Danyo Ilunga

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Danyo Ilunga
Born (1987-01-31) January 31, 1987 (age 37)
Kinshasa, Zaire
Other namesDibuba
NationalityCongolese
German
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Weight94.9 kg (209 lb; 14.94 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach79 in (200 cm)
StyleKickboxing, Muay Thai
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofWaldbröl, Germany
TeamFighting Gym Waldbröl Team Ilunga
TrainerAsmir Burgic
Remy Bonjasky
Kickboxing record
Total74
Wins60
By knockout45
Losses14
Other information
SpouseFrançoise Ilunga
Last updated on: February 13, 2017

Danyo "Dibuba" Ilunga (born January 31, 1987) is a Congolese-German Muay Thai kickboxer currently competing in GLORY. Ilunga is a four-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion - most notably being the former It's Showtime 95MAX World Champion. As of November 2021, Combat Press ranks him as the #9 light heavyweight kickboxer in the world.[1]

Background[edit]

Ilunga was born in Zaire as one of seven children. The son of a prominent politician and the grandson of a local chief, the family had to flee due to the recurring conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resettling in Germany. A fan of martial arts films starring actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan, Ilunga's main motivation to compete in kickboxing was watching the legendary Remy Bonjasky's fights. In 2007 at the age of 19, Ilunga took up kickboxing under the tutelage of K-1 Germany 2003 Champion and now trainer, Asmir Burgic.[2] Ilunga would go on to train with Bonjasky himself. Ilunga's father, who later became a pastor, did not initially approve of Ilunga's career path, but his viewpoint switched after seeing his son win multiple titles and have a wealth of success in the sport.[citation needed]

Kickboxing career[edit]

After winning several domestic titles Ilunga entered the four man "1-King" Muay Thai Tournament in Bamberg, defeating both of his opponents on the night by stoppage to claim the Super Heavyweight Championship.[3] He followed up this victory the next year by claiming the vacant W.K.A. European Championship by defeating Tomi Colic, a late replacement for original opponent Roland Dabinovci, in what was a competitive fight.[3]

By the end of 2009, Ilunga won his first world title beating Jochen Gieb by TKO in the third to claim the I.M.C. belt.[4] He then followed his trainer and mentor Asmir Burgic by winning the German King Cup later that year (Burgic had won the previous edition)[5] and retained his I.M.C. world title later that year by easily stopping his Turkish opponent in the first round.[6] After an extensive winning streak on the local scene, beating fighters such as Karl Glischynski, Danyo lost his first match in a while, dropping a decision to the Dutch based Angolan Henriques Zowa. Unused to defeat, Danyo had a chance to make up for this setback in Leverkusen facing previous foe Karl Glischynski for the I.K.B.O. world title recently vacated by Florian Ogunade.[7] Danyo won the rematch in spectacular fashion, stopping Glischynski in the second with a knee/punch combination to become the new world champion.[8]

In 2011 Danyo, who had recently been training with x3 time K-1 world champion Remy Bonjasky, was called up to make his It's Showtime debut against Wendell Roche for the vacant 95MAX world title recently held by Tyrone Spong.[9] Coming into the fight relatively unheard of outside of Germany, Danyo outworked It's Showtime regular Wendell Roche over five rounds, scoring well with counterattacks to frustrate Roche and gain the unanimous decision victory and the It's Showtime world title belt.[10]

He faced Ali Cenik at Glory 2: Brussels on October 6, 2012, in Brussels, Belgium and won via unanimous decision.[11][12]

He beat Florian Ogunade bt TKO in round three at the Get in the Ring event in Hamburg, Germany on November 3, 2012.[13][14]

He KO'd Stephane Susperregui with a second round flying knee at Glory 5: London on March 23, 2013, in London, England.[15][16][17]

He went into the Glory 9: New York - 2013 95kg Slam in New York City on June 22, 2013, as the #1 ranked 95 kg fighter in Glory's internal rankings.[18][19] Ilunga took a wide unanimous decision over Mourad Bouzidi in the quarter-finals before going up against Dustin Jacoby in the semis. The American rookie put up a good fight in round one but Ilunga pulled away in the last two rounds with his low kicks. A highly anticipated match with Tyrone Spong awaited him in the final but it ended in a controversial and anticlimactic fashion. As the fight began, both fighters met in the center of the ring and Spong unloaded a flurry of punches. As Ilunga covered up and prepared to counter, referee Mufadel Elghazaoui jumped in and stopped the fight, giving Spong the TKO win at just sixteen seconds of the first round.[20][21][22] Although, it was later revealed that there was a "no standing eight count" rule in effect at the event as per the New York State Athletic Commission's regulations, the stoppage was still deemed premature by much of the kickboxing community.[23][24]

