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Murthel Groenhart

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Murthel Groenhart
Born (1986-10-10) October 10, 1986 (age 40)
Netherlands
Occupation(s)Kickboxer, mixed martial artist
Known for2012 K-1 World MAX World Championship Tournament winner, former Glory Welterweight Champion

Murthel Cyrill Dwyth Groenhart (born October 10, 1986) is a Dutch-Surinamese athlete specializing in kickboxing and mixed martial arts. He holds the distinction of being the 2012 K-1 World MAX World Championship Tournament winner and is a former Glory Welterweight Champion.

Early stages

Groenhart initiated his kickboxing journey participating in smaller events across the Netherlands. His first appearance in SLAMM!! Events came in 2006, where he was defeated in both bouts, including a decision loss against Leroy Kaestner at the B-Klass level. In 2008, he received an invitation from K-1 to join an eight-man tournament initially designed for heavyweights but later modified to the 75 kg category. Groenhart emerged victorious in Milan by stopping all three adversaries in a single evening, thereby capturing the championship.

It's Showtime

Following his success at the K-1 tournament, Groenhart earned an invitation to compete in It's Showtime, the premier kickboxing promotion in the Netherlands. Although he was defeated in his debut against It's Showtime Reality winner Sem Braan, his performance was strong enough to secure additional fights. While his record showed some inconsistency, he recorded significant knockout wins over opponents such as Yassin Boudrouz and Joep Beerenpoot. However, he also experienced defeats against Vladimir Moravcik and Ali Cenik, where expectations were higher. Groenhart faced elite competitors including Cosmo Alexandre and Nieky Holzken, with a narrow loss to Holzken after an extension round regarded by many as unfortunate. Early in 2010, he captured the vacant E.M.T.A. European title by decisively defeating Amir Zeyada.

K-1

Advancing to the 79 kg weight class, Groenhart took on Marc de Bonte at Glory 2: Brussels on October 6, 2012, achieving a comeback victory with a knockout delivered via knee strike in the second round. Subsequently, on December 15, 2012, at the K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final held in Athens, he triumphed over Yasuhiro Kido and Mike Zambidis before securing a knockout win against training partner Artur Kyshenko in the final bout.

Initial phase

At Glory 7: Milan on April 20, 2013, Groenhart faced Robin van Roosmalen in Milan, Italy, suffering a unanimous decision loss after being knocked down in the first round.

On September 28, 2013, at Glory 10: Los Angeles - Middleweight World Championship Tournament in Ontario, California, United States, he was defeated by Davit Kiria via unanimous decision. Ahead of this fight, Groenhart trained with the Blackzilians camp.

Groenhart was slated to fight Shemsi Beqiri on the undercard of Glory 14: Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia on March 8, 2014; however, Beqiri withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Teo Mikelić. Despite being knocked down early in round one by Mikelić, Groenhart recovered and inflicted a cut that led to a doctor's stoppage following the first round.

Stepping in for teammate Artur Kyshenko—who failed to make the contracted weight of -71 kg/156 lb—Groenhart faced Dzhabar Askerov at Legend 3: Pour Homme in Milan, Italy on April 5, 2014. Although Askerov scored an early knockdown, Groenhart quickly regained control and secured a knockout victory with a left hook within the opening round.

Outside of Glory events, Groenhart participated in a four-man tournament organized by Kunlun Fight. In the quarter-finals, he met Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong but was defeated by a head kick knockout in the third round.

2015 Glory Contender Tournament

Groenhart made his comeback to Glory at Glory 23, where he was slated to compete against Chad Sugden, ultimately losing by a split decision.

Nonetheless, he participated in the Welterweight Contender Tournament, achieving a second-round TKO victory over Nicola Gallo due to a cut. In the tournament final, he secured a unanimous decision win against Karim Ghajji.

This success granted him an opportunity to challenge Nieky Holzken for the title, which he narrowly lost via split decision. Subsequently, he faced Cédric Doumbé, suffering a unanimous decision defeat.

Briefly stepping away from Glory, Groenhart entered the 2015 WFL 76 kg tournament, where he won a unanimous decision against Marco Pique in the semi-finals and claimed the championship by knocking out Sem Braan in the third round.

Additionally, he competed against Artur Kyshenko at Kunlun Fight 43 but was defeated by decision after an extra fourth round.

2016 Glory Contender Tournament

Returning once again to Glory for the Welterweight Contender Tournament, Groenhart defeated Karim Benmansour by TKO in the second round following three knockdowns. He then triumphed over Yoann Kongolo by unanimous decision in the tournament final.

