After two Glory Rivals events in the past two months taking place in Japan and Mexico, Glory touches down on the 11th of February, 2023, in Essen, Germany.

Van Belzen vs Ciric (welterweight)

Jos van Belzen - NL (25yrs) · 1.83m / 6'0" · 77kg / 170lbs · 9-2-0 (3 KO)

Robin Ciric - NL (26yrs) · 1.82m / 5'11" · 77kg / 170lbs · 37-7-0 (10 KO)

Round 1: Van Belzen seems motivated, moves light-footed, takes the initiative and counters attacks from Ciric immediately, whom already seems in trouble and got hit bad in the first 30 seconds. In the last minute the fellow Dutchman recovers and is able to keep the pressure better on Van Belzen, with some good hits using a large variety of techniques including a spinning backfist. Still, Van Belzen won the round.

Round 2: Ciric really hit Van Belzen with an high impact punch and some kicks afterwards which Van Belzen wasn't able to fully counter and get his rhithmn back. Both fighters are putting up a great performance. Van Belzen stopped making low kicks and seems more tired than Ciric by the end of the round, having much less kicking and punching power.

Round 3: The third round will decide the winner as both fighters won one round. Van Belzen seems more awake now. Ciric keeps pushing him back however, apparently listening very well to his coach who's also his father. Ciric is very active but not as effective as the last round. He seems to have a signature move, a spinning kick mostly to the lower body. Van Belzen was able to put out a last burst of energy but it'll probably won't be enough.

Jury verdict: win for Ciric (split decision)

CHIKH Mousa VS Peposhi (featherweight)

Ahmad Chikh Mousa - DE (22yrs) · 1.77m / 5'9" · 65kg / 143lbs · 57-8-1 (28 KO)

Berjan Peposhi - AL (22yrs) · 1.79m / 5'10" · 65kg / 143lbs · 27-1-0 (16 KO)

Round 1: Peposhi immediately starts with a high intensity series of attacks. Chihk Mousa just blocks then and occassionally counters. It seems part of a bigger strategy, where Chikh Mousa gradually ups the pressure and pushes Peposhi back, who already seems tired. Still, Mousa's strategy is risky as he still gets hit a lot, which hurts and drains energy even when blocked. But actually, 93% of all of Peposhi's attacks actually lands. The round ends in a slugfest, both fighters just stand near each other and keep exchanging heavy hitting blows. This fight will most likely not last the full three rounds.

Round 2: The fighters pick up right where they left the first round, though the pace is slower. Every second seems to be filled at least three of four brutal strikes, most of them landing. Chikh Mousa and Peposhi are able to eat a lot of punches and kicks without going down. Chikh Mousa ultimately gets hit the most, which doesn't seem healthy at all. Especially all those punches Peposhi is able to land on Chikh Mousa's head with some beautiful combinations.

Round 3: The round starts with Chikh Mousa at a big disadvantage. Points wise, it's clear Peposhi will win this fight unless Chikh Mousa is able to score a knockout. The round didn't start well for him however, as Peposhi immediately hits his head with a high kick in the first second of the round. Chikh Mousa suddenly starts using lowkicks a lot this round, which should've happened the previous rounds so he could have benefited more from the churn. Big surprise: Chikh Mousa scores a knockdown and Peposhi seems to have lost it completely. He's now on the defensive and lost a lot of power. Still, in the last minute of the round Peposhi tries to recover and finds the strength for some big attacks. Chikh Mousa is not letting up though and keeps Peposhi almost literally cornered most of the time.

Jury verdict: win for Chikh Mousa (unanimous decision)

Jürjendal VS KHACHAB "THE TANK" (HEAVYWEIGHT)

Uku Jürjendal - EE (34yrs) · 1.93m / 6'3" · 113kg / 249lbs · 16-6-0 (12 KO)

Nabil "The Tank" Khachab - MA (22yrs) · 1.88m / 6'2" · 134kg / 295lbs · 24-3-1 (4 KO)

Round 1: Jürjendal starts the round easily hitting Khachab, who apparently needs to get his bearing, not surprisingly considering this is his Glory debut. But after eating a few punches he recovers after about a minute and brings his full 300 pounds to counter-attack viciously. Jürjendal is now in trouble and literally cornered. In the last minute Khachab seems close to a first-round knockout. He seems very comfortable with his weight, even able to put out a jump knee attack. This 22 year old's Glory debut already seems a success.

