Israel Adesanya isn’t happy about how Glory treated him during his time in the promotion years ago. Adesanya, of course, competed in the promotion primarily between 2014 and 2017, a period that marked the peak and most high-profile chapter of his kickboxing career before he transitioned to MMA and joined the UFC in 2018. This came up during a recent conversation.

The City Kickboxing standout recently visited Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, taking part in an open and candid Q&A with fans. During the session, a fan asked Adesanya about his stint in the Glory Kickboxing promotion. The question opened the door to a raw look back at his early career, with Adesanya pulling no punches as he claimed the promotion had robbed him of a world title.

Israel Adesanya says Glory was a crooked organization

“Man, that was a crooked organization just for me,” Adesanya said candidly. He was careful to clarify that his criticism reflected only his personal experience and might not mirror the views of other fighters who were, or still are, part of the promotion. “But for me, my experience was okay, then it turned to s—t. Same with the Chinese, it was good, and then it turned to s—t, and I was like, well f—k, I got to do something. I was going broke.”

Although his run with Glory was relatively brief, it was highly impactful. Israel Adesanya debuted in 2014, rapidly climbed the middleweight ranks, won a major contender tournament, and earned a shot at the world title. That title opportunity ended in defeat against Jason Wilnis, a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. 

For Adesanya, Glory represented his first true exposure on an elite international stage after dominating regional circuits in New Zealand, Australia, and China. Despite his frustrations, he acknowledged the role the promotion played in his development. “I needed fights with Glory, though. I just felt they screwed me out of a world title because they wanted the Dutch guy to win,” Adesanya admitted during the Q&A session. 

“That just made me really salty. You know me. I’m a petty guy. I hold grudges, and I don’t like the Glory hole,” he added. Still, Adesanya closed his remarks by giving the promotion its due. “It’s a great organization for kickboxers. I think they did a lot for kickboxers—coming up. They did a lot for kickboxing, even myself, put me on the map, and I’m grateful,” he concluded. 

But it’s not just Adesanya who has had an issue with Glory.

Alex Pereira reflects on his last fight in Glory

Last year, Alex Pereira reflected on his final appearance in GLORY, a fight that still sparks debate years later. ‘Poatan’ became a two-division champion in January 2021 with a split decision win over Artem Vakhitov, but lost the light heavyweight belt back via majority decision in their rematch eight months later—what turned out to be Pereira’s last kickboxing bout before leaving for the UFC.

Reacting to Vakhitov’s comments, Pereira suggested circumstances played a role in that outcome. “Everybody knows that when they gave you the win [in GLORY in 2021] it’s because GLORY knew that that would be my last fight in the organization and they didn’t want me to leave with the belt!” Pereira wrote on Instagram. Soon after that fight, Pereira debuted in the UFC, marking a definitive shift away from kickboxing and the start of his rise in MMA.

It appears both Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya don’t have the fondest memories of their time in Glory, especially as they were exiting the promotion. Is it a tactic to keep the talent within the promotion?