Glory Kickboxing Champion Verhoeven Confronts Ben Saddik After Controversial Post-Fight Incident

Rico Verhoeven, 34, defeated Nabil Khachab, 23, by unanimous decision in the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-final. What caught the attention was not the fight, but an attitude of the Belgian kickboxer of Moroccan origin, Jamal Ben Saddik, that the Dutchman did not digest. At the end of the fight, the Belgian kickboxer of Moroccan origin - who was part of Khachab’s team - tried to kick Verhoeven in the head. This angered the Dutchman. "I clearly won rightfully. And then he comes back into the ring. This man simply has to be banned from this sport. It’s unacceptable," reacted the one nicknamed "The King of Kickboxing".

Verhoeven continues: "I’m really disgusted. I’m disgusted by this behavior. You don’t want to see that in the ring, do you? It’s anything but sporting and beautiful. I understand that people like the sensation, but that’s not what real fans want to see. I’ve already knocked this guy out twice, so I’m really not afraid of him. I always get up one more time than my opponent. He’s already the biggest and strongest of all, but he keeps doping. It’s incredible, isn’t it?" Verhoeven and Ben Saddik are great rivals. In the past, the Dutchman has beaten the Belgian-Moroccan twice and lost once.

Verhoeven successively defeated Sofian Laïdouni, Nabil Khachab and Levi Rigters, and won the Glory Grand Prix, the eight-participant heavyweight tournament. He leaves with $500,000. "I’ve been working for over ten years to make a very nice big cake, but for me, this is a very big cherry on the cake. It means a lot to me. It’s my passion and my life. You don’t see my whole life, but mostly the beautiful moments on Instagram. But it’s so beautiful and amazing that we’ve succeeded in this again," the Dutchman rejoices. The Moroccan fighter Tyjani Beztati, for his part, defeated Enriko Kehl by unanimous decision and retained the Glory lightweight title.

According to the organization, Ben Saddik declined the invitation to participate in the Glory Grand Prix, but the Moroccan kickboxing champion says that is not the whole story.