“That last kick, that left kick to the head, no one expected that.” recently, all-time great kickboxer, Remy Bonjasky sat down with MMA Sucka to discuss GLORY 80, Arkadiusz Wrzosek vs Badr Hari II. “This fight is going to be big because Badr [Hari] lost that fight and he’s there for revenge,” Bonjasky continues, “I know that Badr when he comes for revenge he’s willing to kill.” We also discuss the rest of GLORY 80 including the RIVALS fight Tiffany van Soest vs RISE Champion Manazo Kobayashi, plus Artem Vakhitov vs Luis Tavares II and Jamal Ben Saddik vs Levi Rigters. See below for the full interview.
Remy Bonjasky Discusses GLORY 80 Wrzosek vs Badr Hari 2, GLORY RIVALS and More
Arek Wrzosek vs Badr Hari II
“He’s maybe the biggest talent we’ve ever had on the face of the earth,” Bonjasky continues, “[Badr Hari] needs to win. He really needs to win the fight because people are going to start to doubt his comeback and start to doubt his power. And I think, in his mind, he will start to doubt himself.” Bonjasky said. Badr Hari had mixed results while fighting in GLORY. One of the all-time great kickboxers but has not had stunning success while fighting in GLORY. His last fight against Polish kickboxer Arek Wrzosek he lost via headkick knockout. Now, Hari is coming for revenge at GLORY 80, March 19.
“After the after the fight, I told him, man, you have bad luck,” Bonjasky said, “Did you do something wrong in your lifetime that you got so much bad luck? I told him that fighting against this Polish fighter … hundred times you fight him you will win 99 times, and the one that you lost we’ve just seen.”
Bonjasky and Hari had previously fought twice. “I understood that he was really good, really fast, really strong. Hard, hard kicks,” said Bonjasky. The first was to a decision win for Bonjasky in 2007. And when the two met in 2008 it was in the K-1 Grand Prix finals. The Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer knocked down Bonjasky then Hari followed up with a stomp against the grounded fighter. “From experience, I know that Badr when he comes for revenge he’s willing to kill.”
GLORY RIVALS – Tiffany van Soest vs Manazo Kobayashi
“It’s super cool,” Bonjasky said, “I’m really, really excited. Especially for this fight,” on the GLORY RIVALS initiative, “You want to see which one of the great organizations is the best.” GLORY RIVALS will see GLORY test their champions against champions from other organizations. At GLORY 80 we will see the GLORY Super Bantamweight Champion Tiffany ‘Timebomb‘ van Soest defend her title against the RISE Champion Manazo Kobayashi. “To have one the champion of this organization fighting against the other one from another organization. We need to see the collaboration between great organizations. So, I’m excited.”
Light Heavyweight Championship – Artem Vakhitov vs Luis Tavares II
In 2013 Artem Vakhitov made quick work of Luis Tavares, earning a painful TKO via liver strike. “I was there!” Bonjasky continues, “I could hear him scream, I really could… It was a hard punch.” At GLORY 80 Tavares will be looking to avenge this loss and take the championship from Vakhitov. “Artem Vakhitov is a great champion,” Said Bonjasky, “I think Tavares needs to step it up. He needs to bring his best game plan, his best shots, best kicks to win.”
In this interview, Remy Bonjasky and I also break down the GLORY 80 fight of Jamal Ben Saddik vs Levi Rigters. Plus, we discuss Bonjasky’s 2003 & 2004 Kickboxing career championships. And, per listener requests, I ask him how Rico Verhoeven would have done during Bonjasky’s prime Kickboxing years.
“Even if you are a talented fighter,” Bonjasky says, “You need that crown.”
Featured Image Credit to GLORY Kickboxing
