Jimi Manuwa Back To Business And Ready To Deliver Another Knockout At UFC London

Jimi Manuwa’s extended time on the sidelines has been far from ideal for the Londoner, but with little over a month now until UFC London on March 17, he’s ready to return with a big bang.

Manuwa will rematch Jan Blachowicz at the London O2 Arena and he’s ready to show the world that he’s back and better than ever. Speaking to MMANytt.com a few weeks ago, the Londoner explained why he’d not fought since UFC 214 and how it wasn’t his choice to spend such a lengthy time out of action.

“After my last fight, I had a couple of weeks off, but I stayed in shape because I wanted to get my win back,” Manuwa said. “I was wanting to fight in December or January because I knew the London fight was coming up. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get a fight. I was calling out people and I just couldn’t get a fight. When I knew I wasn’t going to get a fight I took my foot off the gas and I used the time to rest and recuperate.

“I got all my vices out and I went out drinking and just eating all the s*** that I wanted to for a couple of months. I took most of November and most of December off and enjoyed my life, enjoyed my family and enjoyed being with my kids. Now though, it’s back to business.”

Manuwa’s loss to Volkan Oezdemir last July did him no favours. The Brit could’ve arguably secured a title shot with a win and instead he had to watch Oezdemir get a shot at the gold last month at UFC 220. Despite the setback, Manuwa seems to have taken it all in his stride and he understands that MMA is a game of inches, especially in the heavier weight divisions.

“Obviously, that loss to Volkan hurt me a bit, but it made me realize that at the end of the day we’re in the fighting business and you win some and you lose some,” Manuwa said. “People say I underestimated him and this and that, but the reality is I just got caught, that’s it. I haven’t got a bad word to say about him and I think he’s a great fighter.

“In the fight I got caught and s*** happens. We’re big guys and we’ve got 4-oz gloves on, it’s going to happen. When you get hit or get caught you can’t complain. I’ve knocked people out before and you’ve got to be able to take your own hits sometimes.”

Having lost for just the third time in his career, Manuwa now knows that if he’s going to make a run at the title, he will have to put some consecutive wins together. His new lease of life will start in London on March 17 and he’s promising that all the fans who show up on the night are going to leave having watched him knock out another contender in spectacular fashion.

“I know I’ve got to stay on at all times,” Manuwa said. “From all the three losses I’ve had I’ve always come back stronger. I lost to Gus and I learned from that and I lost to Rumble and I learned from that. Now I lost to Volkan and I’ve learned from that.”

“Trust me, the fans that turn up are going to leave with the same feeling that they did last year. They’re going to see that their London boy is a knockout specialist and that I’m a f***ing animal. I’m back.”