Glory (formerly Glory World Series) is an international promotion kickboxing promotion founded in 2012. It is owned by Pierre Andurand, Yao Capital, Scott Rudmann and other investors.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Kickboxing |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Key people | Pierre Andurand (Chairman), Scott Rudmann (Vice-Chairman), Marshall Zelaznik (CEO), Robbie Timmers, Gyp Tessier (Matchmakers) |
| Owner | GSUKCO Limited |
| Website | www |
Background
When K-1 began suffering from extreme financial difficulties in 2011, Total Sports Asia, TSA CEO Marcus Luer, Pierre Andurand, and Scott Rudmann of Nectar Capital attempted to buy the brand. K-1 was instead sold to Mike Kim and EMCOM Entertainment Inc.
In the aftermath, Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann and TSA decided to start a brand new kickboxing promotion and acquired United Glory, Golden Glory,[1] and It's Showtime to secure a top event production team and contracts to each promotion's top fighters. Forming the Glory World Series, Pierre Andurand was named Chairman and Rudmann was named vice-chairman.[2] A number of people formerly involved with these three entities event became Glory consultants.[3]
Glory World Series signed most of the world's top kickboxers, such as Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki, Daniel Ghiţă, Albert Kraus, and Giorgio Petrosyan.
History
The company includes a mix of entrepreneurs and senior level executives from different environments.[4] The company's current investors include Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann and Nectar Capital and Yao Capital. Former investors have been Liberty Global, and TwinFocus Capital Partners.[5]
In February 2013, Glory announced that former WWE Executive VP Andrew Whitaker had been hired as the global CEO of Glory Sports International.[6] In August, 2014 Andrew Whitaker moved into an advisory role within GLORY and Jon J. Franklin was appointed as the new CEO. Under Franklin's leadership Glory was named the Number one kickboxing league in the world by Combat Press and one of the three most important global combat sports leagues by Fox Sports (along with the UFC and Bellator). [7]
In 2018, Glory announced that former CEO Jon J. Franklin had moved to the role of Chief Development Officer, and former UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik had been hired as the new CEO.[8]
On May 15, 2020, Glory announced Zelaznik had resigned as Glory CEO.[9]
Financial hardships and change of ownership
On May 26, 2020, Glory Sports International went into receivership, and soon after ownership of Glory was transferred to London-based GSUKCO Limited.[10]
Rudmann is the Executive Vice-Chairman, running the league since it was taken over by GSUKCO.[citation needed]
In a press release on October 2, 2023, Glory announced that Maurice Hols was named as the new Executive Director.[11] Citing "different vision of the future of the organization" with Executive Vice Chairman Rudmann, Hols resigned on February 19, 2024, after just a few months as Executive Director.[12]
In March 2024, it was announced by Glory that Zelaznik returned to the company and was appointed again as CEO.[13]
Media coverage
In June 2013, after having its first U.S. event in New York, Glory 9: New York on June 22, 2013, Spike TV signed a multi-year agreement to broadcast Glory kickboxing events; their partnership began with Glory 11: Chicago on October 12 of that year. The broadcast deal with Spike was extended in May 2014 to cover 2015.[14]
In February 2016, Glory CEO Jon J. Franklin announced a new multi-year deal with ESPN.[15]
Glory was broadcast on Veronica TV in the Netherlands from July, 2018 to February, 2020.[16][17][18]
Beginning in 2019, Glory initiated a partnership with the UFC for the former's events to be exclusively carried in the U.S by UFC Fight Pass.[19] The first event to be broadcast as part of this partnership was Glory 63: Houston on February 1 and the last event was Glory 75: Utrecht on February 29, 2020.
Events from Glory 76 to Glory 80 Studio were available through pay-per-view.
