New GLORY executive director, Maurice Hols, has outlined GLORY's plans for the upcoming calendar year.
2023 was a return to form for GLORY and saw them putting on regular events, moving forward divisions, and signing a lot of international top talent. New formats such as 'House of Glory' were introduced, and a more in-depth drug testing program was pushed to the forefront in an effort to legitimize the sport.
THE NEXT STEP
A big focus this year were the qualification fights that were meant to culminate in December's Heavyweight Grand Prix. A one-night eight-men tournament between the biggest and baddest men on the planet. Unfortunately, it got pushed back into the next year due to scheduling issues and injuries of some of the top fighters.
A staple during the golden days of K-1, GLORY will host tournaments across four different divisions – Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, and Welterweight. Those tournaments will be hosted each quarter of the year. Kicking them off will be the Heavyweight Grand Prix in March. Tournament winners will receive a Grand Prix belt and a shot at the reigning champion of the division. Champions are encouraged to enter as well, so it's very much possible that the likes of Rico Verhoeven, Donegi Abena, Donovan Wisse, and Endy Semeleer could hold two belts.
In addition to those four events, six more events are in the pipeline with a majority of them outside the Netherlands.
TRANSPARENCY IS KEY
GLORY will revamp their existing rankings system to be more easily understood and transparent.
"GLORY has grown enormously in recent years and with this new step we want to become even bigger internationally and in the Netherlands," says Maurice Hols, who took over as general manager at GLORY in October. "That is why it is important that there is a system that can be understood by everyone."
Details haven't been revealed yet, but it's hinted that it will be a point-based system where knockouts will award more points, similar to how PFL is handling things.
How to qualify for the much-sought after tournaments is also clearly defined. The six highest-ranked fighters in the rankings automatically qualify for the Grand Prix. In addition, two wildcards are given out, most likely to local fighters or fighters of special interest.
"Kickboxing is the most exciting form of stand-up combat sports in the world and our goal is delivering the most exciting product to the fans," said Maurice Hols, GLORY executive director. “The Grand Prix will have fans on the edge of their seats with guaranteed action & entertainment every time, in addition to improved storytelling centred around the fighters. This is part of a new long-term strategy that will help elevate the fan & viewer experience and will bring even more eyes to GLORY."
"Grand Prix events hold a special place in the history of our sport," said Robbie Timmers, GLORY matchmaker. “They have built stars and given fans so many enjoyable moments. Fighting three times on the same night against the best in the world is a different level in combat sports, so we will see who the world’s baddest fighters truly are."
