Why was Melvin Manhoef never in the UFC

Melvin was one of those guys you wonder how he ever lost. Always looked like the GOAT for 3 minutes of first round, then not lol
 
Manhoef has very few decision wins, with more than a hundred combined fights in mma and kickboxing. The man is kill or die on the feet, in UFC that rarely brings success. No one would stand with him knowing you can get a decision by wrestling the guy.
 
cheachea said:
He kind of reminded me of A Striker Version of Kevin Randleman in his athleticism and in his skill being focussed on one thing.

If you could combine the wrestling of Randleman with Manhoef's explosive kicks and punches that would be an unstoppable fighter right there.
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That fighter would still have a pretty meh ground game...
 
Cause the UFC is cheap. Melvin Manhoef made pretty good money outside the UFC and they likely would of wanted him to take a pay cut in the hope of more money in the future. Same reason most top guys outside the UFC never get offers, they are worth more to the organization they fight for than the UFC is willing to pay them.
 
cheachea said:
He kind of reminded me of A Striker Version of Kevin Randleman in his athleticism and in his skill being focussed on one thing.

If you could combine the wrestling of Randleman with Manhoef's explosive kicks and punches that would be an unstoppable fighter right there.
Click to expand...
Yeah until opponent doesnt fold and has purple belt BJJ
 
It may have just been a rumor on here, but I think he was close at one point. I remember there being talk about it and thinking that he should have been signed earlier. It might have been well into his Bellator tenure.
 
thewilks said:
It may have just been a rumor on here, but I think he was close at one point. I remember there being talk about it and thinking that he should have been signed earlier. It might have been well into his Bellator tenure.
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I head some stuff about that also.
He was also managed by a brazilian dude who, at the time, had good connections with the UFC(i may be wrong but he was one of Silva's manager). I believe the fact that he couldn't get himself into a winning streak influenced him not being signed.
 
Joe Silva would've booked him against 4 stall-wrestlers in a row on the early prelims and then cut him.
 
Limit Smasher said:
Wrong fight outcomes at the wrong time. He definitely should have been in the UFC but the stars didn't align. If he hadn't of been KOd by Lawler he probably would have been in there.
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This is the right answer...

He was a murderer, but he dropped the ball badly against Lawler, his chin never recovered, and the game left his style behind...

He was from a time where fighters could make decent money headlining other promotions than UFC and Pride - there wasn't the pressure on fighters to achieve in the UFC that there is now, it was who you fought... He got big money for killing Sakuraba in Dream... But if one fight defines him, it's this one:



Cyborg never made it to the UFC either for virtually identical reasons.
 
Necrocrawler said:
I head some stuff about that also.
He was also managed by a brazilian dude who, at the time, had good connections with the UFC(i may be wrong but he was one of Silva's manager). I believe the fact that he couldn't get himself into a winning streak influenced him not being signed.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right. Maybe around the Brock Larson or Joe Schilling fights? I actually thought about it recently, there was a thread about Shlemenko trying to get into the UFC and I immediately thought of Manhoef, it would be about 10 years too late, but still a lot of fun.
 
He was an absolute can on the ground

Great striking though. They could have brought him in to face some other strikers but he would never have made it to the top
 
cheachea said:
He kind of reminded me of A Striker Version of Kevin Randleman in his athleticism and in his skill being focussed on one thing.

If you could combine the wrestling of Randleman with Manhoef's explosive kicks and punches that would be an unstoppable fighter right there.
Click to expand...
Who's chin you gonna put into that equation
 
Buff said:
This is the right answer...

He was a murderer, but he dropped the ball badly against Lawler, his chin never recovered, and the game left his style behind...

He was from a time where fighters could make decent money headlining other promotions than UFC and Pride - there wasn't the pressure on fighters to achieve in the UFC that there is now, it was who you fought... He got big money for killing Sakuraba in Dream... But if one fight defines him, it's this one:



Cyborg never made it to the UFC either for virtually identical reasons.
Click to expand...


Cyborg was always a .50 fighter, unfortunately. That fight was epic though. They had a rematch at welterweight.

thewilks said:
Sounds about right. Maybe around the Brock Larson or Joe Schilling fights? I actually thought about it recently, there was a thread about Shlemenko trying to get into the UFC and I immediately thought of Manhoef, it would be about 10 years too late, but still a lot of fun.
Click to expand...

I think the Mousasi fight. He could have been a dream champion. The Larson fight was quite a possibility also. If im not wrong, that fight happened at a time where UFC was offering contracts to ONE dudes. They offered for Aoki (refused), Eddie Ng (refused and faded into oblivion) and for a brazilian dude that i forgot his name that accepted it.
 
Buff said:
He was from a time where fighters could make decent money headlining other promotions than UFC and Pride - there wasn't the pressure on fighters to achieve in the UFC that there is now, it was who you fought...

.
Click to expand...

These were the best times. It's crazy to me now, because back then I wanted it all under one roof.
 
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