History of Rico Verhoeven in Timeline
Rico Verhoeven is a highly accomplished Dutch kickboxer, with prior experience in boxing and mixed martial arts. He is best known as the former Heavyweight Champion in GLORY, where he holds the record for the most title defenses (13). A professional since 2004, Verhoeven has also competed in K-1, It's Showtime, and SUPERKOMBAT. Since September 2014, he has consistently been ranked as the world's number one heavyweight kickboxer by Combat Press.
2 hours ago : Usyk vs. Verhoeven: WBC Title Fight at the Pyramids of Giza
Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC title against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza. This is a high profile boxing match.
April 1989: Birth of Rico Verhoeven
On April 1989, Ricardo "Rico" Verhoeven was born. He is a Dutch professional kickboxer.
2004: Professional Debut
In 2004, Rico Verhoeven made his professional debut in kickboxing. He has since competed in K-1, It's Showtime and SUPERKOMBAT.
2010: Won K-1 World Grand Prix
Alistair Overeem, who Rico Verhoeven was originally supposed to fight, was the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix winner.
2011: First Fight Against Jamal Ben Saddik
In 2011, Jamal Ben Saddik defeated a young Rico Verhoeven in their first meeting.
June 2013: Victory over Errol Zimmerman at Glory 9
On June 22, 2013, Rico Verhoeven rematched Errol Zimmerman at Glory 9: New York - 2013 95kg Slam in New York City. He won by unanimous decision despite a point deduction.
December 2013: Defeated Peter Aerts at Glory 13
On December 21, 2013, Rico Verhoeven defeated Peter Aerts by split decision in the main event of Glory 13: Tokyo - Welterweight World Championship Tournament in Tokyo, Japan.
April 2014: Professional Boxing Debut
On April 26, 2014, Rico Verhoeven made his professional boxing debut against János Finfera at Mix Fight Gala XV in Darmstadt, Germany, winning by second-round knockout.
June 21, 2014: Won Glory Heavyweight Championship
On June 21, 2014, Rico Verhoeven rematched and defeated Daniel Ghiță via unanimous decision for the vacant Glory Heavyweight Championship at Glory 17: Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.
September 2014: Ranked #1 Heavyweight Kickboxer
Since September 2014, Rico Verhoeven has been continually ranked as the number one heavyweight kickboxer in the world by Combat Press. These rankings were first established in September 2014.
October 2015: MMA Pro Debut
On October 19, 2015, Rico Verhoeven made his MMA pro debut at RXF 20: Verhoeven vs. Bogutzki in Sibiu, Romania, defeating Viktor Bogutzki by TKO in the 1st round.
2015: Defeated Adegbuyi & Changed Nickname
In 2015, after Adegbuyi earned another title shot by winning the Glory Heavyweight Contender Tournament, Rico Verhoeven defeated him by first-round KO at Glory 26: Amsterdam. Subsequently, Verhoeven changed his nickname from "Prince of Kickboxing" to "King of Kickboxing".
December 2016: Victory against Badr Hari at GLORY Collision
On December 10, 2016, Rico Verhoeven fought Badr Hari at GLORY Collision in Oberhausen, Germany. Hari started strong, but Verhoeven won by TKO after Hari suffered an arm injury. Rico Verhoeven scored his 50th victory of his kickboxing career.
December 2017: Defended Glory Heavyweight Title against Jamal Ben Saddik
On December 9, 2017, Rico Verhoeven defended his Glory heavyweight title against Jamal Ben Saddik. This fight was notable due to the size of the contestants.
October 2020: Trilogy Match with Jamal Ben Saddik Announced
In October 2020, Glory announced that Rico Verhoeven would have a trilogy match with Jamal Ben Saddik in early 2021.
January 2021: Won Glory 77 Heavyweight Tournament
In January 2021, at Glory 77, after Jamal Ben Saddik withdrew due to injury, Rico Verhoeven participated in a four-man heavyweight tournament. He defeated Hesdy Gerges in the semifinals and Tarik Khbabez in the final to win the tournament.
August 23, 2021: Alistair Overeem Fight Announced
On August 23, 2021, it was announced that Rico Verhoeven would defend his Glory Heavyweight Championship against Alistair Overeem at Glory: Collision 3.
October 23, 2021: Defeated Jamal Ben Saddik at Glory: Collision 3
On October 23, 2021, at Glory: Collision 3, Rico Verhoeven defeated Jamal Ben Saddik by TKO in the fourth round after Overeem withdrew due to injury and Ben Saddik stepped in as a replacement.
April 12, 2022: Fight at "HIT IT" Event Announced
On April 12, 2022, it was announced that Rico Verhoeven would fight at the inaugural "HIT IT" event.
October 29, 2022: Victory Over Hesdy Gerges at "HIT IT"
On October 29, 2022, Rico Verhoeven defeated Hesdy Gerges by a fifth-round technical knockout at the "HIT IT" event in Rotterdam Ahoy.
June 17, 2023: Plazibat Loss To Osaro
On June 17, 2023, Antonio Plazibat suffered a stoppage loss to Tariq Osaro in an interim Glory Heavyweight Championship bout at Glory: Collision 5.
November 4, 2023: Defeats Antonio Plazibat
On November 4, 2023, Rico Verhoeven defeated Antonio Plazibat by unanimous decision at Glory: Collision 6, unifying the title.
March 9, 2024: Wins Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix
On March 9, 2024, Rico Verhoeven won the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix by defeating Sofian Laidouni, Nabil Khachab and Levi Rigters, capturing the tournament title and the $500,000 prize.
September 2024: Personal Life Update
As of September 2024, Rico Verhoeven is engaged to Naomy van Beem. He also has three children with his ex-wife, Jacky Duchenne. He is also friends with Eddie Hall and Tom Aspinall.
September 2024: Title Defense Announced
In September 2024, it was reported that Rico Verhoeven would defend his Glory heavyweight title at Collision 7 on December 7, 2024.
November 8, 2024: Scheduled to Face Levi Rigters
On November 8, 2024, Rico Verhoeven was scheduled to face Levi Rigters.
December 7, 2024: Defeated Levi Rigters
On December 7, 2024, Rico Verhoeven defeated Levi Rigters by unanimous decision at Collision 7, held at GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, to defend his Glory Heavyweight Title.
March 2025: Fight Against Artem Vakhitov Announced
In March 2025, it was reported that Rico Verhoeven would defend his Glory heavyweight title against Artem Vakhitov at Glory 100 on June 14, 2025.
June 14, 2025: Defeated Artem Vakhitov at Glory 100
On June 14, 2025, Rico Verhoeven defeated Artem Vakhitov by unanimous decision at Glory 100 to defend his Glory heavyweight title.
November 20, 2025: Vacated Glory Heavyweight Title
On November 20, 2025, Rico Verhoeven announced he was vacating the Glory Heavyweight title after not renewing his contract with the promotion.
May 2026: Scheduled to Challenge Oleksandr Usyk
Rico Verhoeven is scheduled to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for his WBC heavyweight title in Giza, Egypt, on May 23, 2026.
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