Mike Lemaire was born and raised in Paris, France but relocated to San Diego, California seven years ago. There he trains and instructs in the art of Muay Thai under former world champion Melchor Menor at the Art of Eight gym.

Like his countryman Jerome Le Banner, Lemaire’s martial arts journey started with judo, which he took up not long after his fourth birthday. Karate and kickboxing followed at age 12, with his Muay Thai period commencing with the move to San Diego. The result is a versatile fighter with a wide range of skills.

In 2013 Lemaire entered a Road To Glory middleweight tournament and powered through it, stopping two of his three opponents. In the final he met tournament favorite Eddie ’Showtime’ Walker and used brutal leg kicks to take him out with ruthless efficiency.

The win earned Lemaire a $20,000 prize and a call-up to the GLORY ranks.

“GLORY is why kickboxing is coming back. It used to be that there was nothing out there for strikers, but now with a big promotion like GLORY there is money to be made and there will be a lot more fighters turning to kickboxing, in the US at least. Its going to be very big for the sport here,” he says.

“Although for me, the Road to Glory tournament was all about the contract with GLORY. money is just money, but the contract is a tremendous opportunity. I’ll fight anyone GLORY puts in front of me now – anyone, anywhere, anytime.  I’ve got a lot to work on and a lot to learn, but I’m here to stay.”