Melvin Manhoef Content With Making His Retirement At Bellator 285

Melvin Manhoef has seen it all.

The veteran is set to retire from MMA after facing Yoel Romero at Bellator 285 in the co-main event. The card takes place from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, airing live on Showtime.

For Manhoef, this is the perfect time to step away.

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be it. Why now?” he said. “It’s the last fight of the contract for Bellator. I think I’ve done a lot of things, and I think this is a great opponent to say farewell to all the fans. This is going to be a great fight, and the fans will be the winner. I hope it’s going to be like a Cyborg fight: just go in there and bang.

“I think it’s time. But for everybody, I really feel alive when I was doing this training camp. I’ve been doing this for 28 years now, so it’s hard, but I have to leave it to the next generation.”

The 46-year-old began his mixed martial arts career in 1995 with a knockout in the Netherlands. A year later, he made his kickboxing debut in the same country.

Over the years, he has amassed a record of 38-14 in kickboxing and 32-15-1 in MMA, including wins in Bellator, ONE Championship and Dream.

“I was here cornering, and the crowd was amazing. I said ‘Hey, I want to fight here.’ It was a pity I couldn’t fight in Paris, but now I get to fight in Ireland,” he said. “It’s special if you’re fighting on this card. For me, it’s a good moment. I have a lot of people coming from Holland to support me and to be here at the last one.”