Strikeforce Adds Dutch Kickboxer Melvin Manhoef

Dutch kickboxer “Marvelous” Melvin Manhoef (22-5-1) will bring his exciting style to Strikeforce with a multi-year commitment, the San Jose-based promotion announced Wednesday.

Manhoef has fought at both middleweight and light heavyweight.  Strikeforce didn’t indicate in which weight division Manhoef is likely to compete in Strikeforce.

Interestingly, Manhoef suffered a first-round loss to current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) in DREAM’s Middleweight Grand Prix in September 2008.

However, the 5’8″ fighter born in Suriname is likely to take a run at Strikeforce’s middleweight title, currently held by Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight Jake Shields (23-4-1), due to his height disadvantage versus most of the world’s top 205-pounders.

Manhoef is coming off of a first-round submission loss to eighth-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1), but has career victories over heavyweight Maori Mark Hunt (5-6), Japanese MMA hero “Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba (22-13-1), and “The Machine” Ian Freeman (19-7-1).