By Ravinder Singh
The spotlight is on GLORY’s middleweight division tonight as Jason 'Psycho' Wilnis gets set to defend his kickboxing title for the first time against New Zealand’s own Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya as the headlining event at Glory 37 in Los Angeles.
So, who is Jason Wilnis?
Wilnis (29-6-1) hails from the Netherlands and has been part of the Glory promotion since its inception in 2012 and despite an inconsistent start to his career, he has remained undefeated since October 2015.
He is renowned for his technical boxing skill with those closest to him nicknaming him 'Tyson' after his obsession with the heavyweight boxer and his similar devastating brawl style.
Last September the 26-year-old finally got to show his skillset in its entirety while upsetting Simon Marcus to win the middleweight title via TKO in the third round – his first technical finish to a fight since 2013.
After originally wanting to play soccer, the Dutchman instead used his kicking prowess for kickboxing, following his older brother Jahffar Wilnis who is currently ranked third in GLORY’s heavyweight division.
There has always been a prominent kickboxing culture in the Netherlands, one that Wilnis truly represents as he gets into the ring to destroy his opponents, but Adesanya (65-3-0) could potentially be the antidote.
The 27-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi brings an unpredictable fighting style that could deflect Wilnis’ strengths – notably, his movement and incredible range.
Adesanya prides himself on adopting a 'ninja-like' way of avoiding hits which reflects his upbringing as a dancer. In addition, he packs a punch and throws kicks from anywhere - all with knock out potential.
Each fighter exudes confidence in their own right - Wilnis in the knowledge that the belt is already his, and Adesanya with nearly double the fight experience of the champion.
A win for Adesanya will give him his first world title after six years of fighting.
Newshub.
