Rico Verhoeven defends Glory heavyweight title at Glory 100

After eight hours of exciting action at the anniversary Glory 100 event in Rotterdam Ahoy, the main stars of the evening, Rico Verhoeven and Artem Vahitov, faced each other in the heavyweight division. The legendary Dutch champion, at the age of 36, delivered another amazing performance and defeated the 34-year-old Russian by unanimous decision (5x50-45) to defend his Glory title.

From the very beginning of the match, Verhoeven took the center of the ring and took the initiative. Rico tried to fight back with powerful low kicks and hand techniques, but Rico's precise hooks and uppercuts left him without a real answer. Verhoeven tirelessly maintained a high tempo, throwing head-to-body combinations and persistently pressuring his rival.

In the second round, Artem managed to land a spinning back kick, but Verhoeven dominated with pressure and volume of punches. On several occasions, Rico almost fell after contact, but this was due to a loss of balance, not due to the force of the opponent's blows.

He managed to hold on despite his opponent's dominance, but you could feel that there was a huge difference between the two boxers. Facing such a quality opponent is a serious challenge, and he felt the best of such things firsthand.

Third and fourth rounds

The third and fourth rounds brought a similar scenario; Rico controlled the fight, accurately hitting low and middle kicks, and hand combinations, while Vahitov was forced to look for an opportunity, but could not seriously threaten the experienced Dutchman. At times the crowd showed displeasure at Rico's complete control, but he calmly collected the points.

Vahitov had no answer to his opponent's dominance.

In the last round, Vahitov managed to land a few solid low kicks, but Rico's series of chops and hooks ended the match in his favor.

After the final sound of the gongs, the referees unanimously declared Verhoeven the winner, confirming his role as the King of Heavyweight Glory. His belt could be attempted by one of the four fighters in the heavyweight tournament, but the question remains whether Verhoeven will accept that challenge or turn to the more lucrative "crossover" fights that have long been rumored.