GLORY Kickboxing, the leading organization in the world of kickboxing, has revealed that its Heavyweight Champion, Rico Verhoeven, will be defending his title against Antonio Plazibat, the No. 1 contender, at GLORY: Collision 5 in 2023. This highly anticipated event will be witnessed by over 27,000 fans who are expected to attend in person. While the exact date and venue for the championship bout are yet to be announced, fans and enthusiasts of the sport can look forward to witnessing a historic fight between two of the most talented kickboxers in the world.
Initially scheduled for March, the highly anticipated kickboxing match between Rico Verhoeven and Antonio Plazibat has been postponed to later in 2023 due to Verhoeven’s knee injury. If you are bored of waiting for the exciting match, then you can try WynnBet Sportsbook in Ohio to participate in unique online games. However, the match is still set to take place at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands. The venue is known for hosting some of the most exciting combat sports events in the world. It is expected to be packed with enthusiastic fans eagerly waiting to witness the two talented kickboxers battle it out in the ring.
Rico Verhoeven vs Antonio Plazibat at GLORY COLLISION 5
Earlier this year, Verhoeven fought Jamal Ben Saddik and won the Fight of the Year award. The Heavyweight Title was defended for the 10th time by Verhoeven after he was dropped early in the second round and suffered an orbital fracture.
Last November, he knocked out Raul Catinas in the main event of GLORY 82 to cement his status as the Heavyweight Division’s top contender.
COLLISION 5 was originally scheduled for next March, but Rico Verhoeven’s injury has forced GLORY to postpone it. Verhoeven’s recovery will determine the date and location of the event, which is top priority. In the history of the GLORY: Collision series, this will be the fifth edition of monumental heavyweight fights.
In 2023, the GelreDome arena in Arnhem, Netherlands will host the highly anticipated kickboxing event featuring Dutch-born heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven against Croatian contender Antonio Plazibat. Since claiming the GLORY Kickboxing Heavyweight World Title in 2014, Verhoeven has successfully defended his throne in ten impressive bouts against formidable opponents, including Badr Hari and Daniel Ghiță. The GLORY heavyweight king’s busy schedule filming ‘Black Lotus’ delayed the anticipated match. Meanwhile, Plazibat has rightfully earned his spot as the top contender in the division, having secured a four-fight consecutive knockout win streak and won the K-1 Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2017. Plazibat has defeated notable fighters such as Raul Cătinaș, Tarik Khbabez, Benjamin Adegbuyi, and Jahfarr Wilnis. In an interview with MMA Sucka last year, Plazibat discussed that fight with Verhoeven. He said:
“I’m waiting to take his head off. First round he’s trying to do a little bit of his stuff, coming in getting caught. And second round getting caught. First knockdown, second knockdown, third knockdown. That will give you a better sense of how confident he is in his.
Final Words
Fans of combat sports have been eagerly anticipating the showdown between Verhoeven and Plazibat, with the GLORY Heavyweight World Title at stake for quite some time now. Let’s see if Rico Verhoeven will defend his Heavyweight Title vs. Antonio Plazibat. There is no doubt that each player has the glory and the ability to beat the other. So it will be much exciting to see what will happen to the match. While the exact date of the event is yet to be announced, fans can rest assured that it will be an unforgettable spectacle. The full fight card will be announced soon.