What a night of kickboxing! The fans packed the sold-out Rotterdam Ahoy and created an electric atmosphere that was matched by the action inside the ring. The centerpiece of the event was the GLORY Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, which not only crowned a tournament winner but also a new light heavyweight champion.
TOUCHASSIE UPSETS THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
If there was a list of tournament favorites, Mohamed Touchassie wouldn't have been on it. While always regarded as a top contender, the Moroccan stood in the shadows of names like Bahram Rajabzadeh, Donovan Wisse, and Michael Boapeah. Tonight, however, he delivered one of the grittiest tournament runs in recent memory to upset the tournament field.
His quarterfinal against Rajabzadeh was a tough opening-round test against one of the tournament favorites. Both men fired heavy shots from the opening bell, but Touchassie weathered the storm and managed to outgun his aggressive opponent.
In the third round, he scored a knockdown before landing several more clean shots to seal a unanimous decision victory. Banged up and sporting a noticeable cut above his eyebrow, many fans wondered if his tournament run would end there.
Instead, he returned for a semifinal clash with Cem Cáceres. The Turkish fighter had impressed in his quarterfinal and continued that form against Touchassie. Once again, however, it was Touchassie who landed the more impactful strikes.
Never hesitant to let his hands go, he consistently won exchanges and caught the judges' attention with high kicks and powerful right hands. The result was another unanimous decision victory.
On the other side of the bracket, Donovan Wisse was looking to make history after establishing himself as one of the most dominant champions in the middleweight division. His road to the final was anything but easy, as he battled through three grueling rounds in another rematch with Michael Boapeah. Despite entering the final with battered legs, Wisse delivered an excellent performance in what proved to be the closest fight of the tournament.
Touchassie looked noticeably more fatigued as the fight wore on, at times stumbling around the ring from exhaustion. Yet he found one final surge of energy. Stringing together combinations late in the fight, he landed several significant shots that helped him edge out a split-decision victory and secure both the tournament title and the vacant light heavyweight championship.
An emotional Touchassie embraced his father inside the ring before delivering a heartfelt message to the fans in attendance and watching around the world:
“Today we showed kickboxing is the toughest martial art in the world — no doubt.”
KROMAH LANDS KNOCKOUT-OF-THE-YEAR CONTENDER
Mory Kromah proved he can back up his words, delivering a devastating knockout victory over Miloš Cvjetićanin.
The opening round was largely uneventful, with both fighters spending much of the frame measuring each other and showing restraint. The pace picked up in the second round as Kromah began marching forward and attacking the body. Although Cvjetićanin landed several sharp counters, momentum was gradually shifting toward Kromah.
The third round followed a similar pattern, with Kromah pressing the action and forcing exchanges. Then came the finish. In the middle of a combination, Kromah unleashed his trademark flying knee, connecting flush and sending the Serbian crashing to the canvas.
Cvjetićanin lay motionless as the referee immediately waved off the contest, capping off a spectacular knockout that will undoubtedly enter the conversation for Knockout of the Year.
