opinion

GLORY x RISE Featherweight Grand Prix - STAFF PREDICTIONS

Dec 19, 2024
The Featherweight Grand Prix promises the most action-packed tournament of the year.

The GLORY x RISE Featherweight Grand Prix is set to bring together eight of the world’s top kickboxing talents in a high-stakes, one-night tournament. With GLORY champion Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao, RISE standouts Kento Haraguchi and Taiju Shiratori, and international stars like Miguel Trindade and Chadd Collins all in the mix, the competition is wide open. Ahead of the December 21 showdown, some of our staff took the opportunity to share their predictions and thoughts on this stacked Grand Prix.

 


 

THE SHARK WILL GET IT DONE

ChaddCollins_2.webp
Photo: RISE

If anyone is confidently picking a single fighter to win the Grand Prix, know that they do not know what they’re talking about. The reason we’re all so excited about this tournament is because we truly have no idea how it will go. Yes, Miguel Trindade could knock out everyone. Yes, Kento Haraguchi might remember how good he is at kicking and win with this gameplan. Yes, Petpanomrung might outside body-kick his way through everyone. Yes, Chadd Collins could out-point everyone with his sharp Muay Thai. And yes, Berjan Peposhi, Lee Sung-hyun, or Abraham Vidales might overwhelm everyone with an insane volume of strikes. All of these are entirely reasonable timelines which is what makes this Grand Prix so impressive.

Ultimately, I’m going to pick Chadd Collins mainly due to his ability to dig deep and push to that higher gear even through major wars. ‘The Shark’ may be exhausted, but his willpower and body will not give up.

 

Prediction: Chadd Collins

- Timothy Wheaton

 



CHADD'S CARDIO WILL WIN IT

ChaddCollins_RISEWSFinalRound.webp
Photo: RISE

Despite Taiju’s recent good results other than his loss against Lee Sung Hyun, I feel like he is still nowhere near the level of Petch, therefore will pose no problems. And in terms of who Petch would face next, whether it be Lee Sung-Hyun or Peposhi, he will have more or less no problems getting to the finals of this 8-man. I think what really will determine his success in the finals is the damage he takes and the conditioning he has. A big part of his first loss in almost a decade against Chadd Collins was due to the fact that he tired out in later rounds, letting Collins prosper with his above average cardio. If Petch can shorten his ring time by pulling out one of his spectacular headkick KOs, then he should have an excellent chance of winning in the finals.

Moving on to the other side of the bracket, I feel like this one will be much more interesting. I believe Collins should be able to overpower and outpace Vidales, but there is definitely room for disaster considering the flash KO that Trinidade handed Collins recently. When it comes to Haraguchi and Trinidade, it will be very dangerous for Haraguchi. Trinidade has a lot of power, and Kento was caught and knocked down by Vidales in a previous bout. But despite this danger, I believe Kento will be able to either land a precise shot for the KD/KO or fend off Trinidade in a decision. Unfortunately for him, I do not think he will be able to overcome Chadd Collins in his next bout due to the fatigue he will accumulate from his fight with Trinidade.

I have Petch and Collins meeting in the final bout of the 8-man. As mentioned before, I believe that Petch’s success will heavily depend on his fatigue from his previous bouts, and will not be able to keep up with Collin’s cardio unless he ends up the fresher fighter out of the two. Ultimately I predict that Collins will take the tournament, but would not be surprised if Trinidade swoops in for an upset. 

 

Prediction: Chadd Collins

- Faraaz Nadeem

 


 

PETCHPANOMRUNG'S EXPERIENCE FOR THE WIN

Petchpanomrung lands a high kick.
Photo: GLORY Kickboxing

On paper, looking at the bracket, I think Petchpanomroong will enjoy the easiest road to the belt. So I won’t overthink it and just pick Petch to win it all. He’ll probably get past Shiratori by UD without much issues. While I’m hoping for Lee’s upset (especially his hard road to get a spot in this tournament), I think Peposhi beat him and Petch will get another decision win over Peposhi. On the opposite side of the bracket, I believe Collins will beat Vidales by KO, while Trindade will defeat Haraguchi in a war (potentially in an extra round). With his superior conditioning, Collins will grind out a win to the final, but he will be there with significant damages. This would be the key factor, and while I think Petch will win this rematch by yet another UD to become the tournament champion.

 

Prediction: Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao

- Woradon Yomjinda

 


 

THE PASSING OF THE TORCH

Miguel Trindade lands a left hook.
Photo: GLORY Kickboxing

This tournament is incredibly hard to predict, so I’ll back the fighter I want to see win: Miguel Trindade. The Featherweight division has slowed significantly in recent years, with many top stars from the Japanese scene—such as Kaew, Masaaki Noiri, and Rukiya Anpo—either retiring or moving up in weight. It’s taken time for the division to rebuild, but all that work comes to a head on December 21.

