Jan 31, 2024 at 1:27 PM Update: 2 days ago
Rico Verhoeven will face 28-year-old Frenchman Sofian Laidouni in the quarter-finals of the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix in early March. The draw in Amsterdam showed this on Wednesday.
As world champion, Verhoeven was given the choice between Laidouni, the Moroccan Nabil Khachab, Bahram Rajabzadeh from Azerbaijan and the Estonian Uku Jürjendal, who won by knockout against Badr Hari last year.
The 34-year-old Verhoeven chose the highest-ranked fighter of the four with Laidouni. The Frenchman, who made his GLORY debut last year and won both of his two fights with the kickboxing association, is number five in the world. “He is an all-round fighter. I will have my hands full, but I am ready,” said the Dutchman.
Verhoeven is in the fourth fight of the evening. It is first the turn of compatriot Levi Rigters and Jürjendal, followed by the parties Tariq Osaro-Rajabzadeh and Nordine Mahieddine-Khachab. If Verhoeven wins, he will face Mahieddine or Khachab in the semi-final.
The Grand Prix is back on the calendar after years and will be held on March 9 in the GelreDome. The eventual winner will receive a sum of 500,000 dollars (about 461,000 euros). Verhoeven’s world title is not at stake.
De eight Grand Prix-deelnemers: Levi Rigters, Uku Jürjendal, Bahram Rajabzadeh, Tariq Osaro, Nabil Khachab, Nordine Mahieddine, Sofian Laidouni en Rico Verhoeven. Foto: GLORY
Verhoeven has been undefeated for years
The confrontation with Laidouni will be Verhoeven’s first fight since early November, when he won against interim champion Osaro in Arnhem. The Dutchman extended his undefeated status; he has been world champion since June 2014.
Just before Christmas, Verhoeven extended his GLORY contract, which expires in 2024, by three years. He also announced that he would participate in the Grand Prix. For a long time it looked like he would ignore the tournament.
Initially, Antonio Plazibat would also participate in the Grand Prix. The Croat, on paper Verhoeven’s biggest challenger, recently withdrew with an arm injury. Last year a confrontation between the two also did not take place.
0:32Play button
