GLORY has officially stripped Tarik Khbabez of his world title (-95 kg), triggering a fallout between the fighter and the organization. This issue leaves a huge question mark over what’s next for one of the most prominent figures in Moroccan combat sports.
On February 9, GLORY officially stripped Khbabez of his title after he reportedly refused to defend his belt in a planned rematch against Bahram Rajabzadeh. With the Moroccan out of the picture for GLORY 107 on April 25, the title has been declared vacant. Now, reigning middleweight champion Donovan Wisse will step up to face Rajabzadeh for the vacant gold in Rotterdam.
But Khbabez strongly contests the promotion’s version of events. He insists he never refused the fight and instead requested a contractual and financial reevaluation before committing to another title defense. “GLORY knows I have a big fanbase. My last fight against Bahram brought them a lot of money. Rebooking that fight would have been good for them and for him… but not for me. My contract wasn’t changing,” he said, according to Le360 Sport.
The 33-year-old says he made it clear he was willing to fight under improved terms that reflected the scale of the event and his role as champion. “I told them clearly: if you want me to defend my title against him again, we have to review my contract. I want my share too.”
According to Khbabez, those demands were rejected. He believes the promotion chose to strip him of the belt to assert authority once negotiations stalled, even though he had regained the title only months earlier.
Title vacated ahead of GLORY 107
This fallout comes after Khbabez had only just reclaimed his crown at the GLORY 104 event in October 2025, where he ground out a gritty majority decision win over Bahram Rajabzadeh. After losing the belt earlier that June, October’s intense five-round fight proved he belonged at the top, making him a two-time champion in one of the year’s most physical fights.
As of early 2026, Khbabez holds a professional record of 53 wins, 12 losses and one draw, with 28 victories by KO. His GLORY record stands at 7-6. At 33 years old, the Dutch-Moroccan fighter known as “The Tank” has built his reputation on relentless pressure and punching power.
Instead of defending his title in April, however, Khbabez now finds himself on the outside as GLORY moves forward with a new championship fight. Rajabzadeh will face middleweight champion Donovan Wisse at GLORY 107. Wisse is eyeing history by trying to become a rare two-division champion, but the matchup has raised eyebrows. Critics point out that Rajabzadeh is getting another shot at the title immediately after losing to Khbabez, leaving a bit of a question mark over the division’s ranking logic.
For Khbabez, the dispute goes beyond immediate sporting consequences. He says the belt carries deep personal and symbolic value after years of work. “This belt, I earned it with my life. I fought, I cried, I worked my whole life to get it. I can’t just let it go like that to someone who hasn’t sweated for it. This is all about money.”
Despite the tension, Khbabez is keeping things professional in public and says there’s still room for discussion. He’s brought in a lawyer to handle the specifics, but it sounds like the door isn’t totally shut on a potential return to the ring. “I don’t want to make a scandal. That’s not my style. I prefer to talk and find common ground,” he said.
“Yes, I can fight again if they offer me a contract with better financial conditions.”
Away from the ring, Khbabez is staying active in the sport. Last month, he led an international training camp in Casablanca in collaboration with the national federation to support the development of kickboxing in Morocco. He has also announced plans to launch a podcast in which he intends to discuss fighter pay, negotiations and the inner workings of fighting event promotion.
For now, it’s a waiting game to see if both sides can find common ground. Yet Khbabez isn’t sugarcoating the situation: if negotiations don’t work, he says the consequences could be definitive. “If nothing changes, then this will be the end of my career.”
