Dylan Salvador (50-13-1, 21 KO’s) got the win over Massaro Glunder (30-11-4, 20 KO’s) in the main event of the GLORY 47 LYON Superfight Series card, but it was not without controversy.
A fight between Dylan Salvador and Massaro Glunder was always going to be a war, but when it took place against a background of them both riding a two-fight win streak, the stakes - and the intensity - were raised even higher. As soon as the opening bell sounded they went to war, Salvador marching to the middle of the ring and Glunder joining him there. Salvador let his hands go, Glunder fired back with savage knee strikes to the body and head. That intensity meant that both fighters were throwing at every possibly moment. In the second round, a close-range brawl turned into a clinch. Glunder put his arms out to indicate that he was not engaging in the clinch, turning away as the referee called for the fighters to break. As he did so, Salvador let fly with a left hook which arced around from behind Glunder and landed flush on his jaw, dropping him to the canvas. The crowd booed Salvador heavily, but he protested that the referee had not called for the fighters to break at the time he threw the shot. Glunder took a time out to recover his senses. Had he said he was unable to continue, he would have been declared the winner by disqualification. instead, he indicated that he wanted to fight on. The referee indicated that Salvador was being docked one point for the blow, then allowed the fight to restart. Salvador rushed Glunder and mauled him with a flurry of heavy blows, sending him to the canvas again. This time the knockdown was called and Glunder took an eight-count from the referee. As soon as the fight restarted, he rushed at Salvador and launched a flying knee. Salvador timed it, met him with an overhand punch and sent Glunder to the canvas for the third time in the round. Another knockdown call was made and Glunder took another count, although it could easily be argued that he went down simply because he was in mid-air when Salvador’s counter landed on him. Still, two knockdowns in one round counted against him on the scoresheet. A point deduction for Salvador meant that this became a 9-7 round, the first time that score has ever occurred in a round of GLORY Kickboxing. Glunder needed a finish if he was going to win the fight but he was rocked from the previous round and Salvador was still sharp. They traded heavy leather for the final round, Salvador thinking he could finish Glunder off but finding out that the young Amsterdam fighter is made of stern stuff. When the scores came in, all five judges ringside saw the fight for Salvador, although the point deduction combined with two knockdowns makes it one of the stranger-looking scorelines that GLORY has recorded. Salvador said afterwards that he didn’t consider his shot to be foul, citing the GLORY 42 PARIS fight where Murthel Groenhart threw exactly the same blow, stopped Harut Grigorian and had it ruled a knockout win. Dylan Salvador def. Massaro Glunder, Unanimous Decision (28-26, 28-26, 28-26, 28-26, 28-26)
