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Longtime action fighter Melvin Manhoef is finally hanging up the gloves at the ripe old age of 46.

At the age of 46, striking aficionado Melvin Manhoef has just retired from MMA following a third round knockout loss to the always scary Yoel Romero at Bellator 285.

After 28 incredible years, Manhoef is departing from the sport with an honorable record of 32-16-1-2. Some of Manhoef’s achievements include being the K-1 HERO’S: Grand Prix 2006 tournament champion, Cage Rage light heavyweight champion, and a two-time Bellator MMA Middleweight challenger.

Watch this clip of an emotional Melvin Manhoef signing off for the crowd one last time:

Manhoef came into MMA following a stout kickboxing career, and brought with him some rather sharp Dutch kickboxing skills that translated rather well with the little gloves. A beautiful blend of a pleasant demeanor outside of the ring, coupled with his ferocious temperament inside of competition, made him an instant fan favorite. Who could forget when he would be walked to the ring while wearing a collar and chain that was handled by his trainer? Not me! He was a true showman.

Melvin will forever be remembered as a savage, yet highly skilled, dog who was always willing to go out on his shield. One of his most epic knockouts came when he one punched KO’d Mark Hunt back in 2008, when the legendary chin of Hunt was as rock solid as ever. He also finished big names like Kazushi Sakuraba and Stefan Leko, and shared the ring/cage with fellow legends like Tyrone Spong, Ray Sefo, Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, Gokhan Saki — oh and let’s not forget competing against Remy Bonjasky THREE TIMES!

Out of 51 fights, Manhoef only went the distance six times. That means a Melvin Manhoef fight resulted in a finish in 88.2% of the time. That is absolutely bonkers for someone with that many bouts under their belt, and that’s just in MMA. Fighters like Melvin don’t really come around too often, so if you’re unfamiliar, I suggest you go back and watch the majority of his fights — it shouldn’t take that long.

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Let’s discuss the results of Bellator 285, with the promotion being back in Dublin.

Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results and discussion, as Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally goes down inDublin Ireland.

The top of the billing will involve former UFC lightweight champ, Benson Henderson, squaring off with Ireland’s own Peter Queally. For the co-main event, two of the most violent men to ever partake in combat sports will go at it when Yoel Romero meets Melvin Manhoef.

The eight-fight preliminary card is scheduled to start at 1:00pm ET. The five-fight main card is scheduled to kick off at 4:00pm ET.

Main card:

Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally: Lightweight

Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef: Light Heavyweight

Leah McCourt vs. Dayana Silva: (W) Featherweight

Mads Burnell vs. Pedro Carvalho: Featherweight

Ciaran Clarke vs. Rafael Hudson: Featherweight

Prelims:

Karl Albrektsson vs. Karl Moore: Light Heavyweight

Brian Moore def. Arivaldo Lima de Silva by unanimous decision: Bantamweight

Brett Johns def. Jordan Winski by unanimous decision: Bantamweight

Darragh Kelly def. Kye Stevens by unanimous decision: Lightweight

Kane Mousah def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision: Lightweight

Kenny Mokhonoana def. Alex Bodnar by technical submission at 2:42 of round 1: Featherweight

Asael Adjoudj def. Jordan Barton by KO at 2:49 of round 1: Featherweight

Luca Poclit def. Dante Schiro by technical submission (Lucanator choke) at 4:31 of round 2: Welterweight

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Isiah Jones was 28-years-old.

Isiah Jones, who appeared on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith undercard in 2020, was shot and killed in Detroit this week. He was 28-years-old.

NYFights reports that Jones’ brother, Timothy Lyman, 30, is accused of killing Jones. That outlet further reported that the incident was allegedly prompted by a squabble over $ 50.

Sources told NYFights that a fight had broken out between Jones and Lyman at Lyman’s house and that Lyman had grabbed shotgun and fatally shot Jones. Lyman’s girlfriend reportedly claimed that Jones grabbed a knife during that altercation and that Lyman had shot him in an act of self-defence.

Police were reportedly unable to locate a knife at the scene. After this Lyman’s girlfriend retracted her story.

Lyman turned himself into police on Wednesday. He was charged with second-degree murder and a felony count of possessing a firearm.

