Melvin Manhoef knows the perception of his first fight with Rafael Carvalho , and as a result, he’s not going to leave anything to chance when he challenges for the Bellator middleweight title for a second time in Saturday’s Bellator 176 main event. Manhoef (30-13-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) first challenged the current champion Carvalho (13-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 155 in May 2016. It was a very underwhelming five-round affair with little action that led to Carvalho defending his title by split decision . Although Manhoef is not apologetic about his performance – even if it strayed heavily from his usual action-packed style – he did say he will take more risks in the rematch, which headlines the Spike-televised main card following prelims on MMAjunkie at Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy. “I’m going to put more pressure; I’m going to come forward more,” Manhoef told MMAjunkie. “I have some things I’ve been working on of what I have to aim for
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Bellator 176′s Melvin Manhoef on Rafael Carvalho rematch: ‘I’m the champ already’ – MMA Junkie