We Speak Kickboxing

Three Knockdowns, One Crown: Miguel Trindade Stops Deniz Demirkapu to Win the GLORY Featherweight World Title in Antwerp

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2026

GLORY Kickboxing closed its Antwerp stop with a new featherweight king, and he needed less than three full rounds to take the crown. Portugal’s Miguel Trindade stopped Turkey’s Deniz Demirkapu by TKO at 1:23 of round three in the main event of GLORY 110 at the Lotto Arena on Saturday, October 17, claiming the vacant GLORY Featherweight World Title under the promotion’s three-knockdown rule.

The numbers behind the matchup underscored how experienced the new champion is. Trindade entered the title fight with a record of 66-8 with 27 knockouts, while Demirkapu brought an 18-6 record with 11 knockouts into the biggest fight of his career. The card aired live on DAZN pay-per-view.

The road to Antwerp ran through GLORY’s Last Featherweight Standing tournament. Trindade opened his run in March, beating Berjan Peposhi by extended-round unanimous decision in the quarterfinals at RISE Eldorado 2026 / GLORY 106 in Tokyo. His tournament ended in June, when Petpanomrung Kiatmoo9 edged him by majority decision in the semifinals at GLORY 108 — a separate competition from the world title picture, and the loss did not end his year: he received the vacant-title shot in Antwerp and made it count.

The rest of the main card delivered stoppages of its own. In the co-main event, Michael Boapeah beat Alin Nechita by unanimous decision at light heavyweight, taking 30-27 on all five scorecards. Nidal Bchiri knocked out Nordine Mahieddine with a body kick at 2:59 of round one, and North Macedonia’s Boban Ilioski scored an upset TKO over Aimane Latifi via three knockdowns at 1:09 of the first round.

Heavyweight Nabil Khachab outpointed Ionuț Iancu in a bout billed as a “battle of the tanks,” Sofian Laïdouni shut out Karim Zeghad 30-24 on all five cards, and Joshua Akingbade stopped Alex Fernandez by corner stoppage at the end of round two. On the Superfight Series, heavyweight Bouziane Kaddani marked his GLORY debut with a third-round knockout of Asdren Gashi.

GLORY’s calendar rolls on to COLLISION 10 on December 12, 2026, at the GelreDome in Arnhem, where Mory Kromah defends the GLORY Heavyweight World Title against Antonio Plazibat. Trindade, meanwhile, heads home to Portugal with the featherweight crown — and a third-round finish to show how he earned it.

We Speak Boxing

GLORY COLLISION 10: Mory Kromah Defends Heavyweight Title Against Antonio Plazibat on December 12

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

GLORY Heavyweight World Champion Mory Kromah defends his title against Antonio Plazibat at COLLISION 10 in Arnhem.

ARNHEM, Netherlands — The stage is officially set for one of the biggest heavyweight kickboxing fights of the year, as GLORY COLLISION 10 will feature reigning GLORY Heavyweight World Champion Mory Kromah defending his title against Croatian knockout artist Antonio Plazibat.

The championship showdown takes place Saturday, December 12, inside the iconic GelreDome, one of Europe’s premier stadium venues, promising a spectacular night of elite kickboxing action. The same card also features an eight-man Welterweight Grand Prix, where champion Chico Kwasi’s belt will be defended through the tournament, and a clash between Tarik Khbabez and Mohamed Touchassie.

Kromah (38-3-1, 25 KOs) enters his second heavyweight title defense after an unforgettable performance at GLORY COLLISION 9. The champion retained his crown in spectacular fashion by knocking out Milos Cvjeticanin with a devastating flying knee that quickly became one of the year’s most viral combat sports highlights — according to GLORY, the knockout generated more than 10 million views across the promotion’s social media platforms, helping establish Kromah as one of kickboxing’s fastest-rising global stars.

The rivalry needs no selling. At a promotional staredown in Rotterdam in September, the two men had to be separated in a scuffle that left a security guard on the canvas, and they were put in the same room again at the GLORY 110 fan zone in Antwerp this past weekend.

“Plazibat thinks he is coming to take my belt. He can think again,” Kromah said. “He already had his time in GLORY. This is a new era, the Mory Kromah era. When my knee connects to his chin, he will go to sleep and only dream of becoming GLORY champion.”

Plazibat (24-5, 17 KOs) secured his opportunity by delivering an emphatic knockout victory over Anis Bouzid at GLORY COLLISION 9, immediately solidifying himself as the division’s No. 1 contender. The Croatian powerhouse made his intentions perfectly clear.

“The plan is simple. I will smash his face and beat him down until he quits,” Plazibat said. “No more playing heavyweight for Mory Kromah. He does not know the world he is entering when he is in the ring with me.”

The heavyweight title Kromah holds was made famous by Rico Verhoeven, who ruled the division for a decade before leaving GLORY for the boxing ring — where he challenged Oleksandr Usyk for a world title in Egypt in May. Verhoeven is back in the headlines this week: the Dutchman says he has accepted an offer to box former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on December 11, the night before COLLISION 10, though Wilder’s agreement and the final terms are not yet confirmed.

Tickets for GLORY COLLISION 10 are on sale now through GLORYKickboxing.com.