveda by decision |
| Casey Greene vs. Quinton O'Brien | O'Brien by KO | |
| Matchup | Welterweight Championship | Prediction |
| Nieky Holzken vs. Raymond Daniels | Welterweight | Holzken by TKO |
Card per Glory, picks by Mazique
Holzken Will Win the Rematch
Joe Valtellini vacated the title because of post-concussion syndrome, thus giving Holzken and Daniels an opportunity to scrap for the belt. Holzken has to be coming in with a great deal of confidence. He faced and defeated Daniels via third-round KO in the welterweight contender tournament in February at Glory 19.
Here's a look at the entire fight, per Glory on YouTube:
Holzken brings a wealth of experience into the Glory ring with 97 pro bouts (86-11) to his credit. Daniels (27-2) will be looking for revenge, but as was the case in the first fight, Holzken's pressure, strength and technique will be too much for the American to overcome. Psychologically, Holzken holds a big advantage after wearing Daniels down and stopping him in the first fight.
An even faster finish is on tap for the hungry Holzken in the rematch. He will regain the title he relinquished because of injury in 2014.
Vigney Will Slam Sam
When the big boys clash, it's always interesting, as the fight can be over quickly and brutally. This one won't deviate from what most expect in that regard.
The No. 4-ranked Vigney is 8-1 overall and 4-0 in a Glory ring. All of his wins have come by KO, and his strength is legit. Sam is a big man with more experience (25-10), but Vigney's power—especially in his right hand—will chop down the big Brit.
Sam has yet to find success with Glory, and it's primarily because of his defensive issues. Vigney is not the guy you want to face if blocking punches has been an issue in the past. Sam is just 1-3 with the promotion, and that record is set to get even worse.
Vigney will earn another stoppage win as he climbs the ladder toward a title shot.
Sepulveda for the Win
Four relative newcomers to Glory will have an opportunity to fight their way into the middleweight contender tournament by winning two fights in one night. The initial pairings are:
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Ariel Sepulveda
- Casey Greene vs. Quinton O’Brien
When the dust settles, the man moving on to the next tournament later this year will be Sepulveda. It's clear from this awesome image from Glory World Series that he is ready for war:
Ariel Sepulveda (@ArielSmash10) takes on @dustinjacobyDJ at #GLORY23 http://t.co/QMYB2V7FFK pic.twitter.com/D4M2olZXnJ
— GLORY World Series (@GLORY_WS) July 13, 2015
The powerful Dominican can strike with both hands, and he has heavy kicks at his disposal. His aggressive style lends itself to knockouts. Even when he's not able to win by stoppage, his willingness to move forward and launch a consistent muay thai attack will be favored by the judges.
Expect him to destroy Jacoby in his first fight via KO and to win a decision against O'Brien in a competitive final match.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
