Jimmy "The guy from the poster" Manuva is an English UFC light heavyweight fighter. Born in California, spent his early years in Nigeria, and moved to London at 10. As of the summer of 2017, he ranks third in the ranking of the best light heavyweight fighters in the UFC.
Career start and battle at UCMMA
Jimmy Manuva began training in 2007, and held his first fight in 2008, as part of the UCMMA organization. He knocked out the first two rivals in the first round, the third in the second. Then, with the help of the "guillotine", he forced another opponent to surrender and continued a series of knockouts. The bright, aggressive style of the fighter attracted the attention of the audience. The height and weight of Jimmy Manuva is not so great for the light heavy category - 185 cm and 93 kg.
One of the most unusual actions of the fighter at that time was ... refusal to sign a contract with the UFC. According to Jimmy Manuva, he was simply not ready to start cooperation with the largest league on the planet - he needed to gain experience. The decision was correct. Victory after victory in UCMMA (five title defenses!) And success in BAMMA seriously raised the price of its shares. Soon, Manuva agreed to join the UFC, but this time on much more favorable terms.
Major League planet
The first fight under the auspices of the UFC was scheduled for July 2012. Jimmy Manuva met with Kyle Kingsbury. Victory! The opponent could not continue the fight after the second round. The second and third battles were also won in a tough manner. Cyril Diabate simply refused to continue the fight, and Ryan Jimmo was injured in his leg and could not continue to fight.
Then followed an attempt to fight one of the best representatives of the light heavy division - the Swede Alexander Gustaffson. Gustaffson's boxing and kickboxing were too much for the British - he lost by TKO in the second round. However, the battle turned out to be bright, so that both participants received an award for the best performance of the evening. In the future, Jimmy Manuva defeated several fairly strong opponents, but lost by knockout to another top - Anthony Johnson.
It seems that the career of this fighter is just beginning. It is believed that in the future he will please fans with a champion belt.