While it was Liu Ce who had to pull out of their initially announced fight earlier this year, this time it’s Thian de Vries who won’t make it to the bout. The Dutchman suffered a hand injury over the weekend at 8TKO #18, where he captured another belt with a second-round stoppage of Kevin van Heeckeren under Xtreme Standup rules — essentially Muay Thai with MMA gloves. With less protection around his hands, de Vries recalls: "Literally the first left straight broke my hand."
He was slated to defend his K-1 Cruiserweight title against Liu Ce at K-1 World MAX 2025 on November 15. Although an official announcement hasn’t been made yet, Beyond Kickboxing has reached out to de Vries, who says it’s highly unlikely he will return to competition this year.
“It will take 2 months, maybe 3 months to fully recover. After that, I can really start preparing for fights again, if it recovers the way it should. We will be back as fast as possible,” he added.
It’s an unfortunate result, as both heavy hitters were sure to deliver fireworks in what would have been the biggest fight of either man’s career. With Liu Ce hinting at a future in MMA, fans can hope this missed opportunity won’t be the nail in the coffin for the match-up.
