Bellator 133: Alexander Shlemenko's Sick Knockout Propels Him Toward Title Shot

At 38, Melvin Manhoef (29-13-1) is a finished product. You know exactly what to expect when he fights. There will be violence. It will be furious. And someone will end up looking at the ceiling.

Fifty-four times, in a career spanning almost 20 years, it's been his opponent who has been unable to finish the fight—the victim of powerful winging punches that are truly frightening to behold.

"I'm a junkie for the knockout," he said on the Bellator 133 broadcast, moments before walking to the cage. That's not subtle—but it's self-evidently true.

Sport	Wins	Losses	Knockouts
MMA	29	13	27
Kickboxing	37	12	27

In recent years, as he's slowed and grapplers have improved their games, he's been the victim of his own success, chasing glory too often for his own good. When Manhoef smells blood, all science fades. There is only violence.

As thrilling as it feels, this aggressive approach can backfire, his with punches landing just short and his opponent's counters landing flush in turn. That doesn't make his fights any less compelling. The narrative will be the same as it was in his youth—it's just the story's end is now followed by a question mark rather than an exclamation point.

It's what made Manhoef's fight on Friday with former Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko (52-9) so interesting. Both men needed a win to re-establish their bona fides and insert themselves back into the Bellator championship scene. The winner would rise to relevance. The loser would be relegated to midcard action fights or "opponent" status.

Shlemenko's trademark spinning strikes aren't supposed to work against sophisticated strikers. His impressive record, too, has come under fire from cynics who are not impressed by his pathetic performance against aging legend Tito Ortiz last year. 

But he answered any lingering questions about his ability with a spinning right hand that landed right on Manhoef's skull. After consecutive losses, both early in the first round by submission, Shlemenko badly needed this—not just a win but a moment.

It was going to take a lot to erase the memory of Ortiz beating him so casually in a one-sided fight or to make people forget about Brandon Halsey's surprising quick upset win, which took Shlemenko's title the way Ortiz took his pride. 

A spinning backfist KO against one of MMA's most legendary strikers? That just might do the trick.

"Scott Coker please," Shlemenko begged the Bellator promoter after the fight. "This is my belt. I make mistake. I'm coming for you, Halsey. I'm coming for you."

Is a single win against a fading star enough to earn another shot at the title? Probably not in the UFC, where each division is a dozen solid fighters deep. But in Bellator, where world-class fighters are at a premium, it certainly put Shlemenko in the conversation.