There was some good news and some bad news for Jimi Manuwa with the announcement that Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones II is set to headline UFC 214.
The bad news is that Manuwa is not getting the next crack at light heavyweight gold despite back-to-back stunning knockouts.
But the good news is that he’s on standby if another Jon Jones indiscretion forces him out of the July event, which is not exactly unlikely.
Jones has made an unpleasant habit out of allowing poor decisions in his personal life affect his professional life, with his infamous hit-and-run forcing him out of a scheduled clash with Anthony Johnson in 2015 before an anti-doping violation meant he couldn’t compete at UFC 200 last summer.
And while he insists he’s on the straight and narrow now, the UFC has simply lost too much money due to Jones’ blunders to trust him completely.
Another blow for Bones https://t.co/epkXDCgj4I
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 9, 2016
UFC president Dana White has revealed that he’s booking London’s Manuwa for UFC 214 so that he can step in if anything should happen to the headliner.
“D.C. and Jon Jones will be the main event,” White said, via Fox Sports. “I’m bringing in [Jimi] Manuwa to fight on the undercard there so if anything happens, Jimi Manuwa will be ready to go and step in for somebody falling out if that happens.”
God is great
— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) May 11, 2017
An opponent for Manuwa has yet to be named and the 37-year-old maintains that he will fight professional boxer David Haye before the year is out.
Last month, Manuwa told JOE that a deal had been agreed in principle between both fighters and the UFC.
They both want it to happen according to @POSTERBOYJM https://t.co/JgBFktxDP8
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 6, 2017