Jones held a pro record of 9-7 3 KOs. He was a 2016 Golden Gloves champion who trained under Greg Coverson (a former opponent of Hector Camacho).

Jones’ family have started a gofundme campaign to raise money to cover funeral expenses. At this time of writing the campaign has raised $ 1,220 towards its goal of $ 10,000. The campaign organizer has stated that money left over after the funeral would go to Jones’ two children.

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Shakur Stevenson missed weight, but the fight with Conceicao is still set to go ahead.

One of American boxing’s rising stars looks to shine again this weekend, though the titles he held will not be in play for him after a weight miss. Shakur Stevenson steps in against Brazilian Robson Conceição on Friday in what he hopes will be another step towards p4p recognition despite coming in 1.6lbs over the super-featherweight limit.

Weights: Shakur Stevenson: 131.6lbs, Robson Conceição 129.6lbs.
Shakur Stevenson cannot retain his belts with a victory, but Conceição can still win them

Preview

Both fighters here had standout amateur careers—Conceição in fact arguably the more so, winning a lightweight gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, as well as medalling at two world championships. Shakur won silver at the same Olympics, losing a featherweight final against Robeisy Ramires.

It’s been a different story since both turned pro, though. The younger of the two by eight years, Stevenson moved quite rapidly up the ranks, fighting good international level opponents within 10 fights and winning his first world title (at featherweight) in just his 12th pro bout. He’s kept that momentum up in the years since as well, moving up to super-feather and cementing himself as the consensus no1 in the division with a win over Oscar Valdez this April.

Conceição, by contrast, seems to have gotten stuck in a promotional vacuum—fighting almost no-one of note and not even progressing to 12-rounders until his own (unsuccessful) challenge of Valdez last year. With his second title fight in a year he’ll be hoping to kick off from here, but at 33-years-old he’ll need to impress because he hasn’t got all that much time left to get going.

Prediction

There’s a stereotype in boxing about standout amateurs turning professional; that they struggle to break free from the sensibilities of point-fighting, stick to boxing at distance, and can’t push the tempo when necessary. That is obviously very often untrue—anyone suggesting Vasyl Lomachenko fits those criteria is out of their tree—but, well, these two aren’t going to go against that image. They are both very much slick, technical outboxers by nature.

That doesn’t mean this fight is destined to be dull. Some of this comes down to taste, of course, but oftentimes, these kinds of fighters are the ones from whom we get the most magnificent performances, the beautiful control and technical mastery. But it won’t be a war. Don’t sit down with that expectation.

Although their styles are similar on the surface and certainly overlap, there is a key difference. Outboxing doesn’t necessarily mean counter-punching, and although Stevenson can and will do the latter if he feels the need, it’s not his preference. Instead, he prefers to control the pace of the fight with his jab and dissuade his opponent from throwing with great timing. He’ll follow that up with short bursts of two or three punches, and tends to hop quickly back to distance if they respond.

By contrast, Conceição is a more pure counter-puncher: he too leads with the jab, but his preference is to use it to bait an opponent into responding and throw his follow-ups when they do. Put simply, Stevenson will most often disengage when his opponent throws punches, whereas Conceicao will try to fire back.

That means how the fight goes probably depends more on Stevenson. If he’s happy for it to remain a battle of jabs, it will. But, if he wants to push in and make a bit more of it, we could see some high-level exchanges as they try to get the better of each other inside. A few fights ago this would almost definitely have meant it’d be jab, jab, jab and go home, but Stevenson has been working on engaging more in his recent fights, so we’ll see.

It’s tempting to look at their common opponent—Oscar Valdez—for clues to the result here. Normally, that would be unadvisable; style differences mean results don’t usually triangulate like that, especially when the two fighters are far more similar to each other than either one is to Valdez. However, the fact that Conceicao fought a competitive and ultimately losing fight with the Mexican, whereas Stevenson looked at least a level above, is significant.

Put simply while Conceição potentially has a bigger bag of tools to work with (Stevenson’s improving all the time, so that’s less true with each fight) the younger man’s speed, timing, and nearly-flawless technique should be too much here. If Stevenson has a potential weakness to prevent him from being really elite it could be how he reacts when a great pressure fighter really can push in close consistently. But, Conceição just is not going to find that in him. Expect a wide points win.

Who else is fighting?

