Bellator 125 to feature Manhoef vs. Marshall, Brian Rogers vs. James Irvin
By Josh Sanchez
On Tuesday, Bellator MMA announced that a middleweight fight between Melvin Manhoef and Doug Marshall will be headlining Bellator 125. The event will take place on Sept. 19 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
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Both Manhoef and Marshall are known for their knockout power, so it is a fight that will bring plenty of excitement to the fans.
“This fight is like a dream come true,” Marshall said in a press release. “Two heavy hitters going for broke. It’s a classic don’t blink fight. Bet the house someone is going to sleep before the first round is over. And to be able to have this type of fight in front of all my friends and family that I grew up with makes it that much sweeter.”
In the co-feature, Strikeforce and Bellator veteran Brian Rogers will be welcoming former UFC slugger James Irvin to the Bellator cage.
With two fighters that like to move forward and press the action as much as Rogers and Irvin, it promises to be another thrilling and action-packed fight.
Rogers is coming off of a vicious flying knee knockout earlier this year, so his confidence is higher than ever and he promises fireworks for his match against Irvin next month.
“I’m excited to welcome James Irvin to the Bellator Middleweight division,” Rogers said. “I’ve made my home in this division since 2011 and I plan on staying here for a long time. I know he’s probably planning on coming in here and reestablishing his career, but he isn’t doing that at my expense.
“I’m the worst person anyone can fight in the middleweight division right now. I want to get the word out to the middleweight division that this is my time. And when it comes to this fight, people better expect an extreme amount of violence.”
The complete main card for Bellator 125 was announced on Tuesday, and you can check it out below:
Middleweight Feature Fight: Doug Marshall (18-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (28-11-1)
Middleweight Feature Fight: James Irvin (17-10) vs. Brian Rogers (11-6)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Martin Stapleton (13-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (17-2)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Javy Ayala (7-3) vs. Raphael Butler (8-0-1)