GLORY 81 will be headlined by a hevayweight title eliminator between Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi. The winner of this match will face Antonio Plazibat for the interim GLORY Heavyweight Championship. The reigning heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven has one fight scheduled this year at his own event and will not be defending his GLORY title in 2022.
Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi II at GLORY 81
The top-ranked heavyweight kickboxers Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi met previously in 2018 in the final of the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix. It was an exciting bout that saw the towering Moroccan-Belgian Ben Saddik get his hand raised by way of first-round knockout. Now, the two will rematch at GLORY 81 on August 20, 2022 and Benny Adegbuyi has an opportunity to get revenge and secure his future.
‘Goliath’ Ben Saddik after his Grand Prix victory got the chance to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship against Verhoeven. It was a back-and-froth war in which Ben Saddik scored knockdowns early but ultimately saw the Dutch Verhoeven defending his title successfully via fourth-round TKO. The Moroccan-Belgian Ben Saddik has faced some of the best heavyweight kickboxers including Guto Inocente, Ismael Londt, Anderson Braddock Silva, Peter Aerts, among others.
‘Mister Gentleman’ Adegbuyi will be looking to avenge his earlier loss. The Nigerian-Romanian fighter is best known for his stunning TKO stoppage over all-time great Badr Hari in what earned them the 2020 Fight of the Year award. He has also earned victories over notable fighters such as Arkadiusz Wrzosek, Hesdy Gerges, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and others.
Interim GLORY Heavyweight Title Against Antonio Plazibat
The Croatian knockout artist Antonio Plazibat has undoubtedly earned his position as the top contender to the GLORY heavyweight throne. In his most recent bouts, he stopped Tarik Khbabez and Adegbuyi both via thunderous knockout. He is also a former K-1 Heavyweight Champion. While he has earned his title shot, the reigning champion Verhoeven will instead fight Gerges in HIT IT later this year.
The interim title fight will be booked for GLORY Collision 4 on October 8th. GLORY Collision 4 will be headlined by Badr Hari vs Alistair Overeem 3.
Plazibat will await the main event winner of GLORY 81 between Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi. The winner of that match will meet the Croatian striker later this year for the interim GLORY Heavyweight Championship. The winner of that match will likely face the divisional champion, Verhoeven, in 2023.
“The GLORY heavyweight division is tough, it’s the best in the world. We are all extremely excited to see Ben Saddik and Adegbuyi in the GLORY ring,” Said GLORY Executive Vice-Chairman Scott Rudmann in a press release, “Both fighters will enter their fight on August 20th at 100%, and we will see who the better man truly is.”
GLORY 81 will also feature Luis Tavares vs. Sergej Maslobojev for the vacant GLORY Light Heavyweight Championship. Plus, Donovan Wisse will look to defend his GLORY middleweight title against Juri De Sousa. GLORY 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2 will be broadcast live on August 20, 2022.
Featured Image Credit: GLORY Kickboxing
