GLORY 100 Results

GLORY 100 event is now complete! Hosted at the sold-out Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands, the night delivered nearly nine hours of non-stop kickboxing excitement. The card featured 19 fights, with several championship belts contested. From rising stars delivering standout performances to dramatic knockout finishes, the event offered both highs and lows, serving as a memorable showcase for the sport and one of GLORY`s most significant shows to date.

Heavyweight Title Fight

It was a decisive victory for the reigning king of kickboxing. Rico Verhoeven successfully defended his title for the 13th time, showcasing a dominant performance against former light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov over five rounds. While Vakhitov didn`t appear completely outmatched in his return to GLORY, he struggled to keep pace with Verhoeven`s relentless volume, pressure, and significant size advantage, giving up nearly 20 kilograms.

Verhoeven systematically dismantled his opponent, effectively targeting the legs and body while also landing precise jabs and uppercuts to the head. The champion landed more strikes in almost every exchange and secured a comfortable unanimous decision win, with all five judges scoring the fight 50-45 in his favor.

Following the fight, Verhoeven acknowledged Vakhitov`s effort, stating, “He goes downstairs, upstairs, to the body, to the head, so it’s so freaking hard—but believe me, this guy is going to be the next light heavyweight champion again, 100 percent.”

The future for Vakhitov remains uncertain; he may return to light heavyweight or participate in the upcoming Last Heavyweight Champion tournament, potentially earning another shot at Verhoeven.

Light Heavyweight Title Fight

In the Light Heavyweight title bout, Sergej Maslobojev started strong, attacking Tarik Khbabez’s legs with accurate low kicks to set up his punches against the Moroccan opponent. Khbabez had some moments with aggressive blitzes and hooks while pressing Maslobojev against the ropes, but the Lithuanian challenger had a fairly dominant first round, landing more frequently and accurately.

Champion Khbabez saw more success in the second round, as his constant forward pressure somewhat nullified Maslobojev`s work at distance, although it also hindered his own effectiveness. Whenever Maslobojev created space or angled away, he landed the cleaner shots, countering Khbabez`s punches and finding openings through his guard with straight strikes.

The third round followed a similar pattern, with Khbabez landing more effectively when Maslobojev retreated. However, the cumulative damage from the leg kicks began taking its toll, turning Khbabez into a more stationary target at range, preventing him from leaning on Maslobojev to relieve pressure on his legs.

Ultimately, the continuous damage to Khbabez`s head, body, and legs proved too much. Maslobojev secured three knockdowns from leg kicks and body shots, leading to a stoppage victory in the fourth round and earning the title for the highly technical Lithuanian fighter.

Middleweight Title Fight

Michael Boapeah opened the Middleweight title fight cautiously, maintaining a high guard and circling champion Donovan Wisse while attempting calf kicks. Wisse was more successful in the first round, landing counter punches and body shots with crescent kicks and knees.

Wisse began the second round in a southpaw stance, showing visible damage to his left leg from Boapeah`s calf kicks. Boapeah found more success with these kicks whenever Wisse switched back to orthodox, consistently disrupting the champion`s balance.

The third round unfolded similarly. Boapeah`s aggressive calf kicks made it difficult for Wisse to establish prolonged exchanges. However, when within punching range, the champion landed the cleaner shots.

The fourth round was closely contested. Boapeah couldn`t fully capitalize on a visibly slowed Wisse, often missing his power punches, while Wisse had more success with counters, hitting Boapeah’s guard, and landing knees at close range.

The fifth round also remained tight, with both fighters finding comparable success. Boapeah landed effective low kicks, while Wisse focused on punching volume and close-range work. Ultimately, the champion retained his title via a close-fought split decision, though two judges scored the bout for Boapeah.

Featherweight Title Fight

Contrary to expectations of a slow start from the champion and a close fight like their previous encounter, the measured southpaw champion Petchpanomrung dominated from the outset against the explosive challenger Miguel Trindade. The Thai fighter controlled the early rounds.

The first round was closely fought with minimal significant strikes, though the champion found some success with his trademark left kicks to the leg and body. The second round was far more impactful, with Petchpanomrung dropping Trindade twice – once with a body shot and again with a left high kick.

The champion then dictated the pace for the remainder of the fight using his left kick and solid defense, effectively stifling Trindade`s offense by targeting his legs and arms. Petchpanomrung delivered a masterclass, causing significant damage to the challenger`s legs, body, and arms en route to a completely lopsided unanimous decision victory, with only one judge awarding even a single round to Trindade.

Heavyweight Tournament: Group 1

The semifinal between Iraj Azizpour and Ionuț Iancu began cautiously, with both fighters exchanging mostly low kicks. Most notable moments came from Azizpour, albeit infrequently. In the second round, Azizpour was hurt by a right hand from Iancu but managed to stay on his feet until the bell. Azizpour then delivered a strong performance in the third against a fatigued Iancu, using jabs and kicks to secure a split decision victory (4 judges scored it 29-28 for Azizpour, 1 judge for Iancu).