Ilunga defeated Michael Duut by first-round TKO at Glory 11: Chicago - Heavyweight World Championship Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, US on October 12, 2013.[25][26][27]

He knocked out Andrei Stoica in the first round of the tournament reserve bout at GLORY 15 - Light Heavyweight World Championship Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey on April 12, 2014. The two had spirited exchanges in the first round. Ilunga was consistent with his piercing knees to Stoica, who countered them well with his right hand. Both men were successful and landed hard shots. Stoica thought that he had an advantage on a particular combination but just grazed Ilunga with a hook instead of landing clean. This allowed Ilunga to get underneath it and come back with a huge counter right hand that floored and took Stoica out, who didn't have his feet beneath him to answer the ten count.[28][29][30]

In February 2015 Ilunga signed for Croatia's Final Fight Championship promotion.[31]

On the 2nd of October, 2021, Ilunga defeated Piotr Ramankevich[32] at Stekos Fight Night at the Circus Krone in Munich. Shortly after, he announced his retirement from the sport on Instagram.[33]

Titles[edit]

  • 2016 Glory Fight of the Year [34]
  • 2013 Glory 95kg Slam Tournament Runner-up
  • 2011–2013 It's Showtime 95MAX world champion -95 kg (2 title defences)
  • 2010 I.K.B.O. Muaythai heavyweight world champion -95 kg
  • 2010 I.M.C. Muaythai world champion -95 kg (1st title defence)
  • 2009 German King Cup (K-1 rules) heavyweight tournament champion +95 kg
  • 2009 I.M.C. Muaythai world champion -95 kg
  • 2009 W.K.A. (K-1 rules) heavyweight European champion -95 kg
  • 2008 "1-King" International (K-1 rules) super heavyweight tournament champion +100 kg
  • IFMA national German champion

Kickboxing record[edit]

Kickboxing Record
61 Wins (46 (T)KO's), 14 Losses
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time
2021-10-02 Win Belarus Petr Romankevich Steko's Fight Club Germany Decision 5
2019-10-03 Win Netherlands Brian Douwes Steko's Fight Club Germany Decision 5
2019-06-19 Win Netherlands Fred Sikking Steko's Fight Club Germany KO (Right Hook) 2 1:24
2018-12-01 Loss United Kingdom James McSweeney Mix Fight Gala 25 Germany KO (Spinning Backfist) 3
2018-08-10 Loss Russia Artem Vakhitov Glory 56: Denver Broomfield, Colorado, USA Decision (unanimous) 5 3:00
For Glory Light Heavyweight Championship.
2018-06-02 Win England Fraser Weightman Glory 54: Birmingham Birmingham, England Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00
2017-12-09 Win Netherlands Michael Duut Glory 49: Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands KO (Punch) 3 2:26
2017-08-04 Loss France Stéphane Susperregui Fight Night Saint-Tropez France Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00
2017-02-24 Loss Brazil Ariel Machado Glory 38: Chicago, Semi Finals Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2016-12-10 Loss Netherlands Michael Duut Glory 36: Oberhausen Oberhausen, Germany Ext. R. Decision (unanimous) 4 3:00


