Glory has added a new recruit, Achraf Aasila. The 27-year-old Italian will make his debut in the Rise x Glory Last Featherweight Standing under the Glory flag on Aug. 2, according to reports on social media. The move is both the fulfillment of a dream and the beginning of a new chapter for Aasila.

seasoned fighter

The 27-year-old Aasila is not just any newcomer. He is listed in the BeyondKick rankings at the 6 spot in the 61-pound class. He has made his mark in Asia and Europe, but is thus moving up a weight class.

Although he has a background in Muay Thai - known for his knee strikes, kicks and clinch work - His style is aggressive, technical and constantly moving forward. With that, he seems to fit well within the Glory rules, which reward fighters who show dominance and seek the fight.

The Italian himself calls the signing of his contract “A dream come true.” Interestingly, Aasila's manager is not entirely unknown to the Glory public namely Glory veteran Abdellah Ezbiri.

French opponent

At RISE & GLORY on Aug. 2, Aasila will make his debut against Lounis Saing, a fighter with a more classic kickboxing style. Unlike Aasila, Saing is not yet an established name. The young talent gained his experience mainly in his home country of France at regional events. As such, the Frenchman will enter the bout as the underdog.

Last Featherweight Standing

Last Featherweight Standing is a collaboration between Glory and Japan's RISE. Both organizations host their own 12-man bracket. Through a knockout system, one finalist remains on each side. Those two finalists then fight each other in a final to determine which organization has the best featherweight standing.

Achraf Aasila competes in the GLORY bracket. His first bout, on Aug. 2 against Lounis Saing, is part of the opening round. Should Aasila win that one, an encounter with one of the fighters from Glory's current top four awaits. These, in fact, do not enter until one round later. In total, the Italian will need 4 wins to take the tournament to his name.