Nordine Mahieddine came out on top against Kiril Kornilov at Glory 70 in a razor thin split decision bout. The win saw Mahieddine move to the 10th ranked spot in Glory’s rankings. In this interview we discuss his kickboxing beginnings, his best career accomplishments and even a possible MMA transition in the future.
Mahieddine started kickboxing very young, at the age of 8. “I started kickboxing at the age of 8 because I was a child who was nervous with a lot of energy.” Who would have thought that that excess energy would lead to fighting for Glory and more?
It was the early days of kickboxing that hooked Mahieddine in. “The event of the Japan K-1 and it’s legendary fighters,” said Mahieddine. He’s talking about Semmy Schilt, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky and more. The K-1 days of kickboxing sucked in Nordine Mahieddine and never let go, fueling his desire to compete in the sport that enthralled him.
Outside of boxing, Mahieddine spends time with his family. In addition to that, he shares his experiences with others. “I spend time with my family. I [also] learn from my experiences and share them to others because I like teaching.”
Nordine Mahieddine vs. Kiril Kornilov
In the first round, Mahieddine came out with a little pressure, waiting on Kornilov to make the first move. He threw a couple jabs and leg kicks to get a reaction out of Kornilov, which in turn allowed Mahieddine to get a read on him. The first round went on as a stalemate. Mahieddine did show flashes of his speed early on in the fight, with a lightning fast combo that had Kornilov backpedaling. As the first round expired, something awoke in both the fighters and they started exchanging.
At the start of round two, Nordine Mahieddine comes out light on his feet, trying to get inside Kornilov. This time, Kornilov is wiser and starts throwing the jab keeping Mahieddine away. Mahieddine decided to counter off his back foot, throwing body shots at Kornilov. Kornilov started with the pressure with a beautiful combo against the ropes that had Mahieddine covered up for a second. Wisely, Mahieddine got out of there quickly but Kornilov kept up the pressure.
The third round started off with a bang for Mahieddine. He caught Kornilov with a high kick to the dome and had his opponent wobbles. Mahieddine pounces with some big shots that Kornilov gets away from. Mahieddine throws a spinning back kick that misses but has the crowd gasp. After a quick axe kick, Mahieddine slows the pace down to conserve energy. Kornilov begins to push the pace to take control of the fight, being down early in the round. Mahieddine was working off the counter for much of the remainder of the fight.
The big third round was enough to get Mahieddine the win, albeit a split decision. Now in the rankings, he’s ready for higher up fighters in Glory’s heavyweight division.
As for his performance, Mahieddine was and was not happy. Getting the win is always a good thing when you’re a fighter. But he feels like his performance was lacking. “I am satisfied without being satisfied. I am satisfied because I won but I am not satisfied because I could not show my boxing and I could not express myself as I wanted to against a fighter like Kiril Kornilov.”
As for what’s next, the Frenchman looks to utilize his ranking and start fighting the top of the division. “[I want to] enter the rankings and start taking the best. It will be good.”
Mahieddine And His Future
Nordine Mahieddine is incredibly happy fighting for Glory. “It’s a big organization, everything is framed and the show is huge.” He’s right. Glory is the largest kickboxing promotion on the planet now.
Promotions like ONE Championship hosts kickboxing and Muay Thai tournaments. Mahieddine says these tournaments intrigue him and present a unique challenge. “So far the tournaments have been successful in my career. So yes, tournaments allow me to become bigger than a fight because I box several people in the same evening even if it’s difficult.”
Mahieddine is all about chasing a challenge. “I hope to make a fight in MMA in my career to see [how it feels],” says Mahieddine of a potential MMA crossover. Time will tell if he gets the opportunity to do so, but you can know without a doubt, if he does, Mahieddine will go all in.
Be sure to follow Nordine Mahieddine on Instagram and Facebook to keep posted on all his latest kickboxing ventures.
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