Rico Verhoeven explains why he chose boxing Oleksandr Usyk over UFC offer, plans to ‘shock the world’

Rico Verhoeven, former GLORY heavyweight kickboxing champion, has chosen to pursue a boxing match against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk over an offer from the UFC. The fight was announced at a press conference in London on April 14, 2026, billed as part of the 'Glory in Giza' event. Verhoeven vacated his GLORY heavyweight title to take the bout and has stated he plans to 'shock the world' against the boxing champion.