5 Reasons to Watch Glory 78

People from all walks of combat sports life tend to pay attention whenever Badr Hari steps between the ropes.

The two-time K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up and former K-1 heavyweight champion will meet Arkadiusz Wrzosek in the Glory 78 main event on Saturday at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. There, Hari seeks his first win under the auspices of the Singapore-based kickboxing promotion. The 36-year-old SB Gym representative enters the ring with a 106-15 record and 92 knockouts, his hall-of-fame resume anchored by victories over Semmy Schilt, Peter Aerts, Stefan Leko and Gokhan Saki. Hari last fought at Glory 76, where he succumbed to punches and a body kick from Benjamin Adegbuyi in the third round of their Dec. 19 encounter.

Wrzosek carries a 13-5 record that includes eight knockouts. The 6-foot-7 Polish muay Thai stylist—aptly named “Hightower”—has not competed in Glory since he knocked down Demoreo Dennis three times and was awarded a third-round technical knockout at Glory 71 on Nov. 22, 2019.

The Hari-Wrzosek headliner is but one reason to check out Glory 78. Here are four more:

Golden Rematch

Alex Pereira will defend his Glory light heavyweight title in a rematch with former champion Artem Vakhitov, as they meet for a second time in the co-headliner. Pereira, 34, eked out a split decision over the Russian at Glory 77 on Jan. 30. He has rattled off nine consecutive victories under the Glory banner, six of them by knockout. Donegi Abena, Jason Wilnis and Yousri Belgaroui were among the victims. Vakhitov enters the ring with a 21-6 record and eight knockouts, having won seven of his last eight bouts. The 30-year-old operates out of the Kuzbass Muay Thai Federation, where he sharpens his skills under trainer Vitaly Miller.

Contender on the Rise

An Amsterdam-born Moroccan who once idolized Hari, Mohamed “Hamicha” Mezouari sports an eye-popping 38-2 record with 28 knockouts ahead of his battle with Vedat Hoduk. Hamicha, 25, has won both of his fights in Glory via first-round stoppage, his exploits having pushed him to the No. 1 ranking in the welterweight division. A showdown with champion Cedric Doumbe seems inevitable, provided he can get past Hoduk and whatever else the powers that be place in his path. The 27-year-old Hoduk returns to the Glory organization for the first time since he dropped a unanimous decision to Jamie Bates nearly two years ago at Glory 70. The Turkish star boasts a 48-5-1 record with 30 knockouts.

High-Stakes Rematch

The fate of the vacant Glory middleweight championship will be decided when Donovan Wisse rematches Yousri Belgaroui on the Superfight Series undercard. Wisse has pieced together a four-fight winning streak and improved to 15-1 since his Dec. 8, 2018 split decision defeat to Ertugrul Bayrak at Glory 62. Just 24 years of age, the Ivan Hippolyte protégé took a unanimous decision from Belgaroui in their first encounter two-plus years ago. Belgaroui (27-6, 13 KOs) enters the ring on the strength of back-to-back victories over Ulric Bokeme and Jakob Styben. The 29-year-old, who spent the first half of 2021 testing the mixed martial arts waters, was spawned by the famed Mike’s Gym in Holland.

Empty Throne

Marat Grigorian left the Glory lightweight title vacant when he signed with One Championship. Tyjani Beztati and Elvis Gashi have now stepped up to fill the void, as they meet in a Superfight Series showdown to determine the next champion at 70 kilograms. Beztati (20-4) last fought at Glory 75, where he prompted a second-round doctor stoppage against Michael Palandre on Feb. 29, 2020. The 23-year-old threw out his anchor at the Colosseum Gym, where he teams a former Glory middleweight titleholder in the aforementioned Wilnis. Gashi, 28, boasts a 23-1 record that includes a 5-1 mark in Glory. The Kosovo native has not competed since being knocked out by Grigorian in the fifth round of their Glory 73 pairing in December 2019.