Jimi Manuwa – Syndication Server

Aleksandar Rakic claims ‘fcking pssy’ Jimi Manuwa sucker punched him at UFC London

Aleksandar Rakic revealed an altercation with Jimi Manuwa in the aftermath of the UFC Fight Night 208 in London.

[autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] revealed an alleged altercation with [autotag]Jimi Manuwa[/autotag] in the aftermath of the UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday in London.

Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who brutally knocked out and retired Manuwa (17-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) with a perfect head kick during their light heavyweight bout in June 2019, said he was minding his own business when leaving the card at The O2 when he crossed paths with his former foe, who allegedly attacked him.

Sunday, Rakic posted on social media and gave his account of what he says happened, while also reminding Manuwa of what happened when they were locked in the octagon for real.

“Jimi Manuwa, you piece of sh*t,” Rakic said in a Twitter video. “You son of a b*tch. What a p*ssy move you did last night on me. Guys, I would just let you know that after the event at UFC London, the security was escorting me to the transfer back to the hotel, and ‘Mr. Still Sleep’ was sitting in my row at the end of the row, so I needed to pass by. And I pass by and he talked to me something – I didn’t really pay attention. I have nothing to do with that guy. For me, this is over. So I started to turn away and he sucker-punched me. And even in that close range he couldn’t catch my head. I think he caught me with the forearm on my neck.

“The security was so fast here and they separated us. Man, what a f*cking p*ssy move. You knew that I would be alone in London by myself. You know that I had surgery nine weeks ago and you did this. Man, you’re such a bad loser. I want the people to know what a piece of sh*t you are. I’m going to stay in your head forever. I retired you, I knocked you out and the world saw that. So happy retirement, ‘Mr. Sleep.'”

Hey Jimi,
I thought you were still asleep?#UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/ebdKQv4QQm

— Aleksandar Rakic (@rakic_ufc) July 24, 2022

Manuwa has yet to respond to the claims from Rakic. The Brit has not competed since the pair fought more than three years ago. “Poster Boy” ended his career on a four-fight skid, and while he’s teased combat sports comebacks over the years, the 42-year-old has yet to return.

Rakic is coming off a main event loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC on ESPN 36 in May. The fight ended when Rakic suffered a knee injury that prevented him from continuing, and he’s since been recovering from surgery in anticipation of a key 205-pound bout in his return.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.

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UFC on ESPN+ 33 free fight: Aleksandar Rakic starches Jimi Manuwa in 42 seconds

Relive Aleksandar Rakic’s head-kick knockout of Jimi Manuwa at UFC on ESPN+ 11.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] to put the UFC light heavyweight division on notice.

After notching three wins over Francimar Barroso, Justin Ledet and Devin Clark, Rakic (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was matched up with fellow knockout artist Jimi Manuwa at UFC on ESPN+ 11 in June 2019.

In his highest-profile fight to date, Rakic passed the test with flying colors. After a few feints and fakes, Rakic lunged forward with a combination, capping it off with a brutal head kick that knocked Manuwa out cold just 42 seconds into the fight. The win established the Austrian as a legitimate threat to the division’s best at 205 pounds as he confirmed his status as a title contender after just four fights with the promotion.

Although Rakic lost a split decision to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 23, he later signed a new six-fight deal with the promotion. Now his next assignment will pit him against former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 33, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Before he faces Smith (33-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC), relive Rakic’s finish of Manuwa in the video above.

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Jimi Manuwa, Michael Page, Darren Stewart take part in Black Lives Matter demonstration in London

Some of the U.K.’s biggest MMA stars joined Wednesday’s protest in London over the recent death of George Floyd.

Some of the United Kingdom’s biggest MMA stars joined forces for a Black Lives Matter protest and demonstration Wednesday in London.

UFC light heavyweight [autotag]Jimi Manuwa[/autotag], Bellator standout [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and UFC middleweight [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag] linked up in the England capital city and joined hundreds of people in the streets to protest the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a black man, was killed this past week after being held down by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video pinning Floyd down with a knee on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe and begged to be let up.

Floyd’s death has resulted in protests around the world, many of which have been peaceful, but also have resulted in looting and rioting, reportedly largely by individuals not there to protest. The protests made it across the globe, with thousands in the U.K. expressing frustration over their own struggles combatting racism.

Manuwa, Page and Stewart are seen photographed in front of a banner that read “The U.K. is not innocent,” and included the names of victims of police brutality in the U.K.