Round 2: Jürjendal seems to have lost his mojo. He meekly tries some techniques but they lack almost all power. The Estonian seems to have stopped fighting, seems completely out of gas. Khachab really should be able to bring home a victory by being a bit more effective. That's to Jürjendal's credit, who is not attacking anymore but seems to defend properly enough to fend off a knockout or even a knockdown.

Round 3: Khachab is set to win his debut fight unless Jürjendal has some kind of magic trick up his sleeve. Khachab carefully approaches and is able to score some heavy hits with most of his attacks. This is a smart tactic, as the fight could be lost during one careless moment. He's fighting a fellow heavyweight after all, albeit 24 kilos lighter.

Jury verdict: win for Khachab (unanimous decision)

BILLET VS AKIPA "THE PUNISHER" (LIGHTWEIGHT)

Guerric Billet - FR (26yrs) · 1.80m / 5'10" · 70kg / 154lbs · 37-6-1 (15 KO)

Cihad "The Punisher" Akipa - DE (26yrs) · 1.90m / 6'2" · 70kg / 154lbs · 49-10-0 (18 KO)

Round 1: Billet shows he's the more effective fighter, raining a high output of attacks on Akipa. He also kept using his lowkicks, which resulted in Akipa noticeably having a hurt left leg. He really should've attempted to block those low kicks. Surprisingly Akipa did win the first round even though he had much less output than Billet, as he apparently did more damage.

Round 2: In the second round Akipa seems more effective in scoring some points and staying mostly out of Billet's range. Still whenever Akipa tries something Billet's ready to with some brutal counter combinations. Billet is much more calculated this round as he's now wary of Akipa's strong attacks. This round sees a lot less action and is even a bit boring sometimes with a bit too much clinching. Still, both fighters are able to hurt each other.

Round 3: Both fighters quite surprisingly won a round so now the game's on. The first half a minute is already more entertaining than the previous round. Both fighters want to win convincingly. Which is smart because the jury will have a hard time to decide who really comes out on top. It's Billet fight to lose considering he's second in the lightweight ranking and close to a title fight. So far Billet's slightly ahead and is able to land more strikes. Akipa tries to turn the tide but loses power and accuracy.

Jury verdict: win for Billet (split decision)

OZCAGLAYAN VS BRAUN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Serkan Ozcaglayan - TR (28yrs) · 1.91m / 6'3" · 83.5kg / 184lbs · 44-7-0 (35 KO)

Sergej Braun - DE (33yrs) · 1.79m / 5'10" · 85kg / 187lbs · 43-11-0 (27 KO)

This is a fight between the number two contender in the rankings, Serkan Ozcaglayan (most commonly known as Serkan), and a favorite for the win, Sergej Braun.

Round 1: Serkan immediately puts the pressure on Braun and doesn't let up. Braun does what he can with fast counter kicks which mostly chip away at Serkan's arms, who's already becoming red. In the second half of the round Serkan's pushing even more, being the knockout artist eyeing his early victory. Braun's footwork is impeccable though and manages to keep him out of trouble. In the past few seconds the German, who's also a third degree black belt in Kyokushinkai karate, got well back into the fight, scoring a point with an effective spinning kick as well.

Round 2: Serkan won the first round convincingly according to four of the five judges. The Turkish fighter seems eager to end the fight quickly and keeps chasing after Braun. Not necessarily by attacking all the time, but by prowling to find space for a knockout inducing punch or kick. There's not much action but a lot of tension. Braun for his part keeps positioning himself well in the ring, showcasing his karate. Ultimately it wasn't enough. Serkan got what he was very clear aiming for, a win by knockout. Braun tried to get up before the count, but lost his balance after 4-5 seconds, stumbled and fell on the floor of the ring. Two hooks to the head and a liver shot was all it took.

Serkan got the stage after his win, dedicating his win to his earthquake stricken home country of Turkey. His closing words: "give me the title shot!"

Jury verdict: win for Serkan by knockout

WISSE VS ALMEIDA (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Donovan Wisse - NL (25yrs) · 1.88m / 6'2" · 84.8kg / 187lbs · 17-1-0 (10 KO)

Cesar Almeida - DE (34yrs) · 1.83m / 6'0" · 85kg / 187lbs · 47-7-1 (27 KO)

Continuing in the same division after the fight between Ozcaglayan and Braun, it's now middleweight champion Donovan Wisse, with a 94% win percentage after 17 fights, against number one contender and university schooled Cesar Almeida. It's however not a five round title fight but a regular three round fight because Almeida missed weight by one kilogram. You can be sure Almeida still wants to prove tonight he's the best fighter in the division. It's weird to think that even though Serkan very convincingly won from Braun, he recently brutally lost from Almeida.

