Jimi Manuwa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jimi Manuwa |
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Manuwa in 2014
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| Born | Babajimi Abiola Manuwa 18 February 1980 Sacramento, California, United States |
| Other names | Poster Boy |
| Residence | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Yoruba |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
| Division | Light heavyweight |
| Reach | 79+1⁄2 in (202 cm) |
| Fighting out of | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Team | Allstars Training Center Lions Pride MMA Keddles Gym Nova Força UK |
| Rank | Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo da Silva |
| Years active | 2008–2019 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 15 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By decision | 1 |
Babajimi Abiola "Jimi" Manuwa (born on February 18, 1980) is a British retired mixed martial artist. He was born in America. He competed in the light heavyweight division. This is a weight class in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
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Jimi Manuwa's Early Life
Jimi Manuwa was born in California, USA. When he was three, his family moved to Nigeria. His family has important links to the Nigerian chieftaincy system. His grandfather, Sir Samuel Manuwa, was a medical pioneer and a chief. His great-great-grandfather, Oba Kuheyin, was a king.
When Jimi was ten, he moved to London, England. He did not finish school.
Jimi Manuwa's MMA Career
Jimi Manuwa started training in mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2007. This was after he hurt his chest muscle while lifting weights. He trained at Keddles Gym and Nova Força BJJ.
Fighting in UCMMA
Manuwa began fighting for UCMMA early in his career. He became the UCMMA champion in his third fight with them. He successfully defended his title five times. This was more than any other champion in the company's history.
During this time, Manuwa turned down an offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He felt it was not the right time. He later said that reaching the UFC was his "ultimate goal." He also refused to fight at UFC 138. He explained that he needed to fight regularly to stay sharp. He had not competed for 15 months.
He defended his UCMMA title for the fifth time. This was at UCMMA 24: Hands of War, against Nick Chapman.
Fighting in BAMMA
After defending his title five times, Manuwa signed a contract with BAMMA. He made his debut at BAMMA 8. He fought Antony Rea from France. Manuwa won the fight by TKO (Technical Knockout).
Fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Manuwa signed with the UFC in July 2012. He had turned down their offer a few years earlier.
Manuwa's first UFC fight was against TUF 8 contestant Kyle Kingsbury. This fight happened at UFC on Fuel TV 5. Manuwa won after two rounds. The doctor stopped the fight because Kingsbury's left eye was swollen shut.
For his second UFC fight, Manuwa faced Cyrille Diabaté. This was on February 16, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald. Manuwa won by TKO. Diabaté could not continue after tearing a calf muscle.
Manuwa fought Ryan Jimmo on October 26, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 30. For the second time, his opponent injured their leg. This led to another TKO win for Manuwa.
Manuwa faced Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 37. He lost this fight by TKO in the second round. Both fighters received a Fight of the Night bonus.
Manuwa was supposed to fight Maurício Rua at UFC Fight Night 56. However, Manuwa pulled out due to an injury. Ovince St. Preux replaced him.
After more than a year, Manuwa returned to fight Jan Błachowicz. This was on April 11, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 64. Manuwa won by unanimous decision. This was his only MMA fight that went the full distance.
Manuwa faced Anthony Johnson on September 5, 2015, at UFC 191. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.
Manuwa was set to fight Nikita Krylov in February 2016. But Manuwa got injured, and the fight was canceled.
Manuwa faced Ovince Saint Preux again on October 8, 2016, at UFC 204. He won the fight by knockout in the second round. He earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Manuwa fought Corey Anderson on March 18, 2017. This was the main event at UFC Fight Night 107. Manuwa won by knockout in the first round. He received another Performance of the Night bonus.
Manuwa faced Volkan Oezdemir on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.
Manuwa had a rematch with Jan Błachowicz on March 17, 2018. This was at UFC Fight Night 127. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Both fighters received Fight of the Night bonuses.
Manuwa was scheduled to fight Glover Teixeira in September 2018. Teixeira pulled out due to an injury. Thiago Santos replaced him. Then, Manuwa also pulled out due to a torn hamstring.
Manuwa faced Thiago Santos on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.
Manuwa's last fight was against Aleksandar Rakić on June 1, 2019. This was at UFC Fight Night 153. He lost the fight by knockout from a head kick in the first round.