Among GLORY’s many tournaments this year, the Featherweight Grand Prix is easily the most stacked. Miguel showcased his class when he knocked out Chadd Collins earlier this year. While Petchpanomrung remains the safe pick, a big occasion like this feels perfect for a passing-of-the-torch moment. Miguel could be the next standout fighter to lead the division.

It’s a tall order, but Miguel might just be the one to fill those shoes.

 

Prediction: Miguel Trindade

- Kevin Strobel

 


 

ANOTHER THAI MASTERCLASS

Fighter of the Month – Petchpanomrung.
Photo: GLORY Kickboxing

Taiju Shiratori is one of the weaker participants in the tourney, having lost to the overlooked, gritty Lee Sunghyun earlier this year and honestly would not deserve the spot if RISE didn't have to bring 4 participants. The biggest challenge Taiju provides is his length and closed stance matchup, but the Japanese fighter has had trouble with kickers in the past and is a bit of a glass cannon. Unless Shiratori puts on a performance similar to Beztati, I don't see how he gives Petch trouble or wins. As such, I believe the GLORY champ Petchpanomrung has a good chance to win an easy decision against Shiratori.

Peposhi is who I'd favour against Lee Sunghyun, but many have overlooked the Korean veteran in the past. Both fighters are similarly tough, but I think Peposhi can pull off something similar to what Ryota Nakano did to Lee. Although, as a matchup to Petch, I don't see how Peposhi provides anything different from the other European opponents Petch has fought in the past. Particularly, Chikh Mousa and van Roosmalen.

The other side of the bracket is much more interesting, with four top fighters at Featherweight in the mix. In a multi-day tournament, I would favour the young, rising star Miguel Trindade, but he is unlikely to come out unscathed against the hard hitting Kento Haraguchi. I believe the fight will play out with one or both men meeting the canvas at one point, but Trindade will ultimately come out the victor with his superior speed. Although, Kento has always fought to the level of his opposition and could shut down the kicks of the newcomer and come out on top as well.

Chadd Collins would also be a front runner to beat Petch head-to-head, but a semifinal against Kento/Trindade is likely to incur significant damage going into the final if he were to make it past Vidales and Haraguchi/Trindade. With how Kento previously finished Vidales, I think Collins has a similar path to victory and can either finish or win a decision against Vidales, although his wide shots could open him up for a counter and ruin his night.

With how the brackets are setup, I have Petchpanomrung and Trindade meeting in the finals. But, Petch will ultimately come out on top and win the whole tourney, but I wouldn't be surprised if Trindade or Collins plays spoiler in the finals.

 

Prediction: Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao

- Anthony Barry

 


 

A NEW ERA

Miguel Trindade goes for the finish.
Photo: Boutreview

The brackets have broken an interesting way for an interesting tournament. I think it’s fair to say the favorite in the left side of the bracket is Petchpanomrung. Taiju increasingly feels moments from disaster in his bouts, but there’s a strange dynamic at play in this one. Petchpanomrung has perhaps the single worst style for a tournament, and his best shot at reducing his overall ring time and being fresher for the finals is to do the unthinkable and try and win early, because he’s in for the long haul against either Lee or Peposhi. In that event, will Taiju be able to take advantage of Petchpanomrung playing against type? No, probably not. Petchpanomrung decision in 3.

Peposhi vs Lee is the most straightforward stylistic clash on the card between two combination punchers. Logic dictates that in this instance you pick the guy 10 years younger. However, Lee is one of the most unsung and overlooked fighters in the sport, who navigated the sudden lack of money making opportunities at 63kg early in his career by simply fighting at 63 and 70kg simultaneously. He’s managed to fight up in weight for the majority of his 15 year career by being hard to land on clean, with solid defensive boxing and a sneakily good low kicking game. And it’s for that reason, and not solidarity with being a man of a certain age, that I say Lee by extra round decision.

The other side of the bracket is where things get tricky. We know conclusively that there is one man who can beat Petchpanomrung, one man who conclusively cannot beat Petchpanomrung, and then Miguel Trindade, who looks like he can beat just about anyone as long as he lands first. Abraham Vidales is a good fighter, and it’s worth remembering that he knocked down Kento (before getting knocked out), but I expect Collins to win by decision and take advantage of the fact this is being fought under Glory clinch rules.

