Melvin Manhoef Will Fight on "Dynamite!" New Year's Eve

Dutch knockout artist Melvin Manhoef returns to Japan for the fifth time this year to fight at K-1's New Year's Eve extravaganza, PREMIUM Dynamite!! 2007. The 31-year-old middleweight sat out the October HERO'S event in Korea after being featured in six straight shows of K-1's MMA brand.

Last year the 5-foot-8 power plug was omitted from Dynamite!! after coming up short against controversial judo player Yoshihiro Akiyama in the final of the HERO'S light heavyweight (183-pound) Grand Prix. That's why Manhoef will be extra motivated to be invited to the show that only the biggest stars get to participate in this year.

While HERO's matchmaker Akira Maeda has not decided on an opponent for the heavy-handed Dutchman, the candidates on the shortlist would all give fans a mouth-watering battle. Among the possible adversaries are former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton, Croatian kickboxer Zelg Galesic, Bushido Grand Prix finalist Denis Kang and Japanese fan-favorite Ikuhisa Minowa.