Andre Mannaart to Return to the Ring

Here's one for the true die-hard old school kickboxing fans: Dutch organization Fight 058 has announced that their next card will be headlined by the return to in-ring competition of Andre Mannaart as he faces fellow legend Jan Lomulder.  The event will take place June 26, and is Fight 058's second ever show.

Modern fans may know the 49-year old Mannaart as one of the top trainers in the European kickboxing scene.  Working out of Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam, Mannaart has trained a number of major champions including Remy Bonjasky and Andy Souwer.  As a fighter, Mannaart was involved in some of the earliest K-1 shows, including an appearance at the 1994 K-1 Grand Prix where he was KO'd by defending champion Branko Cikatic.  His last high profile fight was a victory in K-1 over Mitsuya Nagai in 1999, but even at that time he was essentially retired.  As modern combat sports developed, Mannaart also tried his hand at MMA, going 0-3-1 including loses to Enson Inoue and Kiyoshi Tamura.  An undeniable legend in the modern European kickboxing scene, Mannaart is truly a name every kickboxing fan should know.

His opponent is the 42 year old Jan Lomulder, another early name in the modern kickboxing citcuit.  As a part of Thom Harinck's famed Chakuriki Gym, Lomulder also had an early K-1 appearance, losing to Adam Watt back in 1993.  Perhaps his most notable fight came in MMA as Lomulder took part in the 1994 Vale Tudo Japan tournament, defeating Kenji Kawaguchi via vicious soccer kick before dropping out due to a broken hand. 

Interestingly, this is actually a rematch between these two.  Mannaart and Lomulder first met back in 1995 with Lomulder winning a five round decision.  That fight is available in it's entirety on YouTube - click here for part 1.

While some may look at this as an irrelevant fight between two men who should be out of the ring, I see it as a great opportunity to see two true pioneers of modern kickboxing competing against each other one last time.  I know there are many fans who will eagerly look forward to this, and I can't wait to enjoy seeing these men fight.