Jimi Manuwa has some high expectations for his future in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
“The Posterboy” is currently the No. 2-ranked 205-pounder in the division and is set to take on Volkan Oezdemir, who comes off of a 28-second knockout win over Misha Cirkunov last week, at UFC 214 on pay-per-view (PPV). Manuwa is currently on a two-fight knockout streak in which he’s finished the likes of Ovince Saint Preux and Corey Anderson.
Despite his best attempt to ‘sneak into’ a title fight against current division champ Daniel Cormier, Manuwa is content to drop one more light heavyweight contender before challenging for the gold:
“I’m okay. Obliviously Jon Jones got the fight, one of the best fighters of all time like I’ve said before. I believe I will knock Volkan out and then Dana said I’d get a title shot after that,” he said. “If one more person has to get it, then so be it.”
Sitting right above Manuwa in the light heavyweight rankings is none other than his former opponent-turned-training partner Alexander Gustafsson. Should “The Mauler” skip him in line for a shot at the 205-pound crown, Manuwa says he has absolutely no problem with it:
“Not really, we both don’t really care who gets the title shot first,” he said. “Alex is the best in the world and I would be happy for him to get and I would be happy to get it myself. We don’t let that come in between us.
“We train together and help each other out, we’re good friends and sparring partners,” he added. “We make each other better. I don’t really care who gets it. Obviously, I want it, and if he gets it, whatever happens, happens.”
Currently, Cormier is set to defend his title against longtime rival Jon Jones at UFC 214, the same card Manuwa will fight Oezdemir on, but “Posterboy” claims that he will be on standby in case one of those men is unable to make the dance:
“Yes, if Jon or ‘DC’ pulls out, I am going to jump into the main event and save the card. It doesn’t matter who, ‘DC,’ Jones or Volkan, I’m prepared to fight stand up, wrestling, grappling judo, everything. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting. Doing my runs, cardio, striking, wrestling, everything to win the fight.”
H/T MMA Mania for the transcriptions