It’s a light undercard. The biggest name on it is Keyshawn Davis, a silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics now making his way in the pro ranks. He’s a magnificently talented fighter, but though his opponent—Omar Tienda Bahena—has an experienced-looking 25-5 record, only 5 of those wins came against fighters with winning records. Not likely to be competitive.

Most of the rest is similar, prospects being given opponents they really should beat. One that is worth looking out for is Jahi Tucker, a slightly raw but creative and very aggressive welterweight, who is taking a decent step up in competition against Jose Luis Sanchez.

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Hasbulla made headlines in Australia after fans complained of being ripped off during the viral sensation’s recent tour down under.

Hasbulla Magomedov—the social media sensation with millions of followers—has reportedly upset some of his fans down under.

In August 2022, the internet star visited the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne for a tour with The Hour Group event company. The series of events marked Hasbulla’s first ever international tour and was comprised of meet and greet opportunities along with a professional photo with the star and a tour merchandise pack. A single ticket cost between $ 250-$ 299.

However, after canceling one of his dates in Sydney and reportedly taking part in “lightning-speed” meet and greet sessions, Hasbulla has been accused of taking advantage of some of his fans.

“I was expecting at least a minute, or a couple of minutes where we have some sort of conversation or interaction with Hasbulla,” one fan who attended Hasbulla’s Sydney event at Le Montage told Junkee. “You know, even in the promotion videos, they said, ‘we’re gonna punch you, kick you’ like in the cute way that Hasbulla does it.

“But unfortunately, there was nothing essentially. You walk up to stage, it’s maximum about thirty seconds, and you just walk off,” he added.

Attendees reportedly weren’t allowed to take their own photos and were only given one professional picture regardless of how it turned out. In some cases, Hasbulla did not speak to his fans and simply sat in silence. Prior to the events, Hasbulla has also announced that he would not be taking photos with any women due to his “personal and cultural beliefs.”

“It was horrible, like I don’t expect to pay $ 250 and then get nothing out of it,” said another attendee. “I could have just edited a photo with Hasbulla just sitting there with me and that wouldn’t have cost me money.”

According to The Hour Group website, tickets for Hasbulla’s meet and greets came with a “life-size cardboard cutout” of the diminutive star. However, reports suggest that no such cut-outs were handed out during the Sydney event.

Hasbulla, 19, rose to fame in 2020 with his pranks on social media. Born with a growth hormone deficiency that impacted his size and voice, Hasbulla took advantage of his child-like appearance to create a persona that endeared him to millions of fans around the world.

The social media star also signed a five-year deal with the UFC to help promote upcoming fights and events.

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Is that what the fans want to see, though?

When Nate Diaz entered free agency after completing his UFC contract with a fourth-round submission of Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 earlier this month, the question on everyone’s minds was: what happens next?

The UFC veteran answered the question partially, telling UFC color commentator Joe Rogan that he wanted to show everybody ‘how to own another sport’. But that could mean anything from boxing to kickboxing, or even jiu-jitsu. Nate Diaz, D1 wrestler, anyone? On the fistic side of possibilities also lies bare-knuckle boxing. It may not be the first option that leaps out to fans, but that hasn’t discouraged its biggest names from trying to lure Diaz into the ring.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) president David Feldman has apparently set his sights on Diaz, making clear that the Cesar Gracie black belt is ‘absolutely on the radar’ of the promotion. Feldman even had a potential opponent for Diaz should he opt to sign with them.

“I think that the fans would absolutely love to see both of the same type of personalities, both guys that just keep fighting. Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry would be a fan’s dream fight,” said Feldman on The Bare Knuckle Show. “I think the fans would love to see that.”

For his part, Perry would love to welcome Diaz to BKFC. ‘Platinum’ spoke to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting and made his case.

“My first initial reaction was, ‘I don’t know if that’s where he’s going, where his ideas are,’” said Perry on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Because he said he wants to go take over other sports, as far as he wants to be the [UFC President] Dana White of an organization, or the David Feldman of an organization, and run the show and show people how to do it. But he also said things where he’s still got a lot of gas left in the tank.

“He’s still interested in some big fights in his career, and I think that’s what it’s about,” continued Perry. “If he wants to accept the challenge, challenge himself, he loves to box. I know he like jiu-jitsu, too, so I don’t know if it’s something that he would be fully interested in because without jiu-jitsu against me and just boxing, I don’t know if he sees himself having a chance against me in the bare-knuckle boxing ring.”

