Glory_(kickboxing)
Glory (kickboxing)
World-wide kickboxing promotion
Glory, formerly ‘Glory World Series’ is an international combat sports league based in the United Kingdom. It is owned by Pierre Andurand, Yao Capital, Scott Rudmann and other investors.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Kickboxing |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Key people | Pierre Andurand (Chairman), Scott Rudmann (Vice-Chairman), Marshall Zelaznik (CEO), Robbie Timmers (Matchmaker) |
| Owner | GSUKCO Limited |
| Website | www |
When K-1 began suffering from extreme financial difficulties in 2011, Total Sports Asia, TSA CEO Marcus Luer, Pierre Andurand, and Scott Rudmann of Nectar Capital attempted to buy the brand. K-1 was instead sold to Mike Kim and EMCOM Entertainment Inc.
In the aftermath, Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann and TSA decided to start a brand new kickboxing promotion and acquired United Glory, Golden Glory,[1] and It's Showtime to secure a top event production team and contracts to each promotion's top fighters. Forming the Glory World Series, Pierre Andurand was named Chairman and Rudmann was named vice-chairman.[2] A number of people formerly involved with these three entities event became Glory consultants.[3]
Glory World Series signed most of the world's top kickboxers, such as Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki, Daniel Ghiţă, Albert Kraus, and Giorgio Petrosyan.
The company includes a mix of entrepreneurs and senior level executives from different environments.[4] The company's current investors include Pierre Andurand, Scott Rudmann and Nectar Capital and Yao Capital. Former investors have been Liberty Global, and TwinFocus Capital Partners.[5]
In February 2013, Glory announced that former WWE Executive VP Andrew Whitaker had been hired as the global CEO of Glory Sports International.[6] In August, 2014 Andrew Whitaker moved into an advisory role within GLORY and Jon J. Franklin was appointed as the new CEO.[7]
In 2018, Glory announced that former CEO Jon J. Franklin had moved to the role of Chief Development Officer, and former UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik had been hired as the new CEO.[8]
On May 15, 2020, Glory announced Zelaznik had resigned as Glory CEO.[9]
Financial hardships and change of ownership
On May 26, 2020, Glory Sports International went into receivership, and soon after ownership of Glory was transferred to London-based GSUKCO Limited.[10]
Rudmann is the Executive Vice-Chairman, running the league since it was taken over by GSUKCO.[citation needed]
In a press release on October 2, 2023, Glory announced that Maurice Hols was named as the new Executive Director.[11] Citing "different vision of the future of the organization" with Executive Vice Chairman Rudmann, Hols resigned on February 19, 2024, after just a few months as Executive Director.[12]
In March 2024, it was announced by Glory that Zelaznik returned to the company and was appointed again as CEO.[13]
Media coverage
In June 2013, after having its first U.S. event in New York, Glory 9: New York on June 22, 2013, Spike TV signed a multi-year agreement to broadcast Glory kickboxing events; their partnership began with Glory 11: Chicago on October 12 of that year. The broadcast deal with Spike was extended in May 2014 to cover 2015.[14]
In February 2016, Glory CEO Jon J. Franklin announced a new multi-year deal with ESPN.[15]
Glory was broadcast on Veronica TV in the Netherlands from July, 2018 to February, 2020.[16][17][18]
Beginning in 2019, Glory initiated a partnership with the UFC for the former's events to be exclusively carried in the U.S by UFC Fight Pass.[19] The first event to be broadcast as part of this partnership was Glory 63: Houston on February 1 and the last event was Glory 75: Utrecht on February 29, 2020.
Events from Glory 76 to Glory 80 Studio were available through pay-per-view.
28 June 2022 Glory announced a multi-year broadcast deal with Videoland in the Netherlands. The deal covers all Glory events starting from Glory 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2.[20] 16 August 2022 Glory announced a multi-year broadcast deal with Viaplay in Poland.[21][22] 5 October 2022 a multi-year partnership with it was announced that Glory announced a multi-year broadcast deal with TV3 in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.[23] 16 February 2024 a multi-year broadcast deal with DAZN covering France and Belgium was announced.[24]
Glory Rivals
In January 2022 Glory announced a new series of events called Glory Rivals, jointly promoted with Enfusion and RISE.[25] The first Rivals event with Enfusion was scheduled for May 21, 2022, at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium. The event was later cancelled due to the finances of Enfusion's local promoter partner Antwerp Fight Organization catching the attention of Belgian authorities.[26]
Glory Rivals 1 was instead held on June 11, 2022, in Alkmaar, Netherlands. In the main event Luis Tavares defeated Florent Kaouachi by knockout in the third round.[27]
Glory Rivals 2 was held on September 17, 2022, in Alkmaar, Netherlands.[28]
Glory Rivals 3 was organized at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam on November 5, 2022. Ibrahim El Bouni defeated Muhammed Balli by knock-out in the first round.
