Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a Surinamese-born Dutch professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion. In mixed martial arts, he is currently competing in Bellator's Middleweight division and has also formerly competed for Strikeforce, DREAM, RINGS, It's Showtime, K-1, ONE FC, and KSW. As of 2 November 2015, he is ranked the #9 Middleweight in GLORY. 28 of his 30 wins have come via knockout, the highest percentage of any MMA fighter with at least 15 wins.
Manhoef was born in Paramaribo, Suriname. When he was three years old his family moved to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Manhoef played soccer during his youth, and was introduced to Muay Thai by his younger brother, Moreno.
At the age of 18, Manhoef had his first fight, which he won by decision. He made his comeback in September 2001, as part of Chakuriki Gym. In 2004, Manhoef entered the Cage Rage promotion in London. He became the British Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion by beating Fabio Piamonte at Cage Rage 13. He defended his title for almost two years, until entering the K-1's MMA affiliate promotion Hero's in 2006. He won his first fight at Hero's 4 against Shungo Oyama by technical knockout in first round.