CEDRIC DOUMBE vs. NIEKY HOLZKEN
The main event is Welterweight title fight. Champion Doumbe won the belt from Holzken in December. He’s since defended it once against Yoann Kongolo; Holzken has been inactive since the loss. Holzken had been the long-time king of the Welterweight division - even before he officially won the Glory title, he was the clear top dog. The Doumbe loss was his first ever loss in Glory and ended a 4+ year, 11 fight win streak that saw him rise to the top of some pound for pound lists. At the same time, there certainly has been evidence that he’s slowing down. Most agree that the judges helped him escape with his belt against Murthel Groenhart in 2015, and Kongolo came very close to taking the title as well. Holzken is a 15 year veteran with over 100 pro fights to his credit - if he’s slowing down at this stage, it’s certainly understandable.
Doumbe is a 24 year old fighter from the French scene, which means he’ll have a highly partisan crowd here. He looked fine in the early stages of his career, but it was 2016 where he really broke out, going an astounding 11-1 that included wins over Groenhart and, of course, Holzken. It was something of an upset when he took the belt, but momentum is on his side, and while Holzken remains a top level fighter, you have to give the edge to Doumbe to repeat the win here.