From his epic battle with Evangelista “Cyborg” to his total domination of Kazushi Sakuraba, Melvin Manhoef is one of the most exciting fighters to ever grace the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Nicknamed “No Mercy” for his relentless fighting style and aggression, he has the chance to become the DREAM middleweight champion.

Congratulations on your recent win against Kazushi Sakuraba, how did you feel about the fight?
It was really exciting to fight him, he is a legend. I saw it as a test case for myself to see if I could compete at this level with my ground skills.

You made it look easy, is that how you saw the result coming into the fight?
No really did not think it would be easy. I trained even harder than normal and was prepared for the worst. I was even more focused than normal coming in to the fight. But I never expected this scenario.

What was your game plan going into the fight?
I tried to stand as low as possible, keep a good distance so that he could not get me to the ground easy without getting hit first. I tried everything to prevent a ground fight.

Your next fight is at the DREAM middleweight GP Finals, what do you think about the other fighters and how do you think you match up to them?
I don’t know who they will match me up against and I honestly don’t care. All 3 of them are great all-round fighters with good ground skills. But I train very hard and will give all I have in the ring, no matter who I will face there.

Will you be the DREAM middleweight GP Champion?
Yes. That’s what’s on my mind 24/7. This is what I do it all for. I’ll do everything in my power to take home the championship.

What do you think you bring to the table that the other fighters don’t for the tournament?
I bring explosiveness to the ring like no other. Everything I do is hard, explosive and full of aggression. When I fight I try to make it a spectacle.

Tell us a little about your training team, the people you will train with for the final round?
At the moment I’m training with the American Top Team in Miami. When I come back home I will continue training with my team Mike Passenier, Remco Pardoel, Potielli Rossi.

How did you get the nickname “No Mercy”?
I got this nick name after my fight against Ladislav Zak. I knocked him out but the referee told me to continue, so I didn’t stop and just kept on punching him. So that’s why they gave me the name No Mercy.

You have a very aggressive style, is that something you always want to bring to a fight?
Yes, always. This is my way of fighting. For me a fight is like war. In a war people die or get injured and survive. I always survive. This is the way I am. When I do something, I go all the way. No matter what it takes.

You were a soccer player, tell us a little about your background, what changed and how you got started in fighting?
My brother Moreno was fighting already and my uncle also had a big name in Rotterdam. I always went to watch but I didn't want to fight. I already played soccer since I was very young and I was quite good at it. At one point I broke my ankle and then I didn't get a contract and that's why I stopped playing soccer. Then I went to another club and one time I went to watch my brother and said:' I'm going to come and do a little bit of boxing with you'. I did it before with my uncle but not serious, it was heavy for me. At that moment I liked it very much and after three months, I was fighting. I was 18, 19 at the time, I started late.

You started with Kickboxing, what made you want to make the transition to MMA?
I tried it one time just for fun. It turned out well and I liked it. I kept on doing both and got a contract with the K1 for both.

If there was one fighter that would be your dream match to fight, who would it be?
Anderson Silva, Akiyama or Misaki.

You have had a lot of great moments in your career, what are some of your favorite moments looking back?
My fights against Bob Schreiber, Fabio Piamonte, Cyborg and of course Sakuraba.

You have some of a bad past, tell us a little about that and what changed your life around?
I was a bit of a bad boy. I don't know why I went down that road, but some things happen in life.
Things like that show you that there is a different way to go. The turning point was when I fought Remy Bonjasky and I lost the fight. I had been in prison and I saw on TV Remy becoming the K-1 champion. I was thinking, 'what the fuck, I've fought this guy and I gave him a good fight!' I thought 'Shit, there is more in life than doing bad things'. At that moment I thought that maybe I had to go for it. In 2004 I came out of prison and for the last three years I've been on the straight and narrow, I haven't done anything - only training hard and fighting hard. All that stuff is part of my life, that's why they call me the Mike Tyson of Holland, everybody knows the story. But it's the past and the future is different. That was my turning point and then I really started training. After the fight with Remy I kept fighting every week, every month. Even if I got knocked out it was: 'Come on, keep on going'. Now I stay in the gym, I don't go out and I don't want to go out. I want to be left alone and train hard with my trainer Mike Passenier, because my trainer and everybody around me keep me on the right path, so that's very important for me.

You’re undefeated in the Cage Rage promotion in London and are the Light Heavyweight champion, any interest of going back to fight there?
I would really like to fight there again. The crowd is great over there and I always enjoyed fighting there, but it’s really out of my hands, I can only fight there if K1 allows me.

So what do you do for fun when you’re not fighting or training?
I organize fighting events all over the Netherlands, which I really enjoy and I teach at the gym.

Would you like to say any final words?
I would like to thank my team Mike Passenier, Oscar Roque, Remco Pardoel, Frederik van Oosterom. My sparring partners at the gym. My event organization team Earl and Sabine. And last but definitely not least my fans and all the people that support me. I couldn’t do it without them. They give me the power and the strength I need to keep going. They give that extra spark to make war and win!