MMA Vets Schilt, Kharitonov to Fight in Glory's Single-Night 16-Man Kickboxing Tourney
Thirteen fighters have been announced for Glory World Series' 16-man heavyweight kickboxing tournament, and five of them have previously competed in MMA.
Promotion officials announced Wednesday that Semmy Schilt, Sergei Kharitonov, Jerome Le Banner, Peter Aerts and Errol Zimmerman will participate in the one-night tournament. Remy Bonjasky, Gokhan Saki, Filip Verlinden, Ismael Londt, Braddock Silva, Brice Guidon, Jamal Ben Saddik and Igor Jurkovic have also joined the single-elimination field.
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The most experienced MMA competitor of the announced group, Schilt has fought 41 times under mixed rules, most recently earning a submission victory over Siala-Mou “Mighty Mo” Siliga in 2008. A Pride Fighting Championships veteran and former open-weight King of Pancrase, the 38-year-old is one of only two men to win the K-1 world grand prix title four times, capturing the coveted kickboxing crown from 2005 to 2007 and again in 2009.
Another well-known Pride vet, Kharitonov knocked out Schilt under that defunct banner in 2004. Kharitonov, 31, would later sign with Strikeforce advancing to the semifinals of the promotion's heavyweight grand prix before suffering a submission defeat at the hands of Josh Barnett this past September. The sambo practitioner last competed on June 1, finishing John Delgado with a keylock on home soil in the Russian MMA Championship.
Le Banner, 39, has competed five times in MMA since 2001, earning all three of his wins by knockout. The Frenchman most recently fought on New Year's Eve 2010, falling by unanimous decision to 2008 Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. The southpaw is next scheduled to square off with Marcin Rozalski at KSW 20 on Sept. 15.
A three-time K-1 world grand prix champion, Aerts, 41, competed twice under MMA rules in 2005, going 1-1. Meanwhile, Zimmerman, 26, was defeated in his lone MMA appearance, falling by submission in 2008 to Ikuhisa Minowa.
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