28 June 2022 Glory announced a multi-year broadcast deal with Videoland in the Netherlands. The deal covers all Glory events starting from Glory 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2.[20] On 16 February 2024 a multi-year broadcast deal with DAZN covering France and Belgium was announced.[21]
Glory Rivals
In January 2022 Glory announced a new series of events called Glory Rivals, jointly promoted with regional promotions.[22] The first Rivals event with Enfusion was scheduled for May 21, 2022, at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium. The event was later cancelled due to the finances of Enfusion's local promoter partner Antwerp Fight Organization catching the attention of Belgian authorities.[23]
Glory Rivals 1 was instead held on June 11, 2022, in Alkmaar, Netherlands. In the main event Luis Tavares defeated Florent Kaouachi by knockout in the third round.[24]
Glory Rivals 2 was held on September 17, 2022, in Alkmaar, Netherlands.[25]
Glory Rivals 3 was organized at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam on November 5, 2022. Ibrahim El Bouni defeated Muhammed Balli by knock-out in the first round.
Glory Rivals 4 took place on December 25 at Ryogoku Sumo Arena in Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Rise and Shoot boxing. Kento Haraguchi defeated Serhii Adamchuk by unanimous decision.
GLORY Rivals 5 was organized on January 28, 2023, at Zamna Tulum Hotel in Tulum, Mexico, in collaboration with War of Nations. Abraham Vidales defeated Tomás Aguirre by Unanimous Decision. On January 11, 2024, it was announced that Glory and RISE would hold joint tournaments, combine their rankings and unify their rankings.[26] A few days later, on February 6, the promotion put their lightweight and women's super bantamweight divisions on hold.[27]
Roster
Events
Glory events
United Glory events
| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | United Glory 15: Glory World Series | March 23, 2012 | Dynamo Sports Palace |  Moscow, Russia |
|
| 17 | United Glory 14: 2010-2011 World Series Finals | May 28, 2011 | Moscow Forum Hall | Moscow, Russia |
|
| 16 | United Glory 13: 2010-2011 World Series Semifinals | March 19, 2011 | Spiroudome |  Charleroi, Belgium |
|
| 15 | United Glory 12: 2010-2011 World Series Quarterfinals | October 16, 2010 | Passenger Terminal |  Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
| 14 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 7 | March 27, 2010 | Sportstudio H&A | Deventer, Netherlands |
|
| 13 | United Glory 11: A Decade of Fights | October 17, 2009 | Passenger Terminal | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
| 12 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 5 | June 27, 2009 | Sportstudio H&A | Deventer, Netherlands |
|
| 11 | United Glory 10: The Battle of Arnhem | November 9, 2008 | Rijnhal | Arnhem, Netherlands |
|
| 10 | United Glory 9: Swiss Las Vegas | August 2, 2008 | Markthalle |  Basel, Switzerland |
|
| 9 | United Glory 8 | July 6, 2008 | Triavium | Nijmegen, Netherlands |
|
| 8 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 2 | February 24, 2008 | Zalencentrum de Kei | Ede, Netherlands |
|
| 7 | United Glory 7 | January 20, 2008 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 6 | United Glory 6: Ede's Best Against the Rest | November 17, 2007 | Reehorst Sports Hall | Ede, Netherlands |
|
| 5 | United Glory 5: Stronger | September 9, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 4 | United Glory 4: 20 Year Anniversary | September 2, 2007 | Hof van Salland | Diepenveen, Netherlands |
|
| 3 | United Glory 3: Upside Down | May 20, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 2 | United Glory 2 | January 21, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 1 | United Glory 1 | September 17, 2006 | Sporthal de Zielhorst | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
Champions
Current champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Unlimited | Rico Verhoeven | June 21, 2014 | 11 |
| Light Heavyweight | 95 kg (209.4 lb) |  Tarik Khbabez | March 9, 2024 | 0 |
| Middleweight | 85 kg (187.4 lb) |  Donovan Wisse | September 4, 2021 | 5 |
| Welterweight | 77 kg (169.8 lb) | Chico Kwasi | April 27, 2024 | 1 |
| Lightweight | 70 kg (154.3 lb) | Tyjani Beztati | September 4, 2021 | 5 |
| Featherweight | 65 kg (143.3 lb) |  Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao | September 29, 2018 | 8 |
| Women's Super Bantamweight | 55 kg (121.3 lb) |  Vacant |
Indicates former interim champions.
Indicates current lineal and interim champions.
