As the
UFC 156 post-fight formalities wound down in Las Vegas last weekend, a familiar
face emerged amongst the crowd. To the surprise of many, it belonged to
Melvin Manhoef.
The Dutch-Surinamese powerhouse, long revered as one of the most
devastating strikers in the sport, was spotted snapping a photo
alongside UFC President Dana White, which of course led to endless
speculation about the nature of the pair's relationship.
While Manhoef refuted the notion that he was the UFC's latest free agent pickup during an appearance on this week's edition of
The MMA Hour, he gushed about the prospect when asked if he hoped to be fighting inside the Octagon soon.
"Who wouldn't?" Manhoef bluntly responded. "I think everybody would
want to be fighting in the UFC, because [it's] one of the biggest
organizations at the moment. I'm a fighter and I want to entertain
people, so for me it'd be nice to fight in the UFC. If the chance is
there, I'm going to do it, 100-percent."
When and if that opportunity arises, Manhoef will be waiting. But for
now, the 36-year-old continues to shop his services to international
promotions -- he has a ONE FC fight tentatively slated for April 5, 2013
-- while serving as a last-minute training partner for
Lyoto Machida at the acclimated Blackhouse gym, located along the sunny coast of San Diego, CA.
Although he is hesitant to commit to a permanent move to the United
States, Manhoef's recent exploits led him to an important conclusion. A
decorated kickboxer and veteran mixed martial artist, it became clear
that Manhoef finally needed to stop splitting his focus between the two
sports in order to make one last push into the upper echelon of MMA.
http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/2/9/3968236/melvin-manhoef-dana-white-ufc-last-remaining-goal-brawl-wanderlei-silva
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