Round 1: We're treated to a technical exchange of single strikes, both fighters seemingly very cautious and tensed. Both seem definitely unsure. It's almost a chess game with boxing gloves and lowkicks. Definitely a high-level match. Still, we see a lot of action but also a lot of composure. No one's losing his head just yet. In the final 40 seconds Wisse takes initiative and scores some heavy strikes. The round ends with finally some violent back and forth.

Round 2: Whenever Almeida tries something Wisse immediately counters effectively. Gradually the fight picks up intensity, while still feeling very controlled. Almeida is hurting Wisse with calve and low kicks, a smart tactic. Wisse is interestingly fighting mostly as south paw, meaning with his right foot in front. This can throw fighters off balance who have a traditional stance with the left foot in front. Wisse is gaining some momentum with his front kicks. The round ends with a lot of tension remaining in the air, both fighters were definitely still holding back.

Round 3: Wisse keeps fighting in his southpaw stance, apparently part of the game plan. He's won two rounds so Almeida has to score two knockdowns or a knockout. Wisse is not giving him much of an opening however, using clinches to stop Almeida's combinations. In the final minute the fighters are increasing the tempo a bit, while everyone can feel this fight would've been very different if it truly was a title fight, which it should've been.

Jury verdict: win for Wisse (unanimous decision)

MASLOBOJEV VS ABENA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

Sergej Maslobojev - LT (35yrs) · 1.89m / 6'2" · 95kg / 209lbs · 36-5-0 (21 KO)

Donegi Abena - SR (24yrs) · 1.90m / 6'2" · 95kg / 209lbs · 25-9-0 (6 KO)

The main event is the title fight between good natured champion Sergej Maslobojev, whom we have named Warrior of the year 2022, and contender Donegi Abena, who was also our guest in the fifth edition of Warrior Talk, Warrior Code's very own talkshow (unfortunately for our English speaking audience, this is in Dutch). This is the fight we've been waiting for.

Round 1: Maslobojev and Abenda both throw good combinations at each other that hit hard but don't yet cause trouble for any of them. This is clearly a very different fight than the chess game between Wisse and Almeida we saw in the previous fight. Here we have two opponents very willing to bring it all, right away. It's a very entertaining fight. Abena mostly receives a lot of lowkicks, while he is able to dish it out hurting Maslobojev's head and land some knees. This round seems to go to Abena, while at the same time Maslobojev hasn't yet unleashed most of his power as he's been fighting quite relaxed.

Round 2: Abena did win the first round, so Maslobojev has to up the pressure. The combinations and counters with high impact are spectacular and very entertaining to see. It's also a bit of a chess game like with Wisse and Almedia, but then with more power (though these fighters are also heavier). Maslobojev scores a lot of lowkicks on Abena's right leg. At one point Abena properly hit Maslobojev in the head with a right direct punch. The lowkicks on Abena's right leg are really starting to hurt. He's not moving as lightly as he did before.

Round 3: Abena is showing his superior ability with level changes, attacking at different heights and scoring points with some great combo's. Maslobojev responds in kind, uses a lot of knees and lowkicks. The Lithuanian seems to become tired and is actually also on the receiving end of one too many lowkicks, but then on his left leg. Maslobojev's first title defence is not going smoothly, this fight could still go either way.

Round 4: Both fighters are tired, but Maslobojev seems to be able to fight through it better than Abena. It's amazing that the Surinam fighter keeps coming and taking lowkicks on his left leg. Amazingly with all the heavy strikes landed, both fighters have landed the same amount: 204 over 205. Maslobojev and Abena are very well matched. In the last 45 seconds Maslobojev has to stop fighting per the referee, as a deep cut on his right shin is bleeding too much. After the ring doctor looks at it, the decision is made that the champion can't continue fighting. So Abena wins by technical KO and becomes the new light heavyweight champion of the world, which the Maslobojev is very pissed off about, literally walking away from the ring in anger. Still, in a close-up it's clear the Lithuanian's leg is very badly damaged.

Jury verdict: win for Abena by TKO