Simon ‘Bad Bwoy’ Marcus (42-2-1, 24 KO’s) has a message for Artem ‘The Lion’ Levin (50-4-1, 33 KO’s) ahead of their GLORY 21 SAN DIEGO showdown on Friday, March 8 live on Spike TV.

“I want that belt. I tried for it [in the LAST MAN STANDING tournament] and came up short. Now here is my chance to get it, so let’s go,” he says.

“I am a champion, I have to have that belt. Any organization I fight in, my goal is not to be good fighter, my goal is to be the world champion and defend that.”

Marcus won the Middleweight Contender Tournament at GLORY 20 DUBAI, beating Wayne Barrett and Jason Wilnis in back-to-back fights to secure his title shot. Levin rattled Marcus’ cage before the tournament by making comments Marcus considered uncomplimentary.

Levin said that Marcus, a Muay Thai stylist who only recently crossed over to kickboxing rules, had looked “terrible” in his recent performances – suffering the first two losses of his career – and suggested he take some time off. He backed Alex Pereira to win the tournament.

“Coming from a guy like Levin, I wouldn’t really expect that because I would expect him to know what fighters are made of. You don’t judge a fighter by one bad performance or another. Why didn’t he judge me off the fight where I beat him?” says Marcus, referring to his win over Levin under Muay Thai rules.

“Your personal life takes a toll. Sometimes there are things going on in life which mean you are not going to be yourself when you get in the ring. So it doesn’t really bother me when they talk about a fight that really wasn’t me. I take it in stride and when I have the belt around my waist again then we will see what’s up.

“[Joe] Schilling was [also] saying I should take time off and blah blah. He can get it too. Whenever. Any time. I ain’t afraid of nobody. Why didn’t Schilling judge me off the fight where I beat him? They want to judge me off my worst performance?”

After two hard fights in one night against world-class opposition on April 3 it is fair to say that Marcus is being given a tight turnaround to get ready for this fight with Levin. But he says he came away from Dubai with no injuries – “couple of scratches, ain’t nothing” – and will be more than ready.

Marcus also feels he is finding his stride under kickboxing rules. He has now had three fights in GLORY and won two of them. He holds wins over Levin and Schilling under Muay Thai rules but the suggestion has been made that they will hold the advantage under GLORY rules. Not so, says Marcus.

“I am actually excited to be fighting in kickboxing because everybody thinks that this Thai fighter can’t adapt without his clinch and his elbows. I am excited to show the world that I am not a one-trick pony,” he explains.

“It is not just my clinch which wins my fights, it’s the fighter in me. It is me. It might take me a few fights to adapt and get used to it but I am looking to prove that I am the best regardless of whether it is kickboxing or Muay Thai.”

Marcus challenges Levin in the main event of GLORY 21 SAN DIEGO on Friday, May 8. The event will air live in the US on Spike TV at 9pm ET.

Karate master Raymond ‘Real Deal’ Daniels is in the co-main event and the card also features a four-man Heavyweight Qualification Tournament with the quarter battling it out for a chance to enter the next Heavyweight Contender Tournament with its prize of a world title shot.

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