Fighting Jake Paul and running his own promotion, Real Fight Inc., seem to be atop Diaz’s priorities now, but Perry hopes he doesn’t forget about him and BKFC.

“I’m out here calling him out, maybe he’ll try to shut me up,” said Perry. “Whatever we got to do to get the fight that’s most buzzing on the planet, for the fans and for me, because ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry is out here trying to fight. I’m out here trying to fight the best competition I can get. So whoever’s willing to really make it all make sense. Nate Diaz, bro, don’t be scared homie. I know you still got a lot of fight left in the tank and bare-knuckle is just a real challenge, a real opportunity for both of us. Let’s give the fans what they want to see, and I think it’s me and you [in] bare-knuckle.”

Perry is 2-0 in BKFC, defeating Julian Lane and Michael ‘Venom’ Page at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 and BKFC: London, respectively.

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Because of the weight issues at hand, Sean O’Malley is doubtful about Khamzat Chimaev’s immediate fighting future.

Khamzat Chimaev went through a messy weight-related situation ahead of his supposed UFC 279 headliner against Nate Diaz. “Borz” ended up missing the welterweight limit by almost eight pounds, which led to him facing Kevin Holland at a 180-pound catchweight, instead.

His coach Andreas Michael later attributed it to Chimaev’s rough COVID battle in late 2020, stating his fighter’s “body has been a little bit off” ever since. Whatever the real reason may be, many are now doubtful about Chimaev’s ability to make 170 pounds, Sean O’Malley being one of them.

“When was the last time Khamzat made 170? Actually. Not the last two fights, it’s probably been a year,” O’Malley told coach Tim Welsh on their YouTube show.

“(His next opponent) can’t be Colby, he’s not gonna make 170. I just don’t see him making 170. I don’t even know if the UFC will book him at 170.”

The 28-year-old Chimaev made waves in the UFC, both as a welterweight and middleweight fighter. But O’Malley is also skeptical about seeing Chimaev at 185 pounds, especially with the step up in competition.

“It doesn’t seem like he wants to go up to 185, which is kind of surprising. ‘Cause he is big, and he’s super f—ng skilled. And he’s gotta be confident, but…

“I don’t know if he wants those big fights up there. They’re big boys.

“He gets you down, you guys play on the ground for a little bit. Second round, you guys are on the feet, you guys are a little more tired. Those top, top-level guys aren’t gonna get subbed super easy.”

Ultimately, O’Malley sees middleweight as the only next sensible option for Chimaev.

“I think (Chimaev’s next fight has) gotta be at 185. If you’re the UFC, you can’t risk him going to 170 again and him not making weight. Can’t risk that.

If Chimaev does decide to move up to middleweight, he already has a potential opponent waiting for him.

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The legendary boxer was awarded Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin in 2015 and has since maintained friendly ties with the controversial leader.

Roy Jones Jr is hoping his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin will help secure the release of detained basketball star Brittney Griner.

Jones Jr, who was personally awarded Russian citizenship by Putin in 2015, recently revealed his plans to get involved in Griner’s case if the United States and Russia fail to reach a diplomatic solution.

“Right now, I’m hearing they’re trying to do a prisoner swap,” Jones told LVSportsBiz.com. “If they do the prisoner swap, that will be good. If the prisoner swap does not work then you have to understand that I’m a diplomatic type of person. I don’t get into politics, but my friends are my friends.”

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after being discovered with vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hashish oil were found in her luggage. She was arrested on drug charges and pled guilty during her trial. In August, the court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison, along with a fine of 1 million rubles (roughly $ 16,300).

Last month, Russia’s foreign ministry revealed it was engaging in “quiet diplomacy” with the U.S. regarding a potential prisoner swap that would include Griner. However, Russia has also acknowledged its intention to secure the “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout as part of the deal. The convicted arms dealer is serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill Americans in 2011. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the U.S. will be willing to return Bout to Russian soil.

If all else fails, Jones intends to speak with Putin himself in order to secure Griner’s release.

“If this doesn’t work I will go to Mr. Putin myself,” Jones said.