Glory Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: Unlimited
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semmy Schilt def. Errol Zimmerman |
Glory 1: Stockholm Stockholm, Sweden |
May 26, 2012 | 396 days | |
| Schilt vacated the title after retiring due to a heart condition on June 26, 2013.[29] | |||||
| 2 | Rico Verhoeven def. Daniel Ghiță |
Glory 17: Los Angeles Inglewood, CA, U.S. |
Jun 21, 2014 | 3806 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Errol Zimmerman at Glory 19: Virginia on Feb 6, 2015 |
| – |  Kevin Tariq Osaro def. Antonio Plazibat for interim title |
Glory: Collision 5 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Jun 17, 2023 | – | |
Glory Light Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: 95 kg (209.4 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gökhan Saki def. Tyrone Spong |
Glory 15: Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey |
Apr 12, 2014 | 471 days | |
| Saki was stripped of the title due to inactivity on July 27, 2015.[30] | |||||
| 2 |  Saulo Cavalari def. Zack Mwekassa |
Bellator / Glory: Dynamite 1 San Jose, CA, U.S. |
Sep 19, 2015 | 175 days | |
| 3 | Artem Vakhitov |
Glory 28: Paris Paris, France |
Mar 12, 2016 | 1,785 days |
1. def. interim champion Zack Mwekassa at Glory 35: Nice on Nov 5, 2016 |
| – |  Zack Mwekassa def. Mourad Bouzidi for interim title |
Glory 31: Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Jun 25, 2016 | – | |
| – |  Pavel Zhuravlev def. Saulo Cavalari for interim title |
Glory 43: New York New York City, NY, U.S. |
Jul 14, 2017 | – |
1. def. Myron Dennis at Glory 52: Los Angeles on Mar 31, 2018 |
| Zhuravlev was stripped of his interim title when he left Glory for the FEA. | |||||
| – | Alex Pereira def. Donegi Abena for interim title |
Glory 68: Miami Miami, FL, U.S. |
Sep 28, 2019 | – | |
| 4 | Alex Pereira |
Glory 77: Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Jan 30, 2021 | 217 days | |
| 5 | Artem Vakhitov (2) |
Glory 78: Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Sep 4, 2021 | 286 days (2,071 days) |
|
| Vakhitov was stripped of the title on June 17, 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[31]. | |||||
| 6 |  Sergej Maslobojev def. Tarik Khbabez |
Glory: Collision 4 Arnhem, Netherlands |
Oct 8, 2022 | 126 days | |
| 7 | Donegi Abena |
Glory 83 Essen, Germany |
Feb 11, 2023 | 329 days |
1. def. Mohamed Touchassie at Glory: Collision 6 on Nov 4, 2023 |
| – | Tarik Khbabez def. Mohamed Amine for interim title |
Glory: Collision 5 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Jun 17, 2023 | – | |
| 8 | Tarik Khbabez |
Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix Arnhem, Netherlands |
Mar 9, 2024 | 257 days (incumbent) |
|
Glory Middleweight Championship
Weight limit: 85 kg (187.4 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artem Levin def. Joe Schilling |
Glory 17: Los Angeles Inglewood, CA, U.S. |
Jun 21, 2014 | 615 days |
1. draw with Simon Marcus at Glory 21: San Diego on May 8, 2015 |
| 2 |  Simon Marcus |
Glory 27: Chicago Hoffman Estates, IL, U.S. |
Feb 26, 2016 | 196 days |
1. def. Dustin Jacoby at Glory 30: Los Angeles on May 13, 2016 |
| 3 | Jason Wilnis |
Glory 33: New Jersey Trenton, NJ, U.S. |
Sep 9, 2016 | 232 days |
1. def. Israel Adesanya at Glory 37: Los Angeles on Jan 20, 2017 |
| 4 | Simon Marcus (2) |
Glory 40: Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark |
Apr 29, 2017 | 168 days (364 days) |
|
| 5 | Alex Pereira |
Glory 46: China Guangzhou, China |
Oct 14, 2017 | 1,251 days |
1. def. Yousri Belgaroui at Glory 49: Rotterdam on Dec 9, 2017 |
| Pereira vacated the title to compete in the Light Heavyweight Division.[32] | |||||
| 6 | Donovan Wisse def. Yousri Belgaroui |
Glory 78: Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Sep 4, 2021 | 1174 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Juri De Sousa at Glory 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2 on Aug 20, 2022 |
Glory Welterweight Championship
