On October 8, the UFC returned to beautiful Manchester, England with UFC 204. It was one hell of a fight card.
The most buzz worthy feature of the card was undoubtedly the main event. This main event saw British middleweight champion Michael Bisping attempt to kill two birds with one stone against Dan Henderson by making a successful defense of his title and avenging an ugly 2009 knockout loss in the process. In the end, Bisping would accomplish these goals – but only narrowly. The Brit walked with a razor close unanimous decision win that is still being debated by fans.
UFC 204’s main event was far from its only exciting feature, however. Another highlight occured in the middle bout of the main card, when English light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa took on talented American Ovince St. Preux. Though the odds favored St. Preux to emerge the victor in this light heavyweight showdown, Manuwa would ultimately come out on top, savaging his foe with a hellacious onslaught of second-round punches that left him crumpled against the cage in an unconscious heap.
Watch this knockout from a new and terrifying angle at the top of this post.
With this crushing knockout defeat of St. Preux, Manuwa rebounded from a knockout loss of his own, which was dealt by the absurdly powerful Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Prior to that loss, Manuwa experienced a win over Jan Blachowicz, and a loss to current friend and training partner Alexander Gustafsson. The English striker famously began his UFC career with three straight wins due to injuries or retirement. He does not currently have a fight booked.
St. Preux, meanwhile, is now on a two-fight losing streak, having lost a decision to light heavyweight great Jon Jones before he was mauled by Manuwa. The American is a tough 3-2 in his last 5, with his two wins coming against Patrick Cummins and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. He’ll have to perform well in his next fight if he hopes to be considered a contender again.
What did you think of Manuwa’s incredible knockout defeat of St. Preux? Do you consider him a contender? Sound off, PENN nation!