Jimi Manuwa announced his retirement from fighting on June 3, 2019.
Jimi Manuwa's Personal Life
Jimi Manuwa's parents are from Nigeria. He was born in California and lived in Nigeria for his early years. He then moved to London at age 10. MTV UK made a documentary about MMA in the UK. It featured Manuwa, Jack Marshman, and Cory Tait. The documentary showed their training and lifestyles.
In 2014, Manuwa supported PETA's anti-fur campaign. It was called "Ink Not Mink."
Jimi Manuwa's Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts Awards
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (Two times)
- Against Alexander Gustafsson
- Against Jan Błachowicz
- Performance of the Night (Two times)
- Against Ovince Saint Preux
- Against Corey Anderson
- UFC.com Awards
- 2018: Ranked #7 Fight of the Year (against Thiago Santos)
- Fight of the Night (Two times)
- Ultimate Challenge MMA
- UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship (One time; first champion)
- Five successful title defenses (most in company history)
- MMAjunkie.com
- 2018 Round of the Year (Round 1) (against Thiago Santos)
- 2018 December Fight of the Month (against Thiago Santos)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 23 matches | 17 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 15 | 5 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 17–6 | Aleksandar Rakić | KO (head kick) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith | 1 June 2019 | 1 | 0:42 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 17–5 | Thiago Santos | KO (punches) | UFC 231 | 8 December 2018 | 2 | 0:41 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Loss | 17–4 | Jan Błachowicz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov | 17 March 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 17–3 | Volkan Oezdemir | KO (punches) | UFC 214 | 29 July 2017 | 1 | 0:42 | Anaheim, California, United States | UFC Light Heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 17–2 | Corey Anderson | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson | 18 March 2017 | 1 | 3:05 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 16–2 | Ovince Saint Preux | KO (punches) | UFC 204 | 8 October 2016 | 2 | 2:38 | Manchester, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 15–2 | Anthony Johnson | KO (punches) | UFC 191 | 5 September 2015 | 2 | 0:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–1 | Jan Błachowicz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 | 11 April 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Kraków, Poland | |
| Loss | 14–1 | Alexander Gustafsson | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa | 8 March 2014 | 2 | 1:18 | London, England | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 14–0 | Ryan Jimmo | TKO (leg injury) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz | 26 October 2013 | 2 | 4:41 | Manchester, England | |
| Win | 13–0 | Cyrille Diabaté | TKO (retirement) | UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald | 16 February 2013 | 1 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 12–0 | Kyle Kingsbury | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic | 29 September 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Nottingham, England | |
| Win | 11–0 | Antony Rea | TKO (retirement) | BAMMA 8 | 10 December 2011 | 1 | 5:00 | Nottingham, England | |
| Win | 10–0 | Nick Chapman | TKO (knees) | UCMMA 24: Hands of War | 22 October 2011 | 1 | 2:14 | London, England | Defended the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | Valentino Petrescu | KO (punch) | UCMMA 14: Invincible | 7 August 2010 | 1 | 3:08 | London, England | Defended the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Reza Meldavian | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 12: Never Back Down | 8 May 2010 | 1 | 3:19 | London, England | Defended the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Shaun Lomas | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 9: Fighting for Heroes | 5 December 2009 | 1 | 3:58 | London, England | Defended the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Luke Blythe | KO (punch) | UCMMA 6: Payback | 22 August 2009 | 2 | 4:22 | London, England | Defended the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Ryan Robinson | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 4: Relentless | 9 May 2009 | 1 | 2:03 | London, England | Won the UCMMA Light heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Jamie Hearn | Submission (guillotine choke) | UCMMA 2: Unbreakable | 7 February 2009 | 1 | 1:49 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Chris Greig | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 1: Unbreakable | 6 December 2008 | 2 | 1:35 | London, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Dave Rintoul | TKO (punch) | FX3 9 | 13 September 2008 | 1 | 3:10 | Reading, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tom King | TKO (punches) | FCFN 8 | 26 July 2008 | 1 | 4:25 | Portsmouth, England |
See also
In Spanish: Jimi Manuwa para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
