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The King Is Back! Rico Verhoeven Returns Nov. 4 at COLLISION 6

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It is official! The king of the GLORY heavyweight division will be decided at GLORY COLLISION 6 on November 4 as heavyweight champ Rico Verhoeven (60-10, 20 KO) meets interim-heavyweight champ Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro (25-2-1, 13 KO) to determine who is the undisputed GLORY heavyweight champion. 

This mega-fight will officially take place at the GelreDome in Arnhem in the Netherlands, a venue that has become synonymous with historic nights in GLORY over the years.

Rico Verhoeven has been away from the GLORY ring since his all-time classic fight against Jamal Ben Saddik at GLORY COLLISION 3 back in 2021. A knee injury halted his return to action earlier this year but now he has finally been given all clear to make his highly anticipated GLORY comeback. 

The 34-year-old has risen to the top of the kickboxing game thanks to his phenomenal wins over Badr Hari, Gokhan Saki, Benjamin Adegbuyi, Peter Aerts, Errol Zimmerman, and many more legends. He holds the record for the most title defenses (10) in GLORY history and is currently on an incredible 16-fight undefeated streak stretching back almost a decade.

However, during his absence a new champion has burst onto the scene. Over the past year, Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro has had a breakout debut year in GLORY with six incredible performances with KO after KO that has made him a new promotional star.

Most recently the Nigerian giant defeated the heavily favourite Antonio Plazibat with a devastating knockout in the main event of GLORY COLLISION 5 in June to capture the interim-heavyweight title. 

Immediately after this victory, Osaro sent a clear and direct message to Verhoeven, who was watching from the stands; “get as ready as possible, I’m coming for the title!”

GLORY fans can register for presale right now – click here  – to secure their tickets.

COLLISION 6 will be available to watch live around the world on GLORYFights.com & various broadcast partners and exclusively on Videoland in the Netherlands.

Please stay tuned to GLORYKickboxing.com and the official GLORY social media channels for updates on COLLISION 6 and all GLORY events.

GLORY Kickboxing 2023 Schedule:
GLORY 88 – Paris, France, September 9
GLORY 89 – Burgas, Bulgaria, October 7
GLORY COLLISION 6 – Arnhem, Netherlands, November 4
GLORY Grand Prix – TBA

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Superlek Vs. Kongthoranee Added To ONE Friday Fights 68

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ONE Championship has been announcing fights for the summer on almost a daily basis recently. And the most recent one has caught combat sports fans off-guard. On Friday, 28th June, at ONE Friday Fights 68, ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will face off against surging talent Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in a huge Muay Thai battle. 

Both men are enjoying remarkable winning streaks, which they will put on the line when they collide next month.

Dating back to 2022, Superlek has been unstoppable in ONE’s kickboxing and Muay Thai realms. He’s defeated all nine of his opponents, claimed the flyweight kickboxing crown, defended it twice, and moved to top-ranked contender in the Muay Thai division.

However, his run gets even more impressive when the list of fighters he’s overcome gets investigated. Panpayak Jitmuangnon, Walter Goncalves, and Danial Williams are on it. As are flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon – whom he bested in a non-title affair last September – and Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa.

Many expected the 28-year-old to put all his focus into his challenge of Jonathan Haggerty’s ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship, which is scheduled to go down when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver in September. But it’s clear “The Kicking Machine” has Kongthoranee on his radar. 

And for good reason. The 27-year-old has already cemented himself as one of the toughest names in ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai division. He announced himself in style at ONE Friday Fights 6 in February 2023 by sending Ginganglek Tor Laksong spiraling to the canvas with a fantastic second-round knockout.

Since then, Kongthoranee’s relentless striking has seen him amass an 8-1 run and a US$100,000 contract to compete on ONE Championship’s main roster.

Superlek will undeniably be the Sor Sommai product’s biggest challenge yet when they meet at ONE Friday Fights 68. But fans can be sure he won’t shy away from showing his Thai compatriot and the watching world that he’s got the skills to throw down with the best strikers around.

