Latescu Fights Caceres in Top 10 Showdown Saturday

It’s the beginning of a new season in sports this weekend. While most US-based sports fans will be camped out in front of their TVs and mobile devices, or at a tailgate lot eating up spare ribs and/or other assorted meats before going inside a stadium to watch a college football game on Saturday afternoon or evening, combat sports fans have a matinee to enjoy.

On a Saturday where the UFC‘s going to be dark ahead of another show at the Apex the night of Sept. 7, kickboxing takes center stage. GLORY Kickboxing returns this Saturday for GLORY 94 and a full afternoon of action.

Live coverage of GLORY 94 begins at 12 noon ET/ 9 am PT with the undercard on Stadium, Bally Live, and the GLORY YouTube channel before heading to Stadium and Bally Live only for the main card at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT from Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium.

Light Heavyweight Affair Serves as Focus of GLORY 94 Main Event

All told, barring any late adjustments between now and Saturday afternoon, the final version of GLORY 94 features a full 13-fight card. Highlighting the day’s activities is a nontitle main event at light heavyweight (209 lbs.)

No. 4 contender Stefan Latescu (17-3 kickboxing, 2-1 GLORY) meets No. 8 contender Cem Caceres (16-1, 1-0 GLORY) in a late replacement for the former’s original opponent, No. 2 heavyweight Bahram Rajabzedeh (69-3, 7-3 GLORY).  He’s been rebooked for GLORY 95 on Sept. 21 in Zagreb, Croatia for a title eliminator versus No. 1 contender Levi Rigters (18-2, 8-2 GLORY.)

This headliner is a maximum of three rounds at three minutes per round to close the show. As always, the three-knockdown rule is in effect for GLORY 94 on Saturday. Should a fighter knock his opponent down three times in a round or four times in a match, that fighter is declared the winner of the match by TKO.

GLORY 94 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the GLORY 94 main event on Saturday afternoon, both contestants stand 6-foot-2. No reach advantage information was accessible at press time .

In addition, no betting odds were accessible online at press time. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening in combat sports this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Stefan Latescu Faced With Late Opponent Change

Stefan Latescu enters the GLORY 94 main event Saturday afternoon having posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Most recently, he saw his 10-fight winning streak dating back to May of 2022 snapped at the hands of Donegi Abena (30-10 kickboxing, 8-5 GLORY) by way of third-round TKO (leg kicks) during the June 8 GLORY Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.

As recently as one week ago, Latescu had been preparing to face off against the aforementioned Rajabzadeh in the originally-scheduled GLORY 94 main event before he was moved over to the Sept. 21 event in Croatia. For a fighter to go through nearly the entirety of his training camp focusing on one opponent and then have to pivot to another adversary on nine days’ notice can’t be easy stuff.

This is what awaits Stefan Latescu on Saturday in the GLORY 94 main event. What have his coaches come up with as far as a revised gameplan for the fight against Cem Caceres this weekend? Only time will tell.

Caceres Looks to Build Off Impressive Debut Win Saturday

In the other corner, Cem Caceres has gone 5-0 in his last five fights as part of an ongoing nine-fight winning streak. Most recently, he stopped Mohamed Amine (29-8 kickboxing, 1-5 GLORY) with a second-round TKO due to a left hook on June 8 during a reserve bout in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Caceres’ services weren’t necessary for the rest of the night, however. Anytime that a fighter is booked to appear during the main event of the card, it speaks volumes as to how impressive he or she really is.

Bear in mind that Caceres was originally scheduled to have fought against Mory Krohmah (29-2-1 kickboxing, 1-0 GLORY) on this card up until last week when he was elevated to the main event slot. For Caceres to be fighting in the main event of a GLORY card in just his second promotional appearance proves that he’s a force to be reckoned with.

Will he rise to the occasion on Saturday? Tune in and find out.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Even though there’s no championship on the line in the GLORY 94 main event Saturday, the stakes are high. The winner moves one step closer in the light heavyweight championship picture.

Latescu Can Battle Back

Even though Stefan Latescu is a tough guy to beat, he might have to muster up the strength to come from behind, like he did Ibrahim El Bouni last year. While Latescu was knocked down inside the first 30 seconds of the fight, he scored a knockdown of his own later in round one.

During the second frame,  he landed a barrage of punches, including a right-handed shot to knock El Bouni down a second time, followed by a left hook for a third knockdown. While the left hook didn’t produce a knockout, Latescu kept his foot on the pedal to land another heavy barrage of shots for the standing TKO.

Stefan Latescu knows what to do when the chips are down. He can hurt a guy with the right selection of shots.

Cem Caceres Has Vicious Shots

In the other corner, Cem Caceres will also be hunting for the knockout on Saturday, like he did less than three months ago vs. Mohamed Amine. Caceres put Amine on the canvas during the opening round and remained hungry during the second stanza.

Upon clipping Amine with a knee, the latter countered with a kick to the body. Caceres returned fire with a left hook to his opponent’s midsection, followed by one to his jaw, forcing Amine down and out.

If Cem Caceres is able to beat Stefan Latescu to the punch, he’ll find himself in the top-5 at light heavyweight.

Final Thoughts

On an MMA-free Saturday, tell college football to grab a seat on the bench in the afternoon.  This is going to be a fun scrap.

Prediction: Cem Caceres by Second-Round Knockout.