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GLORY 49
Yousri Belgaroui and Alex Pereira embrace after their first meeting on GLORY 40. Photo credit: James Law/Glory Sports International

One of two title fights on GLORY’s big year-end event is scheduled as the main event of the GLORY 49 SuperFight Series when Alex Pereira defends the GLORY middleweight belt for the first time against rising star Yousri Belgaroui.

The Brazilian and Dutchman fight for the second time in a little over seven months. When they first met on GLORY 40 in Copenhagen, it was for the right to call themselves number one contender. Now, it’s for the belt that “Pó Atan” owns.

Belgaroui won the first meeting in Denmark’s capital and learned about 45 minutes later he was supposed to face Simon Marcus, who crowned himself the champion for the second time in his career by beating Jason Wilnis with a razor-close split-decision.

But things went differently. Belgaroui said he was offered to fight Marcus on GLORY 43 in New York, but the fight never came together and he eventually fought and beat Wilnis in quick fashion on GLORY 45 in front of his hometown crowd in Amsterdam.

Two weeks later, Marcus lost the belt to Pereira, who upset the Canadian in the main event of GLORY 46 in GLORY’s premier event in China.

The tall middleweights have been going back-and-forth on Instagram in an effort hype their rematch, as Belgaroui will try to capture the belt, whilst Pereira wants to avenge his previous loss.

Former training partners collide in battle of contender tournament winners at GLORY 49

A title shot may be at stake when former training partners Ismael Londt and D’Angelo Marshall collide in an important matchup for the current GLORY heavyweight landscape.

“Mr. Pain”, currently ranked fifth in the GLORY rankings, returns following a 12-month layoff due to injury from a torn left bicep he suffered in last year’s fight with Jamal Ben Saddik on GLORY Collision. Londt, who beat GLORY heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven in 2009, returned to Mike’s Gym for this upcoming bout.

Marshall, currently ranked sixth, is looking to build on his contender tournament win last May at GLORY 41. The 26-year-old, who trained with Verhoeven at the Colosseum to prepare for Londt, might add some new flavor to the division that has almost been cleaned out by the current champ.

Londt will play host and local favorite in his hometown, while his ‘brother’ and former sparring partner from Team Slamm is from rival city Amsterdam. GLORY matchmaker Cor Hemmers told MMA Plus earlier that the winner will be ‘pretty close’ to a title fight.

Holzken looking to rebound from Doumbé losses against up-and-comer Nabiyev

The welterweight division is a war zone,” is the first thing Murthel Groenhart said after winning the GLORY welterweight title last August and former champion Nieky Holzken remains one of the biggest players in this current landscape with three victories over the current champ.

Holzken’s title chances turned upside down after “The Predator” captured the belt by beating his French nemesis Cédric Doumbé in Chicago at GLORY 44 by split-decision.

With a win over 22-year-old Alim Nabiyev, “The Natural” could be in pole position for a new title scrap, although the Dutchman has his doubts.

Holzken, who turns 34 one week after GLORY 49, has to rebound following back-to-back losses to “The Best” in his first bout in the Netherlands since GLORY 26. It will be his first non-title bout since February 2015.

Nabiyev promises to be a dangerous challenger for the former champion. “Professor” comes off a split-decision win over Jimmy Vienot on GLORY 47: Lyon in his promotional debut and was very eager to test his skills with Holzken.

The two were originally supposed to fight on GLORY 45 after Nabiyev replaced Yoann Kongolo on short-notice. Eventually, Holzken didn’t compete as well due to injuries on his left leg, as MMA Plus reported.

The second portion of the card is completed by Anderson “Braddock” Silva vs. Brian Douwes and Road to GLORY UK Welterweight Jamie Bates vs. Eyevan Danenberg.

Silva makes his 17th GLORY appearance. The former title challenger was supposed to fight UFC powerhouse Francis Ngannou’s training partner Xavier Vigney, but the tall American had second thoughts about competing and decided to retire before hopping on the plane to the Netherlands for his first kickboxing bout since GLORY 28.

Dutch veteran Douwes accepted the fight on three days’ notice and won his last bout against Fred Sikking. “The Hitman” was supposed to compete in WFL’s 16-men heavyweight tournament in October but pulled out due to unknown reasons.

Douwes was also a reserve fighter for the GLORY 41 heavyweight contender tournament last May in Den Bosch. He’ll get a chance to avenge a 2009 loss to Silva, who beat him by decision after an extra fourth round.

Bates is 2-0 in GLORY since debuting this year after beating Richard Abraham and Kev Ward by decision, while Danenberg made a statement in his last outing when he beat previously unbeaten Wellington Uega at GLORY 45.

Afterwards, “Mister Cool” told MMA Plus the win could have saved his career after dealing with motivational problems in the lead-up to the bout.

GLORY 49 SuperFight Series will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass at 6.30 p.m. GMT (1.30 p.m. ET / 10.30 a.m. PT.).