A storied kickboxing rivalry that began over a decade ago will see
its rubber match play out atop Glory: Collision 3 for heavyweight
gold.
On Saturday, Glory Kickboxing will put on a blockbuster
pay-per-view offering with heavyweights in the main and
co-headlining slots. The marquee matchup pits Rico Verhoeven
(58-10, 18 KOs) against Jamal Ben Saddik (36-8, 1 NC; 29 KOs) for
all the marbles. All 20 competitors on this kickboxing showcase
event successfully made weight ahead of the show.
Since losing a decision to Semmy Schilt at Glory 4 in 2012,
Verhoeven has gone on an incredible run inside the Glory ring,
winning his next 20 fights with the organization. The champ
successfully defended his strap nine times, including once over Ben
Saddik in 2017 in an absolute thriller that ended in the fifth
frame. Along the way, Verhoeven also entered into a pair of
one-night Glory heavyweight tournaments in 2013 and 2021, winning
both with style points. The Dutch champion known as the “King of
Kickboxing” hit the scales at 266.4 pounds ahead of the rubber
match.
Ben Saddik was not the originally planned foe for Verhoeven, as
Verhoeven was booked against Alistair Overeem until Overeem
withdrew due to injury. Already slated to compete on the card in a
rematch with Benjamin Adegbuyi, Ben Saddik was elevated to the main
event spot due to his history with the champion. At an It’s
Showtime event in 2011, Ben Saddik forced Verhoeven’s corner to
throw in the towel early into the second frame, becoming the first
man to finish Verhoeven inside the distance. “Goliath” lived up to
his nickname by weighing in at a stout 271 pounds for his
championship affair.
Glory: Collision 3 will be held inside the Gelredome in Arnhem,
Netherlands, on Saturday. The pay-per-view, which can be purchased
at the Glory
Kickboxing site, will take place at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT/8 p.m.
CET. A four-fight preliminary offering that begins at 12 p.m. ET/9
a.m. PT/6 p.m. CET can be watched live for free on the Sherdog YouTube
page.
Glory Collision 3 Weigh-in Results:
Rico Verhoeven (266.4) vs. Jamal Ben Saddik (271)
Gokhan Saki (239.1) vs. James McSweeney (244.2)
Mohamed Mezouari (168.5) vs. Samuel Dbili (169)
Donegi Abena (206.6) vs. Sergej Maslobojev (207.9)
Benjamin Adegbuyi (261.4) vs. Antonio Plazibat (268.8)
Michael Duut (208.3) vs. John King (208.1)
Alim Nabiyev (169) vs. Troy Jones (169)
Serhii Adamchuk (142.6) vs. Aleksei Ulianov (142.8)
Matt Baker (186.1) vs. Serkan Ozcaglayan (183.7)
Stoyan Koprivlenski (153.8) vs. Bruno Gazani (153.8)