GLORY will kick-off 2022 on March 19th in the Trixxo Arena in Hasselt, Belgium. As it was reported earlier, Jamal Ben Saddik will return to in-ring action, and also Arkadiusz Wrzosek and Badr Hari will meet for the second time in the highly anticipated rematch, and now the whole fight card has been announced.
Jamal Ben Saddik vs. Levi Righters
Saddik who came close to defeating GLORY Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven will take on Levi Rigters. For Saddik it will be an opportunity to secure his spot at the top of the division, while for Rigters it will be the toughest challenge of his young fighting career.
Arkadiusz Wrzosek vs. Badr Hari rematch
Heavyweight kickboxing legend, Hari will get the chance to avenge his loss against up-and-coming Wrzose. Their first fight last September at GLORY 78 ended in highlight-reel fashion. Hari dominated the fight from the beginning, sending his opponent to the canvas three times in the first two rounds. Wrzosek rushed in with the last chance attack and landed a stunning high kick to Hari’s head, knocking him out in the second round. The finish earned Wrzosek the 2021 Knockout of the Year and is widely considered one of the greatest comebacks in combat sports history.
Two title fights
Another rematch will take place as GLORY Light Heavyweight Champion, Artem Vakhitov will square off against No.1 contender, Luis Tavares. They’ve met at GLORY 9, where Vakhitov defeated Tavares by knockout in the very first round. Since this loss Vakhitov made a name for himself as the best light heavyweight in GLORY history, defending the title for a record five times and becoming the only two-time champion in the history of the division. Meanwhile, Tavares stacked up four – fights winning streak and earned himself a title shot.
GLORY Super Bantamweight Champion, Tiffany van Soest will defend her title against RISE champion Manazo Kobayashi. Van Soest reclaimed the belt in 2019, and later defended it against Aline Pereira in January of 2021. Kobayashi’s ambition is to become the first fighter to hold titles in both RISE and GLORY.
Rest of the card
Top-ranked middleweight contender Ertugrul Bayrak will fight placed 4th in the ranking, Serkan Ozcaglayan as for both eventual win will mean a huge step toward a title shot. Guerric Billet will serve as the welcome back committee for Enfusion veteran Nordin Ben Moh who will fight in the GLORY ring for the first time since 2012.
In the Preliminary part of the fightcard Jos van Belzen will take on Jay Overmeer.
The GLORY 80 fight card features:
Jamal Ben Saddik vs. Levi Rigters
Arkadiusz Wrzosek vs. Badr Hari
Light Heavyweight Championship Title Fight: Artem Vakhitov vs. Luis Tavares
Super Bantamweight Championship Title Fight: Tiffany van Soest vs. Manazo Kobayashi
Ertugrul Bayrak vs. Serkan Ozcaglayan
Guerric Billet vs. Nordin Ben Moh
Jos van Belzen vs. Jay Overmeer
