One Belt, One Champion

Six champions will be crowned by GLORY this year as the leading Kickboxing organization puts World Championship Titles on the line in each weight class.

In previous years, there was a distinction between being champion in a weight class and being a tournament champion. From this year onwards, that distinction is gone. Each division has only one belt and one champion.

“This move towards ‘One Belt, One Champion’ in each weight class will really simplify things for the fans,” says Cor Hemmers, Head of Talent Operations.

There had been some confusion about whether a tournament winner was the champion in his weight class or not.

“Now, World Championship Titles will be contested either in one-off fights, which will be five rounds in duration, or will be on the line in the World Championship Tournaments. Whoever wins a World Title Fight or a World Championship Tournament is the champion in his weight class.”

Champions will put their belt on the line every time they fight.

Being champion will provide automatic entry into their weight-class’ World Championship Tournaments, which carry the largest prize money in kickboxing.  But it also means that if the champion loses at any stage of the tournament, he will also have lost his title.

The winners of last year’s World Championship Tournaments - Rico Verhoeven, Tyrone Spong, Joe Schilling, Nieky Holzken, Andy Ristie and Yuta Kubo - will be placed in pole position to contest the GLORY World Championship titles this year.

Arrangements differ depending on the program for each weight class. Some, such as Andy Ristie at GLORY 14 ZAGREB on March 8, will go into a five round World Title Fight. Others, such as Tyrone Spong at GLORY 15 ISTANBUL in April, will take the #1 seeding spot in the Light Heavyweight World Championship Tournament.

With twelve events scheduled for the 2014 season, fans will see a GLORY World Championship Title on the line at each show this year.

Six of the year’s events will feature a five-round World Championship Title fight. The other six shows will feature a World Championship Tournament.

Those six cards, which feature a World Championship Title fight, will also feature a four-man GLORY Contender Tournament.

The main prize in a GLORY Contender Tournament is the #3 seeding spot in the next World Championship Tournament to take place in that weight class.

Competition for World Championship Tournament places is fierce, as they offer prize money and honors unrivalled in the sport, so fans can expect real wars in GLORY Contender Tournament fights.

GLORY 14 ZAGREB is our first event of 2014. It takes place Saturday, March 8 in Zagreb, Croatia.

It features a Lightweight World Championship Title Fight between Andy Ristie (41-3-1, 21 KO’s) and Davit Kiria (21-9, 6 KO’s) plus a four-man GLORY Middleweight Contender Tournament, with the winner earning a place in the Middleweight World Championship Tournament later this year.