Rico Verhoeven tramples on ‘Big Foot’ Antonio Silva in second round TKO
Dutchman unleashes a devastating high kick to end fight early in the main event of Glory 46 as former UFC fighter’s future hangs in the balance
The reputation of kick-boxing remains intact after heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven comfortably dispatched debutant Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a lopsided Glory 46 Superfight Series main event in Guangzhou on Saturday evening.
Former UFC fighter Silva, 38 – who was given a stunning 35-1 odds to win – barely laid a finger on his Dutch opponent in Guangzhou Gymnasium before Verhoeven decided enough was enough and unleashed a devastating high kick to get the technical knockout early in the second round.
Having brushed off the initial barrage of Silva’s reckless iron fists, Verhoeven had showcased some flashy moves and teed off on the Brazilian with a combination of low-kicks and spinning back-kicks before the referee waved the fight off.
“The low-kicks were part of the plan,” explained 28-year-old Verhoeven. “MMA is a different game. I expected him to throw bombs and he did. It was a good fight.”
Verhoeven’s record is now 51-10 as he turns his attention to his “Redemption” rematch against Jamal Ben Saddik at the end of the year.
“It’s going to be fireworks. I’m coming for you, baby.”
Silva’s future is up in the air having only signed a one-fight contract with the kick-boxing franchise. With a performance like that, fans will continue to wonder why he refuses to retire from combat sports.
The Superfight series did bring one or two surprises, however, as Glory held its first-ever sanda (Chinese kick-boxing) fight in the undercard. Despite explicitly stating the unfamiliar sanda rules prior to the bout, no sanda-style clinches or takedowns were necessary for Kong Hongxing.
Kong’s well-timed high-kick ended Yang Sun’s night after only 35 seconds, sparking a collective gasp from the Chinese audience.
In the co-headliner, Glory debutant Wei Zhou (23-6) impressed with his relentless boxing to clinch his first win at the expense of American Andre Walker (1-2).
Glory is holding another show in Guangzhou later this evening – Glory 46 Guangzhou China – which sees a four-man tournament and an exciting Middleweight world title bout between Simon Marcus and Alex Pereira.
