Rico Verhoeven vs Artem Vakhitov : Fight Preview by Unibet

The previews of GLORY 100’s fights are powered by Unibet.

GLORY 100 is set to be the biggest event in kickboxing history and one of the biggest events of the combat sport calendar. This Saturday, June 14, four GLORY world titles will be on the line and four separate four-man one-night tournaments will occur to determine who qualifies for the Last Heavyweight Standing finals. In the main-event of the evening, The King of Kickboxing Rico Verhoeven (65-10, 21 KO) is set to defend his GLORY Heavyweight Title against the returning Artem Vakhitov (22-6, 8 KO). 

Last December, Rico proved once again why he is considered by many as the best kickboxer on the planet. He has been undefeated for more than 10 years now and he has conquered every challenge that was offered to him. After an impressive 2024, he is looking at 2025 as another year to keep establishing his dominance over the sport. His 21 fights win-streak is unmatched and he feels even more dominant than ever at 36 years-old.

He will face a very unique opponent in Artem Vakhitov. The former GLORY Light Heavyweight Champion returns to kickboxing on June 14 after 3 years off and he is looking to prove that he is still the fighter he was when he defeated Alex Pereira at GLORY 78. Perhaps the best Light Heavyweight fighter in GLORY’s history, Vakhitov has an extremely impressive resume and he stayed undefeated in GLORY for half a decade. 

Rico’s ability to handle pressure has been proven but fans wonder how he will do against perhaps the most technical fighter he has ever faced. Artem’s ability to control fights is like no other and this is a clash between two very experienced fighters that are used to high-stakes fights. 

Being a natural heavyweight, Rico is the more powerful fighter of the two but Artem’s movements might be the key to victory here. Vakhitov needs to establish his pace and not let Rico get into his comfort zone where he is almost impossible to disturb. More used to fighters that try to set up big shots on him, Rico might have a lot of adjustments to make when facing such an elusive opponent. 

Having survived two very tough fights against Alex Pereira, Artem has proven many times that he can handle power and give it back in full. The quickness in which he flicks shots might prove to be problematic for Rico if the champion lets Vakhitov close the distance on him. It will take a lot of heart for the challenger to emerge victorious but he has plenty of that in store and GLORY 100 might see a big upset.