UFC 204's Jimi Manuwa: 'Nobody likes pain – that's what I bring, that's what I'll give them'

MANCHESTER, England – Jimi Manuwa admits there’s been some slight disappointment with the way in which his UFC run has unfolded thus far.

From losses to injuries to fight withdrawals to wins that ended in a somewhat unsatisfactory faction, Manuwa agrees his UFC tenure hasn’t quite unfolded the way he’d hoped.

Despite that, Manuwa (15-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) thinks fans and fellow fighters are aware of the danger he presents inside the octagon, and that includes UFC 204 opponent Ovince Saint Preux (19-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

“People know from my fighting style and everything that I’m the real deal,” Manuwa told MMAjunkie. “In regards to my opponents pulling out and doctor’s stoppages and all that: Nobody likes pain – that’s what I bring, that’s what I’ll give them. If they chose or the doctor chooses to stop the fight, that’s my job done. At the end of the day that is what it is. But for my injuries and having some time off, I train hard. I injured my hands, my foot. It comes with training.”

UFC 204 takes place tonight at Manchester Arena in England. The light heavyweight bout between Manuwa and Saint Preux airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Manuwa, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, hasn’t competed in more than 13 months. He last appeared in the octagon at UFC 191 in September 2015 where he suffered a second-round knockout loss to upcoming title challenger Anthony Johnson.

He suffered a defeat to two-time title challenger Alexander Gustafsson two fights prior, marking the second of two blemishes on his record. Other than tha, Manuwa has been perfect in his career, winning 15 fights with 14 stoppages.

“Poster Boy” enters the bout with No. 8-ranked Saint Preux looking to start to make a run. But with only four fights in the past three years, it’s been tough for the Englishman to gain momentum. However, he thinks beating “OSP” would be significant for him, especially since he is coming off a unanimous decision loss to No. 1-ranked Jon Jones in an interim title bout at UFC 197 in April.

“He fought the way he fights and on Jones fought the way he fights – you take what you take,” Manuwa said. “He’s a great athlete and he’s not ranked … for no reason, and I’m looking to take his spot.”

For Manuwa, beating Saint Preux is just a building block, not the pinnacle. He said his ultimate goal is to leave the fight both victorious and injury-free before immediately moving on to another fight against a ranked opponent.

“As soon as I win this I want to fight as soon as possible I want to fight before the year is done,” Manuwa said. “I’m going to get this win out the way and as long as I’m not injured or anything I want to get straight back in.”

For more on UFC 204, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.