The Quarterfinal 1 fight preview of the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix is powered by Unibet.
This Saturday night, March 9, will see the historic GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix event take place at the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Eight of the best heavyweights on the planet will compete in an eight-man one-night tournament where the winner will walk away with a cool $500,000 prizemoney & the title of Grand Prix Champion.
In the first fight of the opening round of the Grand Prix, Levi Rigters (15-1, 7 KO) of the Netherlands will take on Estonia’s Uku Jürjendal (20-8, 16 KO) in one of the picks of the whole tournament.
Rigters returned after a year-long layoff last October and walked through late replacement Ion Taburceanu at GLORY 89 in Bulgaria to book his spot in the Grand Prix. Known for being one of the most promising rising stars in GLORY, Rigters represents the new wave of Dutch talents looking to make the transition from top prospect to legit contender.
The 28-year-old feels his time is now and that the Grand Prix is the perfect stage to make a statement. As the number two seed in the competition, Rigters specifically chose to face Jürjendal as his first opponent.
The Estonian comes into this fight off the back of the biggest win of his career, a demolition of the legendary Badr Hari last October. The 35-year-old had a rollercoaster debut year in GLORY mixing wins and losses, but one thing remained consistent – his power.
Stylistically, this is a great first fight for both fighters. Rigters, who is the more refined and fluid striker, will aim to be elusive with his movement and utilize his patented leg kicks on the more stagnant Jürjendal who likes to plant himself as he throws heavy shots.
However, the Dutchman must always be on alert for the big overhand right from Jürjendal. He will capitalise in devastating fashion on any lazy kicks thrown by Rigters or if he spots any openings in the guard and will gladly hand him his first career knockout loss.
Ultimately, both fighters have paths to victory. Jürjendal will be the underdog but, with his power, should never be counted out while Rigters will be the favourite due to having more ways to win. Either way, the viewers at the GelreDome and at home will be the ultimate winners here.
