Jamal Ben Saddik Earns a Dominant Victory Against Cristian Ristea at GLORY 99
Jamal Ben Saddik vs. Cristian Ristea went down at GLORY 99 as the main event and a key feature of The Last Heavyweight Standing tournament. After three rounds of action, the Belgian-Moroccan was able to earn a dominant unanimous decision victory in Rotterdam.
Jamal Ben Saddik defeats Cristian Ristea at GLORY 99
.Jam Ben Saddik entered the ring as one of the tournament favorites, riding high on his spectacular head-kick knockout victory at GLORY 98. The towering 6’9″ Belgian-Moroccan was looking to make an impact against Romania’s Cristian Ristea. As it was the last draw in the tournament, it was known already that the winner would face Sofian Laidouni at GLORY 100 in the next round.
‘The Goliath’ Ben Saddik controlled the center early and looked to impose his will with a flurry of punches and low kicks. Ristea had a size disadvantage in the bout but returned with low kicks and hooks.
He also shrugged off a multi-punch flurry from Ben Saddik. Round 1 was won by The Belgian-Moroccan athlete however he entered the second round with a bloody cut on his shin. The gash was bad enough that it required the doctor to review, and he was permitted to continue.
Jamal Ben Saddik and Cristian Ristea traded toe-to-toe with punches in combination, and both landed solid shots, in the early phase of round 2. ‘The Goliath’ landed impressive jab-cross combinations that knocked back the head of Ristea, but the Romanian athlete waved his opponent forward asking for more.
In round 3, Ristea was unable to work around the jab from ‘The Goliath’ who peppered his opponent with punches throughout the round. All ringside judges scored the bout 30-27 for a unanimous decision win for Jamal Ben Saddik.
The Last Heavyweight Standing is the biggest tournament in kickboxing history featuring a whopping 32 heavyweight fighters from around the globe. These matchups will unfold over multiple events throughout 2025 with the final in December.
