"Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko" Heads to California's Save Mart Center Friday, February 13

Photo credit: Bellator MMA

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (December 5, 2014) - A thrilling middleweight matchup between two of the most dangerous strikers in all of mixed martial arts will headline a newly-announced Bellator MMA event, as knockout artist Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef (29-12-1) meets fellow striker and former Bellator MMA middleweight champ Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko (50-9).

"Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko," which takes place Feb. 13 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Bellator MMA President Scott Coker announced the new matchup on Friday's edition of AXS TV's "Inside MMA."

Tickets for "Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko" go on sale next Friday, Dec. 12 and can be purchased at The Save Mart Center box office, Ticketmaster.com, or Bellator.com.

"You take Melvin Manhoef and Alexander Shlemenko, two fighters with a combined 56 knockout victories between them, and put them in a cage, and you know exactly what you're going to get," Coker said. "These two fighters have both been known to stand in the pocket and trade bombs. This will be an absolute firefight, and we've got a number of other great fights planned for the card that we'll be announcing very soon."

Surinamese-Dutch striker Manhoef has been one of the most feared strikers in MMA for nearly two decades. A former world champion kickboxer, 27 of Manheof's 29 career victories have come by way of knockout, a stunning 93 percent rate.

Manhoef made his Bellator MMA debut in September, scoring a first-round knockout of slugger Doug "The Rhino" Marshall before suffering a disappointing loss to fast-rising striker Joe Schilling. Now Manhoef looks to rebound and flash the kind of power that has seem him earn career wins over the likes of Mark Hunt, Kazushi Sakuraba, Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Denis Kang, Kazuo Misaki and Ian Freeman, to name just a few.

Meanwhile, the Russian-born Shlemenko has spent the past four years fighting under the Bellator MMA banner, already appearing in 14 contests for the organization. The 30-year-old Shlemenko picked up two previous Bellator MMA tournament titles and claimed the promotion's middleweight world championship with a February 2013 win over Maiquel Falcao. He would go on to defend the belt successfully three times before losing the title to current champ Brandon Halsey this past September.

Shlemenko is a 10-year veteran of the sport whose devastating striking, complete with crushing knees and highlight-reel spinning strikes, has already registered 50 career wins, 29 of which have come by knockout.

Additional bouts and details for "Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko" will be announced shortly.

     

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader.  Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.  Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.  Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

 

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Fight Network Presents GFC 4: Hari vs. Quarteron LIVE Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. ET

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release TORONTO | NEW YORK  (Oct, 13, 2014) - Fight Network, the world's premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a live international broadcast of the Global Fighting Championship 4: Hari vs. Quarteron kickboxing megashow from Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. ET, featuring "The Bad Boy" Badr Hari against reigning IKF Muay Thai champion Patrice Quarteron, plus a one night four-man single elimination heavyweight tournament featuring Melvin Manhoef, Ismael Lazaar, Tai Tuivasa and Mohamed Karim with a million dirham cash prize up for grabs. Fight Network's live broadcast will air on Cablevision's Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. For a full listing of Fight Network's broadcast schedule, please visit tv.fightnetwork.com and follow on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Don’t Blink: “No Mercy” Melvin Manhoef Meets Joe Schilling From San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center On Saturday, November 15th

Middleweight Clash Joins Ortiz-Bonnar, Chandler-Brooks, Mo-DeBlass

Newport Beach, Calif. (October 3, 2014) – When Melvin Manhoef joined Bellator in July, fans instantly began creating their own dream matchups for the Dutch finisher. Bellator President Scott Coker wasted no time putting Manhoef in a fight fans couldn’t wait to see, pitting “No Mercy” against “The Rhino” Doug Marshall, and Manhoef didn’t disappoint, delivering a violent one punch blow that ended Marshall’s night in under two minutes. With momentum on his side, Manhoef is set to meet his next challenger, #1 Ranked GLORY Kickboxing Middleweight Joe Schilling. Nicknamed “Stich ‘Em Up” for his devastating fight style, Schilling returns to the MMA cage for the first time in since 2008 and is very clear on his expectations for November 15^th.

“My name is Joe Schilling. You might not know it today but you will very soon. I'm one if the best strikers on the planet, and if you want to see people get laid the hell out, just watch me fight on November 15^th.”

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased on Bellator.com, AXS.com, as well as the Valley View Casino Center.

