When gaining momentum and getting closer to his first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title fight, Jimi Manuwa just so happens to come up short. That was the case in his losses to Anthony Johnson, Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir.
But, one can never count out “Poster Boy,” as he is seemingly one or two wins away from a shot at the gold thanks to his tendencies to ends fights in the blink of an eye with his knockout power. That’s why he is confident he will finally get his chance to get his hands on current Light Heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier
Jimi broke it all down to UFC.com.
“I think, realistically, I need at least one more big win, if not two,” he said of a shot at Daniel Cormier’s belt. “I think people want to see the rematch with Volkan (Oezdemir) or me with someone like Glover (Teixeira). But who knows. After this fight with Blachowicz I’m definitely in the mix for it. Me and DC don’t like each other and that goes without saying. So I think people do want to see me fight him. People might write me off against him, but I believe in myself and what kind of fighter am I if I think, ‘Oh, if I fight him, he’s going to take me down and do this or do that.’ I believe in myself and I believe in what I can do.”
Cormier and Manuwa have built up quite a rivalry over the last couple of years, with both men trading barbs on social media. Still, the two men’s paths just can’t seem to cross inside the eight-walled cage.
But if Jimi an score his second victory over Jan this Saturday night (March 17, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 127 in London, England, he could set himself up for a No. 1 contender’s fight. As for Cormier, he has bigger fish to fry at the moment as he is billed to face of against Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 on July 7, 2018 for the 265-pound strap.
Of course, even if Manuwa can string together a few more wins, there is no guarantee he will get to face “DC” for the 205-pound strap, as the champion has plans to retire early next year.