Jimi Manuwa could be on the cusp of receiving his first UFC title shot.
Coming off of a first round knockout over Corey Anderson this past March in his home country of England, the No. 2-ranked light heavyweight is set to take on fellow top-fiver Volkan Oezdemir on the main card of the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) next month. Interestingly enough, current 205-pound champ Daniel Cormier will defend his title against Jon Jones in the main event.
If Manuwa is able to get past Oezdemir come fight night in California, he could be the next man up to challenge for the light heavyweight throne. Although he already had a solid case for getting the title shot ahead of “Bones,” “The Poster Boy” is just fine getting one more win before he fights for the gold (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“I’m okay, I can’t argue with Jon Jones getting the fight,” Manuwa said. “He’s one of the greatest fighters of all-time, like I said before. I believe I’ll knock Volkan out and Dana said I’ll get a title shot after that, so if one more person has to get it, then so be it.”
Sitting just above Manuwa in the light heavyweight rankings, however, is his longtime friend and No. 1-ranked Alexander Gustafsson who comes off of a spectacular fifth round knockout win over Glover Teixeira in Sweden. Gustafsson also holds a good case to challenge for the gold next, as he and former champ Jones put on one of the greatest title fights in the history of the UFC back at UFC 165 in 2013.
If Jones emerges victorious over Cormier next month, it would make a ton of sense for the UFC to book the rematch between “Bones” and “The Mauler” which everyone is clamoring to see. If Gustafsson is gifted the title shot before himself, however, Manuwa doesn’t think it will affect their friendship:
“We both don’t really care who gets the title shot first,” Manuwa explained. “Alex I’d say he’s the best in the world and I’d be happy for him to get it, and I’d be happy to get it myself. We don’t let that come in between us. We train together, help each other out, we’re friends and good sparring partners, so I don’t really care who gets it. Obviously, I want it and he wants it, so whatever happens, happens.”
Before he can focus on a title shot that is still up in the air, Manuwa remains focused on the task at hand, and that’s Volkan Oezdemir who just knocked out Misha Cirkunov in 28 seconds at UFC Fight Night 109 last month:
“I have a very tough fight in Volkan and he’s looked impressive in his two fights,” Manuwa said. “He fought OSP [Ovince Saint Preux] and he just fought Misha Cirkunov, knocked him out in 28 seconds. So yeah, he’s looked good in his two fights in the UFC, but I’m going to welcome him into the upper echelon of the division and show him what’s what.”
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