BREAKING: Donegi Abena-Tarik Khbabez GLORY title unification set for March 9
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GLORY Kickboxing is set to host a one-night 8-man Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament on March 9th. The event will go down at The GelreDome football stadium in the Netherlands. Along with the Grand Prix, GLORY has decided to add another fight that is sure to get fans on the edge of their seats.
Per sources, GLORY’s LHW Champion Donegi Abena (27-9, 7 KO) will look to unify the light heavyweight title over five rounds against interim LHW champion Tarik Khbabez (49-10-1, 28 KO). It will be the third time the pairing has been matched against each other.
Originally, Khbabez was scheduled to challenge Abena for the title at GLORY COLLISION 5 back in June. However, Abena was forced to withdraw due to an illness. As a result, Khbabez fought late replacement Mo Amine. He would go on to TKO him in the fourth round to capture interim gold. Abena and Khbabez then had a 2nd fight set for their title unification bout at GLORY COLLISION 6 in November of 2023. With more bad luck, Khbabez was the one who had to withdraw.
Now with a third matchup set, the pair will finally come face-to-face at the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix. Only one of them can leave as the undisputed GLORY light heavyweight champion.
The Champion
Donegi Abena is on a very dominant winning streak having turned his GLORY tenure completely around. After dropping 4-fights in a row, he came back with three wins. One of them being for the LHW championship where he brutally attacked his opponent’s legs en route to a doctor’s stoppage.
Abena is certainly prepared to go the distance again, coming off a successful dominant title defense. It’s safe to assume he has had plenty of time to familiarize himself with Khbabez. Especially when you consider he has signed the dotted line three times for him.
The Interim Champion
Much like his opponent, Tarik Khbabez has also flipped the trajectory of his GLORY career. Currently on a 2-fight win streak, he’s a dangerous fighter who has had Abena in his sights since June. Although he currently holds the interim title, Khbabez’s goal remains the same… Capturing undisputed gold.
GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix
GLORY is looking to kickoff 2024 with a bang. It’s rare a card is stacked with great fights and so much at stake. The GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament alone will feature:
- Rico Verhoeven (60-10, 20 KO)
- Antonio Plazibat (22-5, 16 KO)
- Tariq Osaro (25-3-1, 13 KO)
- Levi Rigters (15-1, 7 KO)
- Uku Jürjendal (20-8, 16 KO)
- Bahram Rajabzadeh (65-1, 58 KO)
- Nabil Khachab (26-4-1, 4 KO)
- Sofian Laïdouni (35-2-1, 17 KO)
Fans can join the ticket presale now. International fans can watch the card on GLORYFights.com. Make sure you tune in live, on March 9th.
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