{"id":6535,"date":"2025-12-17T20:20:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T19:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6535"},"modified":"2025-12-17T20:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T19:20:57","slug":"the-heavyweight-throne-is-vacant-and-brutally-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/the-heavyweight-throne-is-vacant-and-brutally-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Heavyweight Throne Is Vacant \u2014 and Brutally Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The draw for GLORY 105: Last Heavyweight Standing Finals<\/strong> was more than a procedural moment \u2014 it was a declaration. On February 7, inside the GelreDome in Arnhem<\/strong>, a new heavyweight world champion will be crowned, in circumstances rarely seen in modern kickboxing.<\/p>\n

With Rico Verhoeven<\/strong> stepping away from the throne, the heavyweight division enters a rare state: a power vacuum<\/strong>. No dominant ruler. No protected legacy. Just eight men, one night, and no margin for error.<\/p>\n

A tournament built on attrition, not reputation<\/h3>\n

The Last Heavyweight Standing<\/em> tournament began in early 2025 with nearly fifty heavyweights<\/strong>. From the outset, the message was clear: survival over status.<\/p>\n

After months of eliminations, only eight fighters remain<\/strong>, tasked with enduring a one-night Grand Prix \u2014 three potential fights, mounting fatigue, and constant risk.<\/p>\n

This is not about who hits hardest.
It\u2019s about who endures longest.<\/p>\n

A random draw\u2026 with ruthless consequences<\/h3>\n

The draw at COLLISION 8<\/strong> produced several matchups worthy of main events, setting the tone for a night with no warm-up fights.<\/p>\n

Plazibat vs. Kromah: star power collides early<\/h4>\n

The headline quarterfinal sees Antonio Plazibat<\/strong> collide with Mory \u201cThe Black Ghost\u201d Kromah<\/strong>. Their tense face-off during the draw revealed more than rivalry \u2014 it exposed ego, ambition, and pressure.<\/p>\n

This bout isn\u2019t just about advancing.
It\u2019s about psychological dominance.<\/p>\n

The winner advances to face either Tariq Osaro<\/strong> or Nico Horta<\/strong>, in a rematch of GLORY 95. Osaro won the first encounter by decision, but Horta now arrives with a full training camp, not a short-notice call. Context changes everything.<\/p>\n

The other side: experience versus momentum<\/h4>\n

On the opposite side, Anis Bouzid<\/strong>, unbeaten in the tournament, meets the veteran Errol Zimmerman<\/strong>, a fighter whose r\u00e9sum\u00e9 spans more than 130 professional bouts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic question:
Can experience still overcome youth, speed, and momentum?<\/p>\n

Awaiting the winner is the victor of Milos Cvjeticanin vs. Sofian Laidouni<\/strong>, a low-profile but highly technical clash that could quietly produce the tournament\u2019s dark horse.<\/p>\n

GLORY 105: no safety net, no favorites<\/h3>\n

What defines GLORY 105 is its lack of protection.
No reigning champion.
No strategic matchmaking.
No long-term planning.<\/p>\n

Only survival.<\/p>\n

On February 7, GLORY won\u2019t just crown a new heavyweight champion \u2014
it will reveal which type of fighter can rule a division when there is no king left to beat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The draw for GLORY 105: Last Heavyweight Standing Finals was more than a procedural moment \u2014 it was a declaration. On February 7, inside the GelreDome in Arnhem, a new heavyweight world champion will be crowned, in circumstances rarely seen in modern kickboxing. With Rico Verhoeven stepping away from the throne, the heavyweight division enters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glory","8":"category-kick-kickboxing-muay-thai"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6537,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535\/revisions\/6537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}