Jimi Manuwa is confident about his chances in a possible fight against UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Daniel Cormier solidified his status as the UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 220 a week ago by stopping Volkan Oezdemir in the second-round of their co-headliner fight. However, it is a performance that did not impress #4-ranked 205-pound contender Jimi Manuwa.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Manuwa talked about how he felt he would fare against Cormier.
“DC won’t be able to take me down that easily,” Manuwa said (via MMA Fighting). “He won’t be able to do what he did to Volkan to me. I’ve got better wrestling defense and I’ve got better jiu-jitsu than Volkan.”
“I truly believe that I can stop DC in two rounds; I truly believe that in myself. It’s just about getting there. I’m one, possibly two, fights away. That’s Blachowicz in March and then we’ll see what happens.”
Manuwa further belittled Cormier’s skill set and argued what makes him stand out from all of the champion’s previous opponents.
“He’s a short, fat wrestler,” Manuwa said of Cormier. “He thinks he can bob; he thinks he can kickbox and everything — he’s a short, fat wrestler and that’s it. I’ve got wrestling defense, I’ve got good jiu-jitsu, he will not be able to stand with me.”
“I’m different to Volkan; my striking is different to all of these guys that he’s fought. I’m patient and I have devastating knockout power.”
Manuwa last fought at UFC 214 last July where he lost via first-round knockout against Oezdemir. He is now slated to face Jan Blachowicz on March 17th in London.
Cormier, meanwhile, will be challenging Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 226 on July 7th in Las Vegas.