What exactly comes next for Rico Verhoeven?
The GLORY Kickboxing kingpin may have lost to unified Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk this past weekend (Sat., May 23, 2026) in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt (watch highlights), but the controversial nature of the stoppage somehow elevated Verhoeven’s stock even more.
Many fans believed the kickboxing legend was either winning or at least very competitive before the referee halted the fight — a stoppage Verhoeven is now officially
planning to appeal.
Whether that appeal actually goes anywhere is another story.
But while the combat sports world debates the ending, attention is already shifting toward Verhoeven’s future.
Apparently, all options are currently on the table.
Does he rematch Usyk?
Does he finally fight Francis Ngannou in MVP MMA?
Does he sign with UFC?
“There are so many things coming my way right now, so I’m just slowly looking at things, reviewing everything,” Verhoeven told Ariel Helwani. “So, let’s see what happens.” “But for me, to be honest, I’m looking at the rematch. I’m looking at the rematch first because I think that is the fight that the people want to see.”
“But let’s see what is on the table,” Verhoeven continued. “Everyone has been reaching out — it’s been massive and crazy, but we’re taking it one day at a time and letting all of the dust settle. Nobody expected this to happen except for us.”
Very few people expected the longtime kickboxing champion to give Usyk such serious problems in a professional boxing match, let alone potentially outbox him for stretches of the fight.
Still, despite the controversy, there is a legitimate chance Verhoeven gets pushed aside for undefeated WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, who may be next in line for Usyk.
And if that happens, a backup plan feels massive.
A one-off mega fight against Ngannou under the MVP MMA banner on Netflix suddenly makes a ton of sense — especially considering Ngannou was originally being discussed as a possible opponent for Verhoeven before the Usyk opportunity materialized.
As for UFC, that path still feels unlikely.
The promotion would almost certainly want Verhoeven locked into a long-term multi-fight contract, while the Dutch superstar currently has leverage as arguably the hottest free-agent heavyweight in combat sports.
Which is honestly kind of wild to think about, considering he technically just lost.
But after the way he performed against Usyk, Verhoeven suddenly has the entire combat sports industry calling.
Not bad for a guy many expected to get steamrolled.
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