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    Kickboxing

    GLORY Kickboxing: History, Weight Classes, How to Watch (2026)

    Guide to GLORY Kickboxing: founding history, rules, weight classes, champions, and how to watch the world's leading stand-up kickboxing promotion.

    GLORY is the leading global kickboxing promotion, broadly recognized as the modern successor to Japan's K-1 World Grand Prix as the home of the world's top heavyweight and middleweight kickboxers. Founded in 2012 and based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, GLORY contests fights under international kickboxing rules: three three-minute rounds with punches, kicks above and below the waist, and knees in the clinch permitted, but no elbows and only limited clinching.

    History

    GLORY was created in 2012 by Dutch businessman Pierre Andurand and Asian sports executive Marcus Luer through their company Glory Sports International, with the explicit goal of consolidating the top tier of world kickboxing after the financial collapse of Japan's FEG-era K-1 in 2010 and 2011. The new promotion quickly signed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Semmy Schilt, Daniel Ghita, Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki, and Giorgio Petrosyan, and staged its first event, GLORY 1: Stockholm, on 26 May 2012 at the Hovet arena.

    The promotion's early years featured a series of one-night Grand Prix tournaments in the K-1 tradition, including the GLORY 12 Heavyweight Grand Prix in New York, which Rico Verhoeven won to begin his historic heavyweight title reign. In the mid-2010s GLORY expanded into the United States with broadcast deals on Spike TV and later ESPN, while continuing to anchor most cards in the Netherlands, where kickboxing enjoys mainstream sporting status.

    After financial restructuring in the late 2010s, GLORY entered the 2020s under new ownership and management, expanding its digital footprint, and in 2024 announced a multi-year content partnership with DAZN that significantly broadened its international distribution.

    Weight classes

    GLORY contests men's titles in five weight classes and a women's title at super bantamweight:

    • Featherweight: 65 kg / 143 lb — Petchpanomrung Kiatmookao, Tyjani Beztati
    • Lightweight: 70 kg / 154 lb — Davit Kiria, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, Tyjani Beztati
    • Welterweight: 77 kg / 170 lb — Nieky Holzken, Cedric Doumbe, Endy Semeleer
    • Middleweight: 85 kg / 187 lb — Artem Levin, Simon Marcus, Alex Pereira, Donegi Abena
    • Light Heavyweight: 95 kg / 209 lb — Gokhan Saki, Saulo Cavalari, Artem Vakhitov
    • Heavyweight: over 95 kg / over 209 lb — Semmy Schilt, Rico Verhoeven (longest-reigning heavyweight champion in GLORY history)
    • Women's Super Bantamweight: 55 kg / 121 lb — Tiffany van Soest, Anissa Meksen

    GLORY also stages occasional one-night Grand Prix tournaments in which four or eight fighters compete on the same card to claim a tournament title.

    How to watch

    Following the 2024 partnership with DAZN, GLORY events stream live on DAZN in most major markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, and Japan. In the Netherlands, where GLORY enjoys near-mainstream status, events are broadcast on Videoland and major free-to-air partners. In France, where kickboxing has a large following and several top fighters, RMC Sport has carried events in recent years. Selected prelims are streamed free on the GLORY Kickboxing YouTube channel, and the full event archive is available on the GLORY official app.

    Notable champions and influential fighters

    • Rico Verhoeven — Dutch heavyweight champion since 2014, with the longest reign of any GLORY titleholder
    • Semmy Schilt — Towering Dutch kickboxer who won the inaugural heavyweight title; a four-time K-1 World Grand Prix winner
    • Giorgio Petrosyan — Italian-Armenian "Doctor" widely considered one of the greatest pure technicians in kickboxing history
    • Nieky Holzken — Dutch welterweight known for his pressure boxing and devastating left hook
    • Alex Pereira — Brazilian former GLORY middleweight and light heavyweight champion who later became a two-division UFC champion
    • Cedric Doumbe — French welterweight champion known for his footwork, charisma, and crossover appeal
    • Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong — Thai lightweight technician who has held GLORY and ONE titles
    • Tiffany van Soest — American women's super bantamweight champion who helped establish the division

    Kickboxing rewards crisp technique, conditioning, and a willingness to stand and trade.

    Frequently asked questions

    What rules does GLORY Kickboxing use?

    GLORY uses international kickboxing rules. Fights are contested over three three-minute rounds, with title fights and headline bouts scheduled for five rounds. Punches, kicks above and below the waist, and knees thrown from the clinch are legal, but elbows are not permitted, and the clinch is broken quickly by the referee to keep the action fast-paced. This places the GLORY ruleset between Muay Thai, which allows elbows and extended clinching, and traditional boxing. Bouts can end by knockout, technical knockout, three-knockdown rule, judges' decision, disqualification, or doctor stoppage between rounds.

    How does GLORY differ from Muay Thai?

    GLORY follows international kickboxing rules rather than full Muay Thai rules. Both sports allow punches, kicks, and knees, but Muay Thai also permits elbow strikes and extended clinch work, and Thai judges weight kicks, clinch dominance, and balance more heavily than punches. GLORY scoring is closer to boxing, rewarding cleanly landed punches and knockdown power alongside kicks. Many top GLORY fighters, including Sitthichai and Petchpanomrung, come from a Muay Thai background and adapt their style.

    Where can I watch GLORY in 2026?

    Following GLORY's 2024 multi-year partnership with DAZN, most major markets stream events live on DAZN, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Japan. In the Netherlands, the promotion airs on Videoland and selected free-to-air partners. France has carried events on RMC Sport. Free prelim fights are usually streamed on the GLORY Kickboxing YouTube channel.

    Who is the longest-reigning GLORY champion?

    Dutch heavyweight Rico Verhoeven is by a wide margin the longest-reigning champion in GLORY history. He won the heavyweight title in 2014 at the GLORY 17 tournament and has defended it more than ten times against challengers including Daniel Ghita, Mladen Brestovac, Jamal Ben Saddik, Badr Hari, and Alistair Overeem. Verhoeven combines size, conditioning, and a long jab with a measured, tactical style, and his reign has coincided with GLORY's establishment as the unquestioned home of the world's top heavyweight kickboxers.

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