GLORY 29 COPENHAGEN: Welterweight rivals collide in co-main with braggin...

This Saturday's GLORY 29 COPENHAGEN co-main event encounter between Niclas Larsen (44-8-1, 24 KO's) and Mohammed El Mir (113-21, 33 KO's) has a lot riding on it for both fighters. The two are close rivals and Danish fans have wanted to see them matched for a long time, yet it is only now that the fight is finally happening.

With both laying claim to be the top welterweight in Denmark the fight is essentially an unofficial national Danish welterweight championship; the winner will walk away with significant bragging rights over the loser.

Larsen is coming off a near year-long layoff. A blood infection he contracted last year turned into a serious issue which required surgery in order to save his foot. He was bed-bound for several weeks and it was nearly three months before he was back to walking normally and without needing to rest.

In the end Larsen had ten months without so much as punching a bag, making this fight a psychological challenge as much as a physical one. 'Ring rust' is a real thing, every fighter suffers from it whether they admit or not. Larsen will be worried about his sharpness and reactions as he goes into this local derby match.

“This will be a big test, my comeback to the big stage after nearly a year of recovery,” he admits. “A bacterial infection cost me ten months, three of them when I could hardly walk. And it came on me just two weeks before I was due to enter a Lightweight Contender Tournament where the winner would fight Robin van Roosmalen for his title.”

However, Larsen says that his time on the sidelines did not make him despondent. He was able to spend a lot of time with his children and also had a lot of time for introspection. He is now fully certain what he wants to do with his life.

“I’ve had a lot of thinking time and the dream has become more clear for me. I will give everything to accomplish as much in this sport as possible, to fight with the best, beat the best and someday be the champ that the other fighters dream to fight against!” he declares.

Larsen credits his girlfriend Metzy and his two children, Luciano and Damian, with giving him the strength to return to the ring. “She’s been there from the start and will be there until the end. She's always helped me through the ups and downs, always had the understanding of the sacrifices needed to take through the sport,” he says.

“I was basically a third child for her to care for when I was sick and she got me back on track a lot faster then I would have done on my own. The belief my family have in me makes me stronger and motivates me to accomplish my dreams.”

El Mir has similar goals. Born in Palestine, he and his family relocated to Denmark when he was just a year old. He discovered Muay Thai at the age of twelve and moved to his current gym, Maeng-Ho, when he was 15.

Now aged 28, he has spent nearly half his life training under Hans Olesen. His love and respect for his trainer shines through when he talks about him, and it is this – plus pride in himself and his team – which drive him towards victory on Saturday night.

“Hans Olesen took me in as if I was his own. He taught me everything that I know from thai-boxing but also what kind of person I would like to become,” he says. “I have travelled half the world and fought many difference places. This is my life, this is my passion and this is what I want to be remembered for. I want to become the best and I will do what ever I can to make that happen.

“If life has taught me anything it is that you can't take no for an answer. That is also why I would never turn down a fight. I fought against some of the biggest names of our time and I am not afraid to face anyone in the ring. This is my time!”

An added twist to the rivalry comes in the form of Larsen's cornerman Steffen Weise. “Yeah he actually fought El Mir before,” says Larsen. “He beat him in a WMC (World Muay Thai Council) title fight back in 2010. So this is the second time Steffen is opposite El Mir in the ring, but this time it's my turn to beat him.”

GLORY 29 COPENHAGEN takes place this Saturday, April 16 at the Forum Copenhagen in the capital city of Denmark. The headline slot features world welterweight champion Nieky 'The Natural' Holzken defending his belt against Swiss challenger Yoann Kongolo.

The event airs live in the US on ESPN 3 at 4pm ET and re-airs on ESPN 2 at 9pm ET. It airs live in the Netherlands on SPIKE TV NL. The card is preceded by the GLORY SUPERFIGHT SERIES 29 card which airs live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from 1.30PM ET.