LONDON – When the UFC pitches the octagon in The O2, it always can count on one man to sign on the dotted line.
UFC events in England’s capital city are a home game for London light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa, and when the call comes to fight in front of his home fans, the answer is always yes.
“One hundred percent,” Manuwa said. “Every time. I love fighting in the U.K. and I look forward to putting on a great show.”
Manuwa returns to action on home soil looking to get back to winning ways after a first-round knockout loss to the heavy hands of Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214 this past July. Manuwa (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets Jan Blachowicz (21-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 127 co-main event in London. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass.
Manuwa admitted it took him a month to get over the disappointment of the defeat, but now the hard-hitting Brit, who has finished 15 opponents by knockout or TKO during his career, is taking a more philosophical view.
“You get caught, and with us being big guys I expect the fight to go one way or the other. It’s kill or be killed,” he said. “I’ve knocked out a lot of people in my career, and (now) I’ve taken one. It is what it is.
“I can also give it as well as take it. I took one for the love of the sport. Now I’m back to give one.”
Saturday night sees Manuwa step into the octagon to face a familiar foe. Poland’s Blachowicz is the only man to take Manuwa the distance and, despite getting the win in their first meeting, Manuwa plans on delivering an emphatic performance in their rematch.
It wasn’t a matchup Manuwa ordinarily would have chosen, but the Brit said he had very little in the way of viable options. Despite that, he remains motivated and focused ahead of his hometown return.
“It was a fight where I almost felt I had to take it, because the people I called out said no, and everyone else was fighting,” Manuwa said. “I’ve never turned down a fight in my life. For me, it was just about staying active. Not taking anything away from Blachowicz – he’s ranked No. 12 and I’m ranked No. 4, so to me it doesn’t really make sense. But then again, a fight’s a fight, and I’m taking him very seriously.
“I’m motivated by the fear of losing, because I’m going against a man who’s trained weeks and weeks to beat me, so that’s all the motivation I need.”
With the light heavyweight title picture looking somewhat fuzzy with champion Daniel Cormier’s move up to challenge heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, Manuwa said there’s still a route to the belt, albeit a roundabout one.
“The path to me right now is a bit vague, but it could play out well,” Manuwa said. “(Cormier has) gone up to heavyweight, (Alexander Gustafsson) has got no one to fight, Volkan (Oezdemir) and Glover (Teixeira) are fighting in May. So I think after this fight – I expect to win – I expect to get the winner of the Glover and Oezdemir (fight), and then win that fight. Then I fight for the title.
“For me, the title’s still in my sights, but I’m taking one fight at a time now.”
The next fight on deck for the “Posterboy” is against Blachowicz on Saturday night and, with Manuwa coming into the contest with a point to prove, the Brit said to expect a decisive performance.
“I will be making a statement on Saturday,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of anger coming into this fight from the last fight, and I feel that he’s going to get the brunt of it.”
For more on UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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