From the kickboxing ring to the mixed martial arts cage, Melvin Manhoef has seen it all, done most of it and made himself one of the most respected and feared strikers in all of combat sports.
As he approaches his showdown with Japanese slugger with Hisaki Kato in the Bellator 146 main event on Friday at the Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., Manhoef can see the end of what has been a long and fruitful tunnel in prizefighting. However, even at 39, the Suriname-born Dutchman has championship aspirations inside the Bellator MMA organization.