Daniel Cormier is willing to fight either Jon Jones or Jimi Manuwa in the main event of UFC 214 in Anaheim on July 29
Fresh off his successful title defense against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has his eyes set firmly on July card in Anaheim for the site of his next fight.
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“July 29th I will be in Anaheim and I’m bringing my UFC title with me,” wrote Cormier on his Instagram. “The question is which one of em gon get it. Is it gonna be Jones or Manuwa?”
Currently, the UFC has that date and location slated at UFC 214. While a main event for the card has yet to be announced, UFC President Dana White previously announced he was willing to grant Jon Jones a shot at Cormier’s title on that very date if he wanted it.
This news also comes just a few days removed from Cormier and Manuwa’s sparring session over Twitter where both fighters expressed willingness to fight the other.
Prior to defeating Anderson, Manuwa finished former title challenger Ovince Saint-Preux at UFC 204 in October. This got the Englishman back into the win column following his loss to current number contender Anthony Johnson at UFC 191. To date, 15 of Manuwa’s 17 wins have come by way of (T)KO, including nine within the opening frame. Manuwa also holds notable victories over Jan Błachowicz, Ryan Jimmo and Cyrille Diabaté.
In terms of competition, Cormier’s (19-1) recent win at UFC 210 marked his second victory over Johnson. He previously submitted ‘Rumble’ with third round rear-naked choke in their initial fight for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 187 in May 2015. This came after Cormier filled in for former champion Jones after he was stripped of his title for his role in a hit-and-run incident in New Mexico. Jones (22-1) previously earned a decision over Cormier in their initial fight at UFC 182 in January 2015.
Cormier was then scheduled to rematch Jones on two separate occasions. They were originally slated to settle their differences at UFC 197 before an injury forced Cormier off of the card. As a result, Jones defeated Ovince Saint-Preux for the UFC’s interim title.
Cormier and Jones were then set to rematch in a title unification bout at UFC 200. However, a failed drug test forced the UFC to pull Jones from the card mere days before the event. Cormier would go on to earn a decision over Jones’ replacement, Anderson Silva.
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Manuwa (17-2), on the other hand, is coming off a violent walk-off knockout over Corey Anderson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 107. Following this win, the man known as ‘Poster Boy’ made it know he was flying to Buffalo to witness the title fight between Cormier and Johnson.