Sofian Laïdouni and Rico Verhoeven (right)(image via GLORY / YouTube)

By press release

The draw for the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix took place yesterday at the Harbour Club in Amsterdam deciding the quarter-final matchups for the $500,000 eight-man one-night tournament.

The four lower seeded fighters selected which quarter-final they wanted to compete in while the four top seeded fighters then selected which fighter to face in the opening round. As a result, the ‘King of Kickboxing’ Rico Verhoeven (61-10, 20 KO) opted to fight France’s Sofian Laïdouni (35-2-1, 17 KO) in the fourth quarter-final of night.

Former interim-heavyweight champion Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro (25-3-1, 13 KO) will meet the dangerous Bahram Rajabzadeh (65-1, 58 KO) in a potentially wild & explosive affair, training partners Nordine Mahieddine (28-15, 13 KO) & Nabil Khachab (26-4-1, 4 KO) must put their friendship aside when they clash, and rising Dutch star Levi Rigters (15-1, 7 KO) collides with power puncher Uku Jürjendal (20-8, 16 KO) in the opening fight of the tournament.

March 9 will also feature two GLORY title fights as Donegi Abena (27-9, 7 KO) and Tarik Khbabez (49-10-1, 28 KO) meet to decide who is the undisputed king of the GLORY light heavyweight division and lightweight champion Tyjani Beztati (25-4, 9 KO) puts his title on the line against top German Enriko Kehl (52-15-2, 30 KO).