The GLORY heavyweight champion recently spent some time at the Blackzilians camp, helping Anthony Johnson prepare for his UFC 187 matchup against Daniel Cormier. “The Prince of Kickboxing” talked about “Rumble’s” punching power and also, possibly competing in MMA.
GLORY heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven has been in the ring with heavy-handed opponents before, taking on Gokhan Saki, Peter Aerts, Daniel Ghita, among others. Recently, he took a trip to Boca Raton, Florida to train with UFC light heavyweight contender, Anthony Johnson, and he was very impressed with the authority behind “Rumble’s” punches.
“His striking was looking good and this guy has amazing power man,” said Verhoeven, who will defend his title against Benjamin Adegbuyi at GLORY 22 on June 5, 2015. “For such a… because he’s fighting at light heavyweight, of course, he’s got really good power. He has good kicks and I think he is going to do good.”
Verhoeven, 26, recently defeated Errol Zimmerman at GLORY 19 to retain his heavyweight title. The Dutch kickboxer was brought in by Johnson to help prepare him for his upcoming fight at UFC 187. “The Prince of Kickboxing” wanted to stay longer, but with June 5th quickly approaching, he had to head back home to Holland, but he enjoyed his time there.
“I was going to stay longer, but when I heard I fight the fifth of June, I thought, yeah, I have to think about myself and get back and pick up kickboxing training,” Verhoeven said. “It’s been good. It’s been really fun. Really humble guys and they took me in like family.
“I’ve already been there a few times, but that was for preparation for myself. So, just went there for a week or two weeks, prepare for the fight, get used to the time difference and go on to the fight. This time I was really there to help Anthony, so it was different, good environment and a good experience as well.”
A favorite day of training among the Blackzilian team members, which has become a ritual, is called “Meat Night.” Training gets turned up a notch, and sparring is basically at the same level of a real fight. Verhoeven is no stranger to hard sparring, being a Dutch kickboxer, and he was happy to be a part of it.
“Yeah, they turn it up, but I like to be the butcher, not the meat,” he joked. “For me it was good, but it was nothing new. I think I’m on a certain level of standup fighting that it’s not really dangerous or I’m not getting in a dangerous position in any way. I’m sharp. I have all the qualities.
“It was good training. It was good fun. I do feel with the standup, I’m just a few steps ahead. Meat night, they go full, 100 percent, they give everything, but with good respect and not to hurt each other. It was perfect, five, six good fights going on at the same time, so, it’s fun.
Verhoeven knows he is on a different level than most strikers in MMA, but he respects the sport and its athletes, and he knows it is much different than kickboxing. In fact, the GLORY heavyweight champion’s experience with the Blackzilians has had such a profound effect on him, he has thought about competing in the sport himself.
“I enjoyed the Blackzilians so much, I want to do everything,” he said. “I want to do boxing; I want to do MMA. I love combat sports. Yeah, maybe, maybe. We will just have to see where my fight will be. If they want my help, of course. If it fits in my schedule, of course, we can discuss stuff like that. Maybe if I have a fight in the US, if it’s kickboxing, if it’s MMA, maybe I’m going to prepare there because the wrestling game there is amazing.”
That’s right. Although, Verhoeven was there primarily for his striking and to help Johnson, he did get on the mats to grapple.
“I’ve been training wrestling for three weeks, intense, just to help the guys out and to see how my body reacts to it and I like it. It’s good,” he said, before admitting how exhausting it was.
“Oh, no doubt. It’s like, ‘oh my God, I’m tired, how much longer is the training? For 30 minutes? Oh man,'” he said.
“That wrestling game is heavy. It’s really heavy.”
GLORY 22 on June 5th in France is up next, but Verhoeven thinks MMA could be a possibility in the future.
“Maybe, maybe. I love to do boxing. I love to do MMA. In a perfect world I would love to do all three on a high level, but that is probably not going to happen. I think MMA is closer to kickboxing than just boxing, so, who knows?”
Source: MMA Mania
