The Moroccan kickboxing sensation, Tarik Khbabez, has triumphantly reclaimed his light heavyweight title with a riveting victory over Azerbaijan's Bahram Rajabzadeh during the Glory 104 event in Rotterdam, Netherlands, held on Friday-Saturday night. The match opened with Rajabzadeh setting an aggressive tone, landing a formidable strike that penetrated Khbabez's defenses and sent him to the canvas. Yet, the fight took a dramatic turn in the second round as the Moroccan champion mounted a comeback, delivering a series of precise and powerful punches that repeatedly found their mark. SO NICE HE HAD TO DO IT TWICE ? ? Tarik Khbabez becomes a two-time Light Heavyweight Champion after beating Bahram Rajabzadeh by decision in a CLASSIC at #GLORY104! pic.twitter.com/BV4bKILFFu — GLORY Kickboxing (@GLORY_WS) October 11, 2025 Rajabzadeh struggled to regain his footing as Khbabez maintained relentless pressure into the third round, despite his opponent's evasive maneuvers. The barrage of heavy punches from Khbabez ultimately led the judges to award him a well-deserved victory. Reflecting on his performance, Khbabez remarked: «It seems I always need someone to wake me up at the start, and my opponent took advantage of that in the first round, but after that punch, I regained my full focus». Following the match, Bahram Rajabzadeh announced his retirement from competition in the «Glory» organization. Khbabez's journey to reclaim the title was marked by a previous defeat to Lithuanian Sergej Masloboyev, who was later found guilty of doping. Despite this, Khbabez refused to use it as an excuse, stating: «Whether he was doping or not, I didn't feel like a champion after that defeat. I underestimated that match».