2015-12-04 Loss Tunisia Mourad Bouzidi Glory 26: Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands Decision (split) 3 3:00
2015-11-06 Loss Russia Artem Vakhitov Glory 25: Milan Monza, Italy Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2015-08-04 Loss Russia Alexei Papin Fight Night Saint-Tropez [35] Saint Tropez, France Decision (unanimous) 4 2:00
2015-04-17 Loss Azerbaijan Zabit Samedov GFC Fight Series 3 - Heavyweight Tournament, Final Dubai, UAE Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) 4 3:00
For the GFC Fight Series 3 Heavyweight Tournament.
2015-04-17 Win Iran Jafar Ahmadi GFC Fight Series 3 - Heavyweight Tournament, Semi Finals Dubai, UAE TKO (referee stoppage) 2 —
2014-11-07 Loss Brazil Saulo Cavalari Glory 18: Oklahoma - Light Heavyweight Contender Tournament, Semi Finals Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2014-06-12 Win Czech Republic Ondřej Hutník Gibu Fight Night [36] Prague, Czech Republic TKO 3
2014-04-12 Win Romania Andrei Stoica Glory 15: Istanbul - Light Heavyweight World Championship Tournament, Reserve Match Istanbul, Turkey KO (right overhand) 1 2:33
2013-10-12 Win Netherlands Michael Duut Glory 11: Chicago Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA TKO (left hook) 1 2:23
2013-06-22 Loss Suriname Tyrone Spong Glory 9: New York - 95 kg Slam Tournament, Final New York City, New York, USA TKO (punches) 1 0:16
For the Glory 95kg Slam Tournament.
2013-06-22 Win United States Dustin Jacoby Glory 9: New York - 95 kg Slam Tournament, Semi Finals New York City, New York, USA Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2013-06-22 Win Tunisia Mourad Bouzidi Glory 9: New York - 95 kg Slam Tournament, Quarter Finals New York City, New York, USA Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2013-03-23 Win France Stephane Susperregui Glory 5: London London, England KO (knee) 2 0:21
2012-11-03 Win Germany Florian Ogunade Get in the Ring Hamburg, Germany TKO (punches) 3
2012-10-06 Win Turkey Ali Cenik Glory 2: Brussels Brussels, Belgium Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2012-09-08 win Suriname Sergio Piqué Merseburger Fight Night, Final Merseburg, Germany KO (left hook)
Wins K-1 Heavyweight Tournament title
2012-09-08 win Curaçao Wendell Roche Merseburger Fight Night, Quarter Finals Merseburg, Germany Decision 3 3:00
2012-06-30 win Belgium Filip Verlinden Music Hall & BFN Group present: It's Showtime 57 & 58 Brussels, Belgium Decision (split) 5 3:00
Retains It's Showtime 95MAX world title (3rd title defence).
2011-11-12 Win Spain Loren Javier Jorge Street Culture, Fight Club Group & Canary Kickboxing Federation presents: It's Showtime 53 Tenerife, Spain Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00
Retains It's Showtime 95MAX world title (2nd title defence).
2011-09-17 Win Morocco Mohamed Boubkari Thailand vs Europe Stuttgart, Germany 2 Ext. R. Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00
2011-06-11 Win Serbia Nenad Pagonis BFN Group presents: It's Showtime Warsaw Warsaw, Poland TKO (Referee Stoppage) 4 1:13
Retains It's Showtime 95MAX world title -95 kg (1st title defence).
2011-03-06 Win Curaçao Wendell Roche It's Showtime Sporthallen Zuid Amsterdam, Netherlands Decision (Unanimous) 5 3:00
Wins vacant It's Showtime 95MAX world title -95 kg.
2010-12-11 Win Germany Karl Glischynski Masters Fight Night Leverkusen, Germany KO (Knee & Punches) 2
Wins vacant I.K.B.O. Thai-boxing heavyweight world title -95 kg.
2010-11-14 Win Netherlands Bob van Boxmeer Thailand vs. Challenger Series: Thailand vs. Germany Ulm, Germany Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00
2010-10-09 Loss Angola Henriques Zowa Mix Fight Gala 10 Darmstadt, Germany TKO (Referee Stoppage) 3
2010-07-04 Win Turkey Serkan Öztürk Backstreet Fights IV Cologne, Germany KO 1
2010-05-08 Win Germany Karl Glischynski Rostock Fight Night Rostock, Germany TKO (Cut) 3
2010-04-17 Win Turkey Ayhan Kazankaya Night Fighting Waldbröl, Germany KO (Punches) 1
Retains I.M.C. Muaythai world title -95 kg.
2010-04-04 Win Netherlands Revanho Blokland S-8 Thaiboxing Wuppertal, Germany KO 1
2009-11-14 Win Germany Dennis Sebastian Germany Kings Cup Round III, Final Rostock, Germany KO 3
Wins German King Cup (K-1 rules) heavyweight tournament title +95 kg.
2009-11-14 Win Germany Moritz Schacht Germany Kings Cup Round III, Semi Final Rostock, Germany TKO 2
2009-10-10 Win Germany Jochen Gieb Fight Night Freiburg Freiburg, Germany TKO (Ref Stop/3 Knockdowns) 3
Wins vacant I.M.C. Muaythai world title -95 kg.
2009-06-13 Win Croatia Tomi Colic Weidener Fight Night Weiden, Germany TKO (Retirement) 4 3:00
Wins vacant W.K.A. (K-1 rules) heavyweight European title -95 kg.
2009-03-21 Loss Brazil Anderson "Braddock" Silva VIP Fight Night 2009, Quarter Final Neuss, Germany KO (Punches) 2 2:07
2008-12-13 Win Czech Republic Jan Müller The Champions Club Germany '08, Final Bamberg, Germany KO (Right Punch) 2