If Petchpanomrung has the worst style for a tournament, then these two men potentially have the best. Miguel Trindade throws with an intensity unusual for kickboxing, which he showed off in his rapid mauling of Collins earlier this year. Kento, similarly, has a high finish rate that has come with a dangerous willingness to throw wild verging on goofy looping punches, or draw opponents in with his hands down, or hunt endlessly for spinning kicks. And while these have generated highlight finishes for him, it’s worth remembering it got him dropped by Vidales and Tapruwan. I expect a more disciplined fight from Kento here, but the power of the coin toss tells me he loses by stoppage within two rounds.

And it’s really after these opening fights where the intrigue kicks in. Can Petchpanomrung grind out three opponents in one night, even if the guy emerging from the other bracket is a much fresher knockout artist? Even worse, can he do it if the other guy is Chadd Collins? Can Chadd get even with Miguel? Can Kento stay disciplined enough to get through to take out a wounded Petchpanomrung on his fourth attempt? I don’t have the answer to that, I have no idea who makes it out of this side of the bracket except that I doubt it’s Vidales. However I do believe that one of those three people will ultimately beat Petchpanomrung, and usher in a new era of arguing about 65kg.

 

Final Pick: Miguel Trindade

- Don

 



CHANGING OF THE GUARD

MiguelTrindade_2.webp
Photo: GLORY Kickboxing

There’s so much talent in this tournament that it's impossible to make a confident prediction. The most likely seeming final match involves Petchpanomrung and one of either Collins, Haraguchi or Trindade; and I think (going against the grain here) Petchpanomrung might be in relatively good shape by contrast to his opponent. He's unlikely to score quick finishes, but (at least historically) very defensively sound, excellent at controlling an opponent with his left kick and clinch. Meanwhile, unless someone on the other side of the bracket gets two quick finishes, I think they're going to have to go to war to claim their spot.

The most sensible pick, in my view, would be Petch. But I can't shake a feeling that his long career and slowly apparent decline will cost him this tournament. Trindade is very young, fantastically talented and probably the strongest candidate for winning his fights quickly, so I'm going to make a gut pick and bet on a changing of the guard.

 

Final pick: Miguel Trindade

- Alex Robertson

 


 

OPEN FIELD

The GLORY & RISE fighters that are scheduled to fight.
Photo: RISE

Who will win the arguably best 8-man tournament of the year (on paper at least)? Who will crown himself as the GLORY x RISE 65kg Grand Prix champion? This is probably the most difficult tournament of the year to predict. The safest bet would be to pick Petch. He’s been undeniably good. Some call him the Rico Verhoeven of the Featherweight division. But that all changed last year when rising RISE star (*drumroll) Chadd Collins from Australia defeated the GLORY champion in a huge upset. Since then a lot has happened. Fast forward to RISE EL DORADO 2024. In another upset, GLORY newcomer Miguel Trindade from Portugal knocked out Collins! Trindade defeated the talented GLORY featherweight Abraham ‘El Dentista’ Vidales, who got knocked out by RISE’s Kento Haraguchi and Haraguchi was almost surgically defeated by Petch prior. So what this means is that this division is a SHARKTANK of a division! For me to make a pick is like choosing between watching Vinland Saga or Cowboy Bebop. Both choices will be awesome, but both will have a different impact. So I honestly cannot pick a winner.

 

Prediction: Whoever wins makes for an awesome night!

- Kimball Huwaë

 




CLEAN SWEEP FOR PORTUGAL

MiguelTrindade.webp
Photo: GLORY Kickboxing

Over the course of 2024 the featherweight division has proven to be one of the most, if not the most, exciting division around in the current kickboxing landscape. During last years RISE World Series 2023 - Final Round, we the Glory Rivals section of the card delivered some all time classics with Taiju and Haraguchi knocking out their Glory colleagues and Chadd Collins winning the upset of the year against Petch. And with the two of the biggest promotions teaming up ones again, there’s bount to be some spectacular action.

Looking at the participants, conventional wisdom has let met to believe the clear favorite would be Petch. The Glory champ has been dominant for years and seems to be almost cruising through the division. Yes, he did lose to Collins, but I’m not convinced Chadd would be able to do it a second time that easily. However Petch is also known for being a decision merchant and that generally doesnt go well in tournaments. Especially with a possible matchup against someone like Berjan Peposhi in the semi final. The Albanian has almost twice the output as “The Professor”.

On the other side of the bracket two names stand out for me Chadd Collins and Miguel Trindade. Both guys have quickly risen to the top of the division over the past year and a half. Both have also shown that they are capable of knocking an opponent out. I think therefore the finalist from this side of the bracket will have significantly less fighting time in the final and that will give them the edge to win it all. To conclude with a single winner I will refer to the bout between Trindade and Collins earlier this year. Miguel Trindade will win this Grand Prix.

 

Prediction: Miguel Trindade

- Bjarne Collet