“It was a really nice feeling,” Kato told Sherdog.com, “but to tell you the truth ... and I hate to say it, but I think American kickboxing is overrated. With all the biggest American kickboxers, I’m not sure they can win on European territory. There are many really big, good kickboxers in Europe, so, for me, going into that fight I was not afraid at all. That’s it. That was my mindset. I knew I’d win.”
Kato became an instant hit with the fans with his “Knockout of the Year” contender and will get a chance to follow it up on an even brighter stage, as he meets Melvin Manhoef in the Bellator 146 main event on Friday at the Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. Kato knows he has his work cut out for him against Manhoef, easily the most experienced fighter he will have faced to this point in his career. The Suriname-born Dutch kickboxer has engaged in many a war, and Kato cannot wait to test his skills against him.
“He really favors his kickboxing in MMA, and he’s doing really great with it,” he said. “I see sometimes he has more of a kickboxer’s attitude than an MMA fighter’s attitude, and that could be the key to win the fight.”
Kato intimated that he might try to take down Manhoef in an attempt to keep him off-balance. No matter the plan, he expects Manhoef to be at full throttle. “No Mercy” has lost three of his past five MMA bouts and has also lost three consecutive kickboxing bouts. Still, Kato scoffs at the idea of the 39-year-old knockout artist being a shot fighter.
“Maybe he’s coming off injuries that made him not fight so good,” he said. “Maybe he’s been cutting a lot of weight so his body might not be moving like it should, but he comes from a really good gym and he’s a great athlete so he should be in really good shape for his next fight. I expect him to be at his best.”