Melvin Manhoef is so explosive that his leg kicks destroy everything including Melvin Manhoef. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos is such a fearless badass that he willingly and repeatedly stuck his Elmer Fudd in Cristiane Justino‘s rabbit hole (do not click this link to confirm). So obviously, when these two met at Cage Rage 15 back in 2006 with Manhoef’s light heavyweight title on the line, the result was every bit the epic slugfest that fans had predicted it would be.
For nearly ten minutes, Manhoef and Santos traded heavy leather and heavier kicks and knees, leaving both men gasping for air before the second round even got under way. It wasn’t until a flurry by an exhausted Manhoef finally found its mark that Santos was defeated, marking an insane fight in the Cage Rage books and a ridiculously improbable comeback win for Manhoef.
And now, the two are set to do battle once again (*BRAAAAHM*). MMAFighting is reporting that Santos and Manhoef have agreed to meet in a welterweight contest on April 13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fight will not only serve as Manhoef’s debut at 170 lbs, but as a title match for the vacant Gringo Super Fight welterweight belt. A prestigious achievement if there ever was one.
Although both guys have fallen on harder times since their original battle — Cyborg has gone 7-7 since and Manhoef 15-9 — there’s simply no way that this fight will leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who have witnessed the mayhem depicted above. I can only pray that we will be able to say the same about Shogun vs. Hendo II come March 24th.