“I’ve said since the day I began my career in combat sports that styles make fights,” Coker said. “I came to Bellator to create the most compelling fights possible, and Manhoef vs. Schilling has the chance to be fight of the night on November 15th. When you put together guys like Manhoef and Schilling, records sort of go out the window. You know when that cage door shuts, these two guys are going to stand up and engage in what should be an insanely entertaining fight. We’ve just added this fight to a card that already features Tito and Bonnar, Chandler and Brooks, and Mo and DeBlass. November 15^th is going to be a very fun night, and we’ve got more coming.”

In addition to Manhoef and Schilling, the night will also feature one of the biggest grudge matches in the sport as MMA icons clash when Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz returns to the Bellator cage to face “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight affair, while Michael Chandler and Will Brooks will battle for the vacant Bellator Lightweight Title.

With the addition, Bellator 131 now features:

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Tito Ortiz (17-11) vs. Stephan Bonnar (15-8)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Michael Chandler (12-2) vs. Will Brooks (14-1)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: King Mo (13-4) vs. Tom DeBlass (9-2)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Melvin Manhoef (29-11 MMA, 37-12 Kickboxing) vs. Joe Schilling (1-3 MMA, 17-7 Kickboxing)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA        

Brian Rogers Now Set To Face Brazilian Striker Rafael Carvalho At Bellator 125 From California’s Save Mart Center

Brett Cooper Suffers Injury, Replaced By Carvalho

Newport Beach, Calif. (September 9, 2014) – The opponent changes continue for Brian Rogers, as the Ohio native is now set to take on Brazilian striker Rafael Carvalho after Brett Cooper has withdrawn from the fight due to a back injury suffered in training, After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Rogers will once again prepare for a new opponent. The night will be headlined by a middleweight clash as Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef squares off against Doug “The Rhino” Marshall.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

Rogers is coming off another highlight reel victory after a vicious flying knee knockout over Adrian Miles at Bellator 119. Carvalho is currently riding an eight fight winning streak that includes seven finishes, all by knockout.

With the change, the current fight card for Bellator 125 is listed below:

MAIN CARD: 

Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Rafael Carvalho (9-1) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD: 

Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-6) vs. Jesse Juarez (21-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Chris Honeycutt (4-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (29-10)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Granson Clark (2-1) vs. George Zuniga (2-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (2-0) vs. Sergio Cortez (9-8)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Oscar Ramirez (3-1) vs. Matt Ramirez (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Neal (3-0) vs. Paul Ruiz (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Nate James (13-8) vs. Anthony Ruiz (33-18)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA        

Brian Rogers Now Set To Face Brett Cooper At Bellator 125 From California’s Save Mart Center

James Irvin Suffers Injury, Replaced By Cooper

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 29, 2014) – After originally preparing to face James Irvin at Bellator 125 on September 19^th, Brian Rogers will now turn his attention to Bellator veteran Brett Cooper as Irvin has suffered a leg injury that will force the California native out of the fight. The night will be headlined by a middleweight clash as Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef squares off against Doug “The Rhino” Marshall.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

Rogers is coming off another highlight reel victory after a vicious flying knee knockout over Adrian Miles at Bellator 119. Cooper is looking to bounce back after suffering a submission loss to Brandon Halsey at Bellator 122 that secured a title shot for Halsey against Alexander Shlemenko.

With the change, the current fight card for Bellator 125 is listed below:

MAIN CARD: 

Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Brett Cooper (20-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-6) vs. Jesse Juarez (21-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Chris Honeycutt (4-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (29-10)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Granson Clark (2-1) vs. George Zuniga (2-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (2-0) vs. Sergio Cortez (9-8)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Oscar Ramirez (3-1) vs. Matt Ramirez (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Neal (3-0) vs. Paul Ruiz (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Rafael Carvalho (9-1) vs. Anthony Ruiz (33-18)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA        

Full Card Finalized for Bellator 125 Friday, September 19thFrom Fresno’s Save Mart Center

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 28, 2014) – With a near 40 KO’s between the two, a middleweight clash between Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef and Doug “The Rhino” Marshall will be can’t miss television on Friday, September 19^th as the two square off in the main event of the evening at Bellator 125 live on Spike.  The night will also showcase a full preliminary card featuring some of California’s top talent. Tickets for the event are available at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

Kicking of the Spike.com portion of the night will be a battle of California natives as Ron Keslar faces Jesse Juarez. A former welterweight tournament finalist, Keslar has grabbed five of his 11 victories by submission and will put his skills to the test against an experienced fighter in Juarez who has tallied 30 professional fights and 13 finish victories.

