Following his disappointing semifinal loss to eventual winner Gegard Mousasi at the Dream middleweight grand prix last September, Dutch knockout machine Melvin Manhoef announced his retirement from active competition in a panic reaction to spend more time with his wife and children. Overworked with seventeen bouts in seventeen months leading up to the Mousasi fight, “Marvelous Melvin” just needed a break to recharge his batteries.
Apparently he used a rapid charger, as the 32-year-old kickboxer has ditched his retirement just two months after announcing it, which beats even Paul Daley’s four-month resignation this spring.
Manhoef will take on Polish-Australian Paul Slowinski in an alternate bout at the K-1 World Grand Prix Final in Yokohama, Japan on Dec. 6. The powerful slugger also has another kickboxing bout scheduled next year against Belgian top talent Rustemi Kreshnik on Feb. 8 at It’s Showtime in Antwerpen, Belgium.
Whether the popular former Cage Rage light heavyweight champion will stay with kickboxing for the moment or make a full comeback to MMA competition as well is undecided at this time.
