Rico Verhoeven is a Dutch kickboxer and former mixed martial artist who became the face of GLORY heavyweight during his roughly 12-year title reign. His 2025 campaign, which included a win at GLORY 100 and a subsequent departure from the promotion, has placed him at the centre of heavyweight boxing talk in 2025–2026.
Verhoeven’s last GLORY bout was a unanimous decision over Artem Vakhitov in Rotterdam on 14 June 2025. In November that year, he vacated the GLORY title after declining to renew his contract, and reports quickly linked him to a professional boxing bout against heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
What Is Rico Verhoeven’s Professional Record?
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sport: Kickboxing, boxing
- Height: 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
- Weight: 118–123 kg (GLORY lists 122.8 kg)
- Verhoeven’s GLORY profile records 66 wins, 10 losses and no draws overall.
- Inside GLORY, he finished with a 28-1 record and 10 knockouts.
- He held the heavyweight title for approximately 12 years.
- His 13 consecutive defences and 14 title-bout wins are GLORY records.
- He ended his GLORY chapter with a unanimous decision over Artem Vakhitov at GLORY 100.
- In November 2025 he vacated the belt after declining to renew his contract.
| Full name | Rico Verhoeven |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Height | 1.96 m / 6 ft 5 in |
| Weight | 118–123 kg / 262–265 lb; GLORY lists 122.8 kg |
| Primary sport | Kickboxing |
| Other sports | Professional boxing, mixed martial arts |
| Overall kickboxing record (GLORY) | 66 wins, 10 losses, 0 draws |
| GLORY record | 28 wins, 1 loss |
| Knockouts in GLORY | 10 |
| Last GLORY bout | Win vs Artem Vakhitov, GLORY 100, 14 June 2025 |
Record figures come from GLORY’s official profile. Post-fight reporting from MMA Junkie and NL Times confirms the main career dates and the 2025 departure.
Why Is Rico Verhoeven Considered an All-Time Great?
Verhoeven’s reputation rests on his defensive IQ and dominance during a period when the heavyweight kickboxing division was stacked with power punchers. He used his reach, footwork and counter-punching to outbox larger rivals, which made him a difficult matchup for more than a decade.
What Do the Records Show?
The GLORY stats list 66 wins, 10 losses and 10 knockouts inside the promotion. His 13 consecutive defences and 14 title-bout wins are the most in GLORY history. Those numbers, combined with the length of his reign, are why many observers rank him as the best heavyweight in the sport’s modern era.
A 12-Year Championship Run
According to NL Times, Verhoeven held the GLORY heavyweight title for about 12 years before vacating it in November 2025. The reign included wins over almost every contender who stepped up, and only one GLORY loss appears on his record.
Different databases mix kickboxing, boxing and MMA records, so career totals can vary. The GLORY official profile and major fight reports offer the most reliable breakdown for this period.
What Happens Next for Rico Verhoeven After Leaving GLORY?
Verhoeven’s November 2025 decision to leave GLORY came alongside a move into professional boxing. He had already been linked to a bout with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, a fight that was later scheduled for 23 May 2026.
Why Did He Vacate the GLORY Title?
Telecom Asia described the split as a contract decision. Verhoeven chose not to renew with the promotion, leaving the belt vacant and opening the door for a full-time boxing switch.
What Is the Status of the Usyk Fight?
Reports from MMA Fighting initially confirmed the matchup as a scheduled defence for Usyk on 23 May 2026. SportBible placed the venue near the Pyramids of Giza, while ESPN’s live coverage later reported that Usyk stopped Verhoeven in the 11th round.
The exact financial terms of the Usyk deal have not been publicly confirmed. The bout’s result is documented by ESPN, but the full contract details remain private.
What Are Rico Verhoeven’s Height, Weight, Wife, and Net Worth?
Height and Weight
Verhoeven is listed at 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) across most sources. His weight has ranged from 118 to 123 kg, with GLORY’s official figure at 122.8 kg. TrillerTV also highlights the “King of Kickboxing” moniker used in promotional materials.
Fighters often cut weight before a bout, so official weigh-in numbers can differ. The 118–123 kg range covers the most common figures from GLORY and boxing sources.
Wife and Children
According to his IMDb profile, Verhoeven is associated with Jacky Duchenne and has three children. The entry lists Duchenne as a partner in his personal records, without additional detail.
