Rico Verhoeven made a stunning comeback to beat Levi Rigters in a truly phenomenal Glory: Collision 7, main event. Now, it looks like ‘The Prince of Kickboxing’ has now turned his attention to Francis Ngannou.

The two heavyweight legends have been in talks to meet in what would be an epic encounter. Rico Verhoeven battled adversity like a champion and rose like a phoenix from the ashes to finally put an end to his rivalry with Levi Rigters once and for all.

Going into the fight, the kickboxing fans were joined in unison in excitement. This was due to the nature of the first fight, in which the Glory icon hit the floor after a spinning backfist struck him on the chin. This forced him to dig deep and find the stoppage himself.

With legs like jelly, Verhoeven exhibited tremendous heart and courage. He climbed to his feet, and survived the round, before landing a dynamite right hand of his own to score a knockdown in the fourth.

Following five all-action packed rounds, the champion retained his belt. Later, he spoke about a ‘crazy crossover’ in his post-fight interview. Interestingly, he even spoke about a matchup against Ngannou in the build up to the fight and said:

“The talks have been there. I would love it. Which rules would make the most sense? Probably boxing, because then I go out of my world, and he goes out of his world, and then we bring it together, because I would have an advantage in kickboxing, and he would have an advantage in MMA.”

“But maybe, we could do a real crossover, where he comes to kickboxing, and I go to MMA. There are so many different tastes. Let’s see what they’re bringing to the table.”

The comments have excited fans, who are hopeful that his blockbuster fight with Francis Ngannou will come to fruition next year. Verhoeven and Ngannou are undeniably two of the greatest combat sports heavyweights of all time.

In his career, the kickboxer has proven his toughness and striking skills beyond doubt, sitting firmly on the Glory throne. Meanwhile, the Cameroonian has climbed the MMA mountain in not just the UFC, but the PFL as well, writing his name into the history books forever.

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