Originally slated as a three-round superfight, GLORY heavyweight champion Rico “The King of Kickboxing” Verhoeven (53-10, 16 KO, fighting out of the Netherlands) will now defend his title against No. 7-ranked heavyweight Mladen “The Scorpion Sting” Brestovac (56-12-1, 35 KO, fighting out of Croatia) in a five-round championship bout at Genting Arena on Saturday, June 2.
“With this being our long-awaited return to the UK, we wanted to do something special for the fans in Birmingham,” said Marshall Zelaznik, CEO, GLORY. “We’ll have back-to-back title fights capping off what’s sure to be an unforgettable night.”
Zelaznik added: “When we approached the fighters about increasing the stakes and potentially going two more rounds, there wasn’t a moment of hesitation from either side. Rico and Mladen are both ready to leave it all out there for GLORY gold and personally, I’m excited to see it.”
A win by Verhoeven would mark his seventh title defense since capturing the belt in 2014.