GLORY 99 Results

GLORY 99 unfolded in a packed Rotterdam Ahoy arena, delivering a memorable night of kickboxing.

The premier kickboxing organization returned for the initial stage of its Last Heavyweight Standing Tournament. The event delivered powerful knockouts, unexpected outcomes, and the signature chaos associated with Sina Karimian, making the night both unpredictable and captivating.

Following their wins, fighters immediately drew lots for their next-round seeding. This determined the matchups for GLORY 100, scheduled for June 13 and 14, which will host four single-night tournaments over two days.

Ben Saddik Wins Unanimous Decision Over Ristea

The main event featured Jamal Ben Saddik returning after his stunning knockout victory over Uku Jürjendal at GLORY 98. His opponent, Cristian Ristea, was competing under the GLORY banner for the first time since 2023 and aimed to rebound from a loss against Rade Opacic at SENSHI 23.

Ben Saddik began the fight intelligently, avoiding a chaotic brawl with the younger, quicker Ristea. The Romanian attempted to provoke “The Goliath” into making mistakes by dropping his hands and inviting wild swings for counter opportunities. After a brief pause in the second round to check a cut on Ben Saddik`s shin, both fighters abandoned caution, trading powerful hooks with intent to finish. In the final round, Ben Saddik reverted to his initial strategy, fighting strategically from the outside and refusing to fall into his scrappy opponent`s trap.

The judges unanimously awarded the victory to the Moroccan fighter, who left the arena with a significant gash on his shin and a future bout against Frenchman Sofian Laidouni.

Rajabzadeh Secures Explosive Knockout

In the co-main event, Bahram Rajabzadeh began his quest for tournament redemption against former K-1 World Grand Prix semi-finalist Brian Douwes.

`The Golden Wolf` had reached the later stages of two previous GLORY tournaments but never claimed the overall win. Douwes, meanwhile, sought to return to winning form after a stoppage loss to Ahmed Krnjic in his last outing.

From the opening exchange, Rajabzadeh aggressively pursued his veteran Dutch opponent with hooks and leg kicks, fighting like a man on a mission. The crowd held its collective breath as Rajabzadeh landed heavy hooks to the side of Douwes` head. The Dutch veteran bravely stood his ground, but the power from the fighter from Azerbaijan proved overwhelming.

After Douwes was knocked down three times in the first round, the referee mercifully stopped the fight, saving him from further punishment despite his toughness. `The Golden Wolf` advanced to the second stage of the Last Heavyweight Standing Tournament.

Horta Achieves Upset Victory Over Opacic

Once again, a ONE Championship fighter seemed to struggle on the GLORY stage as the highly-rated Rade Opacic suffered a crushing knockout defeat to Nico Horta. This outcome was particularly surprising given that “Big Sexy” had only secured three knockouts in his career of over 30 fights. Despite Horta`s unconventional style, Opacic started strong, winning the opening round after landing a heavy overhand right followed by a barrage of punches. However, as the fight wore on, the Serbian standout began to tire under Horta’s persistent pressure.

Horta capitalized in the second round. A clean one-two combination sent Opacic crashing into the corner, prompting the referee to halt the fight and award Horta the biggest win of his career.

Controversy Surrounds Karimian Bout

Unsurprisingly for many, the match between Sina Karimian and Tomasz Mozny was not without controversy. Karimian, who has two no contests in his last three bouts, was lightly hit by Mozny after the referee had called for a break in the action. Not to be outdone, Karimian retaliated by landing a clean right hook that knocked Mozny down. Unfortunately, this also occurred after the referee had explicitly called for a break and for the fighters to disengage.

Following a point deduction for Karimian and allowing Mozny time to recover, the fight continued into the second round, which was still plagued by fouls. Late strikes and suspected low blows marred an otherwise interesting contest. Mozny’s crisp combinations provided a clear path to a unanimous decision victory; a superman punch followed by a three-punch combination stood out as a highlight in a bout the big Slovak is unlikely to forget soon.

As for Karimian, he remains a kickboxing enigma – consistently an action fighter, regardless of whether that action adheres strictly to the rules.

GLORY 99 Full Results