GLORY Kickboxing announced on February 8 that it has stripped Tarik Khbabez of the light heavyweight world championship, claiming he refused to defend against number one contender Bahram Rajabzadeh. Morocco’s Khbabez has a detailed rebuttal explaining the dispute as one of pay and respect rather than a refusal to fight.

The promotion has scheduled Rajabzadeh against reigning middleweight champion Donovan Wisse for the now-vacant belt at GLORY 107 on April 25 in Rotterdam.

Khbabez regained the title just four months ago at GLORY 104 in October 2025, outpointing Rajabzadeh over five hard rounds in what was named the 2025 GLORY Fight of the Year. That fight became available after Sergej Maslobojev vacated the belt following a positive drug test in August 2025. Khbabez was knocked down in the opening round but rallied through the championship rounds, winning by majority decision on four of the five judges’ scorecards.​

GLORY chairman Pierre Andurand addressed the situation in a YouTube interview the day after GLORY 105. Andurandstatedthat Khbabez had initially agreed to defend in April and that the promotion had identified Rajabzadeh as the opponent. He said Khbabez declined the fight that morning. “We don’t want fighters holding us hostage or deciding who they fight and when,” Andurand said, adding that GLORY has a fixed schedule for 2026 and expects champions to defend their titles at least twice a year, once in a tournament format and once in a single fight .​

Khbabezsees itdifferently. Speaking to Dutchnewspaper AD, he said his hand has not fully recovered and that his request was financial, not a flat refusal. In a detailedpublic statementposted to Facebook, he addressed Andurand directly:

“This is Fake News … I did not refuse Bahram. What I said is simple: if this fight is purely commercial — and huge money is being made from it — then it should also come with proper respect and a serious bonus. That is not refusal. That is professional negotiation.”​

Khbabez pointed out his track record inside the promotion. He made his GLORY debut in January 2021 at GLORY 77, where he was told one week before the event that he would compete in a heavyweight tournament, first against Levi Rigters, then the final against Rico Verhoeven. He accepted without conditions. Since that debut, he has fought 13 bouts for the organization across five years, earned the interim title in 2023, and won the full championship twice.

“Since I won the title, I have always indicated two things: first, my hand has not yet fully recovered, and I want to fight responsibly. Secondly, if Glory wants this fight, there should also be a fair bonus and appreciation against it. That’s not a refusal. That is a normal negotation.”

He also challenged the logic behind Rajabzadeh’s ranking. Rajabzadeh fought a heavyweight bout at GLORY 105 just two days before the title-stripping announcement, knocking out Cristian Ristea in 31 seconds. Khbabez himself was denied an immediate rematch after losing a close split decision to Maslobojev in 2022 and had to fight his way back through multiple wins.

“That is not refusal. That is professional negotiation. Portraying this as if I am avoiding fights is false...People think: champions get millions, but it’s not like that. As a champion, after all the costs, I sometimes have about the same amount left over as someone with a normal job. As a fighter, I put my body, health and future at risk. Since 2020 I have been helping Glory grow by fighting full risk and now it is suddenly decided to put my title on the line without communication, agreement or respect for agreements.”

Source: LowKickMMA.com