KTFO
27-10-2007, 19:00
Ik ben het niet echt eens met het eerste stuk.
Lacks in size: tuurlijk hij is niet de grootste in lengte
maar lacks in technique en lacks in skills ben ik het echt niet mee eens hoor.
Tuurlijk is de aggressiviteit en intensiteit van Manhoef enorm maar om nou te zeggen dat het zijn skills en technique compenseerd.
Verder is het een positief stukje over Manhoef maar het komt een beetje over alsof hij alleen maar hard en fel kan knokken.
Hier het stukje van sherdog:
The K-1 HERO'S show in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday will be the promotion's first event this year in which Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) is not fighting. The Dutch kickboxer was featured on seven of the last nine HERO'S cards and has emerged as one of the top foreign stars in Japan.
His attitude toward fighting is best summed up in his own phrase: "I live for this s---!"
What Manhoef lacks in size, he makes up in aggression. What he lacks in technique, he makes up in intensity. And what he lacks in skills, he more than makes up in dedication.
The 31-year-old knockout artist from Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Holland, always gives his most -- even in training. Before his fight against Yoshiki Takahashi (Pictures) in March, a Japanese TV station aired footage of Manhoef sparring. He knocked out the unfortunate soul he was training with and gained a reputation as a monster even in the gym.
This is an approach to the sport Manhoef has kept throughout his 12-year professional fighting career. Despite his years of experience, at times he is still a little rough around the edges. But that roughness is also his recipe for success: 17 of his 18 wins have come by way of knockout, and only once in his career has he gone the distance -- a record unparalleled in mixed martial arts.
"When I go into that ring," Manhoef says. "I am willing to die."
That attitude has made him a star everywhere he has fought. From Holland to Russia, England to Japan, Manhoef's name has been a synonym for non-stop action.
The marquee bout of his career came in February 2006, when grim Chute Boxer Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos challenged him for the Cage Rage light heavyweight title. Both men stood in the middle of the cage and traded punches in what all spectators felt was a strong candidate for fight of the year. In the end Cyborg went down, unable to withstand Manhoef's barrage of punches.
Having conquered the U.K., winning all of his five fights there by knockout, it was time for Manhoef to move on. Even though the UFC was in the hunt for the man with Surinamese roots, the "Marvelous" one chose HERO'S and took his trade to Japan.
What matchmaker Akira Maeda (Pictures) had in store for him was a schedule that can only be described as grueling: Manhoef has fought 13 times in two years, which is more than any top fighter in MMA or K-1.
He seems content with the agenda, however.
"I don't mind continuing this schedule for quite a while," he says. "It keeps me in my competition rhythm. I'm in good shape, and if I don't suffer many injuries and keep on winning by knockout, I will continue like that."
This is good news for MMA fans. HERO'S has one of the most competitive middleweight divisions in the sport. With top-10 caliber fighters Denis Kang (Pictures) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures), MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and exciting new stars like Zelg Galesic (Pictures), the matchups for the upcoming year are seemingly unlimited. Just the thought of Manhoef battling Kang would leave many fans salivating.
There is one glaring weakness in Manhoef's game, though, that has been exposed in Japan. Against top grapplers the heavy-handed slugger still has problems on the ground. See his submission defeats to Akiyama and Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures), both world-class judo players. To address that flaw, Manhoef sought the help of American Top Team before his most recent fight in September.
Lacks in size: tuurlijk hij is niet de grootste in lengte
maar lacks in technique en lacks in skills ben ik het echt niet mee eens hoor.
Tuurlijk is de aggressiviteit en intensiteit van Manhoef enorm maar om nou te zeggen dat het zijn skills en technique compenseerd.
Verder is het een positief stukje over Manhoef maar het komt een beetje over alsof hij alleen maar hard en fel kan knokken.
Hier het stukje van sherdog:
The K-1 HERO'S show in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday will be the promotion's first event this year in which Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) is not fighting. The Dutch kickboxer was featured on seven of the last nine HERO'S cards and has emerged as one of the top foreign stars in Japan.
His attitude toward fighting is best summed up in his own phrase: "I live for this s---!"
What Manhoef lacks in size, he makes up in aggression. What he lacks in technique, he makes up in intensity. And what he lacks in skills, he more than makes up in dedication.
The 31-year-old knockout artist from Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Holland, always gives his most -- even in training. Before his fight against Yoshiki Takahashi (Pictures) in March, a Japanese TV station aired footage of Manhoef sparring. He knocked out the unfortunate soul he was training with and gained a reputation as a monster even in the gym.
This is an approach to the sport Manhoef has kept throughout his 12-year professional fighting career. Despite his years of experience, at times he is still a little rough around the edges. But that roughness is also his recipe for success: 17 of his 18 wins have come by way of knockout, and only once in his career has he gone the distance -- a record unparalleled in mixed martial arts.
"When I go into that ring," Manhoef says. "I am willing to die."
That attitude has made him a star everywhere he has fought. From Holland to Russia, England to Japan, Manhoef's name has been a synonym for non-stop action.
The marquee bout of his career came in February 2006, when grim Chute Boxer Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos challenged him for the Cage Rage light heavyweight title. Both men stood in the middle of the cage and traded punches in what all spectators felt was a strong candidate for fight of the year. In the end Cyborg went down, unable to withstand Manhoef's barrage of punches.
Having conquered the U.K., winning all of his five fights there by knockout, it was time for Manhoef to move on. Even though the UFC was in the hunt for the man with Surinamese roots, the "Marvelous" one chose HERO'S and took his trade to Japan.
What matchmaker Akira Maeda (Pictures) had in store for him was a schedule that can only be described as grueling: Manhoef has fought 13 times in two years, which is more than any top fighter in MMA or K-1.
He seems content with the agenda, however.
"I don't mind continuing this schedule for quite a while," he says. "It keeps me in my competition rhythm. I'm in good shape, and if I don't suffer many injuries and keep on winning by knockout, I will continue like that."
This is good news for MMA fans. HERO'S has one of the most competitive middleweight divisions in the sport. With top-10 caliber fighters Denis Kang (Pictures) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures), MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and exciting new stars like Zelg Galesic (Pictures), the matchups for the upcoming year are seemingly unlimited. Just the thought of Manhoef battling Kang would leave many fans salivating.
There is one glaring weakness in Manhoef's game, though, that has been exposed in Japan. Against top grapplers the heavy-handed slugger still has problems on the ground. See his submission defeats to Akiyama and Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures), both world-class judo players. To address that flaw, Manhoef sought the help of American Top Team before his most recent fight in September.