Antonio Plazibat Drops Out of GLORY 105 Heavyweight Tournament
Antonio Plazibat has dropped out of the heavyweight tournament. GLORY 105 is scheduled for February 7, 2026, at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, where eight heavyweight fighters will compete in a one-night tournament to crown a new GLORY heavyweight champion after Rico Verhoeven vacated the title in November 2025. Croatian kickboxer Antonio Plazibat has withdrawn from the tournament less than two weeks before the event, forcing GLORY to make a significant last-minute adjustment to the quarterfinal matchups. The news was first broken by VechtSport.
GLORY 105: Antonio Plazibat Drops Out of Heavyweight Tournament
Plazibat, who holds a 23-5 record with 14 knockout victories, was scheduled to face Mory Kromah in one of the quarterfinal bouts. The 31-year-old Croatian was considered one of the favorites to win the vacant heavyweight title. According to sources cited by Vechtsport Info, the withdrawal potentially stems from financial reasons, though GLORY has not released an official statement confirming the cause.
Michael Boapeah will replace Plazibat against Kromah on February 7. The 25-year-old Ghanaian-Dutch fighter was originally listed as a tournament reserve, scheduled to face Nidal Bchiri in case any of the eight tournament participants withdrew. Boapeah, who holds an 11-3 GLORY record, is ranked as the number one middleweight contender and has challenged for the middleweight title twice, losing narrow decisions to champion Donovan Wisse at GLORY 89 in 2023 and GLORY 100 in 2025.
This marks a significant weight class jump for Boapeah, who typically competes at 185 pounds (84 kilograms). The middleweight fighter has competed at light heavyweight (205 pounds) earlier in 2025, securing stoppage victories in the division. However, facing heavyweight opponents who weigh between 240-270 pounds presents a different challenge.
Kromah, nicknamed “The Black Ghost,” is a 26-year-old fighter from the Netherlands who represents Guinea internationally. He carries a 35-3-1 record and has moved up from light heavyweight to compete in the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament. At GLORY 100 in June 2025, Kromah defeated Bahram Rajabzadeh by first-round knockout to secure his spot in the finals.
The weight disparity between Boapeah and his heavyweight opponents raises questions about competitive balance. Analysis of the matchup between Plazibat and Kromah noted that Plazibat typically weighs between 119-123 kilograms, while Kromah fights at around 95 kilograms despite being the same height (1.94 meters). Boapeah, competing at an even lighter weight, faces similar size disadvantages against heavyweight opponents.
Plazibat has withdrawn from GLORY events before due to injury. In January 2024, he pulled out of the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Prix after breaking his arm in a previous fight against Tariq Osaro, choosing to let the bone heal naturally rather than undergo surgery. He was replaced by Nordine Mahieddine in that tournament.
The complete GLORY 105 quarterfinal bracket now features Boapeah versus Kromah, Tariq Osaro versus Nico Horta, Sofian Laïdouni versus Miloš Cvjetićanin, and Anis Bouzid versus Errol Zimmerman. The winners of the quarterfinals will advance to the semifinals and finals on the same night, with the tournament victor crowned as the new GLORY heavyweight champion.