Glory Rivals 4 took place on December 25 at Ryogoku Sumo Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Kento Haraguchi defeated Serhii Adamchuk by unanimous decision.
GLORY Rivals 5 was organized on January 28, 2023, at Zamna Tulum Hotel in Tulum, Mexico, in collaboration with War of Nations. Abraham Vidales defeated Tomás Aguirre by Unanimous Decision. On January 11, 2024, it was announced that Glory and RISE would hold joint tournaments, combine their rankings and unify their rankings.[29] A few days later, on February 6, the promotion put their lightweight and women's super bantamweight divisions on hold.[30]
Glory events
United Glory events
| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | United Glory 15: Glory World Series | March 23, 2012 | Dynamo Sports Palace |  Moscow, Russia |
|
| 17 | United Glory 14: 2010-2011 World Series Finals | May 28, 2011 | Moscow Forum Hall | Moscow, Russia |
|
| 16 | United Glory 13: 2010-2011 World Series Semifinals | March 19, 2011 | Spiroudome |  Charleroi, Belgium |
|
| 15 | United Glory 12: 2010-2011 World Series Quarterfinals | October 16, 2010 | Passenger Terminal |  Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
| 14 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 7 | March 27, 2010 | Sportstudio H&A | Deventer, Netherlands |
|
| 13 | United Glory 11: A Decade of Fights | October 17, 2009 | Passenger Terminal | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
| 12 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 5 | June 27, 2009 | Sportstudio H&A | Deventer, Netherlands |
|
| 11 | United Glory 10: The Battle of Arnhem | November 9, 2008 | Rijnhal | Arnhem, Netherlands |
|
| 10 | United Glory 9: Swiss Las Vegas | August 2, 2008 | Markthalle |  Basel, Switzerland |
|
| 9 | United Glory 8 | July 6, 2008 | Triavium | Nijmegen, Netherlands |
|
| 8 | United Glory: Upcoming Glory 2 | February 24, 2008 | Zalencentrum de Kei | Ede, Netherlands |
|
| 7 | United Glory 7 | January 20, 2008 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 6 | United Glory 6: Ede's Best Against the Rest | November 17, 2007 | Reehorst Sports Hall | Ede, Netherlands |
|
| 5 | United Glory 5: Stronger | September 9, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 4 | United Glory 4: 20 Year Anniversary | September 2, 2007 | Hof van Salland | Diepenveen, Netherlands |
|
| 3 | United Glory 3: Upside Down | May 20, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 2 | United Glory 2 | January 21, 2007 | De Flint | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
| 1 | United Glory 1 | September 17, 2006 | Sporthal de Zielhorst | Utrecht, Netherlands |
|
Current champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Unlimited | Rico Verhoeven | June 21, 2014 | 11 |
| Light Heavyweight | 95 kg (209.4 lb) |  Tarik Khbabez | March 9, 2024 | 0 |
| Middleweight | 85 kg (187.4 lb) |  Donovan Wisse | September 4, 2021 | 3 |
| Welterweight | 77 kg (169.8 lb) | Endy Semeleer | November 19, 2022 | 3 |
| Lightweight | 70 kg (154.3 lb) | Tyjani Beztati | September 4, 2021 | 5 |
| Featherweight | 65 kg (143.3 lb) |  Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao | September 29, 2018 | 6 |
| Women's Super Bantamweight | 55 kg (121.3 lb) |  Vacant |
Indicates former interim champions.
Indicates current lineal and interim champions.
