(PRESS RELEASE) -- New York, NY (October 9th, 2013) - GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, today announced the addition of an all-star broadcast team to debut at GLORY 11 Chicago on SPIKE TV, LIVE from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, this Saturday October 12th.
“I love kickboxing, simply put. I love the honor of the sport, the respect amongst competitors, the training -- all of it,” says Roufus. “It's very gratifying to see an organization like GLORY put kickboxing back in its rightful place in North America as a top spectator sport. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Ranallo, who made his name as a top combat sports broadcaster by being the voice of PRIDE Fighting Championships and Showtime Boxing, brings his unique style back to GLORY kickboxing.
“I’ve always loved kickboxing. It's great to see it on SPIKE," says Ranallo. “GLORY rules kickboxing is going to gain traction in the US like we’ve never seen before. I can’t wait to play my part in that, but no more than these amazing athletes that will show millions what kickboxing looks like today.”
Post-fight interviews will be conducted inside the ring by longtime "Inside MMA" broadcaster and fight analyst, Ron Kruck.
"I'm looking forward to a winning announce team, and working closely with Duke and Mauro," said Kruck. "The three of us have spent several lifetimes involved in fight sport and we want to bring that passion to the viewer."
GLORY 11 Chicago will be headlined by GLORY Light Heavyweight Tournament World Champion Tyrone Spong (89-5-0, 59 KOs) vs. Australia's Muay Thai legend Nathan ‘Carnage’ Corbett (57-3-0, 43 KOs), in a signature rematch of their 2009 bout.
Additionally, GLORY 11 Chicago will feature the best Heavyweights in the world in GLORY's Heavyweight World Championship Tournament that will see #2 ranked contender and aggressive power puncher Gokhan Saki (79-16-0, 56 KOs) go up against young Heavyweight prospect Rico Verhoeven (40-9-0, 10 KOs). On the other side of the bracket, #3 ranked Romanian tactician Daniel Ghita (48-9-0, 37 KOs) squares off with Brazilian standout Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (36-9-1, 24 KOs). The winners of each bout will then face each other to determine the GLORY Heavyweight Tournament World Champion and claim a cash prize of $250,000.
The co-main event features top Welterweight contenders in action, as #6 ranked ‘Bazooka Joe’ Valtellini (9-1-0, 8 KOs) of Canada matches-up with #4 ranked Karim Ghajji (92-8-1, 48 KOs) of France.
GLORY 11 Chicago airs live on SPIKE TV from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois this Saturday, October 12th at 9:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm CT.
Tickets for GLORY 11 Chicago are available at the Sears Centre Arena box office and SearsCentre.com, starting at $25.
Doors open at 4:00 pm CT, with the first match beginning at 4:30 pm CT.
For more information, visit gloryworldseries.com.
About GLORY: Founded in 2012, GLORY is owned and operated by GLORY Sports International (GSI), a professional martial arts organization and television content provider, and maintains offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Tokyo. GLORY programming is seen in over 170 territories. GLORY kickboxing rules are comprised of a mix of several combat disciplines including Karate, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do and traditional Boxing. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @GLORY_WS, and visit us online at www.gloryworldseries.com.