Former GLORY kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven bypassed a lucrative UFC contract to finalize a high-stakes boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk. By rejecting the octagon, Verhoeven secures an immediate heavyweight clash that shifts the current combat sports market.
Going undefeated for over a decade in kickboxing made Verhoeven the premier free agent in combat sports. The UFC aggressively pursued the Dutch striker. Instead of fighting through the MMA heavyweight ranks, he targeted the top of the boxing mountain. A crossover bout guarantees massive commercial impact without a grappling learning curve.
The matchmaking process moved fast. “I just hear ‘I love it.’ Yes! Let me talk to Usyk and let’s go from there. I think a week and a half goes by, calls me back, ‘I talked to him, he said he’s down for it, he loves it as well.’ What? OK, let’s go! The rest is history.”
Verhoeven presents a unique stylistic problem. Usyk expects orthodox boxing footwork and standard ring management, but kickboxers utilize different distance control and enter the pocket at unconventional angles. Verhoeven recognizes this technical divergence. “I’m going to bring something to the table that he hasn’t seen before. I’m going to move and I’m going to do things and I’m going to attack in a certain way that boxers just simply don’t do.”
Stepping out of his dominant kickboxing realm removes the pressure of endless title defenses. “The target is not on my back this time. I can cause for an upset. I can cause for a surprise.”
A victory over Usyk would immediately scramble the heavyweight hierarchy. Verhoeven views this bout not as a one-off exhibition, but a definitive combat statement. “It’s going to be one hell of a fight. I’m ready to shock the world. I think it’s time to find out who is the baddest man on the planet. So after I beat Oleksandr Usyk, let’s see who’s next. Because I’m ready to find out.”
