Rico Verhoeven, the Glory heavyweight champion, defeated Artem Vakhitov by unanimous decision at Glory 100 on June 14, 2025, at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands. The five-round bout, aired on DAZN pay-per-view, marked Verhoeven’s 13th consecutive title defense.
Vakhitov, a former Glory light heavyweight champion, returned to kickboxing after declining a UFC contract. Despite his skill, he could not overcome Verhoeven’s precise striking and size advantage.
Verhoeven’s Dominant Performance
Verhoeven showcased his mastery against Vakhitov.
“That was like a cherry on the cake,” he said of winning all five rounds on every scorecard. “I knew this guy was amazing, also technically, conditionally, so I knew this was gonna be a huge challenge. Sorry guys if it wasn’t the fight you hoped for or you expected, but this was a chess match on the highest level.”
He praised Vakhitov’s ability.
“This guy is so freaking good, it’s so hard. He goes downstairs, upstairs, to the body, to the head, so it’s so freaking hard, but believe me, this guy is going to be the next light heavyweight champion again, 100 percent,” Verhoeven said.
Born in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, Verhoeven began kickboxing at age seven. He joined Glory in 2012 and won the heavyweight title in 2014 against Daniel Ghita at Glory 17. His record stands at 65-10 with 21 knockouts, and he has not lost since January 2015.
Verhoeven’s 12 previous title defenses include wins over Badr Hari, Jamal Ben Saddik, and Levi Rigters, whom he beat twice in 2024.
At 35, he has held the title for over 4,000 days, cementing his status as a kickboxing legend.
Vakhitov, from Prokopyevsk, Russia, is a two-time Glory light heavyweight champion with five title defenses. His kickboxing record is 23-6 with eight knockouts. He defeated Alex Pereira in 2021 at Glory 78, their second bout, after losing to him earlier that year.
A 13th world title defence and now boasts a 26-fight win streak 👑@RicoVerhoeven 🐐#GLORY100 pic.twitter.com/oVWbdBOVPn
— DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) June 14, 2025
Respect after battle 👏#GLORY100 pic.twitter.com/vNTfmubVCi
— DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) June 14, 2025
In 2024, Vakhitov transitioned to MMA, going 3-1 with a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He declined a UFC contract due to financial terms and returned to Glory to challenge Verhoeven, moving up to heavyweight.
Verhoeven controlled the bout from the start. He used push kicks and uppercuts to keep Vakhitov at bay, targeting legs and body.
Vakhitov landed a spinning back kick in round two but struggled with Verhoeven’s size and output.
All judges scored the fight 50-45 for Verhoeven, reflecting his dominance.
The event featured other title bouts. Donovan Wisse defended his middleweight title against Michael Boapeah by split decision, nearing Alex Pereira’s record for defenses. Petchpanomrung Kiatmuu9 retained his featherweight belt with a unanimous decision over Miguel Trindade, scoring two knockdowns.
A heavyweight tournament saw Mory Kromah knock out Bahram Rajabzadeh in the final, earning a future title shot. The sold-out Rotterdam Ahoy crowd enjoyed nearly nine hours of action.
Verhoeven’s win strengthens his claim as the greatest heavyweight kickboxer ever. He expressed confidence in teammate Tom Aspinall beating Jon Jones in a potential UFC fight, showing his connection to MMA. Vakhitov, despite the loss, aims to reclaim light heavyweight glory.