In the other semifinal, Bouzid started in a southpaw stance matching his opponent and quickly sent Nasipov to the canvas a minute into the first round with a body combination. The Russian recovered well and made the rest of the first round very close despite the knockdown. He carried that momentum into the next two rounds, fighting behind a Philly shell defense that made him a difficult target and landing effective long punches. With the score tied after three rounds, they went to an extra sudden victory round. Nasipov was tired entering the fourth, allowing Bouzid to close the distance and negate Nasipov`s success range. As a result, the younger fighter lost a unanimous decision, allowing Bouzid to advance to the final.

For the Group 1 final, Bouzid switched to orthodox against Azizpour, appearing much more fluid with his strikes against the shorter, heavier Iranian. Azizpour’s low guard combined with Bouzid’s reach allowed Bouzid to land clean power jabs and right hands against the veteran. This, along with calf kicks, effectively slowed Azizpour down. In the third round, whenever Azizpour stepped into punching range, the Moroccan would unleash quick combinations to push him back. Bouzid secured a clear unanimous decision victory, moving him forward to Phase 2 of GLORY’s Heavyweight tournament.

Heavyweight Tournament: Group 2

Horta began his match as he usually does: moving forward and absorbing strikes on his guard and forehead. He consistently advanced on George, switching stances to land the southpaw cross, close distance on his taller opponent, and force clinches where he worked the body and head to wear George down. Horta won a unanimous decision using this strategy, likely conserving energy for the tournament final.

In the other semifinal, Milos and Cem exchanged calf kicks at range, with Cem appearing to have a slight edge. Milos adjusted by checking the kicks and backing Caceres into the corner. The Serbian carefully attacked, manipulating Caceres`s guard before ending the fight dramatically with a jumping knee that broke Caceres`s nose, resulting in a doctor stoppage at 2:01 of the first round.

The Group 2 final between Horta and Milos was very competitive over three rounds. Horta constantly pressured the smaller Serbian, while Milos landed the cleaner individual strikes for much of the fight. However, Horta`s relentless forward movement, body work, and a flash knockdown (which wasn`t officially scored) in the second round earned the fan favorite “Big Sexy” the victory, sending the Cape Verdean fighter into the second phase of the Heavyweight tournament.

Heavyweight Tournament: Group 3

Kromah delivered a dominant performance against Nechita in the first semifinal. He utilized his size advantage, landing heavy knees to the body and head, along with long, powerful punches, en route to a clear unanimous decision win. Kromah outworked the Romanian everywhere, effectively boxing him up against the ropes and while advancing.

In contrast, the other semifinal ended much quicker but was equally one-sided. Fan favorite Bahram Rajabzadeh quickly eliminated the larger Asdren Gashi within the first minute of the first round with a wild flurry of hooks.

In the Group 3 final, Bahram “The Golden Wolf” came out aggressively, throwing wild swings and jumping knees. In the chaotic exchanges, he hurt Kromah and illegally kneed him twice while Kromah was on the ground. These fouls prompted officials to discuss the situation, resulting in a point deduction for Bahram. When the fight resumed, Kromah dropped Bahram with a close-range knee to the head and finished him with another jumping knee as Bahram swung wildly, stopping “The Mad Golden Wolf.” Former Enfusion champion Kromah advances to the second phase of the heavyweight tournament with a decisive victory.

Heavyweight Tournament: Group 4

The first semifinal began slowly, with both fighters tentative. Luigj Gashi attempted calf kicks while guarding up, while Osaro stalked him and punched at his guard. Two minutes into the first round, Osaro landed a heavy cross after slipping Gashi`s jab, resulting in a standing count. The Albanian fighter chose not to continue, leading to a quick end for the Gashi brothers in the tournament.

The fight between Laidouni and Jamal Ben Saddik also ended quickly. Ben Saddik suffered a severe cut to his right shin early in the first round while checking a kick from the smaller Frenchman. Although Laidouni landed effectively with his southpaw cross during the brief exchange, the fight was stopped by the doctor in the first round due to JBS`s shin injury.

In the Group 4 final, Laidouni started very fast, circling frantically against the powerful pressure fighter Osaro and successfully evading shots for much of the first round. However, Osaro trapped Laidouni against the ropes and dropped him late in the first round with a right hand, sending the Frenchman face-first to the canvas. He barely made it back to his feet. Laidouni came out aggressively in the second, brawling with Osaro in the corner. This allowed the Nigerian fighter to land a massive stepping left hand, flooring the Frenchman and ending the fight in the second round. Cookie Osaro advances to Phase 2.