Former K-1 star Melvin Manhoef may be gearing up for a bout against Yoel Romero this May, but it looks like he’s already picked up at least one win in 2022. That’s following a report from De Telegraaf, which states that the longtime Bellator fighter apprehended three men who were attempting to break into the fighters home.
According to reports, the burglars had previously cased Manhoef’s Landsmeer abode while he was out of the country. Unfortunately for them, it seems he was home for their actual attempted break in—giving high speed chase to the alleged criminals, before ultimately running them off the road.
“I live a few hundred meters away and the debris is in my garden,” one witness told regional newspaper Noordhollands Dagblad. “There were three cars driving by here at a very fast rate, I think they were going 100kph. One car eventually ran off the road. The guys who then got out were so aggressive that I just kept a safe distance.”
Manhoef is said to have smashed the car window of the fleeing burglars with his bare fist, apparently injuring his hand in the process.
“I pulled them out of the car and put them on their knees,” Manhoef told Vechtsportinfo.nl, describing the incident. “I waited for the police to come to arrest them.”
A spokesperson for the police told De Telegraaf that officers found burglary tools on the suspects when they arrived. A photo, apparently from the incident, shows Manhoef standing over three men and a pair of smashed up vehicles.
Kickboxing & MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef reportedly chased down three burglars who tried to break into his house this afternoon. He eventually drove them off the road, smashed their car window with his bare hands, pulled them out of the car, and waited until the police arrived. pic.twitter.com/TDVPlsss12
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) March 28, 2022
Manhoef is currently training to face former UFC title contender Yoel Romero in a light heavyweight bout on May 6th at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. A heavyweight title fight between champion Ryan Bader and multiple-time contender Cheick Kongo is set for the main event. No word yet as to whether this incident will impact Manhoef’s ability to make it to fight night.
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