Issue 149
December 2016
Jimi Manuwa’s awesome power was on full display at UFC 204 when he clinically exposed then disposed of top contender Ovince Saint Preux in Manchester, UK.
Just six months after the former college football star extended Jon Jones for 25 minutes, he found Manuwa too hot to handle across the pond.
The British ‘Poster Boy’ has only needed the judges once in his 18-fight career and he looked every bit a future champion against ‘OSP’, taking his time, picking his shots and outgunning a guy ranked above him at #5 in the UFC’s 205lb rankings.
“All my hard work and effort I’ve put in over the last few months paid off on the night,” Manuwa says. “It was really satisfying to get a clean finish like that.”
After bouncing back up from two OSP takedowns in the opener, Manuwa bullied the retreating American with punches to head and body. He set a pace that Saint Preux couldn’t handle.
The 36-year-old adds: “He’s a tall fighter who likes to fight long, so I had to put the pace on him. I had to close him down. I had to put that pressure on him and not give him any space.
"That was the game plan heading in and it worked out perfectly. He hardly landed a shot on me and the knockout came in the end.”
Midway through the second round, Manuwa fainted to land a perfect left hook to the body, which brought OSP’s guard down and left him open to a right hand over the top.
He dropped, then scrambled to his feet, but a second later, a patient and perfectly-timed left hook connected to the jaw to send OSP sprawling onto his back. He was done.
“I’ve had some weird endings to my fights in the UFC, but like I’ve said before, no one likes pain,” Manuwa says. “And I’ve brought the pain to them.”
- 68% - Manuwa was twice as accurate as his opponent, landing 32 of 47 significant strikes, against OSP’s meagre 13 out of 38.
MASTERPLAN
“Knockout is always the plan for me. I went for a submission today, but the knockout is always what I am working for. I’m here to knock people out.”
AIM HIGH
“I want a top-five opponent now. We are working our way towards the top. Onwards and upwards.”
FINISH HIM!
"Manuwa has stopped 15 opponents in 16 career wins."
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