Wins "1-King" International (K-1 rules) tournament title +100 kg.
2008-12-13 Win Turkey Mutlu Karabulut The Champions Club Germany '08, Semi Final Bamberg, Germany TKO (Ref Stoppage) 2
2008-?-? Win Germany Patrick Kolbe Germany TKO (Ref Stop/Punch) 2
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Aittama, Zach. "Combat Press Kickboxing Rankings: November 2021". combatpress.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Über mich (Early Career/Biography - German Language)". www.danyoilunga.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  3. ^ a b "The Champions Club - TCC 2, Germany". www.the-championsclub.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  4. ^ "DANYO ILUNGA IS THE NEW IMC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION". www.imc-muaythai.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  5. ^ "ROSTOCKER FIGHTNIGHT am 16.04.2011 in Rostock". www.germankingcup.de. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  6. ^ "IMC WORLD TITLE FIGHT". www.imc-muaythai.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  7. ^ "Ilunga vs. Glischynski II . Thai/Kickboxen . GroundandPound (In German)". www.groundandpound.de. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  8. ^ "Ilunga ist IKBO Worldchampion - Waldbröl - Extra-Blatt Siegburg (In German)". www.extra-blatt.de. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  9. ^ "Wendell Roache gets world title fight". teamredragonz.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  10. ^ "It's Showtime 46: Danyo Ilunga Frustrates Wendell Roche to Win the ..." liverkick.com. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  11. ^ Dave Walsh. "GLORY 2 Brussels Final Fight Card For This Saturday". LiverKick.com.
  12. ^ Dave Walsh (25 September 2019). "GLORY 2 Brussels Live Results". LiverKick.com.
  13. ^ Dave Walsh. "Danyo Ilunga Fights On Saturday, November 3 In Germany". LiverKick.com.
  14. ^ Dave Walsh. "Danyo Ilunga Wins Again In Germany". LiverKick.com.
  15. ^ Dave Walsh (15 December 2016). "GLORY 5 London Fight Card". LiverKick.com.
  16. ^ Dave Walsh (22 April 2019). "GLORY 5 London Live Results". LiverKick.com.
  17. ^ "Results and Recap: Glory 5 ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on 2015-03-20.
  18. ^ Dave Walsh. "More Details Announced For GLORY 9 NYC LHW Tournament, June 22". LiverKick.com.
  19. ^ Dave Walsh (9 November 2016). "Full Glory 9 NYC Fight Card So Far". LiverKick.com.
  20. ^ "Glory 9 Results and Recap: Tyrone Spong Wins Light Heavyweight Tournament ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on 2013-06-27.
  21. ^ "GLORY 9 Results and Review: Tyrone Spong Wins Light Heavyweight Tournament, Ghita Dominates Guidon". FSA - FightSport Asia. Archived from the original on 2013-08-12.
  22. ^ Dave Walsh (April 2019). "GLORY 9 New York Live Results and Updates". LiverKick.com.
  23. ^ Michael Stets. "Tyrone Spong Wins Glory 9 Light Heavyweight Slam with 16-Second TKO in Final". Bleacher Report.
  24. ^ Dave Walsh (20 October 2016). "LiverKick - LiverKick".
  25. ^ "News - THREE NEW FIGHTS CONFIRMED FOR GLORY 11 CHICAGO".
  26. ^ Dave Walsh (28 March 2019). "GLORY 11 Chicago Live Results and Discussion".
  27. ^ "Glory 11 Results and Recap ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18.
  28. ^ "Glory 15 Results and Recap ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on 2014-04-14.
  29. ^ "GLORY 15 Results/Pictures: Saki wins title, Spong suffers horrific leg injury". FSA - FightSport Asia. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13.
  30. ^ "Gokhan Saki Wins Title, Tyrone Spong Suffers Gruesome Leg Injury at Glory 15". Sherdog.
  31. ^ Walsh, Dave. "LiverKick - Danyo Ilunga Signs with FFC". Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  32. ^ "Stekos Fight Night - Results II - WKUWORLD". 2 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Boxen | Kickboxen | Thaiboxen on Instagram: "Der erfolgreichste deutsche Kickboxer hört auf! Danyo du kannst auf deine Erfolge sehr stolz sein, das sind wir auch! Wir freuen uns, das du deine letzten Kämpfe in unserem Team bestritten hast. Es war schön, dich dabei zu begleiten! Du bist ein toller Mensch, wir haben dich in unser Herz geschlossen und unsere Türen bleiben immer für dich offen! Alles Gute für dich!!! _____________________________ #danyoilunga #teamwork #missyoualready #goodby #champ #forever #k1 #nr1"".
  34. ^ "Danyo 'Dibuba' Ilunga".
  35. ^ Jerome Le Banner oprašta se protiv Mauricea Jacksona (in Croatian)
  36. ^ LANDA NEPĚL – ÚPĚL, VZDOROVAL FINOVI CHLAPSKY: PRAŽSKÝ RING MĚL THAIBOXERSKÉ HODY, HUTNÍK SI PROŽIL K. O., ŽÁK SUKCES S El-GAOUIM, HRON TRIUMFOVAL Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine(in Czech)

External links[edit]

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