“We Don’t Pay for Names”: GLORY’s CEO Isn’t Blinking as Champions Walk Out the Door
GLORY Kickboxing keeps losing its biggest stars, and CEO Marshall Zelaznik keeps sounding fine about it. Rico Verhoeven walked away. Tyjani Beztati walked away. Jamal Ben Saddik just signed with a rival promotion started by a former GLORY fighter. Asked about the pattern, Zelaznik summed up his position bluntly: fighter names aren’t what people are paying to watch.
GLORY Loses Verhoeven, Beztati, Ben Saddik. CEO Says Not Worried
Speaking with FSI247, GLORY CEO Marshall Zelaznik explained: “We don’t pay for your name.”
Verhoeven gave up his heavyweight belt in November 2025, closing out 13 title defenses and more than thirteen years with the organization. He posted on Instagram that he had put everything into the sport and the company since joining in 2012, and his manager, Karim Arja, later said publicly that Verhoeven wanted clearer communication from GLORY about pay and planning.
Beztati left kickboxing entirely in September 2025 to try MMA with Levels Fight League. Donegi Abena went the same direction in May 2026, signing with PFL. Ben Saddik is the latest to go, joining World Fighting League, a promotion built by former GLORY fighter Melvin Manhoef partly out of talent who left GLORY before him. His first fight there lands October 3 in Antwerp, a city GLORY itself has run events in. Heavyweight star Levi Rigters also left for Dutch MMA.
Tarik Khbabez almost joined the list of departures. GLORY took his light heavyweight title away in February following a pay disagreement connected to a title defense against Bahram Rajabzadeh. He told Dutch outlet AD at the time that he needed to start earning again and floated legal action. Instead, both sides worked out a new deal.
Zelaznik doesn’t treat any of this as a problem.
Zelaznik’s argument boils down to that GLORY isn’t selling individual fighters, it’s selling the belts and the fights themselves. He’d rather run a promotion where any given title can change hands than one that leans on a handful of stars. That’s why he restructured the 2026 calendar around more frequent title defenses across fewer weight classes instead of building the whole schedule around a few marquee names.
Fighters who’ve walked out the door of GLORY While on Top
Rico Verhoeven
Gave up the heavyweight title in November 2025 after 13 defenses and over a decade with GLORY, reportedly seeking more openness from management.
Alex Pereira
Left as a two-division GLORY champion, having held middleweight and light heavyweight titles at once, before winning UFC titles in two weight classes.
Cedric Doumbe
The two-time GLORY welterweight champion signed with PFL in 2023, reportedly earning around $140,000 per fight compared to a $20,000 show-and-win UFC offer.
Petchpanomrung Kiatmoo9
Retired from kickboxing in August 2026 after nine featherweight title defenses, with reports suggesting a move back to Muay Thai.
Tyjani Beztati
Gave up the lightweight belt in September 2025 to start an MMA career with Levels Fight League.
Levi Rigters
Once considered next in line at heavyweight, he left GLORY in July 2026 for Levels Fight League, with an MMA debut planned for late September.
Jamal Ben Saddik
Signed with World Fighting League, debuting October 3 in Antwerp.
Donegi Abena
The former light heavyweight champion signed with PFL in May 2026.
Endy Semeleer
The former welterweight champion joined Levels Fight League in June 2026, saying he wanted a fresh challenge in MMA.
Zelaznik seems fine letting that play out, banking on title fights and rivalries to pull crowds rather than any one fighter’s face on the poster. Whether that holds up long-term is anyone’s guess.
