Jimi Manuwa doesn’t expect Daniel Cormier to have a “Fight of the Year” performance.
The “Poster Boy” is scheduled to meet Corey Anderson on March 18 for a London event inside The O2 Arena. That bout will serve as the event’s headliner.
Manuwa recently spoke with BloodyElbow.com and said he is heavily focused on his opponent:
“Corey Anderson has got a whole lot of rage coming to him. I’m pissed off. I’m missing my children, I miss London. Anderson is on my mind constantly, I think about him when I go to sleep and he’s gonna pay. He’s gonna pay for it when we meet face to face.”
At UFC 210 on April 8, Anthony Johnson will get another chance at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold when he meets Cormier for a second time. They will be featured as the main event at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.
Their first encounter took place at UFC 187 back in May 2015. Previous champion Jon Jones was stripped of his title due to legal troubles. This left “Rumble” and “DC” to fight for the vacant light heavyweight strap inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Cormier was dropped in the opening round, but he weathered the storm. In the third round, Cormier took the back of his winded opponent and locked in a rear-naked choke for the submission win.
Manuwa knows firsthand of “Rumble’s” power. The two went toe-to-toe back in Sept. 2015. Johnson earned a knockout win in the second round. Manuwa would like to see his light heavyweight rival emerge victorious over “DC.”
“I would prefer Rumble to win as he’s more of an exciting fighter. Cormier is a boring fighter. I don’t like watching him fight, I’d like to fight him at some point but I would love a rematch with Johnson. I’m leaning more toward Cormier winning though as he is tough enough to withstand the onslaught of Johnson.”