Looking to maintain his undefeated record, Fresno’s own and top MMA prospect Chris Honeycutt will make his Bellator debut and fight Aaron Wilkinson on September 19^th.  Hailing from the UK, Wilkinson is making his Bellator debut and enters the cage having previously won four of his last five fights.  At 4-0 Honeycutt has recorded three of his wins by first round KO or submission and is ready to put on an explosive and exciting fight for this hometown crowd.

After recording a TKO win over Josh Arocho in his Bellator debut at Bellator 117, Julio Cesar Neves returns to the Bellator cage to face California native Poppies Martinez.  At only 20-years-old, Neves holds a strong 29-0 record, but will have to hold off the veteran Martinez, who will rely on his strong ground game and has posted 18 wins by submission, 16 coming in the first round.

Both looking to make their mark under the Bellator banner, Anthony Ruiz will fight Rafael Carvalho in a middleweight battle. A MMA veteran, Ruiz is entering the Bellator cage for the first time and has tallied 33 professional wins, 22 coming by KO or submission. With only one professional loss, Carvalho has recorded eight of his nine victories by knockout and his looking for the KO against Ruiz.

Rounding out the preliminary card will be two featherweight battles as Joel Neal faces Paul Ruiz and Jonny Bonilla-Bowman looks to improve his perfect record. Granson Clark will take on George Zuniga in a middleweight bout and California native Matt Ramirez will make his professional debut against Oscar Ramirez in front of the Save Mart Center fans.

Full fight card is listed below.

MAIN CARD:Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: James Irvin (17-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD:Welterweight Feature Fight: Ron Keslar (11-6) vs. Jesse Juarez (21-9)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Aaron Wilkinson (11-6) vs. Chris Honeycutt (4-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) vs. Poppies Martinez (29-10)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Granson Clark (2-1) vs. George Zuniga (2-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (2-0) vs. Sergio Cortez (9-8)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Oscar Ramirez (3-1) vs. Matt Ramirez (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Neal (3-0) vs. Paul Ruiz (5-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Rafael Carvalho (9-1) vs. Anthony Ruiz (33-18)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA    

Manhoef vs. Marshall Headline Bellator 125 On Friday, September 19th From Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center

Newport Beach, Calif. (August 12, 2014) – With a near 40 KO’s between the two, a middleweight clash between Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef and Doug “The Rhino” Marshall will be can’t miss television on Friday, September 19^th as the two square off in the main event of the evening at Bellator 125 live on Spike.

Tickets for the event will be on sale Friday, August 15^th at 10am PST. Tickets will be available at the Save Mart Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or Bellator.com.

A former Strikeforce and K-1 veteran, Manhoef is on a mission to continue to provide explosive finishes. The 38-year-old Dutch native has amassed a 28-11 professional MMA record, including an astonishing 26 knockouts during his nearly 20 year career. With Marshall now presented as his next challenge, Manhoef is eager to provide fireworks on September 19^th.

Marshall enters the fight riding a 4-1 record inside the Bellator cage, with victories over Kala Hose, Andreas Spang, Sultan Aliev and Brett Cooper. Marshall met Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko in 2013 and fell victim to the Russian phenom, but is looking to get back on the winning track with another notable victory in the form of Manhoef.

“This fight is like a dream come true,” Marshall said. “Two heavy hitters going for broke. It’s a classic don’t blink fight. Bet the house someone is going to sleep before the first round is over. And to be able to have this type of fight in front of all my friends and family that I grew up with makes it that much sweeter.”

The night will also feature a pair of middleweights looking to steal the show as Brian Rogers returns to Spike and takes on California’s own James Irvin. Known for his highlight reel finishes, Rogers believes Irvin is the perfect fight to continue his run of explosive fights inside the Bellator cage.

“I’m excited to welcome James Irvin to the Bellator Middleweight division,” Rogers said. “I’ve made my home in this division since 2011 and I plan on staying here for a long time. I know he’s probably planning on coming in here and reestablishing his career, but he isn’t doing that at my expense. I’m the worst person anyone can fight in the middleweight division right now. I want to get the word out to the middleweight division that this is my time. And when it comes to this fight, people better expect an extreme amount of violence.”