Glory Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: Unlimited
Glory Light Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: 95 kg (209.4 lb)
Glory Middleweight Championship
Weight limit: 85 kg (187.4 lb)
Glory Welterweight Championship
Weight limit: 77 kg (169.8 lb)
Glory Lightweight Championship
Weight limit: 70 kg (154.3 lb)
Glory Featherweight Championship
Weight limit: 65 kg (143.3 lb)
Glory Women's Super Bantamweight Championship
Weight limit: 55 kg (121.3 lb)
Tournament champions
Contender Tournament champions
Qualification Tournament winners
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament |  Xavier Vigney |
 Chi Lewis Parry |
Glory 21: San Diego | May 8, 2015 | 2015 Glory Heavyweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament | Dustin Jacoby |
Casey Greene |
Glory 23: Las Vegas | August 7, 2015 | 2015 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament | Richard Abraham |
Francois Ambang |
Glory 30: Los Angeles | May 13, 2016 | 2016 Glory Welterweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament |  Chenglong Zhang |
 Masaya Kubo |
Glory 46: China | October 14, 2017 | 2017 Glory Featherweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2017 Glory Middleweight Qualification Tournament |  Robert Thomas |
Mike Lemaire |
Glory 48: New York | December 1, 2017 | 2017 Middleweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
| 2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament | Liu Xu |
Wensheng Zhang |
Glory 57: Shenzhen | August 25, 2018 | 2018 Glory Lightweight Qualification Tournament bracket |
Road to Glory Tournament champions
| Weight Class | Champion | Runner-up | Event | Date | Tournament Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | Dustin Jacoby |
Brian Collette |
Road to Glory USA 95 kg Tournament | February 2, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | Mike Lemaire |
Eddie Walker |
Road to Glory USA 85 kg Tournament | February 9, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | Masaaki Noiri |
Yuki |
Road to Glory Japan 65 kg Tournament | March 10, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | Francois Ambang |
Brett Hlavacek |
Road to Glory USA 77 kg Tournament | March 22, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | Kengo Shimizu |
Magnum Sakai |
Road to Glory Japan 85 kg Tournament | May 3, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | Michael Mananquil |
Troy Sheridan |
2013 Road to Glory USA 70 kg Tournament | May 11, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | Xavier Vigney |
Maurice Green |
Road to Glory USA Heavyweight Tournament | June 14, 2013 | |
| Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | Mo Abdurahman |
Bailey Sugden |
Road to Glory UK 65 kg Tournament | March 11, 2017 |
Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes (excluding tournament champions).
Robin van Roosmalen - Won Glory Lightweight Championship on November 7, 2014, then Glory Featherweight Championship on October 21, 2016.
Alex Pereira - Won Glory Middleweight Championship on October 14, 2017, then Glory Light Heavyweight Championship on January 30, 2021.
Featherweight
Lightweight
Chingiz Allazov
Dzhabar Askerov
Shemsi Beqiri
Alessandro Campagna
Sanny Dahlbeck
Johann Fauveau
Marat Grigorian
Hinata
Ky Hollenbeck
Davit Kiria- Albert Kraus
- Anatoly Moiseev
Steve Moxon- Giorgio Petrosyan
Łukasz Pławecki
Andy Ristie- Robin van Roosmalen
- Dylan Salvador
Simón Santana- Yoshihiro Sato
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong
Warren Stevelmans
Jordan Watson- Bruno Gazani
Tyjani Beztati
Enriko Kehl
Welterweight
- Marc de Bonte
- Roberto Cocco
- Raymond Daniels
- Murat Direkçi
- Cedric Doumbe
- Karim Ghajji
- Harut Grigorian
- Murthel Groenhart
- Nieky Holzken
- Paweł Jędrzejczyk
Karapet Karapetyan
Yoann Kongolo
Artur Kyshenko- Yohan Lidon
- Thiago Michel
Alim Nabiev- Antoine Pinto
- Arian Sadiković
- Thongchai Sitsongpeenong
- Alexander Stetsurenko
- Chad Sugden
- Alex Tobiasson Harris
Joseph Valtellini
Middleweight
Israel Adesanya- Wayne Barrett
Yousri Belgaroui- Chris Camozzi
- Dustin Jacoby
- Artem Levin
- Melvin Manhoef
- Simon Marcus
- L'houcine Ouzgni
- Sahak Parparyan
- Alex Pereira
Agron Preteni- Karl Roberson
- Joe Schilling
- Kengo Shimizu
Bogdan Stoica- Filip Verlinden
- Steve Wakeling
- Jason Wilnis
- Donovan Wisse
Amir Zeyada
Light Heavyweight
- Donegi Abena
- Randy Blake
- Mourad Bouzidi
- Saulo Cavalari
- Nathan Corbett
- Abdarhmane Coulibaly
- Michael Duut
- Zinedine Hameur-Lain
Danyo Ilunga- Igor Jurković
- Freddy Kemayo
- Steve McKinnon
- Zack Mwekassa
Nenad Pagonis- Koichi Pettas
- Gökhan Saki
- Thiago Silva
- Tyrone Spong
- Andrei Stoica
- Stéphane Susperregui
- Luis Tavares
- Makoto Uehara
- Artem Vakhitov
- Pavel Zhuravlev
- Ștefan Lătescu
