GLORY Kickboxing has built its 2025 calendar around the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament, which began in April with 32 fighters in the opening round at the GLORY 99 pay-per-view, and will conclude in December when a champion is crowned at GLORY Collision 8. The focus on heavyweights has been so deliberate that seemingly, quietly, the company has phased out its male lightweight division and its women’s divisions.

So of course, GLORY’s Fight of the Year for 2025 is likely going to come from its light heavyweight division. At GLORY 104 on Saturday, Muslim stars Tarik Khbabez and Bahram Rajabzadeh engaged in a slugfest for the vacant light heavyweight title, a five-round thriller that ended with a new champion and a sudden retirement.

Khbabez was awarded the majority decision in Rotterdam, Netherlands, despite being on the wrong end of the only official knockdown of the fight. While each man unloaded concussive punches and kicks on the other for the duration of the bout, it was relatively normal jab from Rajabzadeh that floored Khbabez in the first round. (More a result of good timing than great power by Rajabzadeh.) Khbabez got up and proceeded to outstrike Rajabzadeh for the remainder of the fight, wobbling his opponent several times but not being able to put him on the canvas.

Perhaps that’s why Rajabzadeh was so distraught after the decision was announced (four of the five judges ruled in Khbabez’s favor; the fifth scored it a draw) that he announced his retirement from kickboxing. (The man translating Rajabzadeh’s post-fight interview in English also said, “I’m happy to say I’m Turkish.” Has Bahram adopted a new citizenship? Will he continue in a different combat sport, e.g. MMA or boxing, and now represent Turkey?)

Khbabez, a.k.a. “The Tank,” the 33-year-old from Morocco, came into the bout looking to regain the championship that he’d lost to Sergej Maslobojev in June at GLORY 100. Maslobojev was stripped of the title in August after testing positive for a banned substance. Rather than GLORY giving the belt back, Khbabez would have to earn the vacated title by defeating Rajabzadeh, a.k.a. “The Golden Wolf,” the 34-year-old (formerly?) representing Azerbaijan who had entered the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament as one of the favorites to win the whole thing, but was eliminated at GLORY 100 by Mory Kromah in another Fight of the Year candidate. Rajabzadeh proceeded to drop down to light heavyweight for the title shot at GLORY 104.

This didn’t look like a typical Rajabzadeh fight. He’s known to come out at the opening bell running or flying at his opponent and immediately throwing haymakers. On Saturday, he was almost patient — he didn’t bum-rush Khbabez, and in fact he began the bout by hugging his brother in Islam — though he still nearly ended things in the first round with a head kick that buckled Khbabez’s legs. The two traded mammoth blows after the flash knockdown, but at no point did Rajabzadeh display the out-of-control fury that has defined his career. And even though he lost the decision, the more measured Rajabzadeh may actually be a better fighter than the wild version. He was more accurate and versatile in his attack on Khbabez; he just played defense with his face too often.

Maybe Bahram realized that his over-aggressiveness cost him in the June loss to Kromah, or maybe the kinder, gentler Golden Wolf was the result of him having recently become a father, which was mentioned on the broadcast. (I’ve joked that having kids has made me softer than I used to be, but it’s kind of true. I cry during scenes in Mrs. Doubtfire, and I can’t even watch any movies or TV shows about people’s kids being kidnapped.)

On commentary, current GLORY heavyweight contender Antonio Plazibat (who’s rehabbing from an injury) couldn’t stop gushing about the main event. At one point he said the fight was “like a Rocky movie,” but even better.

The GLORY 104 card also featured two mini-tournaments to determine two of the eight entrants in the Last Heavyweight Standing finale event in December. Sofian Laidouni, a Muslim from France, won his way in by upsetting superstar Levi Rigters and beating Nabil Khachab of Morocco in one bracket; and Milos Cvjeticanin earned the other spot by defeating Rade Opacic and Alin Nechita.

In another bout, middleweight Ilias Hammouche from Morocco lost via disqualification to Sergej Braun. Early in the second round, Hammouche got caught with a spinning kick and was pretty clearly knocked down. But as soon as he got up and saw the referee had ruled it a knockdown instead of a slip, he lost his mind and pretty much attacked the ref. Hammouche had to be held back by a handful of GLORY officials and his own cornermen. After a lengthy delay, he was ultimately DQ’d. This wasn’t the first time Hammouche let his emotions get the better of him in the ring. At GLORY 98 in February (in another Fight of the Year contender) Hammouche twice knocked down Mesud Selimovic, but both times Hammouche went overboard celebrating his handiwork to where the referee had to delay his 10-count, allowng Selimovic extra time to recover and rise up. Selimovic, who shouldn’t have even been in the fight still, then stunned Hammouche with a spinning backfist to score a knockout.