Exclusive Q&A: ‘I come to dominate,’ warns Jamal Ben Saddik before facing Sofian Laidouni at GLORY 100

At GLORY 100, Jamal Ben Saddik (38-9, 29 KOs) is set to take on Sofian Laidouni (38-4-1, 19 KOs). If he wins, he could then meet Tariq Osaro (27-4-1, 14 KO) or Luigi Gashi (16-4, 4 KO) in the final on the same night.

DAZN News spoke to Ben Saddik, who reaffirmed his ambitions and looked back on his two-and-a-half-year absence.

DAZN News: 10 years ago, Laïdouni took a picture with you and now you're going to face him. What do you think of him?

Jamal Ben Saddik : Sofian is a solid opponent, I respect that. But I don’t come to dance, you know, I come to dominate. My camp was intense, full focus and everything. So I can't wait for this Saturday. I don’t have anything personal against him, but, this Saturday, it will be war.

DN: Any prediction?

JBS: I have too much experience and, like I just said, I don't come just to fight, you know, I come to dominate. I'm ready for war. And with this tournament - two fights in one night - I have that experience, and I will use that. And the people are gonna see this Saturday the Goliath. I really come to damage my opponent.

DN: Two fights on the same night, do you plan to change your gameplan?

JBS: I don't think about the second fight. I know it's a tournament, but it's not the first time for me. Back in the day, in 2012, it was my first tournament - GLORY 4 in Tokyo - more than 10 years ago. And if you want to be strong in tournaments, you just need to focus on the first one, because the first one is the final. Without the first one, there is no second one. So I will step into that ring to give everything in my first fight, because that's the final.

DN: How does it feel to fight for Glory 100?

JBS: I'm the only one who can say that I’ve been there since the beginning, because my first event was GLORY 2 in Brussels. And look now - Glory 100. It's been a while. I think we’ve grown together - me and GLORY. I've seen so many things. I've seen main events, title fights, tournaments, broken hands, war. So I’ve seen everything. And to continue this Saturday with GLORY 100 - it's historic.

DN: Who do you want in the final if you win the first fight?

JBS: I don't have any opponent in mind. Whoever is there in the finals will meet me - will meet the Goliath. Like I said, I will be ready for war and ready to show the people once again the Goliath - they’re not gonna forget me. I'm prepared for that. So who I will meet in the final doesn’t matter to me, but I will stand there.

DN: You stopped for two-and-a-half years before coming back. Did it affect you not to fight?

JBS: It was a really hard time, because I didn't fight for almost two-and-a-half years. It was difficult for me. But I never lost hope, I was always training. People were saying, "What are you doing?" But I never forgot. I was telling them, “I will be there again, I will participate in those main events. I will be there. Just watch out - I will be there.” So I never lost hope. It was difficult, but I just kept on training, training hard to be back.

DN: How do you look at your career?

JBS: Fantastic - Al hamdulilah. I’ve seen so many things, and I'm happy that I will stand there this Saturday again, inshallah, to perform well. I'm happy where I stand today, and I think I have a lot more to show the people. I think the people have yet to see the best of the Goliath. So I hope I get a chance to continue fighting, because it has been, so far, a really good journey. It will be my third fight and, inshallah, also my fourth fight in less than four months. So I'm happy that I can participate in such events. I'm happy - Al hamdulilah - where I stand today.

DN: Do you think your prime is in the past, or are you still at your best?

JBS: With how I feel now and the fight IQ I have now, people haven’t seen the best of me yet. They’ve seen great fights and great wars, but I think they still haven’t seen the best of me. So I hope to show the people this week - to prove that and show them that I’m here to dominate.

DN: You fought Rico Verhoeven three times. He’s going to defend his belt against Artem Vakhitov. What is your prediction?

JBS: I respect Artem. I know him personally. He’s a good fighter he is a good light heavyweight. But honestly? I don’t care about that fight. That’s not my fight. That’s the Queen of GLORY vs. Artem. Let them enjoy their show. I’m not part of that Netflix series. They’re out there performing. I’m here preparing for war! For legacy, for my people. 

DN: Do you want to fight Rico again one day?

JBS: People have asked me this question many times, and I told them, for now, in my mind and in my head, the tournament that I'm in is the greatest thing you can achieve as a kickboxer. For now, I don't think about that, because I've been there. It’s really, really difficult to fight two times in one night. People say, “Yeah, you just need to fight two times,” but to be there - to fight your first fight, go back to the dressing room, wait hours with all the injuries, with all the pressure, with all the pain in your body  and you need to go again. That’s really difficult. And I’ve done that before. That’s why I say, let us wait. Let’s wait until this Saturday we’re going to see what will happen. After that, we can see what I and my team want. You know, life is full of surprises.