Glory 49: Redemption - Verhoeven vs. Ben Saddik 2 - December 9 (Official Discussion)

Glory 49
December 9, 2017
Ahoy Rotterdam
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Glory Redemption:
Rico Verhoeven (52-10)      vs.                      (32-5) Jamal Ben Saddik  
Main Event |  Title Fight | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)
Michael Duut (40-8)            vs.                           (57-12) Danyo Ilunga  
Co-Main Event | Light Heavyweight | 209 lbs (95 kg)
Anderson Silva (41-17)        vs.                          (10-1) Xavier Vigney
Main Card | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)
Zakaria Zouggary (29-3)      vs.(157-36) Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao  
Main Card Featherweight | 145 lbs (65 kg)

Superfight Series:
Alex Pereira (26-6)               vs.                      (22-3) Yousri Belgaroui  
Main Event |  Title Fight | Middleweight | 185 lbs (85 kg)
Ismael Londt (39-7)             vs.                    (16-2) D'Angelo Marshall  
Co-Main Event | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)
Nieky Holzken (90-13)          vs.                          (47-6) Alim Nabiyev
Main Card | Welterweight | 170 lbs (77 kg)
Chenglong Zhang (41-5)        vs.                       (10-1) Bailey Sugden  
Main Card | Featherweight | 145 lbs (65 kg)
Eyevan Danenberg (23-5)       vs.                          (24-6) Jamie Bates  
Main Card | Welterweight | 170 lbs (77 kg)

GLORY: REDEMPTION is headlined by heavyweight world champion Rico "The King of Kickboxing" Verhoeven (51-10, 14 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) and No. 2-ranked Jamal "The Goliath" Ben Saddik (32-5, 26 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands), the principal participants in rivalry stemming back to 2011.
 
Standing 6'9" and weighing nearly 300 pounds, the Moroccan-Belgian knockout artist Ben Saddik made his professional debut opposite Verhoeven, defeating the future champion – 21 years old at the time – by TKO.
 
Since their first meeting, Verhoeven has become a larger-than-life figure, establishing himself the undisputed heavyweight kingpin and one of the most accomplished heavyweight kickboxers of all time. His run of dominance inside the GLORY ring includes a 13-fight winning streak and five title defenses against the world's best fighters.

No. 4-ranked light heavyweight Michael “Dreamcrusher” Duut (42-8, 29 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) and Congolese striker Danyo "Dibuba" Ilunga (57-13, 44 KO, fighting out of Germany) meet in the co-headline bout, the rubber match of an instant-classic trilogy that includes 2016's Fight of the Year.

GLORY 49 SuperFight Series gets its headline bout, as newly crowned GLORY middleweight champion Alex 'Po Atan' Pereira (26-6, 16 KO, fighting out of Brazil) makes his first title defense. Challenging for the middleweight strap will be 25-year-old Dutch-Tunisian Yousri Belgaroui (23-3, 11 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands), the current No. 1 contender.

Pereira, who first appeared for GLORY back in 2014, seized his championship opportunity in October, wrestling the title away from then-champion Simon Marcus. A more recent addition to GLORY’s middleweight division, Belgaroui has worked his way through an impressive list of former champions and title challengers in that time, with a resume that includes wins over Jason Wilnis, Ariel Machado, and Pereira himself.