GLORY 78: Badr vs. Wrzosek Preview and Predictions

It has been seven months since GLORY kickboxing held an event and they return this weekend in a big way with GLORY 78. Kickboxing legend Badr Hari will look to pick up his first win since 2015 when he meets Polish standout Arkadiusz Wrzosek in a heavyweight headliner.

The co-main event is a light heavyweight title rematch with sixth-ranked Alex Pereira taking on the man he defeated to become a simultaneous two-division champion, Artem Vakhitov. This rematch figures to be as competitive as the first meeting, which ended with Pereira picking up a split-decision victory.

The event kicks off with the SuperFight Series at 12 p.m. ET on GLORYfights.com. The main card airs live on pay-per-view at 2 p.m. ET.

Badr Hari has struggled in his last few bouts; can he get back on track against Arkadiusz Wrzosek?

Hari is one of the most recognizable names in kickboxing today and has built that name with a career full of thrilling fights and dramatic knockout victories. His recent struggles are likely the cause of time catching up with him. At 36 years old and over 100 professional fights, he is just slightly less than what he used to be. Unfortunately for him that isn’t a problem that can be remedied.

His opponent this weekend is just shy of 30 and is entering his prime as Hari is exiting his own. In his last bout, Wrzosek knocked down Demoreo Dennis three times in the second round, causing a technical knockout. He has above average power, even for a heavyweight, and his background in boxing will allow him to land heavy punches to the head and body of Hari. Don’t be surprised if Wrzosek becomes the second straight fighter to leave Badr Hari with a broken nose and on the wrong side of a TKO loss.

The light heavyweight title is on the line in the co-main event; how does this fight play out?

This title fight is a rematch of a closely contested split-decision that Alex Pereira won, claiming the title. This fight will largely look the same as the first one, with former champion Artem Vakhitov landing heavy leg kicks but his punches largely being blocked by the high guard of Pereira.

One of the main differences in the first fight was that Pereira remained the more active fighter throughout the contest. Vakhitov will try to increase his output, but will ultimately be held at bay by the long-range striking of Pereira. The volume of Vakhitov won’t be enough to match the more powerful shots coming at him by Pereira. The Brazilian will pick up another decision victory and make a successful first defense of his belt.

The main card features three additional heavyweight bouts; which fighter makes the biggest statement with a victory?

Levi Rigters. The Dutch fighter is coming off his first career loss, a majority decision to Tarik Khbabez. This will be a bounce-back performance for him, one he ends without needing the judges’ scorecards. Before the loss to Khbabez, Rigters had notched back-to-back knockout victories. In a night chocked full of heavyweight talent, this will be the perfect chance for him to shine.