Heavyweight
- Benjamin Adegbuyi
- Peter Aerts
- Jamal Ben Saddik
- Remy Bonjasky
- Antonio Plazibat
- Mladen Brestovac
- Brian Douwes
- Ben Edwards
- Mirko Filipović
- Hesdy Gerges
- Daniel Ghiţă
- Badr Hari
- Guto Inocente
Singh Jaideep- Jérôme Le Banner
- Ismael Londt
D'Angelo Marshall- Cătălin Moroșanu
- Alistair Overeem
- Daniel Sam
- Semmy Schilt
- Antônio Silva
- Anderson Silva
Giannis Stoforidis- Ewerton Teixeira
- Rico Verhoeven
- Nicolas Wamba
- Jahfarr Wilnis
- Errol Zimmerman
- John Joe O'Regan (2012-10-25). "GLORY takes over DREAM for NYE show - Fighters Only". Fightersonlymag.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- Dave Walsh. "Glory World Series Puts $1 Million USD on the Line in New Tournaments". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "News - Â'ItÂ's ShowtimeÂ' promoter Simon Rutz retires from kickboxing business". Gloryworldseries.com. 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- "About Us". Gloryworldseries.com. 2012-05-26. Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- Patrick Frater (13 September 2016). "Yao Ming, Liberty Global Invest in Kickboxing's Glory Sports". Variety.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- "News - Andrew Whitaker Named New Glory Ceo". Gloryworldseries.com. 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- "GLORY Appoints Marshall Zelaznik as New CEO; Franklin Moves to Development Role". LiverKick. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- @aaronbronsteter (July 3, 2020). "An update: I'm told by a GLORY exec..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "GLORY appoints new Executive Director". glorykickboxing.com. October 2, 2023.
- Anthony Barry (February 19, 2024). "BREAKING! GLORY Executive Director Maurice Hols Announces Resignation – "...In Order to Be Successful, One Must Be True to Their Own Values and Beliefs"". beyondkick.com.
- Timothy Wheaton (March 19, 2024). "Marshall Zelaznik Returns as CEO of GLORY Kickboxing". combatpress.com.
- "Glory Appoints New CEO, Extends Spike TV Broadcast Deal". Sherdog.com. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- "Glory announces ESPN partnership and Glory 29 Copenhagen". © 2016 Vox Media, Inc. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- "John de Mol haalt GLORY Kickboxing naar Veronica". Mediacourant.nl. June 27, 2018.
- "? | KIJKEN: GLORY 75 Utrecht via TV en Livestream". Vechtsport info. February 29, 2020.
- "Veronica stopt met uitzenden kickbokswedstrijden GLORY". Showbizznetwork.nl. 26 August 2020.
- "UFC FIGHT PASS AND GLORY REACH GROUND-BREAKING DEAL". Glory Kickboxing.
- "Gale Glory w Viaplay!". 16 August 2022.
- "TV3 Group inks Glory deal". 5 October 2022.
- "GLORY Rivals 1 and Enfusion 108 Results: Tavares Knocks Out Kaouachi". Combat Press. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- Iskenderov, Parviz (26 July 2022). "Robin Ciric vs Endy Semeleer headlines GLORY Rivals 2". FIGHTMAG. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- Collet, Bjarne. "RISE & GLORY Announce 8-Men Featherweight Grand Prix". Beyond Kickboxing - The Home of Kickboxing. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- Huwaë, Kimball. "GLORY Puts Their Lightweight Division on Hold". Beyond Kickboxing - The Home of Kickboxing. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- Matthew Roth (29 September 2013). "Glory 10 and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs Bryan Vera results: Soooo...about last night". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- Dave Walsh. "Sem Schilt Retires". LiverKick.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- Reedijk, Tim (17 June 2022). "Titelgevecht voor Luis Tavares, Glory breekt met Vakhitov en Russen". bndestem.nl. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- "GLORY Statement on Gokokhan Saki". gloryworldseries.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- "GLORY 78: 2nd Title Bout Added to Fight Card, Catinas Returns". kickboxingz.com. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- Angelini, Olivier (16 November 2021). "Cédric Doumbé n'est officiellement plus champion du Glory". boxemag.com. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Dave Walsh. "GLORY Welterweight Champion Joseph Valtellini Vacates Championship". LiverKick.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "ONE Championship Signs Marat Grigorian". kickboxingz.com. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Stets, Michael (20 January 2017). "GLORY 37 weigh-in results: Robin van Roosmalen misses weight, stripped of Featherweight title". mmaplus.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Strobel, Kevin (10 September 2023). "GLORY 88 Results". Beyond Kickboxing - The Home of Kickboxing. Retrieved 10 September 2023.