{Benjamin Adegbuyi} is heading into SENSHI 31 like a man who has seen everything in heavyweight kickboxing and still wants one more test. On May 30, “Mr. Gentleman” meets Bulgarian contender {Daniel Dinev} in a 95+ kg super fight at the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv, a Roman amphitheater that today seats around 6,000 people and once staged public gladiatorial battles in the 1st century AD.
SENSHI 31 Gladiators broadcasts May 30 at 7:30 PM EET (12:30 PM EST) on SENSHI's YouTube channel and Triller TV, free worldwide.
The bout sits on a 13-fight card built around a stacked eight-man lightweight Grand Prix, but Adegbuyi’s name is one of the standout additions to the lineup after more than a decade spent competing at the top level in GLORY.
Benjamin Adegbuyi Talks SENSHI 31
Adegbuyi, 41, began with karate at age 10 in Romania and moved into kickboxing as the K-1 boom hit Eastern Europe. He has been training in combat sports since 2009, logging roughly 17 years of focused work. His routine stays simple: strength and conditioning in the morning, kickboxing in the evening, with sparring and combination drills still his preferred way to improve because, as he says, he is still learning even now.
For him, physical shape sets the tone. “When you're physically strong, the mind follows and makes you strong and confident,” he explained in a SENSHI pre-fight interview.
The numbers on his record show why this matchup drew attention. Adegbuyi is a former two-time GLORY heavyweight title challenger against Rico Verhoeven, a three-time winner of GLORY heavyweight contender tournaments, and one of the most recognized big men of the past decade. GLORY lists him at 15–8 in the promotion, while his overall professional ledger stands at 35 wins, 20 knockouts, 10 losses and one no contest.
He calls his tournament wins and his TKO of Badr Hari at GLORY 76 in 2020 the peak of his career, along with staying in the world heavyweight top 10 for about 20 years and sitting at number two in the rankings for more than five years.
Against Dinev, Adegbuyi insists he carries no fear or doubts. He describes himself as “all in,” with skills, mentality and a refusal to quit. Strategy-wise, he keeps it stripped back: “Just be myself because thats all I need,” he told SENSHI. He wants Dinev at his highest level: “Just to be prepared I want his best version to test myself.” For fans, the promise is blunt, do not blink, because the fight “can finish in seconds”
Dinev brings home advantage and serious amateur hardware into Plovdiv. Before his SENSHI 31 appearance, he captured a World Championship bronze medal in 2023, took silver at the 2024 European Championships, won World Cups in 2024 and 2025, and lifted the 2025 European Cup.
He is also a 14-time Bulgarian heavyweight champion. SENSHI is matching that domestic run against a veteran who has already shared a ring with Verhoeven and Hari, setting up a classic test: a decorated local heavyweight stepping up against a global name. "My career highlights are my tournament wins at the highest level Glory, 2 times challenger for the Glory belt against Rico [Verhoeven] and of course winning against Badr Hari."
Around this super fight, SENSHI 31 runs an eight-man Grand Prix at 70 kg, where the winner must fight three times in one night for the lightweight tournament crown. Quarterfinals feature Angelo Volpe vs. Samo Petje, Aissam Chadid vs. Bruno Gazani, Hirokatsu Miyagi vs. Dragomir Petrov, and Zehao Zhang vs. Marian Lapusneanu, with reserve bouts Maxence Vignais vs. Wiktor Kolaja and Mihail Velchovski vs. Andres Casado. Two more super fights complete the trio: Bart Horvath vs. Atanas Bozhilov at 75 kg and Mantas Rimdeika vs. Thomas Bridgewater at 95+ kg.
Outside the ring, Adegbuyi keeps a steady life. He says that keeping perspective during hard times helps: he reminds himself that many people in the world have it worse. His message to young fighters is clear: believe in yourself, be ready to sacrifice for your dream, and never give up.
SENSHI 31 streams live on May 30 from the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. EET and first bell at 7:30 p.m. EET. Catch the full card, including Adegbuyi vs. Dinev, on the official SENSHI YouTube channel or the KWAN Fight Series YouTube page, where past events have drawn thousands of viewers worldwide.
Source: beyondkick.com