Jimi Manuwa isn’t bummed out over Jon Jones getting a title shot before he does.
Manuwa was a front runner for a shot at Daniel Cormier’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight gold. The opportunity ended up going to Jones. The “Poster Boy” will instead meet Volkan Oezdemir on the same night as Jones vs. Cormier II.
During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Manuwa explained why he can’t complain about Jones getting first dibs:
“I’m okay, I can’t argue with Jon Jones getting the fight. 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.”
Manuwa believes he’ll stop Oezdemir, though he gives his opponent respect.
“I have a very tough fight in Volkan and he’s looked impressive in his two fights. 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.”
UFC 214 takes place on July 29 inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
