GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league, today announced the finalized card for its year-end show, as RAI Amsterdam hosts the promotion’s first card in Holland on Friday, Dec. 4, featuring two world title fights and a featherweight contender tournament.
In the headline bout of GLORY 26 Amsterdam, the first of two world titles is on the line as GLORY Welterweight World Champion Nieky “The Natural” Holzken (87-11, 46 KO) defends his belt against Dutch-Surinamese striker Murthel “The Predator” Groenhart (58-18-3, 33 KO).
Representing a rematch long in the making, the two were originally scheduled to do battle for the second time at GLORY 19 Virginia in February, before an injury sidelined Groenhart. Instead, “The Predator” defeated Nicola Gallo and Kharim Ghajji last week during the one-night, four-man Welterweight Contender Tournament at GLORY 25 Milan, securing his opportunity to avenge the 2010 loss to Holzken and capture GLORY gold.
The co-headline bout features another title holder who calls the Netherlands home in GLORY Heavyweight World Champion and Dutch native Rico “The Prince of Kickboxing” Verhoeven (46-10, 11 KO), taking on powerful Romanian Benjamin “Mister Gentleman” Adegbuyi (22-3, 14 KOs).
No. 1 ranked Adegbuyi, who faced Verhoeven at GLORY 22 Lille in June, earned the rematch by defeating Mladen Brestovac and Jahfarr Wilnis in an exciting one-night, four-man Heavyweight Contender Tournament at GLORY 24 Denver in October.
Moroccan-Dutch Mosab “Jaguar” Amrani (53-10-4, 16 KO) was the first participant to be announced for GLORY 26 Amsterdam’s one-night, four-man Featherweight Contender Tournament. Joining “Jaguar” will be South Korean veteran ChiBin Lin (69-17, 40 KO), who meets Amrani, ranked No. 1 in the weight class, in the first of two semi-final bouts. In the second semi-final match-up, American dynamo Shane Oblonsky (10-4, 3 KO) welcomes GLORY newcomer Maykol Yurk (7-3).
The tournament winner will earn the next shot at newly crowned GLORY Featherweight World Champion Serhiy Adamchuk.
The eight bouts that have been announced for GLORY 26 Amsterdam and GLORY SuperFight Series Amsterdam can be found below. Two SuperFight Series Bouts have yet to be announced.
GLORY 26 AMSTERDAM
Welterweight Title Headline Bout: Nieky Holzken (c) vs. Murthel Groenhart
Featherweight Tournament Final Bout: Winner of Bout A vs. Winner of Bout B
Heavyweight Title Co-Headline Bout: Rico Verhoeven (c) vs. Benjamin Adegbuyi
Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final Bout B: Mosab Amrani vs. ChiBin Lin
Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final Bout A: Shane Oblonsky vs. Maykol Yurk
TWO TITLE FIGHTS OFFICIAL FOR GLORY 26 AMSTERDAM
Heavyweight Bout: Errol Zimmerman vs. Thomas Vanneste
Light Heavyweight Bout: Mourad Bouzidi vs. Michael Duut
Light Heavyweight Bout: Fred Sikking vs. Zinedine Hameur-Lain
