UFC 214’s Jimi Manuwa is set to face Volkan Oezdimir this Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. but will have a vested interest in the main event on the night
For Manuwa, a victory for either man could be the ticket to a shot at the UFC light heavyweight crown should he overcome the stern test of Oezdimir.
According to “Poster Boy” it will be Jon Jones who emerges victorious on the night (via Bloody Elbow):
“I don’t know how Cormier is gonna do against him. It depends on which Jon Jones turns up. Whether or not he was on drugs before, or if he’s not now or whatever, no one really knows. Only he and USADA know. I’m not here to put anyone down. Jon Jones is the greatest fighter probably to ever step foot into the Octagon, so you’ve got to give him his respect there.
It’s all about fighting, it’s not a personality contest. It’s not about seeing who’s got the best morals or whatever. Obviously, as a champion in the public eye, you’ve got to keep a certain standard of integrity, but ultimately, it all comes back to fighting.
As for the chances of Cormier, Manuwa believes that there is only one feasible way that “DC” can retain his title – to get close enough to Jones to be able to take him to the mat:
I believe Jones can beat Cormier eight out of ten times—even ten out of ten times. I think Jon Jones has got his number, he really has. The only way Cormier can beat Jones is to take him down and grind him. He’s not going to knock him out because he’s unable to strike with him because Jones is too good a striker and too good at using his length and range.
Cormier is not a striker, he’s a messy stand-up fighter. He has to close the distance and try to take him down, but he couldn’t do it in the first fight, and I don’t believe he can do it now. Cormier hasn’t knocked someone out in—I can’t even remember the last time he knocked someone out.”
