Glory heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven will get his rematch with Badr Hari.
Nearly three years after their first meeting, Glory Kickboxing just announced a long awaited rematch between its heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven (55-10, 16 KOs) and controversial star Badr Hari (106-13 1NC, 92 KOs).
It’s on! Rico vs. Badr on December 21 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Register for pre-sale https://t.co/vUak1I519R #UnfinishedBusiness pic.twitter.com/seaBtzKLHQ
— GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) July 11, 2019
After the first fight ended in a TKO victory for Verhoeven when Hari sustained an arm injury in the second round, a rematch seemed inevitable. However a prison sentence and a PED suspension for Hari following his only fight since then have prevented a second meeting until now.
For Verhoeven, who has dominated the heavyweight division for the past few years, the fight is the chance to cement his place in history by conclusively beating the last veteran of the K-1 heavyweight era and just about the last perceived threat to his throne of King of Kickboxing. This isomething that is clearly dear to Verhoeven, as he refused to re-sign with Glory until he got the fight.
For Hari, this is the chance to finally reach the top he’s been so close to for most of his career and finally live up to his potential in the twilight of his career.
After yet another long layoff, questions about which Hari will actually show up on fight night will make Rico the favorite. But Hari was ahead before the stoppage in the first fight and if anyone has a shot to dethrone the King of Kickboxing, it is definitely the “Bad Boy,” and this is definitely the biggest fight in kickboxing right now.
Glory: Collision 2 will take place on December 21st at the Gelredome in Arnhem, The Netherlands.