Eddy Naït-Slimani made a spectacular GLORY debut in the opening fight of the Superfight Series card, putting on a kicking clinic which wowed fans in the Accor Hotels Arena, Paris.
Nait-Slimani came to the ring with a 59-1 record which dwarfed Brazilian Yurk's 8-4 sheet. The difference showed; Slimani's performance had all the professional polish one would expect with such an extensive record.
Yurk had the size and power advantage but the lithe Slimani's speed and timing were on a completely different level. Every time Yurk went to jab, Slimani would slip inside and land his own stiff jab before Yurk's was even halfway out.
His leg attack and defense was another level again. Fast kicks, hard kicks and flying kicks, Slimani did them all. He even landed a jumping spin back kick to the body at least four times over the course of three rounds, showing both his skills and his level of comfort in the ring.
Yurk had some successes of his own, particularly when Slimani would choose to stay static and use a double-arm cover rather than employing mobility or counter-striking.
But for the most part Slimani was in control, drawing gasps of appreciation from the audience with superb, almost balletic striking. His push-kick to the jaw would spring from nowhere, catching Yurk unawares several times.
The young Brazilian gave a spirited performance and never stopped working or looking to do damage but the fight was clearly in the bag for Slimani and there was no doubt about the judge's decision. They returned scores of 30-27 on all cards to hand Slimani the unanimous decision win and set Yurk 0-2 in his last two, 1-2 in GLORY overall.
Eddy Naït-Slimani def. Maykol Yurk, Unanimous Decision, (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
