Melvin Manhoef Announces Retirement Following Bellator 285 Defeat

Melvin Manhoef is hanging up the four ounce gloves following a mixed martial arts career that began in 1995.

The Dutch knockout artist announced his decision following a third-round knockout loss to Yoel Romero in the Bellator 285 co-main event in Dublin on Friday.

“I want to thank everybody for supporting my career for 28 years – 28 years I’m fighting and I didn’t want to fight a nobody,” Manhoef said during an in-cage interview. “I want to fight names. I did the best that I can. And for 28 years I’m doing this, this is what I love. I appreciate all the support that you gave me. But today I think we have to hang up the gloves after 28 years of fighting. Thanks for the support. You make my life great. Thank you, Ireland.”

The 46-year-old Amsterdam native retires with a record of 32-16-1 with two no contests. In addition to Bellator, “No Mercy” competed for organizations such as Strikeforce, One Championship, Dream and K-1. His record includes victories over the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Evangelista Santos, Mark Hunt, Denis Kang and Kazuo Misaki, to name a few.

“Melvin Manhoef, you are one of my favorite fighters ever and it has been an absolute honor to promote you,” Bellator president Scott Coker wrote on Twitter. “Thank you for all the great memories over the years.”