Happy with the tournament win yesterday. Although at first I felt disappointed not being able to defend my title in a title defence fight due to a last minute cancellation by the opponent, I felt it was best for the GLORY brand to still give the fans an alternative. Especially during these strange COVID restrictions, some entertainment for the fans is more than welcome. The fight against Hesdy Gerges was much anticipated due to our feud that started at the press conference after GLORY Collision II.
I expected full pressure and war from Hesdy, but gave him the same pressure, making me the dominant fighter during the fight. In the ring straight after the fight we had a brief conversation and buried the hatchet by showing mutual respect. I have great respect for Hesdy stepping into the fight on such a short term notice.
The second fight against Tarik Khbabez was a totally different fight against an opponent that also had a full preparation leading up to the event and fought a 3 rounder as well in his first fight. I really like Tarik for giving it all when he fights. At the beginning of the fight I had to feel the distance and then went for him. Working on his legs caused a lot of damage. After I’ve blocked him with my elbow, he gave up, making me the tournament winner.
Fighting after more than a year was really good. Very appy that GLORY was able to organise such a great event during COVID.