With GLORY 102 wrapped up, the opening phase of the GLORY x RISE: Last Featherweight Standing tournament has come to a close. Over the past two events, fans have seen a mix of gritty wars, technical showcases, and explosive finishes as the first fighters booked their spots in the next round.
At GLORY 101, the GLORY side saw Bobo Sacko edge out Jan Kaffa in a tough, closely contested bout, while Aitor “Currito” Ibanez impressed on his promotional debut with a lively victory over Ayoub Bourass.
On the RISE side, Hiroki Kasahara outpointed seasoned Thai striker Lompetch in a polished performance, and Petru Morari overcame the dangerous punching power of Sumiya Ito in a hard-fought battle to advance.
GLORY 102 X RISE
The last four fights of the opening round of RISE x GLORY’s Last Featherweight Standing tournament were held at last weekend's GLORY 102 X RISE. Four fighters have placed themselves for the next fase of the tournament:
- Yuro Kono made quick work of his opening round opponent in the Featherweight Last Man Standing. Dexiang Kong was sent to the canvas by a beautiful one-two from the 24 year old Japanese.
- In his Glory debut Archaf Aasila gave an infighting masterclass against fellow debutant Louis Saing. The former Italian Bantamweight sent Saing down to the canvas in the second round with a spinning backkick to the body. Saing managed to survive the onslaught by Aasila, but lost eventually by unanimous decision.
- In the classic battle between power and technique, the technicians got another win. Yutaro Asahi managed to slip most of Eduardo Catalin's offense, turning the fight in his favor after dealing a barrage of knees to the body of his Spanish opponent in the second round. Asahi finished the fight in the last minute of the final round with an incredible head kick.
- Denis Wosik got the win after putting pressure on his late replacement Suarek for three rounds straight. The Thai veteran had difficulty keeping up, having to resort to excessive clinching to stay in the game later on in the fight. Even with Suarek’s calf compromised Wosik didn't manage to get his first stoppage in 8 years.
A LOOK AHEAD
On the RISE side, the four qualifiers — Hiroki Kasahara, Petru Morari, Yuro Kono, and Yutaro Asahi — will now face the organisation’s top four seeded entrants: Chadd Collins, Taiju Shiratori, Kento Haraguchi, and Lee Sung-Hyun. The matchups are yet to be announced. Their Last 16 stage will continue on November 2nd at the historic Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
On the GLORY side, the four qualifiers — Bobo Sacko, Aitor Ibanez, Archaf Aasila, and Dennis Wosik — will be joined by the promotion’s top four featherweights: Petch, Miguel Trindade, Abraham Vidales, and Berjan Perposhi. More information on the date and match-ups for their Last 16 will be announced in the coming weeks.
The tournament will follow a single-elimination format throughout. The last 16 will reduce the field to a last 8, which will again be fought as single bouts. From there, the final 4 stage will feature one RISE semifinal and one GLORY semifinal, both held on the same night, with the winners meeting later that evening in the grand final to crown the Last Featherweight Standing.