Since becoming a Russian citizen in 2015, Jones has been more than happy to become a propaganda mouthpiece for the Kremlin. He has repeatedly defended Putin, claiming that the Russian leader is “misunderstood” and a “man’s man.” He has also taken part in Russia’s military propaganda parades dressed in military headgear and has also met with the likes of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.

Yet despite Jones’ transformation from American boxing legend to Kremlin stooge, he believes he is an ideal candidate to speak up for Griner’s release.

“I feel like because of my relationship knowing Putin like that, I owe it to her and her family, to my country here to go ask him if she’ll get out with a prisoner swap,” Jones said.

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The UFC just signed the youngest talent in the promotion’s history off a dominant decision victory at the latest Contender’s Series event.

Over its five-year, six-season history Dana White’s Contender Series has quickly become the principal pipeline for getting new MMA talent out of the regionals and into the UFC. Fighters like Sean O’Malley, Taila Santos, Gregory Rodrigues, Jamahal Hill, and Kevin Holland all found their way onto the prospect-hunting platform before making their jump to the the big show.

On the latest UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song, the booth noted that 13 of the night’s 26 athletes were Contenders Series fighters. For fans looking for the next potential rising star on their way into the Octagon, they can do worse than looking to these Tuesday night fight cards.

The latest talent to get a major push from Dana White and the UFC is Raul Rosas Jr. Even before facing off with Mando Gutierrez on September 20th, Rosas was already a notable feature in shoulder programming for this season’s events. Notably because—after beating Gutierrez and earning his UFC contract—the 17-year-old became the youngest signing in the promotion’s history.

While that fact may give some fans and pundits misgivings over the youngster’s ability to compete against his adult opponents, Dana White doesn’t seem to see any need for hesitation. Speaking to media after the latest Contender Series event, the UFC president was effusive in his praise for Rosas and his abilities.

“What a war, what a technical fight it was,” White said of Rosas’ win over Gutierrez (transcript via MMA Junkie). “Both guys pushed themselves as hard as they could. And for a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it. Blown away.”

“Not off what I just saw, not off what I just saw,” White added when asked if Rosas might be too young to compete at the top levels of mixed martial arts. “After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC.

“I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special. The amount of fighter that were blowing me up going, ‘Oh my God. This kid is for real. This kid is legit. Impressive.’”

Having made his debut back in November of 2021, Rosas is already 6-0 in his budding MMA career after picking up a scramble-heavy decision this last time out. It was a notable step up in competition for ‘El Nino Problema’, with the 7-1 Gutierrez being the first fighter Rosas had faced to date with more than two pro fights on his record. No word yet as to when fans might expect to see Rosas make his Octagon debut, but they can be sure that it’ll come with some serious expectations.

“I’m the new king in here, so I’m coming for that belt now.” Rosas told Laura Sanko during his Contender Series interview. “I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20. Respect to everybody, but I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20, or even earlier. Nobody is gonna stop me.”

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The much-anticipated fight between Shields and Marshall has a new date. 

Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall is a go for Oct. 15 at the O2 in London.

The much-anticipated middleweight unification was originally scheduled for Sept. 10, but was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who was officially laid to rest on Monday. BOXXER confirmed the new date on Tuesday.

“DELAYED nor DENIED,” wrote Shields on Twitter. “Oct. 15, I’m gonna make Marshall call me daddy.”

Shields and Marshall have fought before, with the ‘Silent Assassin’ defeating the ‘GWOAT’ in the amateurs at the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Championship.

The Flint native went on to become a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and 2016. Shortly after, Shields turned pro and became a multi-division champion in five years. She recently retained her WBA, WBC and IBF world middleweight titles and won the WBF world middleweight title with a unanimous decision against Ema Kozin this past February.

Marshall went 8-0 as a professional before vying for the then-vacant WBO world middleweight title against Hannah Rankin. She stopped Rankin via seventh-round TKO. The Brit defended her title three times, earning stoppages of Maria Lindberg, Lolita Muzeya and Femke Hermans.

A month after her fight against Marshall, Shields is supposed to return to Professional Fighters League (PFL) for her next assignment in mixed martial arts at the 2022 PFL Championship in November. The 27-year-old is 1-1 in MMA, defeating Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 and losing to Abigail Montes at PFL 10 last year.

The all-female event also features a super-featherweight unification between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner.

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