Kickboxer suffers a face injury so grotesque that even his own phone’s facial recognition didn’t work… however he STILL gained his heavyweight title bout after the referee let him struggle on
- Rico Verhoeven was defending his heavyweight title towards Jamal Ben Saddik
- But the fighter was knocked down in second spherical with big minimize under eye
- Despite heavy bleeding beneath his eye, Verhoeven was allowed to proceed
- He finally gained the bout in Arnhem to report his fifteenth consecutive victory
A kickboxing champion managed to efficiently defend his heavyweight title, regardless of struggling facial accidents that had been so bad his own cellular phone did not recognise him.
Rico Verhoeven was defending his title in a bout with Jamal Ben Saddik at ‘Glory: Collision 3’ in Arnhem, Holland, efficiently profitable after a fourth spherical knock out.
But the Dutchman was practically stopped two rounds earlier when he was knocked down by his opponent, leading to him struggling a big minimize beneath his left eye.
Rico Verhoeven sported a big minimize beneath his eye following his kickboxing victory
Jokingly requested whether or not his own phone would recognise him, the Dutchman’s check later confirmed that it didn’t following the brutal encounter with Jamal Ben Saddik
Despite the blood pouring from beneath Verhoeven’s eye, a ringside physician allowed the bout to proceed earlier than the heavyweight recovered to retain his title.
Post struggle, and sporting a closely blood stained plaster under his eye which was badly swollen and barely open, the 32-year-old was quizzed about his injury.
After being jokingly requested whether or not his phone’s facial expertise nonetheless recognised him, Verhoeven received out his phone to place their query to the check – with a predictable reply.
Verhoeven was caught within the second spherical of the ‘Glory: Collision 3’ occasion in Arnhem, Holland
Despite taking heavy hits, Verhoeven managed to assert his fifteenth consecutive victory
The Dutchman assaults with a roundhouse kick as he fought again to a fourth spherical win
He advised MMA Fighting: ‘Do I actually need to reply that? Yeah, it was the worst. So in fact folks make jokes so after the struggle on the press convention, “Rico! Does your phone face recognition still work?”
‘I was like, “I don’t know, but let me try”. It didn’t. So it was good for that second I was like attempting to place it on the nice facet. But yeah, now it really works.’
Verhoeven later required six stiches to his injury and praised his cutman ringside who helped make sure the injury didn’t change into even worse during the bout.
With a blood stained face, the 32-year-old celebrates with his crew following the victory
His title defence now stretches over seven years as he salutes the gang in Arnhem
‘He did a tremendous job, I was so blissful he was there. That’s additionally what I advised him after the struggle, I was like “I’m so happy you were there”,’ he continued.
‘After the struggle he took care of me, he was there cooling it and ensuring the wound was good and handled effectively. He closed it up and let the medical doctors have a look at it. So I was so proud of him.’
Verhoeven is extensively thought to be top-of-the-line kickboxers on the earth and his victory over Ben Saddik was his fifteenth in a row stretching again to 2015 – a yr after he picked up his heavyweight championship.
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