Melvin Manhoef vs. Kent Kauppinen Added to Bellator’s London Event on June 22

Melvin Manhoef will face Kent Kauppinen in a light heavyweight duel at Bellator London on June 22.

Promotion officials confirmed the pairing on Tuesday. The event takes place at SSE Arena in London and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Gegard Mousasi and Rafael Lovato Jr. The card airs on Paramount Network and streams on DAZN in the United States.

Manhoef returns to action for the first time since April 2017, when he was knocked out by then champion Rafael Carvalho in a rematch for the middleweight title at Bellator 176. “No Mercy” dropped a five-round verdict to Carvalho in their first meeting at Bellator 155. The 42-year-old Manhoef moves up to 205 pounds having tasted victory just once in his last five promotional appearances.

Kauppinen, meanwhile, snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round knockout of UFC veteran Alessio Sakara at Bellator 211 this past December. The Englishman owns an 11-4 career mark, with nine victories via KO/TKO and two by submission.