GLORY Kickboxing Tournament Changes: Focus on Major Divisions

GLORY Kickboxing Shakes Up Divisions, Puts Lightweight and Women’s Super Bantamweight on Hold

In a strategic move to streamline its focus, GLORY Kickboxing has announced significant changes to its tournament lineup. The promotion’s matchmaker, Robbie Timmers, revealed that the Lightweight division and the women’s Super Bantamweight division will be temporarily put on hold.

Timmers explained that GLORY’s new strategy is to emphasize the Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions, stating, “We want to have focus. For the upcoming season, we are going to emphasize the Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions. We want to make those the most beautiful and spectacular divisions.”

This decision comes as a surprise, as GLORY had recently booked a Lightweight title fight between Moroccan champion Tyjani Beztati and German challenger Enriko Kehl for March 9. However, GLORY has since published a video featuring Beztati confirming that he will be moving up in weight after his title defense.

Regarding the women’s Super Bantamweight division, Timmers explained that while GLORY has signed talented female kickboxers like Sarah Moussaddak, Nina van Dalum, and Débora Évora, the division itself has been thin in recent years. He expressed hope that the division will be revived in the future, stating, “We’re going to see if we can slowly build these up. Maybe we’ll do a couple of super fights to see how we can build this [division]. But it is definitely a division I’d like to see back up. Absolutely.”

However, Timmers remained optimistic about the future of both the Lightweight and women’s Super Bantamweight divisions, suggesting that they could be reintroduced once GLORY’s primary focus divisions have been strengthened and the audience is satisfied.

The promotion’s decision to shift its attention to the Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions is a strategic move aimed at creating a more cohesive and compelling tournament structure for fans. While the temporary suspension of the Lightweight and women’s Super Bantamweight divisions may disappoint some, GLORY’s commitment to improving the overall quality of its events is evident.

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