Bellator 176 headliner Melvin Manhoef: Scott Coker brought 'me back to life' twice

Melvin Manhoef credits Bellator President Scott Coker for reviving his career not just once, but twice over the past seven years.

For much of his 21-year tenure as a pro fighter, Manhoef has bounced back and forth between MMA and kickboxing. He has more than 70 total bouts and some prestigious wins on his resume, but for one reason or another, he’s routinely faded off the combat-sports radar.

However, he can help his cause with champion status on this at Bellator 176, where Manhoef (30-13-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) challenges Bellator middleweight titleholder Rafael Carvalho (13-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). It’s a rematch of a May 2016 fight at Bellator 155 fight, which Carvalho narrowly won by split decision.

The fight was ugly and underwhelming. “No Mercy” gets a second chance, though, and along with most of the significant opportunities he’s received over the years, Manhoef thanked Coker for making it happen.

“Scott Coker is one of the best promoters we’ve ever seen,” Manhoef told MMAjunkie. “He’s done a great job with Bellator, and he did a great job with Strikeforce. This is the second time that he’s been able to bring me back to life. He saved my career. It was going away, and he brings me back twice. ”

Although winning a Bellator belt would be one of the crowning achievements of Manhoef’s lengthy career, he knows he wouldn’t be in his current position without Coker’s faith.

Prior to joining the Bellator roster in September 2014, Manhoef made only intermediate appearances in MMA –with far less prominent promotions than Bellator. Similar to when he was brought into the now-defunct Strikeforce organization in 2010, Manhoef was largely navigating aimlessly through the MMA landscape before his opportunity popped up.

Signing with Bellator gave Manhoef purpose again, he said, and at 40, he’s still motivated to be successful. He said he’s not sure if he would have that same feeling competing elsewhere, and he said the way that Coker has managed Bellator since taking over more than two years ago has encouraged him to perform.

“Bellator is the place to be for the fighters,” Manhoef said. “For me, it’s a blessing to be part of it. … That’s why I will die for (Coker). I will give the best fights for Scott and for Bellator. This is what I like about it here.

At this stage in his career, any fight could be Manhoef’s last. That’s why he wants to make the most of each opportunity, something he admitted not living up to in his first clash with Carvalho.

Manhoef said things will be different in the rematch, which headlines Saturday’s Spike-televised Bellator 176 card at Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy, which kicks off at a special time of 3 p.m. ET. He said the fireworks fans have come to expect from him will be there, and he hopes that will result in him becoming a champion Bellator can be proud of.

“I’m willing to push myself harder, I’m willing to go deep, and I’m willing to die because it’s what I want and I’m determined,” Manhoef said. “I have the chance to get the title, and that’s what I want.”

For more on Bellator 176, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.