Kickboxing
Rico Verhoeven chooses boxing bout over UFC offer
Reported by AI Image generated by AI
Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven has revealed that the UFC extended him a decent contract offer for a debut against Derrick Lewis, but he opted for a high-profile boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk instead. The fight, for the WBC heavyweight title, is scheduled for May 23, 2026, at the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Verhoeven emphasized the respect shown by the UFC during negotiations.
Thian de Vries, the K-1 cruiserweight champion, has announced his transition from kickboxing to mixed martial arts. The fighter described MMA as the future of combat sports.
Reported by AI
A female kickboxing athlete initialed VAP from East Java revealed alleged sexual harassment by her coach on social media. The case is being handled by police, who have named the perpetrator initialed WPC as a suspect. Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir strongly condemned the act and demanded a lifetime ban from sports for the perpetrator.