More exciting bouts will be announced for the June 28th event in the coming weeks.

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Adrian Lee Talks ONE Championship Debut, Hints At Big Plans For MMA Career

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The golden lineage of the Lee clan is unlike anything else in the world of MMA. Many families are ingrained in the all-encompassing sport, but none have seen more dominance in the modern era. Angela and Christian Lee cemented themselves as top stars in ONE Championship almost from the start of their promotional tenures. And now, the next generation is set to arrive in the form of 18-year-old Adrian Lee.

The young star is set to make his professional MMA debut against Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Saturday, 8th June, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and it can’t come soon enough for him. 

“Turning pro wasn’t my decision to make. Whatever my coach said, I was ready to go. I was ready to take it,” Lee said.

“I feel like I’ve been ready to enter the pro circuit for a while. However, it’s just now that my coaches believe that my skills are ready for it. That’s the reason why I started.”

As well as benefiting from the world-class coaching available at United MMA, Lee is lucky enough to have gotten tips and advice on his burgeoning career from siblings Angela – who ruled over the ONE women’s atomweight MMA division from 2016 until her retirement last September – and reigning two-weight king Christian. 

They have assisted the teen in establishing a solid mindset and helped him to keep things in perspective as he moves forward into the next chapter.

“My brother, he’s been here with me every step of the way. And the main thing he tells me is to stay focused on the goal and don’t let anything distract you,” Lee said. 

“Angela told me a little bit about staying mentally sound, to make sure that you keep your mental health and physical health in check.”

Since the announcement of Lee’s signing with ONE Championship, his promotional bow has been a popular topic of conversation amongst fans. And given its placement on one of the biggest cards of the year at ONE 167, there’ll be plenty of eyes on him when he makes his way to the Circle in the Thai capital.

It could be intimidating for someone who has yet to feel the heat of the bright lights, but the American up-and-comer is staying focused on the task at hand. 

That said, after he scores his first professional win, Lee has big ideas for where he wants to go.

“Right now, the only thing on my mind is beating Antonio Mammarella,” Lee stated. 

“However, after that, I plan on becoming the lightweight champ and possibly two-division champ.”

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Magomedov Looks For Revenge Against Mix In Paris

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Bellator takes us to Paris for the Championship Series on Friday 17th May and is guaranteed to showcase some of the promotions most elite talent in some explosive matchups. One of those matchups being a bantamweight showdown between Patchy Mix & Magomed Magomedov.

Magomedov, holds a record of 20 wins and 3 losses and will be looking to avenge his last loss to Mix back in December 2022. Magomedov has shown that he can stand with the best, this is clear not only with the calibre of his opponents but also his impressive fighting record. Magomedov started his pro career on a 13 fight win streak taking his first loss the UFC Russian superstar Peter Yan, taking him to a decision which is no easy feat in itself.

With Magomedov’s experience and record you would think he sounds almost impossible to beat, however his opponent Patchy Mix bares his own formidable record. Not only did he beat Magomedov in their last fight he did it with complete style and domination where he managed to beat the ground specialist at his own game.

Patchy Mix with a record of 19-1 is coming off a six fight winning streak beating fighters such as Albert Morales and Sergio Pettis. Out of Mix’s last 19 wins 13 of them have been by way of submission, proving that his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not to be overlooked or underestimated. Mix has never been KO’d or submitted in his 20 fight professional MMA career. This same fact is also true of his amateur career where he was undefeated with a record of 1.

If one thing is certain, this fight is guaranteed to be exciting and technical. Both fighters being ground specialists and wanting to prove who is the superior fighter, who has the best BJJ technique and who is more of an all rounded competitor.

With so many amazing fights going on within this card it would be a crime to miss out. Whether you’re a new fan who wants to see two top level guys fight it out or a fan of the technical artform that is BJJ/wrestling. This fight is set to be an all out war and has the potential to prove who is the better fighter or even the playing field for a trilogy fight. You won’t want to miss out!

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