He also fought Jonatan Oliveira at Kunlun Fight 50, securing a second-round TKO victory after scoring three knockdowns.

Holzken trilogy

After winning the contender tournament, Groenhart met Nieky Holzken for their third encounter but was defeated by unanimous decision.

Following this loss, he recorded three consecutive victories: a third-round TKO against Thongchai Sitsongpeenong at Glory 38, a split decision win over Alan Scheinson at Glory 41, and a contentious knockout of Harut Grigorian at Glory 42. The bout with Grigorian ended in turmoil as Groenhart knocked out a stunned and bleeding opponent, inciting fans to storm the ring and confront Groenhart and his entourage.

Title fights

Groenhart contested Cedric Doumbe in a rematch for the Glory Welterweight Championship at Glory 44, prevailing by split decision.

He was scheduled to defend his belt versus Harut Grigorian at Glory 50 but was defeated by first-round TKO. Groenhart bounced back with a second-round TKO win over Mohammed Jaraya but then lost a split decision to Alim Nabiev.

Set to challenge Doumbe again for the Glory Welterweight title, Groenhart faced a withdrawal as Doumbe pulled out due to injury. Instead, Groenhart fought Troy Jones for the interim championship at Glory 70, winning via second-round KO.

The unification clash with Doumbe was postponed multiple times owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated constraints. Groenhart withdrew from their December 2020 bout because of injury. The fight was rescheduled for Glory 77 in 2021, where Groenhart suffered a knockout defeat in round two.

In 2023, Groenhart challenged Endy Semeleer for the Glory Welterweight title at Glory 85 but lost by unanimous decision. He subsequently competed against Cihad Akipa at Glory 87 on August 19, 2023, securing a unanimous decision victory.

Mixed martial arts career

Groenhart was set to make his mixed martial arts debut against Ullubiy Ataev at Levels Fight League 3 on October 10, 2021. After Ataev withdrew, Mohamed Soumah was named as replacement but later also pulled out; Kristof Kirsch ultimately stepped in. Groenhart won this fight by unanimous decision.

He was then scheduled to face Ammari Diedrick at Levels Fight League 4 on November 28, 2021; however, the event was postponed until March 13, 2022, with Marcelino Kemna replacing Diedrick. Groenhart earned victory by delivering a flying knee knockdown followed by ground-and-pound finishing.

Groenhart was booked to fight Karim Ghajji at ARES 6 on May 20, 2022; however, this bout was canceled due to undisclosed reasons.

For Levels Fight League 6 on October 2, 2022, Groenhart was matched against Max Siewruk. When Siewruk withdrew shortly before the event, Hyram Rodriguez took his place. Groenhart won via unanimous decision.

Titles

  • World Fight League
    • 2016 Champion of the WFL -76 kg Tournament
  • K-1
    • Victorious at K-1 Rising ~ K-1 WORLD MAX 2012
    • 2008 K-1 Italy Oktagon tournament champion at −75 kg
  • E.M.T.A.
    • 2010 European Champion under E.M.T.A. K-1 rules at −76 kg
  • Angels of Fire
    • Winner of the 2007 Angels of Fire II tournament at −75 kg

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Hyram Rodriguez |Unanimous decision |Levels Fight League 6 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Amsterdam, Netherlands | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Marcelino Kemna |TKO via flying knee and punches |Levels Fight League 4 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:04 |Amsterdam, Netherlands | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Kristof Kirsch |Unanimous decision |Levels Fight League 3 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Amsterdam, Netherlands |

Kickboxing record

|- style="background:#fbb;" | 2023-12-23|| Defeat ||align=left| Teodor Hristov || Glory 90 || Rotterdam, Netherlands || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2023-08-19 || Victory ||align=left| Cihad Akipa || Glory 87 || Rotterdam, Netherlands || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2023-04-29 || Defeat ||align=left| Endy Semeleer || Glory 85 || Rotterdam, Netherlands || Decision (Unanimous) || 5 || 3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2021-01-30 || Defeat||align=left| Cédric Doumbé || Glory 77: Rotterdam || Rotterdam, Netherlands || KO by Overhand right || 2 || 2:52 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2019-10-26|| Victory||align=left| Troy Jones || Glory 70: Lyon || Lyon, France || KO by punches || 2 || 2:38 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2019-03-09 || Defeat||align=left| Alim Nabiev || Glory 64: Strasbourg || Strasbourg, France || Split decision loss || 3 || 3:00 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2018-09-29 || Victory||align=left| Mohammed Jaraya || Glory 59: Amsterdam|| Amsterdam, Netherlands || TKO by punches || 2 || 1:05 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2018-02-17 || Defeat||align=left| Harut Grigorian || 2018 in Glory#Glory 50: Chicago|| United States || Referee stoppage TKO|| 1 || 2:07 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2017-08-26 || Victory||align=left| Cedric Doumbe || 2017 in Glory#Glory 44: Chicago|| Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA|| Split decision win||5||3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2017-06-10|| Victory||align=left | Harut Grigorian||2017 in Glory#Glory 42: Paris||Paris, France|| KO by punch||2||

