GLORY announced today that GLORY 81 will be headlined by the exciting rematch between Jamal Ben Saddik and Benjamin Adegbuyi at the Castello in Düsseldorf, Germany on August 20th. GLORY Middleweight Champion Donovan Wisse will defend his title for the first time against German fighter Juri de Sousa.
Jamal Ben Saddik will finally face Benjamin Adegbuyi in a long-awaited rematch between two of the top GLORY heavyweights.
Ben Saddik and Adegbuyi first met at GLORY 62 Rotterdam during a memorable one-night, eight-man heavyweight tournament. The top two seeds faced each other in the tournament final, with Ben Saddik claiming the tournament crown after defeating Adegbuyi by KO despite a broken right hand. While Adegbuyi believes Ben Saddik had the easier path to the finals and won their bout simply because he was the fresher fighter, Ben Saddik believes he's at a different level.
“The GLORY heavyweight division is tough, it’s the best in the world. We are all extremely excited to see Ben Saddik and Adegbuyi in the GLORY ring” says GLORY Executive Vice-Chairman Scott Rudmann. “Both fighters will enter their fight on August 20th at 100%, and we will see who the better man truly is.”
The event will also mark the first title defence for GLORY middleweight champion Donovan Wisse. Wisse claimed the middleweight title last September at GLORY 78 after defeating Yousri Belgaroui by TKO with a devastating knee. At GLORY 81, he will face promotional newcomer Juri de Sousa, who earned an immediate title shot through a series of impressive performances across different organizations in Europe.
Additionally, Stoyan Koprivlenski and Guerric Billet, the top two lightweight contenders in the world, will face off in a bout with major title implications on the line. Both men will look to make their case for an opportunity to challenge Tyjani Beztati for the lightweight title.
GLORY 81 also features the return of Zakaria Zouggary. The top-ranked featherweight contender will step into the GLORY ring for the first time since December of 2019, where he put on a dominant performance against Asa Ten Pow. He will face GLORY newcomer Rafik Habiat, who has over 70 wins on his resume.
More details about the full fight card and ticket sales will be announced shortly.
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