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Rico Verhoeven Vacates GLORY Heavyweight Title After 12-Year Reign

Ariel Helwani reports the 36-year-old has held exploratory talks with the UFC after vacating the belt.

Overview

  • Verhoeven announced on Instagram that he relinquished the GLORY heavyweight crown, closing a run spanning more than 4,000 days with 13 successful defenses.
  • He stopped short of retiring, signing off with “it’s not a goodbye,” and leaving his next move unspecified.
  • Helwani reports Verhoeven has spoken with multiple promotions, including the UFC, and is not bound by matching rights.
  • A claim circulating via Vechtsport Info attributes to Turki Alalshikh a February 2026 Anthony Joshua boxing matchup, which remains unconfirmed.
  • The Dutch standout last defended at GLORY 100 in June against Artem Vakhitov, holds a 60-10 kickboxing record, has limited MMA and boxing experience, and has trained with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.