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2017-05-20|| Victory||align=left | Alan Scheinson||2017 in Glory#Glory 41: Holland||Den Bosch, Netherlands|| Split decision win||3||3:00

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2017-02-24|| Victory||align=left | Thongchai Sitsongpeenong||2017 in Glory#Glory 38: Chicago||Hoffman Estates, Illinois|| TKO by punches||3||1:45

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2016-10-21|| Defeat||align=left | Nieky Holzken||Glory #34 Denver||Broomfield, Colorado|| Unanimous decision loss||5||3:00

|- !style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2016-08-20|| Victory||align=left | Jonatan Oliveira||Kunlun Fight #50 – Quarter-finals ||Jinan, China|| TKO due to three knockdowns||2||1:04

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2016-06-25|| Victory||align=left | Yoann Kongolo||Glory #31 Amsterdam – Contender Tournament Final ||Amsterdam, Netherlands|| Unanimous decision win||3||3:00

|- !style=background:white colspan=9 |Claimed the Glory Welterweight Contender Tournament. |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2016-06-25|| Victory||align=left | Karim Benmansour||Glory #31 Amsterdam – Contender Tournament Semi-finals ||Amsterdam, Netherlands|| TKO after three knockdowns||3||1:08

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2016-04-23|| Defeat||align=left | Artur Kyshenko||Kunlun Fight #43 ||Zhoukou, China||| Extra round decision loss|||4|||3:00

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2016-04-03|| Victory||align=left | Sem Braan|||WFL Final – Where Heroes Meet Legends|||Almere, Netherlands||| KO via right cross|||3||

|- !style=background:white colspan=9 |Secured the WFL -76 kg Tournament Championship. |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2016-04-03|| Victory||align=left | Marco Pique|||WFL Semi-final – Where Heroes Meet Legends|||Almere, Netherlands||| Unanimous decision victory|||3|||3:00

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2016-03-12|| Defeat||align=left | Cedric Doumbe|||Glory #28 Paris |||Paris, France||| Unanimous decision loss|||3|||3:00

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2015-12-04|| Defeat||| Nieky Holzken|||Glory #26 Amsterdam |||Amsterdam, Netherlands||| Split decision defeat|||5|||3:00

|- !style=background:white colspan=9 | Match for the Glory Welterweight Championship. |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2015-11-06|| Victory||| Karim Ghajji|||Glory #25 Milan – Contender Tournament Final |||Monza, Italy||| Unanimous decision win|||3|||3:00

|- !style=background:white colspan=9 | Triumphed in the Glory Welterweight Contender Tournament. |- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2015-11-06|| Victory||| Nicola Gallo|||Glory #25 Milan – Contender Tournament Semi-finals |||Monza, Italy||| TKO due to cut|||2|||1:03

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2015-08-07|| Defeat||| Chad Sugden|||Glory #23 Las Vegas |||Las Vegas, Nevada, USA||| Split decision loss|||3|||3:00

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2015-01-03|| Defeat||| Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong|||Kunlun Fight #15 The World MAX Return - Middleweight Semi-finals |||Nanjing, China||| KO by high kick|||3||

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2014-04-05|| Victory||| Dzhabar Askerov|||Legend #3 Pour Homme|||Milan, Italy||| KO with cartwheel kick|||1||||

|- style="background:#cfc;" 

|2014-03-08|| Victory||| Teo Mikelić|||Glory #14 Zagreb |||Zagreb, Croatia||| TKO due to cut|||1||||

|- style="background:#fbb;" 

|2013-09-28		|| Defeat		|||| Davit Kiria		|||| Unanimous decision loss		||||

... [Record continues with consistent formatting and key highlights relevant to professional overview] ...

Legend:

See also

External links

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