Weight limit: 77 kg (169.8 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc de Bonte def. Karapet Karapetyan |
Glory 16: Denver Broomfield, CO, U.S. |
May 3, 2014 | 49 days | |
| 2 | Joseph Valtellini |
Glory 17: Los Angeles Inglewood, CA, U.S. |
Jun 21, 2014 | 348 days | |
| Valtellini vacated the title suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome on June 4, 2015.[33] | |||||
| 3 | Nieky Holzken def. Raymond Daniels |
Glory 23: Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV, U.S. |
Aug 7, 2015 | 491 days |
1. def. Murthel Groenhart at Glory 26: Amsterdam on Dec 4, 2015 |
| 4 |  Cédric Doumbé |
Glory 36: Oberhausen Oberhausen, Germany |
Dec 10, 2016 | 258 days |
1. def. Yoann Kongolo at Glory 39: Brussels on Mar 25, 2017 |
| 5 | Murthel Groenhart |
Glory 44: Chicago Hoffman Estates, IL, U.S. |
Aug 25, 2017 | 175 days | |
| 6 |  Harut Grigorian |
Glory 50: Chicago Chicago, IL, U.S. |
Feb 16, 2018 | 386 days |
1. def. Alim Nabiev at Glory 54: Birmingham on Jun 2, 2018 |
| 7 | Cédric Doumbé (2) |
Glory 64: Strasbourg Strasbourg, France |
Mar 9, 2019 | 983 days (1,241 days) |
1. def. Alim Nabiev at Glory 66: Paris on Jun 22, 2019 |
| – | Murthel Groenhart def. Troy Jones for interim title |
Glory 70: Lyon Lyon, France |
Oct 26, 2019 | – | |
| Glory declared the title vacant on November 16, 2021, following Doumbé's retirement from kickboxing[34]. | |||||
| 8 |  Endy Semeleer def. Alim Nabiev |
Glory 82 Bonn, Germany |
Nov 19, 2022 | 525 days |
1. def. Murthel Groenhart at Glory 85 on Apr 29, 2023 |
| 9 | Chico Kwasi |
Glory 91 Paris, France |
Apr 27, 2024 | 208 days (incumbent) |
1. drew with Tyjani Beztati at Glory 96 on Oct 12, 2024 |
Glory Lightweight Championship
Weight limit: 70 kg (154.3 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Davit Kiria def. Andy Ristie |
Glory 14: Zagreb Zagreb, Croatia |
Mar 8, 2014 | 244 days | |
| 2 | Robin van Roosmalen |
Glory 18: Oklahoma Oklahoma City, OK, U.S. |
Nov 7, 2014 | 596 days |
1. def. Andy Ristie at Glory 20: Dubai on Apr 3, 2015 |
| 3 | Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong |
Glory 31: Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Jun 25, 2016 | 1056 days |
1. def. Marat Grigorian at Glory 36: Oberhausen on Dec 10, 2016 |
| 4 | Marat Grigorian |
Glory 65: Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands |
May 17, 2019 | 464 days |
1. def. Tyjani Beztati at Glory 69: Düsseldorf on Oct 12, 2019 |
| Grigorian vacated the title on August 23, 2020, when he signed for ONE Championship.[35] | |||||
| 5 | Tyjani Beztati def. Elvis Gashi |
Glory 78: Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Sep 4, 2021 | 1174 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Josh Jauncey at Glory 80 Studio on May 14, 2022 |
Glory Featherweight Championship
Weight limit: 65 kg (143.3 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign Total |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel Varga def. Mosab Amrani |
Glory 20: Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Apr 3, 2015 | 217 days | |
| 2 | Serhiy Adamchuk |
Glory 25: Milan Milan, Italy |
Nov 6, 2015 | 259 days |
1. def. Mosab Amrani at Glory 28: Paris on Mar 12, 2016 |
| 3 | Gabriel Varga (2) |
Glory 32: Virginia Norfolk, VA, U.S. |
Jul 22, 2016 | 91 days (308 days) |
|
| 4 | Robin van Roosmalen |
Glory 34: Denver Denver, CO, U.S. |
Oct 21, 2016 | 90 days | |
| van Roosmalen was stripped of the title after failing to make weight for a scheduled title defense on January 19, 2017.[36] | |||||
| 5 | Robin van Roosmalen (2) def. Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao |
Glory 41: Holland 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands |
May 20, 2017 | 497 days (587 days) |
1. def. Serhiy Adamchuk at Glory 45: Amsterdam on Sep 30, 2017 |
| – |  Kevin VanNostrand def. Anvar Boynazarov for interim title |
Glory 48: New York New York City, NY, U.S. |
Dec 1, 2017 | – | |
| – | Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao def. Kevin VanNostrand for interim title |