Featherweights collide as Goiti Yamauchi battles the UK’s Martin Stapleton live on Spike. Only 21, Yamauchi has already amassed a 17-2 record in his young career, including his most impressive performance to date at Bellator 120 with a dominate win over Mike Richman. The submission ace will have his hands full with Stapleton, who is fresh off a submission victory of his own.

The main card will be rounded out with a heavyweight affair between Raphael Butler and Javy Ayala. Still undefeated with an 8-0-1 record, Butler has his sights set on another knockout when he takes on the California native in Ayala.

Full fight card information will be made available in the coming weeks.

MAIN CARD:Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: James Irvin (17-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight:  Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA    

Bellator Bolsters Roster With Paul “Semtex” Daley and Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef

Newport Beach, Calif. (July 21, 2014) – Since the day Bellator President Scott Coker joined the promotion, the goal has been to create the most entertaining fights possible under the Bellator banner. With that in mind, Bellator has added knockout kingpins Paul “Semtex” Daley (34-13) and Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (28-11) to the roster. The two veterans have both amassed impressive careers, including an astonishing 51 career knockouts between the two heavy-handed strikers.

Daley rejoins Bellator after a dominating debut in 2012 with a first round knockout over Rudy Bears at Bellator 72. Only 31, the Nottingham based striker is looking to make his mark on the Bellator Welterweight Division.

“Like always, I’m coming into Bellator to put on a show,” Daley said. “I loved working for Coker back in Strikeforce, and when I got the call to possibly come back to Bellator, it was a no-brainer. I feel great, I’m fresh, and I’m going after that belt.”    

Manhoef will join an already deep middleweight division as the Dutch kickboxer brings his finishing skills to the Bellator cage and Spike TV. The former Strikeforce and K-1 veteran is on a mission to provide explosive finishes, and with potential matchups with Alexander Shlemenko, Brennan Ward, Brett Cooper and Doug Marshall on the horizon, fans should expect fireworks inside the Bellator Middleweight Division.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We want Bellator to be a destination for not only the top-tier fighters in the sport, but the first-choice destination for fans to see the most entertaining fights in the sport,” Coker said. “Both Paul and Melvin add a level of excitement to the roster that I can’t wait to see inside our cage, and this is just the beginning.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorMMA.         

Melvin Manhoef "Its going to be a hard explosive fight"

Feared Dutch Striker Melvin Manhoef prepares to take on Deep Champion Yoshiyuki Nakanishi this weekend at ONE FC War of the Lions.

Originally scheduled to take on Babalu Sobral many feel that although not as well known in the western world, Nakanishi's all action style could make for an even better fight come the weekend. Melvin himself eagerly awaits the new matchup and is not disappointed in the rescheduled bout as he explains:

"No, I’m not disappointed. Of course I would have liked to fight him (Babalu) a lot, but who knows maybe in the future it will happen. I’m also excited to fight my new opponent. I know he’s a strong complete fighter so it will be a hard fight."

With an astonishing 96% finishing ratio with 23 of his 24 wins coming via knockout or tko Melvin is still regarded as one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. Moving up to the light heavyweight division to take on the Japanese champion, Melvin can still be confident in the knowledge that he has knocked out opponents bigger than him in the past, including the likes of Mark Hunt and Ian Freeman. Far from fearing his bigger opponent he is relishing the opportunity to fight Nakanishi:

"I've fought bigger guys most of my career. Of course it's hard for me to fight the heavier guys since most of them are naturally heavier and taller than me, but I like the variation and the challenge!"

Deep champion Nakanishi has suggested he is willing to meet Melvin in the centre of the cage come event time although the Dutchman has his doubts:

"I really don't know if he will stand with me, but as with most of my opponents I think he'll prefer to take the fight to the ground."

Manhoef is excited to be a part of an excellent ONE FC card this weekend that is available completely free of charge in HD quality around the world:

"I know ONE FC are a young ambitious organization. They have a lot of great plans and I'm honored to be a part of it. I hope to fight many times for them and help them build the organization."

As far as a prediction for the bout Melvin is only sure of an exciting fight for the fans:

"It's always hard to predict the fight. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm ready and focused. I think it's going to be a hard explosive fight".

ONE FC War of the Lions will be streamed live and completely free on ONE FC's YouTube channel. Please head to http://www.onefc.com/  for complete details.