MANUWA READY TO ANSWER UFC’S CALL
But don’t expect light-heavyweight to get title shot as fill-in if Cormier-Jones bout falls apart, writes Daniel Austin.
In Jimi Manuwa’s mind, there’s still a chance that he’ll be fighting for the UFC light-heavyweight title this weekend.
It’s a nice thought, but he’s wrong.
Ever since the UFC announced that 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier would be defending his title against Jon Jones in the headliner of this weekend’s UFC 214 card in Anaheim, Manuwa has been treated as a contingency plan in case something goes wrong.
Given the history between Cormier and Jones, it only made sense for the UFC to have a backup plan lined up. Between injuries and failed drug tests and everything in between, Cormier and Jones have had three scheduled fights cancelled, while only getting into the octagon against each other once.
Manuwa emerged as a contender for the light-heavyweight belt earlier this year when he knocked out Corey Anderson and was deliberately matched up against up-and-comer Volkan Oezdemir on this weekend’s card. The idea was that if either Cormier or Jones had to withdraw, Manuwa would be ready to sub in.
With only three days to go, Manuwa insisted nothing had changed.
“I probably would (accept the fight),” the Englishman said. “There wasn’t a point where they said, ‘No, you’re not going to be fighting.’ That’s always been the plan, for (UFC president) Dana White to put me in as a replacement.”
Unfortunately for Manuwa, the history books suggest that even if something does go wrong between now and Saturday night, he’s unlikely to get a shot.
Especially if it’s Cormier who withdraws.
“Listen, you know how I get down,” Jones said when he was asked whether he’d still take on Manuwa. “I do not take lastminute fights, no matter who says what.”
While fighters who are willing to “take any fight, at any time” are loved by UFC bosses and often given heavy promotional pushes, that’s never been Jones’ way.
He famously refused to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice after Dan Henderson pulled out of his title fight with Jones at UFC 151, causing the card to be completely cancelled.
White blasted Jones for the decision and the UFC president made it clear at Wednesday’s UFC 214 pre-fight press conference that Manuwa was still being looked at as a contingency plan in case Cormier or Jones can’t make it to the octagon on Saturday.
It’s rare that UFC pay-per-view main events get cancelled during fight week, but last year Jones tested positive for a banned substance only three days before he was scheduled to headline UFC 200 against Cormier.
The good news for Manuwa is that his name’s been in the conversation surrounding a title shot for so long now, it seems almost inevitable that he’ll face the winner of Saturday night’s championship fight.
All he has to do is beat Oezdemir and he’ll get his shot at Cormier or Jones. It won’t be Saturday, though. The only way we’re seeing Cormier and Jones in the octagon at UFC 214 is if one is fighting the other.