GLORY Lightweight Champion Quits Kickboxing, Follows Trail Blazed by Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira stand out in the UFC for more than just their rivalry. The pair’s runs showed us two things. One – you could come from a kickboxing background and successfully transition to MMA and hold your own against grappling-heavy styles. Two – Glory Kickboxing can be a serious feeder organisation to the UFC. And to further prove the latter point, another name has joined the growing list of kickboxers transitioning to MMA!

Glory Kickboxing has emerged as a platform where world-class kickboxers have made their presence known. It also played a huge part in Israel Adesanya and ‘Poatan’s rise, which eventually turned into superstardom. Enter, the promotion’s lightweight star Tyjani Beztati has also decided to step into MMA after a very successful career with the 8oz gloves.  

Tyjani Beztati leaves Glory Kickboxing to join the likes of Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira   

Popular X account Combat Sports Today posted on their account, “GLORY Lightweight Champion, Tyjani Beztati is leaving the promotion to go pursue a career in MMA. He’s not the first GLORY Kickboxer to pursue MMA — ✅ Alex Pereira  ✅ Israel Adesanya  ✅ Cedric Doumbe ✅ Giga Chikadze ✅ Tyrone Spong  ✅ Joe Schilling ✅ Simon Marcus.” 

For the unversed, the Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer is Glory Kickboxing’s lightweight champion and is also ranked #3 in the world according to Combat Press. So, the accomplishments are already high for Beztati. Recognizing his amazing scraps inside the ring, the promotion also posted on their Instagram account, “GLORY would like to thank Tyjani Beztati for being an incredible champion, a great ambassador, and wish him well on his future endeavours.”

As Betzati looks forward to stepping into the Octagon, the challenge is far greater than just the new sport. Look at the names whose footsteps he is following in. Alex Pereira, Adesanya, Doumbe, Chikadze… all proven stars with legacies etched in stone. The challenge is doubled in a weight class like the UFC 155 lbs, assuming he fights there. Remember, Beztati has already fallen to big names like Marat Grigorian and Sittichai in his kickboxing career.

‘The Wonderboy’ is coming off two consecutive split decision draws that take the glamor away from his 8-fight winning run before that. Yet, the future is there for the taking for the 27-year-old Surinamese prospect. He just needs to heed this one cautionary tale, is all.

As of now, Beztati hasn’t spoken about his ambitions in MMA. However, it’s not hard to imagine that he’d be looking to get his foot inside the UFC and become a star like Adesanya or Pereira. But is the path going to be as straightforward as many think? After all, another former Glory superstar also wanted to get inside Dana White’s promotion but couldn’t because of a contract dispute.  

Artem Vakhitov misses UFC debut because of contract dispute 

Artem Vakhitov was seen as one of the best Glory kickboxers who could make it into the UFC. Why? It’s because he holds a stellar win over Alex Pereira at Glory 77! Sure, ‘Poatan’ took it back at the 78th event, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Russian has some seriously sharp fighting skills. But that’s not all—Vakhitov’s MMA record is just as impressive.

The 34-year-old knocked out Islem Masraf in the first round at Dana White’s Contender Series 2024 and also has a 3-1-0 MMA record. However, an unfortunate contract dispute over low pay after DWCS pulled him away from making his UFC debut. In an MMA Junkie interview, Vakhitov said, “Unfortunately, when it came time to make the UFC contract, it transpired that the UFC has very strict conditions regarding fighters who come through DWCS. According to UFC protocols, they were not able to offer me more than the standard contract offered to all fighters who progress through this show. … My team attempted to negotiate, but the UFC rules were strict, and no changes were possible.”

Well, it seems the UFC definitely missed out on a very talented fighter. But it’s not only the kickboxers who can help expand Dana White and co.’s talent pool—fighters from other promotions also have the potential to achieve big things in the company. It’s only a matter of when they decide to take a look at them.

With that being said, do you think Tyjani Beztati is ready to join the UFC soon? Or should he gain proper experience fighting in other MMA leagues first? Comment your thoughts below!