Donegi Abena and Tarik Khbabez will unify the GLORY Kickboxing light heavyweight title at GLORY: COLLISION 6 on Saturday, Nov. 4.
Donegi Abena
The Surinamese-Dutch Abena is the reigning GLORY light heavyweight champion. The 25-year-old striker captured the throne when he defeated Sergej Maslobojev earlier this year.
Impressively, Abena made his professional kickboxing debut at only 17 years old, as he was such a highly touted prospect. Throughout his storied career, he has faced an impressive list of names such as Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Michael Duut, Luis Tavares, Felipe Micheletti, and Alex Pereira.
In 2022, Abena changed gyms and adjusted the trajectory of his career. Rather than being just a promising talent, he quickly became an incredible fighter. With consecutive victories, the 25-year-old striker was able to capture GLORY gold.
Tarik Khbabez
“The Tank” Khbabez is a Moroccan kickboxer who holds the interim GLORY light heavyweight title. The 31-year-old veteran striker earned the title earlier this year when he scored a knockout win against Mohamed Amine.
Khbabez is a fan favorite due to his aggressive style. In 2022, he had a “Fight of the Year” contender against future champion Maslobojev for the vacant light heavyweight throne. Most of his matches are notable wars.
Throughout his career, in between the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, Khbabez has met some notable opponents, such as Antonio Plazibat, Rico Verhoeven, Levi Rigters, and Roman Kryklia
Donegi Abena vs. Tarik Khbabez at GLORY: COLLISION 6
Abena vs. Khbabez will be a battle between the reigning and interim light heavyweight world champions. This fight was booked for earlier this year, but, unfortunately, Abena was forced to pull out from the fight due to an illness. This matchup is now booked for GLORY: COLLISION 6 on Nov. 4 as the co-main event.
In the headlining match, the modern-day king of kickboxing and current heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven will return to face “Cookie” Tariq Osaro, the interim heavyweight titleholder.
GLORY Kickboxing made the announcement on social media.