By FCF Staff

Bellator 125 will be headlined by a middleweight fight between two noted finishers, as Melvin Manhoef will battle Doug Marshall. The upcoming event will go down September 19th at the Savemart Center in Fresno, California.

Manhoef (28-11-1) hasn’t competed in MMA since April, when he stopped Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at a Gringo Super Fight card. Manhoef most recently competed for International Fighting Championship on July 25th, and was stopped by Cesar Cordoba in a kickboxing bout.

The feared striker is 3-2 in his last 5 MMA bouts.

Marshall (18-7) will be competing for the first time since last November, when he was stopped by reigning Bellator champ Alexander Shlemenko. The slugger reportedly tested positive for a banned substance following the fight and was suspended by the Pennsylvania Commission.

Marshall had won four straight bouts, three of which were via stoppage, heading into the fight.

“This fight is like a dream come true,” Marshall was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “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.”

Here is the main card to date for Bellator 125, which will be broadcast on SPIKE TV.

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)