Glory 55: New York New York City, NY, U.S. |
Jul 20, 2018 | – | |
| 6 | Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao |
Glory 59: Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Sep 29, 2018 | 2245 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Serhiy Adamchuk at Glory 63: Houston on Feb 1, 2019 |
Glory Women's Super Bantamweight Championship
Weight limit: 55 kg (121.3 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiffany van Soest def. Amel Dehby |
Glory 36: Oberhausen Oberhausen, Germany |
Dec 10, 2016 | 356 days |
1. def. Meryem Uslu at Glory 44: Chicago on Aug 25, 2017 |
| 2 | Anissa Meksen |
Glory 48: New York New York City, NY, U.S. |
Dec 1, 2017 | 252 days |
1. def. Amel Dehby at Glory 53: Lille on May 12, 2018 |
| 3 | Jady Menezes |
Glory 56: Denver Broomfield, CO, U.S. |
Aug 10, 2018 | 84 days | |
| 4 | Anissa Meksen (2) |
Glory 61: New York New York City, NY, U.S. |
Nov 2, 2018 | 385 days (637 days) |
1. def. Tiffany van Soest at Glory 64: Strasbourg on Mar 9, 2019 |
| 5 | Tiffany van Soest (2) |
Glory 71: Chicago Chicago, IL, U.S. |
Nov 22, 2019 | 1,387 days (1,743 days) |
1. def. Aline Pereira at Glory 77: Rotterdam on Jan 30, 2021 |
| Title was vacated when van Soest retired from the sport on September 9, 2023.[37] | |||||
Tournament champions
Contender Tournament champions
Qualification Tournament winners
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament | Xavier Vigney |
 Chi Lewis Parry |
Glory 21: San Diego | May 8, 2015 | 2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament | Dustin Jacoby |
Casey Greene |
Glory 23: Las Vegas | August 7, 2015 | 2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament | Richard Abraham |
Francois Ambang |
Glory 30: Los Angeles | May 13, 2016 | 2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament |  Chenglong Zhang |
 Masaya Kubo |
Glory 46: China | October 14, 2017 | 2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2017 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament | Robert Thomas |
Mike Lemaire |
Glory 48: New York | December 1, 2017 | 2017 Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament | Liu Xu |
Wensheng Zhang |
Glory 57: Shenzhen | August 25, 2018 | 2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
Road to Glory Tournament champions
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | Dustin Jacoby |
Brian Collette |
Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | February 2, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | Mike Lemaire |
Eddie Walker |
Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | February 9, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | Masaaki Noiri |
Yuki |
Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | March 10, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | Francois Ambang |
Brett Hlavacek |
Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | March 22, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | Kengo Shimizu |
Magnum Sakai |
Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | May 3, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | Michael Mananquil |
Troy Sheridan |
2013 Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | May 11, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | Xavier Vigney |
Maurice Green |
Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | June 14, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | Mo Abdurahman |
Bailey Sugden |
Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | March 11, 2017 |
Multi-division champions
Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes (excluding tournament champions).
Robin van Roosmalen - Won Glory Lightweight Championship on November 7, 2014, then Glory Featherweight Championship on October 21, 2016.
Alex Pereira - Won Glory Middleweight Championship on October 14, 2017, then Glory Light Heavyweight Championship on January 30, 2021.
See also
References
External links
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