View this post on Instagram

Linked up with my fellow London boys @darren_mma @michaelvenompage Nothing changes if nothing changes #blacklivesmatter #londonstandup #allivesmatter ✊🏾

A post shared by Jimi Manuwa (@pb1_) on Jun 4, 2020 at 2:19am PDT

“Linked up with my fellow London boys @darren_mma@michaelvenompage Nothing changes if nothing changes #blacklivesmatter#londonstandup #allivesmatter ✊🏾”

Other fighters have been actively involved in recent events, with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya speaking at a Black Lives Matter rally in Auckland, New Zealand.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was seen on video taking spray paint canisters off of people, preventing potential vandalism in Albuquerque, N.M., while UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell attempted to tame protestors in Huntington Beach, Calif.

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Jimi Manuwa moving toward return as ‘more complete fighter,’ explains Luke Rockhold callout

Jimi Manuwa discusses why he’s itching to return and his decision to call out Luke Rockhold.

[autotag]Jimi Manuwa[/autotag] ultimately wasn’t done when he decided to hang up his gloves.

After his fourth straight loss to Aleksandar Rakic last June, Manuwa (17-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) announced his retirement, a decision he admits came in the moment.

“The love for fighting never left me,” Manuwa told MMA Junkie. “It was more the losses and how I felt at the time (is) why I decided to retire. The love of competition still runs deep in my blood, and I know it always will because that’s how I was made as a human being.”

It’s tough for Manuwa to gauge when exactly he’d be able to return considering the current circumstances of the global pandemic, but he’s been staying in shape.

“With this coronavirus, who knows when things are going to get back to normal,” Manuwa said. “All I’ve asked for is the gyms to be back open, so let’s see what happens. I really got back into my training, especially my boxing just before the virus hit, and it’s affected me the same as everyone else, but I’ve been getting into my home workouts and staying in shape.

“I’m training to be a better fighter and concentrate on things I should have been doing, which I wasn’t in camp. Now (that) I’ve had time to sit down and evaluate my training and the mistakes I made throughout my career, I can focus on becoming a more complete fighter.”

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With news of [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] also itching to return, Manuwa proceeded to call him out, and he explained why.

“I’d fight Rockhold in a heartbeat like I would everyone else, and I’ve shown that in my career,” Manuwa said. “Luke is a great fighter, former Strikeforce and UFC Champ. We both retired and have the itch to come back, so why not?”

Manuwa has competed against the division’s best, with notable wins over Corey Anderson, Jan Blachowicz, and Ovince Saint Preux. His last few outings haven’t gone his way, and he hopes to get the opportunity to run those losses back at some point.

“I’ve fought the who’s who in the division, yes, and there are a few losses that I know I should have not had,” Manuwa said. “But I was mentally not prepared, which is a part of my game, which I didn’t work on at all, and it’s the little things that count when you are at the top of the mountain.

“I’d like to get some of my losses back for starters, but at this moment I’m just taking it a day at a time and enjoying training, and getting better with one eye on the division.”

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Top five UFC London moments: Michael Bisping’s win over Anderson Silva and more

With the cancellation of UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London this Saturday, we take a look at the top five UFC London moments.

The UFC was scheduled to make its 12th trip to London on Saturday before the event was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Rising welterweight star and England’s own Leon Edwards was set to face former UFC 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley in the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event, looking to emerge as a title contender.

It would have been the latest in a series of memorable U.K. events dating back to UFC 38, which headlined by a matchup between then UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes, and Carlos Newton, which took place in London on July 13, 2002, at the Royal Albert Hall.

And throughout the years, plenty of English fighters got the opportunity to headline cards at home, putting on memorable performances in front of a sold out O2 Arena.

With the cancellation of the event, we take a look at some of the best moments in the British capital. From big knockouts, to crowd silencers, and historical moments, here are the top five UFC London moments.

5. Home run: Dan Hardy knocks out Rory Markham

Dan Hardy reacts following his knockout win at UFC 146 in 2012. (USA TODAY Sports)

One of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the U.K. was Nottingham’s [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag]. Sporting his patented red mohawk, Hardy entered the UFC with quite a bit of experience under his belt.

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In his second UFC fight, Hardy was matched up with hard-hitting welterweight, Rory Markham, who has never gone the distance in his career. After going to a split decision in his promotional debut, Hardy was set on showing off his power, predicting a knockout over Markham.

And he didn’t disappoint.

With Markham pressing forward, Hardy was looking to time the counter and it didn’t take long for him to connect, as just over a minute into the fight, Hardy tagged Markham with a counter left that sat him into the canvas. Hardy wasn’t happy with Markham’s comments that he didn’t have knockout power, and he made sure to make him pay.

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