A walking time bomb would best describe ‘Melvin Manhoef’. The second the fight starts, his explosion is some what destructive. His MMA record speaks for itself…23 wins with 22 of those coming by way of knockout… now that’s insane. It took Manhoef only 18 seconds to knockout out Mark Hunt in a recent MMA fight, who had previously never been knocked out. On top of that, all of his K-1 kickboxing wins have also been all knockouts as he proved at the K-1 WGP 2008 finals against Paul Slowinski. It took Manhoef 2:26 to send Slowinski to the canvas. So it would be only fair to title this feature… Knockout King.

Congratulations on your recent win against Mark Hunt, how did you feel about the fight?
I feel great. I’m very happy I won! Especially since I wasn’t suppose to fight in Dynamite.

You done something that no one has done in MMA and that’s knock out Mark Hunt, did you ever expect that kind of result?
No, it never entered my mind. Because he was so much heavier (45kg) my game plan was to try and keep the fight standing, move a lot through the ring and be quick.

The fight lasted 18 seconds, did that surprise you at all? Were you looking for a quick knockout?
Sure it surprised me. I didn’t think the fight would end this quick. Mark is a very strong fighter and I didn’t think I could knock him out.

You took the fight on 24 hours notice, giving up a lot of weight, what was going through your mind when you were asked to take the fight and what was your reply?
Well, when they asked me, I wasn’t sure what to do. Because I’m a fighter in my heart, I always want to fight. But I had to think about it since I wasn’t prepared at all. I wasn’t training very hard. Also the fact that he was so much heavier made me think. After I thought about it for a while, I decided to take the chance. I was feeling good and I wanted to fight. So I told the K1…Yes.

You had fought just over three weeks earlier at the K-1 WGP, did you take a break or do you constantly train?
I kept on training but not at a high intensity; because I wasn’t suppose to fight for a while.

Just over three weeks before K-1 Dynamite you knocked out heavyweight Paul Slowinski in a K-1 fight, how did you feel about that fight?
This also was a great fight for me. My game plan was to start the fight more patient. It worked out great and I knocked him out.

Is there much of a difference on the way you train when preparing for a Kickboxing fight and an MMA fight?
For an MMA fight I do a lot of ground training, different cardio since the rounds are longer in an MMA fight. For both type of fights I train my boxing and kickboxing techniques. Also for both fights I do a lot of similar cardio and fitness practice.

You’ve been fighting both kickboxing and MMA fights, which do you prefer and why?
I have no real preferences. I like both disciplines very much, I can’t really choose.

Are we going to ever see you in the UFC?
I honestly don’t know, for now I’m fine with the K-1 organization. Maybe, in the future after my contract is finished. It would be nice.

In our last interview, you mentioned that you’d like to fight UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, what are your thoughts on him?
He is a very good fighter together with Gegard Mousasi. He is the best in that weight class at the moment. I think everybody is beatable though. It would be an honor to fight him. I think it would be a great match.

What’s your prediction on a fight with Anderson Silva? Give us a rundown on how you think the fight would end?
I really can’t predict the fight. It can always go both ways. It also really depends on whether I can keep the fight standing.

A lot of people would love to see that fight, what would it take to make that fight happen?
Well for starters it would take Anderson Silva and me.

Before you enter the ring, everyone sees your trainer always saying something that looks motivating to you…can you share with us what he says to you?
Classified info (he says with a smile).

Without a doubt you’re one of the most exciting fighters to watch, are you always searching for a knockout?
I just always want to make war in the ring. I come to fight, not just to defend myself. I always fight explosive and off course I always try to K.O. my opponent.

So what goes through your mind in the dressing room before your fight?
Nothing special. Most of the time I just try to relax, we watch movies or I listen to my i-pod.

What kind of a training schedule do you have when you are preparing for a fight?
I train every day. My regime consists of; cardio and fitness in the morning, MMA in the afternoon, kickboxing techniques and sparring in the evening. Depending on whether I have an MMA or kickboxing fight, MMA and kickboxing trainings vary.

You are also a promoter; tell us a little bit about that, some of the events you’ve done and anything coming up?
Together with my little brother Earl and Sabine I started Kickbox Kids Championship. We organize events for children. It’s a big success and we are growing quick. We organize tournaments for the best boys in the Netherlands in the age of 14/15 years and I must say they are impressively good. We also organize about 8 to 10 kickbox/MMA events throughout the year for all classes. These are events for local talent. These small events most of the time have the best fights and greatest atmosphere.

You also teach in a gym, tell us a little about that?
When I’m not too busy preparing for a fight, I teach the kids at our gym who fight in our children’s organization Kickbox Kids Championship.

How do you find time to train, fight, teach and promote? Does it ever get a little too much?
I’m very blessed with the people around me who help me a lot. My training team who make sure I stay focused in the gym. My brother Earl and Sabine, who take care of my website, daily business and our event organization. All these people take a lot of weight of my shoulders. I can just focus on training.

So what have you been doing since your last fight?
I took a week of to relax and now I started training again for my next fight.

Thank you for your time. Would you like to thank anyone or say any final words to your fans?
I would like to thank my team: Mike Passenier, Oscar Roque, Pottielli, Frederik van Oosterom. My training/sparring partners. My sponsor Fraldi Realestate and also my sponsor MDY sports nutrition. MDY helps my keep my body in shape with all its great supplements. I’d also like to thank the people close to me who keep me focused and make my life a bit easier, so I can focus on fighting.

Last but not least I want to thank my fans out there for their great support. It really means a lot to me!!!!