Rico Verhoeven is no longer the GLORY heavyweight champion after making the decision to vacate the title he won all the way back in 2013.
His 12-year reign as champion ends with 13 successful title defenses while largely becoming the face of kickboxing in recent years. Verhoeven announced the news on Instagram but stopped short from actually declaring his retirement from the sport.
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“After more than 12 years, 15 world title victories, and countless unforgettable nights, I’ve decided to vacate my GLORY Heavyweight World Title,” Verhoeven wrote. “I joined GLORY in 2012, and from that moment on, I gave everything to this sport and to the organization. Together, we built something truly special sold out arenas, broke records, gave fans incredible fights and moments that helped shape the history of kickboxing.
“I want to give a special acknowledgment to the dedicated people within GLORY who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring such a strong product to the world. Most of them remain unseen, but their passion is what keeps this sport alive and growing. I see you, and I’ve told many of you personally how much I value the way you carry kickboxing forward with heart, respect, and purpose.”
Verhoeven helped reignite the heavyweight division in kickboxing after the days of K-1 where many legends of the sport were formed. After becoming champion, Verhoeven remained active and took on a laundry list of top fighters including names such as Badr Hari, Antonio Silva, Anderson Silva and Jamal Ben Siddick.
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In his final defense as champion, Verhoeven put on a clinic to beat former GLORY light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov, who made the move up to heavyweight after turning down a UFC contract that was offered to him following an appearance on The Contender Series.
Outside of his kickboxing career, Verhoeven has also become a main sparring partner with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as they helped each other often during training camps.
Verhoeven has also crossed over into acting including a starring role in the film Black Lotus as well as appearances in movies like Den of Thieves 2 and he just recent scored a part in Road House 2 starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
