Rico Verhoeven, the GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion, has officially re-signed with the promotion on an exclusive, long-term contract. The length of the contract (or number of fights) was not disclosed.
GLORY revealed the news in a press release on Monday. MMA Plus reported that a deal was in place this past Saturday after speaking to Verhoeven.
What makes this, what GLORY is calling a 360-degree deal, unique is that the promotion and Verhoeven will be collaborating on “sponsorship, media and entertainment opportunities, and increased brand building in the American and Chinese markets,” the released stated.
“Rico is a transcendent athlete; the kind that comes along once in a generation, whose presence on a fight card drives attendance, viewers, and engagement worldwide,” said GLORY co-founder and Vice Chairman Scott Rudmann. “Over nearly five years working with the promotion, Rico has established himself as one of the biggest names in combat sports and the undisputed best heavyweight on the planet, while GLORY has locked down its position as the world’s number one stand-up combat league.
“We are delighted about the possibilities this partnership will unlock. Rico has become one of the top-earning combat sports stars worldwide, and we hope the next generation of athletes can see the opportunities presented by kickboxing, not just MMA, to be a lucrative sport and career pursuit. Rico deserves every ounce of his success.”
Verhoeven (51-10), 28, defeated Ismael Lazaar in the main event of the GLORY 41 Superfight Series over the weekend, improving his GLORY record to 13-1.
“I’m delighted with this renewed GLORY contract,” said Verhoeven. “Not only because it’s the biggest in kickboxing history, but especially because I can add value to the GLORY brand in territories such as Asia and the USA.
Known as “The Kind of Kickboxing,” Verhoeven began fighting for GLORY in 2012, and won the GLORY heavyweight title at GLORY: Last Man Standing in 2014 after defeating Daniel Ghita by unanimous decision at The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif.