Net Worth
There is no official disclosure of Verhoeven’s net worth. EssentiallySports and similar outlets offer estimates based on fight purses and endorsements, but none of these figures are verified by Verhoeven or his management.
How Did Rico Verhoeven’s Career Progress from GLORY to Boxing?
- Early career: Competed in kickboxing, professional boxing and mixed martial arts before joining GLORY, according to TheSportsDB.
- Championship reign (circa 2013–2025): Held the GLORY heavyweight title for approximately 12 years, setting records for defences and title-bout wins.
- 14 June 2025: Defeated Artem Vakhitov by unanimous decision at GLORY 100 in Rotterdam, as noted by Wikipedia.
- November 2025: Announced he would not renew his contract and vacated the GLORY title.
- 2025–2026: Moved to professional boxing, with reports linking him to heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
- 23 May 2026: Fought Usyk near the Pyramids of Giza. ESPN’s live coverage reported an 11th-round TKO victory for Usyk.
What Is Confirmed and What Remains Unclear About Rico Verhoeven?
| Established | Uncertain / Unconfirmed |
|---|---|
| Official GLORY record: 66 wins, 10 losses, 0 draws | His exact professional boxing record before or after the Usyk bout |
| Height: 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Precise fight-night weight for every boxing bout |
| Held GLORY title for ~12 years with 13 consecutive defences | Net worth figures from unofficial sources |
| Left GLORY in November 2025 after not renewing | Full financial details of the Usyk deal |
| Reports say Usyk won their boxing bout by 11th-round TKO | Whether the Usyk result will be reviewed or changed |
Why Does Rico Verhoeven Matter in Combat Sports?
Verhoeven helped define the modern GLORY heavyweight division at a time when kickboxing’s global reach was expanding. His ability to combine reach with defensive movement made him a reference point for younger heavyweights. The move into boxing, and the reported showdown with Usyk, further exposed him to mainstream combat-sports fans.
His career also shows how athletes with long professional stands can cross between kickboxing and boxing in ways that other heavyweight fighters have done. This crossover path is familiar to followers of mixed combat sports, such as Tom Aspinall – UFC Record, Next Fight & Biography, though Verhoeven’s roots remain in the Dutch kickboxing system.
The commercial side of his profile, including height, weight and public endorsements, also fits a broader pattern seen in sport profiles like Olivier Richters – Height, Net Worth, and Career Facts 2025, where measurements and marketability often go together.
Which Sources Document Rico Verhoeven’s Career?
The most authoritative source remains his GLORY profile, which lists his official fight record and knockouts. Media outlets such as MMA Junkie and ESPN have provided contemporaneous coverage of his departure from GLORY and his boxing bout against Usyk.
“ESPN’s live coverage reported that Usyk stopped Verhoeven in the 11th round in Giza.”
“The ESPN feature on Verhoeven’s boxing rise described his technical adjustment from kickboxing to the professional pugilistic ranks.”
“Fight record databases list Verhoeven as a former professional boxer and mixed martial artist, though the complete boxing record is not yet documented.”
What Is the Bottom Line on Rico Verhoeven?
Rico Verhoeven leaves the GLORY era as one of the most decorated heavyweight kickboxers in the sport’s history, with a long title reign and a clear record per the promotion’s official statistics. His 2025–2026 move into professional boxing, including the reported Usyk fight, marks a new chapter, even though the outcome of that bout leaves his next step in the weight class open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rico Verhoeven still the GLORY heavyweight champion?
No. He vacated the title in November 2025 after declining to renew his contract with the promotion.
Why is Rico Verhoeven called the King of Kickboxing?
The nickname appears in promotional materials from TrillerTV and reflects his long period of dominance during the GLORY era.
Where was the fight between Rico Verhoeven and Oleksandr Usyk held?
According to SportBible, the bout took place near the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on 23 May 2026.
Has Rico Verhoeven fought in MMA?
His profile on TheSportsDB lists him as a former mixed martial artist, though the same source does not include a detailed MMA record.
What is known about Rico Verhoeven’s boxing record?
His professional boxing record is not fully documented in the researched sources. The Usyk bout is the most prominent documented contest.
How many children does Rico Verhoeven have?
His IMDb profile notes that he has three children, although it does not provide their names.
Oliver Arthur Morgan Harrison is a staff writer for StoryShift.uk, covering UK news, culture, politics and technology. He works under Editor-in-Chief Maarika Tamm and UK Managing Editor Oliver Grant, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.